My tomatoes won't grow big!

[cookieangel]

I just love tomatoes! I can eat them fresh, like eating an apple. I love them in my salad and my cheeseburger. I even have this weird liking of eating sunny side up with tomatoes on top. In my fondness of it, I planted tomatoes. But in my attempt to grow the ones I find in the supermarket, my tomatoes only produced small-sized one. By the way, I bought the seeds in a local herb and plant flea market and exhibit. I was expecting a big one, like the ones we see sandwiched in Big mac and Wendy's. But mine grew just small, like these:

 

[zigs]

It all depends on the variety, there are tiny cherry tomatoes, medium sized ones and the big beefheart ones.

I've got some for sale in this thread,

https://www.gardening-forums.com/threads/do-we-have-a-plant-exchange-here.758/#post-8143

 

[cookieangel]

Oh! So that is what they are called? Beefheart? The ones used in salads and sandwiches? So mine is only the medium sized ones, eh? My friend told me that what I grew is more for cooking, like the ones we used when we sautee, and not for salads and sandwiches. She told me that the big ones do not have much juice and seeds and that is why it is ideal for salads and sandwiches, and the medium ones like mine have more juice, so it is ideal for cooking since the juices give extra flavor to the food. Is she correct on that?

 

[zigs]

I'd never really thought about that. Could be right.

 

[dconklin]

Zigs is correct - it all depends on the variety. I have grown various ones from cherry tomatoes and yellow tomatoes to early girl and beefsteak. Well tried to grow the early girl tomatoes but didn't have as much luck with those plants. Often on the seed packet it will say how big they get on average.

 

[headfullofbees]

Oh! So that is what they are called? Beefheart? The ones used in salads and sandwiches? So mine is only the medium sized ones, eh? My friend told me that what I grew is more for cooking, like the ones we used when we sautee, and not for salads and sandwiches. She told me that the big ones do not have much juice and seeds and that is why it is ideal for salads and sandwiches, and the medium ones like mine have more juice, so it is ideal for cooking since the juices give extra flavor to the food. Is she correct on that?

I'm afraid not. It's the variety, rather than size, which determines which are best for eating or cooking.
Juicy ones are recommended for slicing and eating fresh, and tend to have more seeds; tomatoes for cooking tend to be fleshy and dry, and some are not that pleasant eaten in a salad.
The variety in your photograph is definitely a slicing tomato, and looks most appetising.
I reckon the small/medium tomatoes are the nicest, and have stopped gowing the beefsteak varieties, as, here in Northern England they take too long to ripen.

It's far quicker to grow two delicious smaller tomatoes than one big beefsteak one.

 

[Rzashida]

Some heirlooms just grow smaller, you might not want to compare them to grocery store tomatoes. The tomatoes we usually see at grocery stores fit a "stereotypical" look, but are quite bland in comparison to heirlooms. I believe the bulkier size of the typical grocery store tomato and its "watery taste" are from it's hydroponics growing process.

 

[ViperDove]

I also believe the variety matters a lot and the soil also. Tomatoes love acidic soil and they won't perform well in alkaline soil.

 

[John Atkinson]

It is either because of the variety, or because farmers who sell tomatoes to your local supermarket use chemicals. Some products really boost the growth of tomatoes.

GMO is also a good explanation.

It is probably because of the variety, though.

I don't know, if you are aware of that, but when tomatoes start flowering, they produce small shoots along their stems. Those shoots should be pinched, as they hinder the growth of the plant and don't allow the fruits to grow bigger. They practically suck the power of the plant, but are completely useless.

Regular watering is also a factor for the size and appearance of your tomatoes. These plants like lots of sun and water.

I strongly recommend that you read this post about growing tomatoes with companion plants, too. Some companions do a lot of harm to tomato plants.

I hope I helped you.
Regards, John.

 

[Becky]

Bringing up old topics so that you can self promote is bad form...