The fruit of N.B. couple's labor is a 4 lb. tomato

PHOTOS BY JENNIFER AMATO Left: Several of the tomatoes in Jim Nicoletti's garden are maturing and ripening, growing larger than most tomatoes do. Using seeds given to him by William Krausse, Nicoletti has grown a 4-pound tomato this season in his backyard. NORTH BRUNSWICK — You say to-may-toe, I say to- mah-toe. But anyway you say it, it's huge.

Jim and Lynn Nicoletti, who live near Farrington Lake, have three 8-foot tomato plants growing against the back of their house, and the two largest tomatoes so far this season weigh 4 pounds and 3.5 pounds.

"I realized if I stopped watering the plants and started watering the roots, they grow better," Jim Nicoletti said.

Since the heirloom tomatoes are only supposed to grow to be about 3 pounds on average, the Nicolettis take a special pride in their hobby. With the season beginning indoors mid-March and extending through late August, the tomatoes take longer to mature but grow to be large, ripe, dense fruits.

The reason for this, Jim Nicoletti said, is because there is a lot of sun in his backyard and because, he believes, the sun reflects off his vinyl siding.

But he mostly credits William and Dee Krausse, other North Brunswick residents and friends for over 40 years, as the reason behind the giant tomatoes: the seeds Jim Nicoletti used have been in William Krausse's family for generations, dating back to his grandfather.

William Krausse's "Big Bill's" tomatoes grow in his own backyard, a 20-foot-by-30-foot lot in the back of his house, located off Route 27. Although Jim Nicoletti gets about 40 tomatoes each season, William Krausse said he gets about five tomatoes on each of his 60 plants, which could grow to be 10 feet tall before the first frost comes.

That is why Krausse has entered his tomatoes into contests. He is featured in "Ripley's Believe It or Not" in 1987 for a tomato he grew in 1979. According to Ripley's, Krausse lost out on the New Jersey Championship Tomato Weigh-In contest in 1979 because he sliced a 5- pound tomato for his sandwich, but he grew a 4-pound tomato the next year to win their $1,000 prize.

Winning three times overall, his friends have also won weight competitions. He has sent the seeds to North and South Carolina, Arizona, California, Germany, Holland and South Korea.

"Jersey tomatoes have flavor, taste," William Krausse said proudly, adding that he used to grow eggplants and cucumbers. "It's fun giving them away."

And Lynn Nicoletti said they will do just that, giving the tomatoes away to friends. Or, they will slice the fruits and put them on a sandwich.

"They are delicious," she said.

The couple will also dry the seeds of the largest tomato on wax paper in the sun, store them in a sealed jar and then replant them in the winter, such as William Krausse does every year.

"There is satisfaction in growing a big tomato and just looking at it," Jim Nicoletti said.