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Marie Tebbutt, a resident at Kruinhof Retirement Village, recently contacted the GCN about a rapidly growing tomato plant in her backyard.
“I can’t believe the way the tomatoes have grown in such a short period of time,” she said.
Marie’s husband, Johnny, said he planted the seed at the beginning of January and by mid-January the plant had already started growing, but it was very small.
“The rapid growth was in February, and what a big growth it was, the plant was already two metres high,” he said.
Johnny said that due to the growth of the plant, he had to move it from its original place.
“I had to move it because it was growing so quickly. There was not enough space where it was situated and our dogs were fiddling with it.
“I had to move it to a more spacious area and put barriers around it. I even had to hold it together with string as it was already falling over, and this was all in February.
“It is so big that people who have seen it thought it was two or three plants, but it is just one.”
Johnny told GCN that he is familiar with planting and growing vegetables.
“Before we moved to Kruinhof we used to live in Delville and I had a big vegetable garden there,” he explained.
“I would plant potatoes, tomatoes, onions and other vegetables, and they would grow beautifully as well.
“I guess I have green hands, because everything I plant grows really well.
“This tomato plant, however, is something else. It is the biggest tomato I have ever seen or planted.”