Grow a whopper

Follow these seven expert tips for success:

1. Select large, indeterminate varieties like Big Zac, Porterhouse, Rhode Island Giant or Bull’s Heart, all genetically programmed to produce large fruit.

2. Start seeds early indoors and transplant seedlings into larger containers several times before moving them outdoors. Plant them deeply each time, removing leaves from the bottom one-third of plants and burying stems up to the next set of leaves. This will produce stronger plants.

3. Remove new flowers that develop at the top of the plant when older fruits near the bottom begin to grow. This will force the plant’s energy into producing fewer but larger tomatoes.

4. Be vigilant! Monitor plants daily for pests and diseases — and react to problems quickly to keep plants from becoming stressed.

5. Remove suckers — the small shoots that grow at the junction where the plant’s stems and branches meet — to prevent them from sapping the plant’s energy and shading developing fruit beneath them.

6. Prune plants to retain only one main branch instead of allowing them to develop into shrubby forms.

7. Be diligent: Water, fertilize and weed regularly.