An 11-foot-tall tomato plant may typically be associated with the Jolly Green Giant. However, now Catasauqua has its own “green giant” claim to fame.

Ben Ferenchak, a retired Mack Truck employee and a dedicated Catasauqua gardener, purchased a Better Boy tomato plant in a 4-inch flower pot from Garden City Greenhouses in North Catasauqua this past spring.

What he achieved was remarkable - an 11-foot-tall tomato plant in his backyard.

His tomato plant gardening tips include placing the plant in a well-composted patch, deep to the point only the top leaves are above ground - and lots of water in the spring.

The plant took off. It yielded enough tomatoes during August to feed the entire neighborhood.

One frustration for Ferenchak was squirrels climbing the plant.

“They would climb up and take one bite out of a tomato and then move to the next one,” Ferenchak said.

As the growing season is ending, the unusual plant will be cut down. Although the plant ends its 2020 life, Ferenchak plans to place it in his compost pile.

The amazing tomato plant will live on as it helps feed the 2021 Ferenchak garden.