PRIDE AND JOY: Griffith Joe Guastelli was thrilled to find this whopper hanging from his tomato vine.
WE’VE all heard about James and the Giant Peach, but this is the story of Joe and the Giant Tomato.
When Griffith man Joe Guastelli was given a few seeds from a friend, he had no idea they would produce these gigantic mutant tomatoes.
Weighing in at almost 500g, these whoppers “carve like ham” according to Mr Guastelli - who couldn’t be more proud of his overgrown harvest.
Most fascinating for the seasoned green thumb was the fact each fruit produces less than 10 seeds.
“It’s mostly just flesh,” Mr Guastelli said.
“They’re very palatable, very tasty, and they’d easily feed four or five people.”
He’s aptly named the fruit “big red” and said they really like the hot weather.
“I’ve been growing tomatoes a long time so I thought I’d give this a go,” he said.
“But I don’t think anyone’s had any like this around here.”
Mr Guastelli planted the seeds at the beginning of the season - around September last year - and has watched them explode into a colossal vine weighed down by the enormous fruit.
“They need about five stakes for each plant,” he said.
“It grows very high but the vines are weighed down by the fruit.”
The seeds came from Darwin, where the plants are grown all year round.
Mr Guastelli said his friend had cultivated a staggering 800g tomato.
