2024 Monster Mater Madness

[TomatoNut95]

@Uncle_Feist Most of the competition growers plant late so that they can take their tomatoes to the weigh-offs in September, others plant early to take theirs to the county fairs. This year there is a new way to get into the record books by taking them to your local grocery store or UPS/FedEx where there is a certified scale to be weighed.

Wow, there's none of that around here. If I had carried my Westerlund into any of those stores around here, if be giveb funny looks or thought I was nuts. (Actually we don't even have a local UPS or FedEx store)

[MissS]

@TomatoNut95 Well I'm sure that if you brought in a huge ugly tomato into any of these places that you would get a big look. So, just drag them into any place that has a state certified scale (any place that sells goods by weight) and give them something to talk about and break up their boring monotonous day. A post office would do. To enter you need a photo of it on the scale along with 2 witnesses. Pic's of it all around. No holes allowed and it must be fully fused.

Here is the only event that I could find for Texas so far. Tomatoes are weighed off at the Pumkin Festivals. It was listed on this site: https://www.pumpkinpatchesandmore.org/g ... ghoffs.php

Covington's Nursery 1st Annual Fall Festival - pumpkins, pumpkin patch- already gathered from the field, child-sized haybale maze, tractor-pulled hay rides, parking provide free, restrooms, face painting, petting zoo
5518 Liberty Grove, Rowlett, TX 75089. Phone: 972-475-5888. Directions: And for a map to our farm, click here. Crops are usually available in October. Open: Monday thru Wednesday 9 am 6 pm Thurs and Friday 9 am 7 pm Saturday from 9 am 6 pm Sun 10 am 5 pm Fall Festival on Saturday October18,2008 from 11 am until 4 pm. Payment: Cash, Check, Visa/MasterCard, Discover, AmEx.

Getting a giant tomato in October is going to be difficult. I bet that you would win the state record by being the only entry!

[TomatoNut95]

@TomatoNut95 Well I'm sure that if you brought in a huge ugly tomato into any of these places that you would get a big look. So, just drag them into any place that has a state certified scale (any place that sells goods by weight) and give them something to talk about and break up their boring monotonous day. A post office would do. To enter you need a photo of it on the scale along with 2 witnesses. Pic's of it all around. No holes allowed and it must be fully fused.

Here is the only event that I could find for Texas so far. Tomatoes are weighed off at the Pumkin Festivals. It was listed on this site: https://www.pumpkinpatchesandmore.org/g ... ghoffs.php

Covington's Nursery 1st Annual Fall Festival - pumpkins, pumpkin patch- already gathered from the field, child-sized haybale maze, tractor-pulled hay rides, parking provide free, restrooms, face painting, petting zoo
5518 Liberty Grove, Rowlett, TX 75089. Phone: 972-475-5888. Directions: And for a map to our farm, click here. Crops are usually available in October. Open: Monday thru Wednesday 9 am 6 pm Thurs and Friday 9 am 7 pm Saturday from 9 am 6 pm Sun 10 am 5 pm Fall Festival on Saturday October18,2008 from 11 am until 4 pm. Payment: Cash, Check, Visa/MasterCard, Discover, AmEx.

Getting a giant tomato in October is going to be difficult. I bet that you would win the state record by being the only entry!

There's a chance I might get one in October if my Sutherlund Domingo does right. I'll be planting the transplant out in the garden soon!

[JRinPA]

6.33 lb Faust 23 doesn't seem to like the sun. It is really folding up the leaves. I saw a few tomatoes started, but very small so far.
Evening of 7/9.

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[Cornelius_Gotchberg]

Maui Sutherlands'23 Domingo x BZ (Big Zac?)

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Contender in waiting:

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Contender in infancy:

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Young '23 Stricker X Open:

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Contender in waiting:

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The Gotch

[AKgardener]

No monsters for me this Season!!! Try and try again

[TomatoNut95]

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Here's my Sutherlund Domingo, freshly planted in a giant hole fortified with leaf mulch, miracle gro potting soil at top, a dab of ancient chicken litter at the very bottom.

Folks, I still have 1 packet of 4 seed left of my 2lb Westerlund if anybody wants it. Plus a mystery packet possibly mixed of Nicky Crain oxheart, Omar's Lebanese and rare microdwarf Valentine's Day.

[FatBeeFarm]

1st Pruden's Purple July 16.jpg

I'm growing a Sutherland's and a Hoy for the contest but I happily harvested this 1.53 pound Pruden's Purple this morning It's a very happy surprise. I've never grown a tomato this big before. It's also only the 6th tomato I harvested this year, but I've never gotten tomatoes before August before and I've never gotten anything remotely this big up here in the mountains in New Hampshire. I'm having a good tomato year after a couple poor ones. There's not much on my Hoy or Sutherland yet though.

[Seven Bends]

@FatBeeFarm, that's a gorgeous tomato!

[Seven Bends]

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Not big enough to take the lead, but by far the biggest tomato I've ever grown. This is a Virginia Sweets, picked today ahead of predicted heavy rain this evening. Maybe if I had left it on the vine until tomorrow, it might have sucked up a few ounces of water and I could have stolen the lead from @TomatoNut95's Westerlund!

Also picked today:
Italian Heirloom 1 lb. 10.6 ounces
Bolgarskoe Chudo (fused blossom I think) 1 lb. 10.5 ounces.
Those are probably the 2nd and 3rd largest tomatoes I've ever grown. Guess this miserably hot summer has been good for something.

[FatBeeFarm]

Not big enough to take the lead, but by far the biggest tomato I've ever grown. This is a Virginia Sweets, picked today ahead of predicted heavy rain this evening. Maybe if I had left it on the vine until tomorrow, it might have sucked up a few ounces of water and I could have stolen the lead from @TomatoNut95's Westerlund!

Beautiful! Tempting to go after a few extra ounces with rainwater, but then, I know from sad experience, you have a tomato that tastes like rain water.i guss you know that too lol, that's why you grabbed it now. Very impressive tomato

[Cornelius_Gotchberg]

Big Zac Hybrid:

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Big Lou:
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Are both...um...properly hydrated, and expecting five (5) straight dry, sunny days to add to their already impressive immensiosity (sic)

The Gotch[

[MissS]

@Cornelius_Gotchberg take a tape measurement and see how much they are growing each day. They bulk up quick! One day can make a big difference.

[Cornelius_Gotchberg]

@Cornelius_Gotchberg take a tape measurement and see how much they are growing each day. They bulk up quick! One day can make a big difference.

And tip off the competition, one of whom said, and I quote "I'm loving the rain because it's washing in MY SECRET INGREDIENT into my soil to feed my big ones"? (bolds/caps/italics mine)

Yeah...no.

Glass half full?

No Horse Racing metaphors this year; being duly chastened by someone in the know (@Uncle_Feist) last season was a humbling experience...

The Gotch

[Uncle_Feist]

Gidddyup..

[Cornelius_Gotchberg]

Gidddyup..

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The Gotch

[BurgundySnail]

My biggest one! Dester

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[Uncle_Feist]

I need to grow Dester.

[Cornelius_Gotchberg]

The Gotch Saladette Category entries;
Sheboygan Heirloom:

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Zapotec Oaxacan:

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Big Lou:

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The Gotch

[TomatoNut95]

I need to grow Dester.

I have Dester, I should've grown that this year to but ran out of room. I can send you a few of my seed if you like.
I'm sorry to say it looks like I won't get a fall monster. Weather is too against me, my blossoms are just dropping. Too hot and humid.
By the the time it's cool enough for happy blossoms, the fruit wouldn't ripen in in time before frost.