Sadly my "shotgun approach" (growing several dozen plants of various varieties and hoping for the best) wasn't up to the challenge presented by the more scientific horticulturalists, here. Nonetheless, I'll show my best effort - a "measly" 0.9 pounder.

This one was my pride and joy all season. It even came from my first plant to germinate and my best looking seedling when I hand picked the three plants to be my giant growers. It got blossom rot almost immediately after fruiting and as you can see by the second picture, I never got it under control. And I think my giving it a heavy drink two to three times a day the last few days may have caused it to split. Still, I'm happy with it being my first try. I'll make the podium, if only briefly. I have others also showing promise...we'll see.

Leaderboard update

Paul entered the fray with his nice 1.642# Big Zac, jumping into 2nd place. Let's keep those tomatoes coming!

Today I paid Aaron the $32 winner-takes-all prize for guessing the weight of the winning tomato. Based on scouting reports, I didn't see the point in hanging on to the money any longer. I hope that proves to be a premature decision!

 

When to pick your giant

People have been asking me if I picked my tomato too early. I honestly don't know. On one hand, raccoons have been tearing up my garden, so I'm relieved to not have to worry about my tomato any longer. On the other hand, I think I might have been able to eke out a couple more ounces if I waited.

Read the following excerpt from Dale Thurber's blog at https://delectationoftomatoes.wordpress.com/2012/08/28/predicting-and-estimating-tomato-weights/

Many growers have noted a slight shrinkage of tomatoes as they ripen, so they recommend picking “at first blush”.  I’ve also measured this shrinkage several times, but have found that it is compensated for, at least, by higher fruit density.  So I suggest picking tomatoes when they appear to be at least 25% ripe.  In my experience, measurable shrinkage rarely occurs until tomatoes are at least 80% ripe.

So if you want your prize tomato to be as heavy as possible, harvest it when its approximately 75% ripe in the early morning after a heavy rain or watering.

New Record

It's official, my big tomato was certified as the new state record:

http://www.bigpumpkins.com/DisplayPhoto.asp?pid=7536&gid=-32842

If I'm still in the top 3 in the state by the end of the year, I'll get my name on a plaque, and if it's still the top tomato, I'll get to hold the plaque for a year. Kind of like the Stanley Cup of tomatoes.

Decent Tomato

'Nuff said.

New Life for the Giant Tomato Contest

Just when I thought a podium sweep was possible, Travis threw a wrench into my plans for world tomato domination. He pointed out this rule on Fred's tomato contest poster:

So the leaderboard was all wrong, and contest is once again wide open. Ted pounced on the opportunity with a gnarly looking Porterhouse, and is now sitting in second place.

Captain Marvel

I had written this one off, because it wasn't growing very fast or looking impressive. It looked bigger once it came out of its hammock. More importantly, this one is solid. I haven't cut it open yet, but I'm guessing I won't find air pockets like the Domingo had.

 

 

Full of air

Something didn't seem quite right with the Domingo that I weighed last Thursday. In addition to looking funky, it felt light for its size. The Zaczilla that I weighed today was much smaller than the Domingo, but only weighed a couple of ounces less.

Tonight, I cut up the Domingo to remove its seeds. The seed pockets were hollow! And some of them had mold growing in them, like outside air was able to enter, perhaps through cracks around the stem. So there was definitely something strange going on with that tomato. Perhaps too little water? Now I understand why the raccoon that started eating it left the rest.

Leaderboard update

A couple more big tomatoes found their way from the tomato patch to the scale today. Way to go Aaron, for his 1.246 lb Porterhouse. And a pat on my own back for a 1.488 lb Zaczilla.

I've got 2 more biggies that should finish in the next week or so, then I've got another round of golf ball sized tomatoes that should ripen sometime in October with proper care. There's plenty of season left, so don't give up on your plants just yet!

A raccoon attacked my baby!

I went out to harvest my #2 tomato last night, and found that a raccoon had beaten me to it. This poor tomato had previously survived multiple raccoon attacks, but this time the raccoon decided to have a snack. Fortunately, it left most of the tomato. I'm sure in the friendly spirit of this competition, you guys will credit me with a couple ounces for the missing portion of the tomato. Hello? Guys? Oh well. The remaining portion of the tomato is still big enough for a new personal best.

