Gigantomo tomatoes taste update

My main tomato crop this year, as some of you may remember, has been Gigantomo, the tomato that, with care, promises to grow to gigantic proportions. 

Gigantomo tomatoes are surprisingly difficult to pick as they are held really strongly on the plant.

That was never going to happen for me. My heaviest tomato so far has weighed in at 12 oz, nowhere near Joe Atherton's 1.755kg (3lb 13.9 oz) winner in the Heaviest Gigantomo Tomato Class at Harrogate Autumn Show this weekend.  A man who appears to possess the stoicism demanded by growing giant veg, he's looking moderately pleased with his £1000 reward in the video below, where he discusses how this came off a late-sown plant with the fruit set on the first truss :

(If you can't see the video, visit it here.)

As I didn't pare down the harvest to one per plant (though they pretty much thinned themselves down to one per truss), the fruit vary quite substantially in size, which is no bad thing when you have different needs for different recipes.

As you can see, the flesh is very dense, with few seeds. I was fairly sure it wasn't going to have much to offer taste-wise, but I'm glad to say I'm wrong.

Some might say it hasn't quite enough acidity, but I'm rather a convert. Kept out of the fridge, it's got a full, sweet tomato flavour and not only goes well in salads, but cooks down to a really lovely sweet tomato sauce. I simmered slices of courgette with it and really didn't need anything else apart from a bit of salt and pepper. 

My plug plants were supplied by Van Meuwen and I think this is one that I'll definitely be growing again.

Comments

[Lyn Grainger]

Hi Joe, your Gigantomo tomato s look lovely. I've bought a Gigantomo plant from garden centre I work at today. I don't have a greenhouse but I have a south facing porch with a large sunny window, it's in a 1litre pot, which size pot do you suggest I pot it on to. I'm going to buy bag of manure tomorrow and thought I'd buy a grow bag and use the compost from that for the pot or do you think a grow bag sat on a tray. Can you please advise me. Thank you, Lyn

[Lyn Grainger]

Sorry, just e-mailed you and called you Joe, just realized I was reading about someone you were talking about, sorry Helen. I don't want or expect to grow a huge tomato, but would like advice on growing them as you do,thank you Helen, Lyn

[Helen]

Hi, Lyn, no problem. I put my tomatoes in buckets, so that's about 14-15 litres. I never bother with growing in growbags as they're so problematic, but pouring the compost into the bucket would do fine. You'll still need to water with a liquid feed, as per instructions on the feed bottle. Good luck, and come back and let me know how things have gone.

[Tony Carter]

Hi Helen, I grew Gigantomo last year, just one plant and not to be a prizewinner but to see if it gave that "Mediterranean" flavour that one gets with Greek and Spanish salads, and yes they were quite large, like "Beefsteak" ones and super-red with a not too seedy flesh that is quite juicy. I have three plants this year in my mini-greenhouse, the only variety I am growing. They are in large pots of growing compost and about 3 feet high as I write. I have picked out the side shoots (axils) as they have emerged like I would with any other variety. However "Gigantomo" has fooled me and the main growing stem has divided and there are two main stems now to each plant, but the seem very healthy and vigorous with plenty of flowers. I will be happy to hear if you have the same culture characteristic. I hope they will keep me and my fimily well "tomatoed" throught the summer. Any tips you have would be most welcome

[Helen]

Hi, Tony. I have to admit that I usually end up with multiple stemmed tomatoes because there's always a side shoot (or 2) that gets away from me. I know what you mean here, though, as I think I do remember it happening with Gigantomo - the actual main stem divided into two equally thick stems. It didn't cause any problem, anyway. They're just so vigorous! My main tip would be don't forget to feed them!