Harvest Time

All but one of my contenders ripened over the weekend.

The three Big Zacs in the foreground were all grown on the same vine. I didn't have the courage to pick a winner, so my results were diluted. Almost 6 lbs of tomatoes combined, and a reminder that I need to be harsh with the pruning shears.

1.56#

1.81#

2.38#

The last and biggest one of the bunch is a Domingo from my 2015 champ.

3.44#

I've got one more tomato in the 2 lb range that's just starting to turn color. Unless we get an Indian summer that lasts til November, I'm done for the season.

Improved standing

I was thinking that next year maybe there should be a rule that the minimum size to claim a spot on the podium would be 1 pound. No more cherry tomatoes or fractions of a pound. Admittedly, that would mean that Fred would never enjoy a spot on the podium, but podium spots should be well deserved. Blissfully, we don't have to worry about such a rule this year, as Aaron has improved his 3rd place standing with this nice tomato. Variety unknown, but it looks suspiciously like a Gary'O Sena.

New WR

Grown earlier this year, the tomato world record is now 9.43#. The variety is Domingo, not Big Zac! A 10 lb tomato once seemed like a pipe dream, but it's within reach now.

Fine lookin' tomato you got there

Never tell somebody that their baby is ugly. That's a, err, um, nice tomato! More importantly, we have a new leader! 3rd place is still wide open, btw.

New Leader

My son asked me this morning, "Daddy, why did you grow such a big tomato? It looks like a pumpkin." I had to think about that one a bit. Eternal glory, son.

At 2 lbs, this Big Zac is in first place for the moment, but there's plenty of room for competition.

This tomato had 12 sepals, but it doesn't look like one of the fused halves did anything. So this was essentially a big single.