YOU say to-mar-toe, and I say to-may-toe, sang Fred Astaire.

Anyone seeing Cliftonville grandmother Daphne Tully's whopping tomatoes is bound to say: "Wow!"

The savoury red fruit growing in her Cliftonville greenhouse have reached epic proportions with one whopper reaching 410 grams – at 14.5 oz almost a whole pound of tomato by itself.

The stunning specimen measures 10cm or 3.95 inches and is more than double the weight of an average tomato. The Goliath has been grown in a year when homegrown tomato crops have been disappointing.

Former midwife and retired counsellor Daphne, 70, said: "I had no idea it would grow this big. It has been a bad year for tomatoes but they seem to be cropping now, which is late.

"I don't even know which variety it is because the seeds and plants became mixed up."

Daphne attributes her gardening skill to growing up on Updown Farm, in the middle of Thanet.

She said: "The family grew vegetables and I've been growing flowers, fruit and veg ever since. My garden is only small but I still like to grow tomatoes and beans."

This year's crop started as a disaster for Daphne's tomatoes. In spring her plants caught a virus, had to be thrown away and her greenhouse scrubbed clean. After being given some new tomato plants she began again and kept her green fingers crossed.

She attributes her outstanding success to regular, controlled watering, feeding with tomato fertiliser and growing the plants in tomato pots placed inside grow bags.

"I water outside the pot so that the plants are never too dry or too wet."

Daphne plans to eat her giant tomato, hollowed out, stuffed and roasted in the oven.

Have you grown a whopper veg? Be sure to let us know. E-mail eileen.obrien@KRNmedia.co.uk or call 01843 578151.