Minnesota man grows 8.41-pound tomato

Veg-out-Minnesota-man-grows-841-pound-tomato

ELY, Minn., Sept. 9 (UPI) — The Minnesota grower of a 8.41-pound tomato he expects to be certified as a Guinness World Record said the keys to his success were fertilizer and pantyhose.

Dan MacCoy, whose tomato weigh-in at Northland Market in Ely was supervised by a representative from the Great Pumpkin Commonwealth, said he was told his 8.41-pound tomato will be certified as a Guinness World Record unless a larger tomato surfaces by Nov. 1.

MacCoy said he finds it unlikely a superior fruit will surface, as the previous record of 7.75 pounds, discovered by Gordon Graham of Edmond, Okla., has stood since 1986.

The grower said he obtained “Big Zac” tomato seeds from a grower in France and used the seeds from a 4.57-pound tomato he grew using those seeds to sprout 10 plants this year, including the record-setting specimen.

MacCoy said he plucked the tomato, which resembles three conjoined tomatoes, Aug. 29, but the fruit had become too large for the plant to support weeks earlier, leading him to fashion a sling from a pair of pantyhose donated by his wife, Sara.

MacCoy said some of the seeds from his giant tomato will be donated to other growers, while others will be auctioned to benefit the Great Pumpkin Commonwealth’s annual weigh-off.

 

Read more: http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2014/09/09/Veg-out-Minnesota-man-grows-841-pound-tomato/2661410278334/#ixzz3Cql6QU59