https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a42f83_d0784384f8af419f8e3453be1d2a59c4~mv2_d_3088_2194_s_2.jpg/v1/fill/w_600,h_426,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01/a42f83_d0784384f8af419f8e3453be1d2a59c4~mv2_d_3088_2194_s_2.jpg Welcome to Virtual Veggies where I like growing tomatoes, big ugly tomatoes actually. The Steemit tomato was grown inside this past winter. It takes up the better part of a normal dinner plate and weighed in at 1.2 pounds. Believe it or not 1.2 lbs is quite small for this tomato variety. Outside they can easily get up to 3-5 lbs with proper care and a little luck. World class growers have achieved up to 8.61 lbs, the current world record. I recently got the giant tomato bug and started growing them this year. I have grown regular tomatoes for around 40 years or so. You just can't beat the flavor of a vine ripened fresh tomato. https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a42f83_0ad0ded28805468abc6f7774bd26ef24~mv2_d_3196_2354_s_2.jpg/v1/fill/w_600,h_442,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01/a42f83_0ad0ded28805468abc6f7774bd26ef24~mv2_d_3196_2354_s_2.jpg A single tomato, at this point in time, could never reach 8.61 lbs. The trick is that these big ugly brutes are actually several tomatoes fused together as one. Two or three 2-3 lb tomatoes gets you to the 5-9 pound range. I believe that the 9 pound mark will be broken this year by someone. In the view above you can see three of the 4 tomatoes that make up the Steemit tomato. A green one on top and two red ones fused together below it. The blossoms that create these fused monsters are Megablooms and can consist of several actual blossoms fused together, single blossoms with multiple ovaries, or a mix of the two. I originally thought that the Steemit tomato was just two blossoms fused together. https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a42f83_c5ba7dbe57a34d628af7700bb43dddf1~mv2_d_2818_2240_s_2.jpg/v1/fill/w_600,h_477,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01/a42f83_c5ba7dbe57a34d628af7700bb43dddf1~mv2_d_2818_2240_s_2.jpg Here you can see the beginning of my second winter tomato. This tomato plant was from the seed of a 7 lb tomato so I have high hopes for this one. The photo is from yesterday and the tomato is probably around 2 weeks old about the size of a golf ball. The remaining flower shifted to the right side is actually a separate tomato from the left side where the flower is all dried up already. There may even be third fused section in the center but I can't tell yet for sure. The Steemit tomato took about 50 days from pollination to ripe so I expect for the next month or two we will be able to follow the progress as this new one grows. I will periodically post updates on the progress here in my blog so stay tuned. I also plan to have around 100 regular tomato plants this year so there will be lots of tomatoes around to photograph. https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a42f83_610011084533420cb7a6c9e23f366d7d~mv2_d_3264_2448_s_4_2.jpg/v1/fill/w_600,h_450,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01/a42f83_610011084533420cb7a6c9e23f366d7d~mv2_d_3264_2448_s_4_2.jpg Giant tomatoes are not the only giant veggies that I grow. I will also be growing giant pumpkins, giant cucumbers, giant onions, giant sunflowers, and a few others perhaps. That is in addition to the normal garden veggies as well as a mini orchard. There will be lots of fun gardening adventures on this blog for sure. Feel free to ask any gardening questions that you may have and I will either answer or find the answer if I can. The whole ecosystem that enables successful plant life is a fascinating subject that I plan to cover as I transform Virtual Veggies into no till over the next few years. I have many cover crop plots planted to check their effectiveness in weed control, nutrient supply, and organic material to feed the system. It should be fun and educational for all. I think Steemit will make the perfect backbone I have looked for to build a thriving community around. Thanks to the Steem/Steemit teams for making this all possible and the community for supporting such a possibility. And lastly, thanks for taking the time to read my intro and I hope to see you all around often! https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a42f83_1a3320c3d823484e8a545ab528d70907~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_195,h_161,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01/a42f83_1a3320c3d823484e8a545ab528d70907~mv2.jpg