Congratulations Terry!
I am really sorry that I did not continue to post regular updates of my plant. I do feel like it could have been a contender if it had not been for the fact that my home garden plot, where I planted my growdown holy mole pasilla, was finally shaded out by oak trees. (We basically live in the woods now ;-P ) I only supported it to about 6 feet and then neglected to steak it more... in the end I estimate it would have been about 9.5 feet from the ground to the tip of the top leaf out-stretched. That is pretty decent for given the circumstances. I also really hope we can organize a growdown for next year as well! I am sure we will have better luck than this time with germination rates and participation! To make it easier I will re-submit my suggestion that we choose a mass produced variety from a commercial vendor, such as ferry-morse, lilly miller, or burpee for example. Ultimately, even if purchasing from a "brand name" company means we are growing a "less interesting" variety, there are pronounced benefits. This way seeds can be obtained relatively easily by anyone wanting to participate... and by purchasing seeds people are automatically invested in the competition, which will give them extra incentive to continue participating with regular posts down to the finish. Also, if everyone were required to purchase seeds from the same reputable mass produced seed company, it would satisfy the all-important component of the growdown regarding uniformity of seeds (we all would be growing the same seed stock.) These seed companies also test their batches on a mass scale to ensure a high rate of viability. And among the greatest advantages of us all buying seeds from one giant seed company would be that you organizers of the growdown are spared the massive undertaking of mailing out seeds. I appreciate that you all took pride in making this excellent contest free for all who signed up, but I do think this type of change to the format could be a solution to problems we encountered this year. In any case I have a lot of fun each year with the growdown! Hope to be planting my growdown seeds come valentines day 2017!!! Woooot!