Top tips for growing a prize-winner!

• 1. Keep only four trusses on the plants and thin these down to one fruit per truss.
• 2. Watch out for the 'megabloom'! You'll likely have noticed that each Gigantomo® truss produced one flower much larger than the others (it's actually one flower made up of multiple blossoms). This is the fruit you'll want to retain to grow into a giant.
• 3. Apply a mulch of manure around your plants. Up to 10cm (4in) deep around plants grown in the soil, or as much as you can fit on top of container compost.
• 4. Plants will need sturdy supports. If a stake is not doing the job, think about caging the plant with chicken wire.
• 5. Individual fruits need their own supports. Use an old stocking, a torn piece of sheet or similar to create a hammock under the fruit. Trusses can also be held up with non-stick electrical tape or similar.
• 6. Site, situation and soil type greatly affect watering needs. You'll need to judge this for yourself. The aim is to provide a steady constant level of moisture - erratic watering can lead to blossom end rot (black lesions on the base of the fruit).
• 7. On top of your weekly feeding regime of liquid or granular tomato feed, apply a twice weekly foliar feed of seaweed solution - add to a spray bottle and coat all the foliage. Do this late in the day to avoid sun scorch.
• 8. Pick competition tomatoes early - don't wait for them to fully ripen. Measure fruit circumference. When they stop swelling, pick when still pinkish - not red unless you are very close to weigh-off time.
• 9. If ripening occurs well ahead of time, all is not lost. A tomato will keep nicely in a fridge for up to three weeks at 8-10°C. No weight will be lost. 10. Giant tomatoes aren't about looks or flavour, but get them to the show in the best condition you can by packing them in soft material in a box just large enough to fit them in. Good luck!