Welcome to the Junction from Down Under @GVGardens

Cornelius_Gotchberg wrote: ↑Wed Jan 24, 2024 11:51 am Where it stands as of today (***1st time trial):

Santa Maria Heirloom
The Gotch

@Cornelius_Gotchberg
What do you think of Santa Maria? I got some from a wishlist last year that I'm excited to try

OmarLittle wrote: ↑Sun Feb 04, 2024 7:19 am What do you think of Santa Maria? I got some from a wishlist last year that I'm excited to try

Good all 'round sauce/paster....good enough to earn another go in these here parts, leastways.

The Gotch

Cornelius_Gotchberg wrote: ↑Sun Feb 04, 2024 8:18 am

OmarLittle wrote: ↑Sun Feb 04, 2024 7:19 am What do you think of Santa Maria? I got some from a wishlist last year that I'm excited to try

Good all 'round sauce/paster....good enough to earn another go in these here parts, leastways.

The Gotch

I believe we're pretty close to each other (I'm in Iowa) so I hope it does good for me too

Well I went from 11 varieties to 36., 25 regular plants the rest micros my hubby told me to just go for it this year no matter what..

new list for 2024..

Det..
sasha altia
siberian
clear pink
crimson sprinter
early wounder
siletz
polar star
sub artic

polar baby
Ind...
Northern lights
black krim
siberian pink honey
anna russian
azoychaka
ispolin
blue beauty
Yellow brick road
mrs big italian
cherry/current
cherry falls
Mocha cherry
alberto shatters
yellow current
Dwarf/micro
tazmanian choclate
artic rose
yukon quest
sleeping lady
purple reim
rosella purple
gandolf
Elmerald city
Uluru ocra
vilma
laura 5
duckling
bonte tiger

That's an impressive list. Your hubby is going to spoil you. I don't see any of the big guys on there. Feel free to PM me and I will be happy to fix that for you.

@AKgardener Northern, Artic, Yukon, Polar, Siberian...where is it you's live, again...?

The Gotch

Cornelius_Gotchberg wrote: ↑Mon Feb 12, 2024 5:58 pm @AKgardener Northern, Artic, Yukon, Polar, Siberian...where is it you's live, again...?

The Gotch

AK is the abbreviation for Alaska, so that might be a clue.

@Cornelius_Gotchberg I most definitely live is alaska.. hench all the artic/russian tomatoes Im trying this year.. plus a few wild cards..

@MissS I have plenty of big ones and I tried to sneak them in on the list but he told me not to bother with the big ones it would be a waiste of time and enery, there are a few I have I want to try like westlund 1-26 it looks like a nice big mater..Im inching to try it.. this the info on that tomato with a picture.. got it from delication of tomatoes..

Named after a hyper-giant red star, Westerlund 1-26 ("Westerlund" was a typo...) is the result of a controlled cross between two giant tomato varieties: 1) Bigzarro, derived from Michael's Portuguese Monster and growing to nearly 4 lbs.; and 2) and Delicious, from 6.51 Meisner 2011, which in turn was from 7.33 Hunt 2010. This has proven to be a very successful combination, with several growers reporting "Huge healthy vines, very thick stems, great yield, enormous tomatoes" and the like. Pictures include a 3.698 lb. specimen of Westerlund 1-26. Flavor is quite good as well - pleasant, though not super rich or sweet - makes for huge slices for sandwiches, or a single tomato is enough for a pot of spaghetti sauce! Your seeds will be from this 3.698 specimen or direct descendants. Original cross was made on August 01, 2014 by Dale Thurber for Delectation of Tomatoes and selections made for enormous fruit size. Minimum of 20 seeds per packet.

MissS wrote: ↑Mon Feb 12, 2024 6:01 pmAK is the abbreviation for Alaska, so that might be a clue.

Understood; I should have added /sarc

The Gotch

I obtained several new varieties this year in a seed swap off another forum. Of those include:
Delicious
Anans Noir
Mortgage Lifter
Ponderosa
Aussie
Big Yummy F1
Andrew Raharts Jumbo
Limbaughs Potato Top
White Tomesol
Raspberry Giant
Zapotec
Greek Rose
German Pink
Heatmaster F1
Nerves Azorean
Kellogg's Breakfast
German Green
Costoluto Genovese
Red Currant
Rose Quartz
Bali
Zimmertomate Blau
Rosella Crimson
Crimson Cushion
Ruth's Perfect
Dwarf Pink Passion

Too bad I don't have the space to grow all of them this year. And I have around 25 more varieties I've collected over the years.

Does anyone here have seed to either Garden Leader Monster or Domingo Giant?

TomatoNut95 wrote: ↑Mon Feb 12, 2024 8:23 pm Does anyone here have seed to either Garden Leader Monster or Domingo Giant?

Take a look in the seed offer forum. I hear that they have some big tomatoes on the board right now.

MissS wrote: ↑Mon Feb 12, 2024 8:36 pm

TomatoNut95 wrote: ↑Mon Feb 12, 2024 8:23 pm Does anyone here have seed to either Garden Leader Monster or Domingo Giant?

Take a look in the seed offer forum. I hear that they have some big tomatoes on the board right now.

I have looked but the only big ones I have seen offered had to do with a contest of which I'm not a member of.

What truly is the secret to getting a big fat tomato? My dream is to grow one over 2lbs. So far my personal record for largest tomato is 1lb 5.6 oz on a Mr. Stripey (that wasn't very 'striped' I'm wondering if that variety was wrong?)

Anyway, I've seen several advisory notes online and are any of these correct:

1. Keep most, but not necessarily all, of the suckers (especially the ones below the first branches and I usually do that anyway to control plant size) pruned so the plants energy will go into the other branches.

2. Pinch off some of the blossoms per truss (and remove all small ones to leave just the large/double blossoms) so the energy will go into producing larger fruit.

3. Maintain the correct fertilize and water requirements best you can. (Even though no one can control the weather)

I was wondering the same thing I told my husband last I threw in a giant because I just have to try it again . I will keep it to 1 stem no suckers and will be leaving the bigger blossoms only ..

@TomatoNut95 @AKgardener I started a new thread on this topic so that this one is not derailed.
viewtopic.php?t=5108

Thanks I saw ..