 

Paul's Big Zac

I'm posting this on Paul's behalf, because he doesn't have a Google account. Not what you'd call an early adopter, I think he's waiting to see if Google is a passing fad.

Nice looking tomato, Paul. If there were a prize for gnarliest looking tomato, I think you'd have a lock.

Alright, Big Dog. Per your prodding, I will add a photo of my best contender. I don't know any measurements nor dubious math weight of this guy but it seems to gain a few millimieters of circumference each day. I just yesterday picked off its companion from the same clump. I let her accompany this giant for several weeks so as not to have him split. He doesn't feel all that heavy yet but I think he's got a couple solid weeks to go. I actually have a regular round mater in the next door plant that is giving him a run for his money. This guy is still juvenile in tomato years. Barring any natural disasters, i have big hopes for this one!

New Leader

Nice work, Farmer Ted. An attractive 4-lober takes the lead!

Weigh-in Rules?

A question came up today, as to what are the rules for an "official" weigh-in. Since we're getting close to me weighing my, er, to someone weighing their winning tomato, now is probably a good time to discuss rules. How hard can it be? You put the tomato on a scale and weigh it, right? I turned to the Great Pumpkin Commonwealth for guidance. Here are their rules:

Let's examine these rules. 1) and 2) seem a little extreme to me. I mean, who really cares if your tomato has blossom-end rot, or is split and leaking fluids? This contest is about the biggest, not the prettiest, tomato. For 3), certified scales aren't necessary if we're all using the same scale or have the ability to compare scales later in case of a near tie. For 4) most kitchen scales that I've seen give the best precision when measuring in grams, so please measure in grams, and I'll convert to pounds. Number 5) makes sense. We're weighing tomatoes, not the vine that it grew on. 6) green fruits are actually heavier, I think, than when they're fully ripe. 7) seems redundant. 8) Ok. I don't think freezing a tomato changes its weight, so who cares? 9) This is key - fused tomatoes must be actually fused, not just close neighbors.

Having said all that, here are the rules that I would propose. If there's any disagreement, then our fearless leader Fred should make the final call.

1) Trim the stem to <= 1/2 inch
2) Weigh it on a kitchen scale. Ted volunteered to let us use his.
3) Have the weigh-in witnessed by at least one other competitor.
4) Send me a picture of the tomato on the scale, with the weight in grams
5) In case there's doubt about the fruit being connected, slice it open and prove that it's one tomato!

Pics and such...

Here is the smallest ripe tomato ever (wouldn't even register 1 gram on the scale):

Here is my first weigh-in @ .348# (a "Big Red" variety):

Here is my front runner, a Zac F3, who got its own hammock yesterday (about 4" diameter 2" height):

And in other news, be sure to add a calcium supplement (spray or fertilizer) this time of year... nearly all of my ripening Abe Lincolns have blossom-end rot.

Slaughter in the garden

Tragedy in the garden - Even though I am not really in the running based on other reports in this blog, I had observed various bite marks in tomatoes this last week.  Observed a domestic rat in my garden over the weekend (pure white with a brown stripe down its back) and this morning my front runner in the competition was found in the tragic state below.  If gardening teaches anything it is dealing with adversity.....

Bob

Getting closer

At this time of the year, with weigh-ins looming close at hand, people are keeping their prized maters close to the chest. It's hard to get good information, but I have some gardening gossip. Aaron is working on his concession speech, Greg is working on growing the world's tallest cherry tomato plant, and Fred is traveling the world, leaving his dog Chewy to watch over his tomato patch. Bob is doing battle with the cold air that descends off Bear Peak, Travis is admiring the world's best looking tomato containers, and Dustin's seedlings are still under a fluorescent lamp in building 7. I don't want to name names, but two gardeners that I share cubicle walls with have some very promising looking tomatoes.

As for me, I failed to set fruit on any of my megablooms, but I have one regular tomato that is decidedly larger than the rest. It's a Domingo, and roughly 3"x5"x6". I did some very dubious math to arrive at an estimated weight. My personal record is 25 oz, and I calculate this one should go just slightly heavier than that. It's still growing though, so who knows?