For us mater growers
- Thread starter klorentz
- Start date
POTAWIE said:because and the rest of us won't likely be starting seeds until March and we don't want to base this around what you're growing. Theres likely very few people in the southern hemisphere that will be growing toms in their winter so designing this to accomodate 1 or 2 isn't really worth the extra trouble IMO. I also think to compare plants they need to be started at least in the same year
Respectfully, I find that ridiculous...Do you think the plants will realise if they are started in July or January? Or is this a question of trust?
Whether I measure them now or in six months you are still going to have to take my word for the fact that the plant does in fact fit the required criterea.
Anyhoo, no matter at all. I was just interested in trying on of these challenges, but I'm sure I'll survive...
All I'm basically saying is that if we all start seeds around the same time we can compare and comment in near real time which is what really interests me about this, however we can also have a continuous ongoing challenge for biggest tomato or whatever too and all you's in the south can start things off
Huntsman, what types are you currently growing that you think we all should grow for this?
Huntsman, what types are you currently growing that you think we all should grow for this?
POTAWIE said:
Or we can all decide on a variety and those from Down Under, if they are not growing them now, can grow them the next season - it would still be basically a year of growing. Or for that matter, does it make any difference what variety if all we want is the largest tomato?
Mike
I wanna play. I have three ealy wonder seedlings and two golden nugget seedlings. I am going to grow
Gold Nugget-60 days-Dertiminate
Early Wonder-55 days- Determinate
Cherokee Purple-80 days-Indeterminate
Giant Belgium-90 days-Indeterminate
Azoychka-70 days-Indeterminate
I am also growing Toma Verde Tomatillos-75 days
All are from Tomato Growers Supply Company
So, what are the rules going to be? Catagories? One rule that I suggest. Everybody must have the UPS truck come down their driveway on the date they think their best tomato needs picking and yall must all "Same Day Deliver" those samples to me. I will be ready to taste these and report back to you-same day.
Gold Nugget-60 days-Dertiminate
Early Wonder-55 days- Determinate
Cherokee Purple-80 days-Indeterminate
Giant Belgium-90 days-Indeterminate
Azoychka-70 days-Indeterminate
I am also growing Toma Verde Tomatillos-75 days
All are from Tomato Growers Supply Company
So, what are the rules going to be? Catagories? One rule that I suggest. Everybody must have the UPS truck come down their driveway on the date they think their best tomato needs picking and yall must all "Same Day Deliver" those samples to me. I will be ready to taste these and report back to you-same day.
Giant Belgiums never seem to grow big for anyone and are nothing special in my opinion. I've already got all my giant tomato seeds planned for another tomato contest on a giant veggy forum.
Personally I vote for no rules, just a continuous challenge for heaviest tom or we can make a time limit by having heaviest tom of 2010
I got free "early wonders" this year from TG
Personally I vote for no rules, just a continuous challenge for heaviest tom or we can make a time limit by having heaviest tom of 2010
I got free "early wonders" this year from TG
I have:
German Giant
Black Krim
Sophie's Choice
Gogosha
Myowna
Orange Strawberry
J.D.'s Special C-Tex
Kelloggs Breakfast
Cream Sausage
Green Sausage
Stupice
Golden Glow
Earl's Faux
Roughwood Golden Plum
Rutger's 2009
Dice's Mystery Black
Cherry Sweetie
Variegated
Pink Ponderosa
Yellow Brandywine, and
Green Giant.
I'm certainly not trying to muscle in here, but perhaps a category or two can unite, instead of dividing us?
Kevin, where are those suggestions for different categories, mate?
German Giant
Black Krim
Sophie's Choice
Gogosha
Myowna
Orange Strawberry
J.D.'s Special C-Tex
Kelloggs Breakfast
Cream Sausage
Green Sausage
Stupice
Golden Glow
Earl's Faux
Roughwood Golden Plum
Rutger's 2009
Dice's Mystery Black
Cherry Sweetie
Variegated
Pink Ponderosa
Yellow Brandywine, and
Green Giant.
I'm certainly not trying to muscle in here, but perhaps a category or two can unite, instead of dividing us?
Kevin, where are those suggestions for different categories, mate?
MrArboc said:
Well, that would be everything in my garden.
I have tried Giant Belgium before as well. It tasted good, but was an average sized tomato. Heaviest tomato would be fun. Submit a pic with tomato on scale and see who is biggest. Besides, I already have a few large varieties and a new one as well. But I'm down for anything. I will probably have about 40 or 50 varieties this year so I should have something to fit the need....except white, never interested me.
jacob
Hi folks,
Kind of got tied up yesterday. As far as type goes any type. Just gotta break it down into divisions. Which really aint that hard.Group Cherry and grape tomatoes in the same division. Salad tomatoes ,medium tomatoes like say the size of Thessaloniki or Celebrity , Beefsteak and the like can be in the Giant division( 1lb and larger). You pick out your very best for the season.And take pics.
Variety should not be important. Not every tomato is gonna do well everywhere. Brandywines do decent here in my part of Michigan but won't do well in the Southern US from what I have been seeing posted on different forums. So you will want to pick out varieties that do well in your area.You can grow ether Hybrid or Heirloom / OP varieties. As to growers in the Southern Hemisphere I think that they can be in on this too. Another forum I go on has a mater contest and the deadline is set around the end of October.Perhaps folks say in Australia could post pics while we wait for the Northern folks to harvest. Would that work?
