Let's go

Just a reminder that this contest isn't about growing the biggest plant, the most megablooms, or the most green tomatoes. It's about bringing in a big tomato and putting it on a scale. So to kick things off, I'll go first. This is just a baby, but if the hailstorm of the century turns everybody's prize tomatoes into gazpacho, I'll be the winner!

In need of support

I had a close call this morning. My largest tomato had grown too big for its stem, and it had bent over. My trophy tomato was in danger of losing its lifeline!

 

Crisis averted. My closet has one less t-shirt, and like a bundle being delivered by the stork, my baby is safe.

 

Here are a couple pics. I started my seeds about 2-3 weeks after most of you so mine are just now setting fruit. This first pic is just of the 'giant' garden where i planted my three most promising seedlings. I've obviously been doing a lot of trimming back. I'd like to think the few little marigolds I added helped the pollination process.

Then this is one of my first fruit set and one of 3 "megablooms" to set. Two on this plant, and one on a second. Time to get serious with these little buggers!

This tomato is about the size of a nickel today. I have about 8 tomatoes set on these three plants today that weren't there yesterday. I have some "leftover" plants in small-ish containers that I'm not sure what they'll do. Their foliage looks amazing but no fruit yet and limited megablooms. We shall see.

More big blooms

I have a way now to tell which are true megablooms, and which are just big blossoms. Or at least I think I do, because I'm making this up. I counted sepals (the green petal-like things) on several of the varieties that I'm growing, and it's almost always 7 or 8. But on the megablooms, or what I assume to be megablooms, I've counted 10-14 sepals.

Captain Marvel:

 

 

Big Stack:



BTW, my Zaczilla is a beast. I had to cut out 3 tomatoes and several large branches today to keep it under control.

Looks like I am about to open a couple of megablooms of whoop arse on you guys!

Btw - really hard to talk trash with my wife's account....

Yours Truly,

The One Ton Tomato (Fred)

Seedlings

I'm taking side bets on whether or not Dustin is going to plant his seedlings and when, and if he'll manage to produce a ripe tomato before the first frosts arrive this fall. The over/under is currently at AUGUST 1, and the ripe tomato prop bet is 4:1 AGAINST.