Big reds: Coffee grinds key to whopper tomato crop

Kerriane Parkes displays some of the large tomatoes grown by her and her mother at their Lavenham Road home. The tomatoes weigh up to 490 grams.

EIT Tairāwhiti qualifications, Google and coffee grind is the secret behind the large tomatoes being grown at a Lavenham Road home.

Evie Day and daughter Kerriane Parkes are delighted to have produced tomatoes weighing up to 490 grams, or 1.08 pounds for those still using the imperial system.

Ms Day said she used Google to find out coffee grind (pieces of bean that remain after the grounds have been extracted) could lead to bigger tomatoes.

“I don’t use sprays, I use coffee grind and I dig it into the soil every 10 days.

“And make sure you take out the laterals.”

The coffee grind contains nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium which makes excellent fertiliser that supports healthy plants and repels insects and slugs.

Ms Day was pleasantly surprised by the result.

“I didn’t expect them to get that big and I think there’s going to be more.”

The two women are avid gardeners. Both have Level 1, 2 and 3 horticulture qualifications from EIT (Eastern Institute of Technology).

It’s important to make time for your vegetables”, said Mrs Day. “Half of the stuff we grew in the garden, we grew from seeds.”

The large tomato section is netted off to keep birds away.

“You also have to keep the weeds away.”

The women grow for their own use and only have tomatoes at the moment.

Unfortunately, another member of the family sprayed Roundup over the rest of what was a vast family garden.

■ A large tomato weighs about

180 grams or more, and a medium one about

123 grams, according to the US Department of Agriculture.