Kevin
Kind of got tied up yesterday. As far as type goes any type. Just gotta break it down into divisions. Which really aint that hard.Group Cherry and grape tomatoes in the same division. Salad tomatoes ,medium tomatoes like say the size of Thessaloniki or Celebrity , Beefsteak and the like can be in the Giant division( 1lb and larger). You pick out your very best for the season.And take pics.
Variety should not be important. Not every tomato is gonna do well everywhere. Brandywines do decent here in my part of Michigan but won't do well in the Southern US from what I have been seeing posted on different forums. So you will want to pick out varieties that do well in your area.You can grow ether Hybrid or Heirloom / OP varieties. As to growers in the Southern Hemisphere I think that they can be in on this too. Another forum I go on has a mater contest and the deadline is set around the end of October.Perhaps folks say in Australia could post pics while we wait for the Northern folks to harvest. Would that work?
Kevin
Kevin,
Works for me, but another option - maybe let the Aussies start with next season's crop. I know if my goal is to only grow the largest single tom, I'm gonna treat that plant differently from not long after it is transplanted. Not that they can't compete this year, only that they "can" wait and be a part next season. Run the contest until May 1, 2011.
I do see arguments developing about largest fruit by type - what exactly is a "cherry tomato" vs. a small medium size. I have a Legend plant (by all means should be medium size, slicing type) but thanks to the lack of sunlight here the past month, it is completely ripe and just a hair bigger than any cherry tomato I've grown. But biggest (or heaviest), regardless what type, in not open to argument. For those divisions, I would go with best looking plant or best looking cluster of maters. Riesentraube has great clusters, sometimes 30 or more ripe cherry toms at a time.
Another category, and we choose to enter it or not, is highest production per plant. It is a bit of a pain, but I've done it with a volunteer cherry-type and isn't all that hard if one has a decent scale. It was not a good year, but I ended up with just over 21 pounds of maters from that plant. Had it been a contest, I probably would have had 26, maybe 27, because I left a lot of toms on the ground as I only picked them twice a week at most. The problem with this (there's always a downside) is that those growing an indeterminate plant in a long-season climate should get more pounds per plant. But that's fine by me. But if I read that someone got 54 pounds of edible Celebrity tomatoes, even if they had an eight-month season instead of my 5.5, I'll know it is a very productive plant.
My 2ยข worth - with perhaps the exception of largest mater, I feel points ought to be awarded like on "Whose Line Is It." You get them for winning, but they don't count!
Mike
Works for me, but another option - maybe let the Aussies start with next season's crop. I know if my goal is to only grow the largest single tom, I'm gonna treat that plant differently from not long after it is transplanted. Not that they can't compete this year, only that they "can" wait and be a part next season. Run the contest until May 1, 2011.
I do see arguments developing about largest fruit by type - what exactly is a "cherry tomato" vs. a small medium size. I have a Legend plant (by all means should be medium size, slicing type) but thanks to the lack of sunlight here the past month, it is completely ripe and just a hair bigger than any cherry tomato I've grown. But biggest (or heaviest), regardless what type, in not open to argument. For those divisions, I would go with best looking plant or best looking cluster of maters. Riesentraube has great clusters, sometimes 30 or more ripe cherry toms at a time.
Another category, and we choose to enter it or not, is highest production per plant. It is a bit of a pain, but I've done it with a volunteer cherry-type and isn't all that hard if one has a decent scale. It was not a good year, but I ended up with just over 21 pounds of maters from that plant. Had it been a contest, I probably would have had 26, maybe 27, because I left a lot of toms on the ground as I only picked them twice a week at most. The problem with this (there's always a downside) is that those growing an indeterminate plant in a long-season climate should get more pounds per plant. But that's fine by me. But if I read that someone got 54 pounds of edible Celebrity tomatoes, even if they had an eight-month season instead of my 5.5, I'll know it is a very productive plant.
My 2ยข worth - with perhaps the exception of largest mater, I feel points ought to be awarded like on "Whose Line Is It." You get them for winning, but they don't count!
Mike
How about "Smallest plant with ripe toms"?
Shouldn't that be equally "hard" for all of us regardless of climate? That should also be something completelly new for all (?) of us. Just brainstorming, I will be growing toms this year but I have no idea what variety/varieties yet, I'll probably just see what seeds are available locally in march/april. A bonsai tomato plant might be fun just to see if it works, so I'll probably do that just for fun anyway
Shouldn't that be equally "hard" for all of us regardless of climate? That should also be something completelly new for all (?) of us. Just brainstorming, I will be growing toms this year but I have no idea what variety/varieties yet, I'll probably just see what seeds are available locally in march/april. A bonsai tomato plant might be fun just to see if it works, so I'll probably do that just for fun anyway
Then I'd have to grow a dwarf variety like this againMrArboc said:How about "Smallest plant with ripe toms"?
Shouldn't that be equally "hard" for all of us regardless of climate? That should also be something completelly new for all (?) of us. Just brainstorming, I will be growing toms this year but I have no idea what variety/varieties yet, I'll probably just see what seeds are available locally in march/april. A bonsai tomato plant might be fun just to see if it works, so I'll probably do that just for fun anyway
Red robin(2007)
