£1000 prize for 1.75kg (3lb 8oz) Tomato 'Gigantomo'®

A Nottinghamshire gardener has scooped £1,000 for growing the heaviest Gigantomo Tomato, weighing a staggering 1.75kg (3lb 8oz). Joe Atherton of Mansfield Woodhouse, walked away with the prize money, in the first ever Gigantomo Weigh In at the Harrogate Autumn Show. Van Meuwen announced the prize money at the start of the year, following its exclusive launch of the giant beefsteak variety on the UK market. A further £5,000 prize for a world record breaker was also offered, but entrants had some way to go in beating the current record of 3.7kg (8lb4oz), set in the US last September by Minnesota grower Dan MacCoy. Despite what has been widely reported as a poor season for UK tomato growers due to less than perfect weather conditions, sponsors and judges were impressed with the entries received for judging on Friday 18th September at the Great Yorkshire Showground. 'Gigantomo'® can reach over 6ft tall, producing fruits up to 10 inches wide and 3lbs in weight, which can be harvested from mid-summer. It is available as both seeds and plants.