Who Can Grow Biggest Tomato Contest - 2014

[countrykat]

Anyone care to have a contest to see who can grow the biggest tomato of the season? I have some Big Rainbow heirloom seeds on the way. Think I might give them a shot.

--------------- ENTRIES ---------------
Sun Aug 17, 2014 4:21 pm JayPoc 1 Lb 11-3/4 oz Lehrer Tomate
Thu Aug 07, 2014 8:40 PM JayPoc 1Lb 10-1/8 oz Lehrer Tomate
Mon Jul 28, 2014 11:52 am lindsaylew82 1 Lb 8 oz Black Krim
Fri Aug 01, 2014 8:21 am mattieg 1.442 lbs Brandywine
Sat Aug 09, 2014 9:28 am Jaypoc 1Lb 5.5 oz Cherokee Purple
Sun Aug 17, 2014 4:50 pm applestar 1-3/8 Lb Terhune
Mon Jul 28, 2014 10:45 am mattieg 1.15 lb Brandywine

[gixxerific]

I would say it is on but not a contest, ok sure why not. I have many seeds from record giant tomatoes still want to play?

Good luck hope to see a biggun' from you.

Dono

[countrykat]

OK it's on. I'm a rookie but I'll give it a shot, maybe I can learn something.

[Gary350]

I am more interested in tomatoes with good flavor. If they are giants that is even better.

[rainbowgardener]

Yeah the trouble with really working to get big tomatoes, pumping them up with fertilizer and lots of water, is that they lose a LOT of flavor that way. The most flavorful tomatoes are grown almost a bit stressed, very lean on both water and fertilizer. They will be smaller than the their pumped up cousins, but way better to bite in to.

[imafan26]

Would it be a fair contest if everyone grows different tomatoes?

[countrykat]

Would it be a fair contest if everyone grows different tomatoes?

I would say yes. It's a "bring your best and I'll bring mine" contest.

I feel I pretty much have it wrapped up anyways

[VeggieGardenGal]

I wanna play

[rainbowgardener]

I feel I pretty much have it wrapped up anyways

that was back in March. Where's your entry!?

[applestar]

Now that my bigger fruited varieties are starting to produce, I feel ready
I won't be growing for size -- limiting to one fruit per vine, etc. but I'll post the biggest ones I harvest. Maybe we could do a weekly "biggest one yet"

Are we going by weight? diameter? circumference? Gixx has posted some pictures of harvested tomatoes on a scale elsewhere. (I don't have a digital one though)

...I guess I should start taking measurements.

[JayPoc]

I think we'd have to go by weight. Since shapes of tomatoes vary so wildly, I think diameter or circumference would not be a very complete measurement...

[DDMcKenna]

The Battle Is ON

[mattie g]

My biggest so far this season has been a 1.15 lb Brandywine. I know it's not a patch on what some others can grow, but since I don't try to grow tomatoes for size, that was a nice one for me!

[Lindsaylew82]

I THINK I have a chance here! I just picked this Black Krim yesterday, and it's the largest tomato I've ever grown!

[JayPoc]

That's a good one Lindsay, but I don't think it will hold up. I don't grow for size at all, but I do have a couple Lehrer Tomate's going and they're known to get huge. I think I have a green two pounder still on the vine. I'm also quite sure some of the pros will go even bigger than that. I do want to submit the following for honorable mention....almost three and a half pounds from a SINGLE TRUSS! I would have left them to keep maturing on the vine, but the truss broke in a wind storm. The largest of the cluster was one pound, four ounces.

[applestar]

Oops just cut up and started eating Captain Lucky which was the largest one I had so far. Forgot to weigh it.

...pretty sure it wasn't over 1 pound though so I'll wait for the next contender.

[mattie g]

That's a good one Lindsay, but I don't think it will hold up. I don't grow for size at all, but I do have a couple Lehrer Tomate's going and they're known to get huge. I think I have a green two pounder still on the vine. I'm also quite sure some of the pros will go even bigger than that. I do want to submit the following for honorable mention....almost three and a half pounds from a SINGLE TRUSS! I would have left them to keep maturing on the vine, but the truss broke in a wind storm. The largest of the cluster was one pound, four ounces.

One truss from my Brandywine ran you close on that!

Largest of the three

One Truss.JPG (25.86 KiB) Viewed 14313 times

[applestar]

Harvested a promising big tomato today, but it was only a 1 Lb Grandma Oliver's Chocolate.

[mattie g]

Am I a horrible person for taking that beautiful, juicy, deep red Brandywine, cutting it open, taking out the seeds, and freezing it (with many of it's friends) for later use in sauce/salsa?

[applestar]

Oooh, you are going to LOVE it. Sauce made with luscious heirloom varieties are to die for!
I guarantee you will be wishing you could stick your head inside and lick the pot. Use a rubber spatula.

I might have a contender in the works. This Terhune is looking pretty big

[Juliuskitty]

Oooh, you are going to LOVE it. Sauce made with luscious heirloom varieties are to die for!
I guarantee you will be wishing you could stick your head inside and lick the pot. Use a rubber spatula.

I might have a contender in the works. This Terhune is looking pretty big

That Terhune is looking pretty beautiful too! That just made me add it to my grow list. I start my seeds August 18!

[Lindsaylew82]

Wasn't that your favorite last year? Terhune?

Weigh that thang before you bite it! Lol

I have some large striped Chocolate that are getting that yellowish look to their shoulders. I may pick them in a few days.

The first Black Krim (the 1lb 8 oz one) was on a truss that also carried a 1lb 4oz, a 1lb 2 oz, and a 12oz. I didn't grow them big on purpose, nature did. We had a real crummy start to the growing season. Momma did her own culling, and the hornworms did the rest.

It's a shame it didn't taste as good as it looked. I'm a big fan of the black, brown and purple tomatoes, but they've just been kind of meh this year.

[JayPoc]

ok....thought I'd get on the leader board while I had the chance. I don't think this will be my biggest, but who knows. The thing about these Lehrer's, at least the ones I've opened up so far., is that they're huge on the outside but are actually somewhat hollow inside.

[Lindsaylew82]

RATS!

It ain't over yet, but I don't think I have anything else left that'll compete with that, haha! I have some brandywines that are getting large, not ripe yet, still growing...I doubt I'll beat that!

Congrats! That's a monster!

[JayPoc]

not the biggest, but the biggest I've ever had for this variety....a 1 pound, 5.5 ounce Cherokee Purple...

[applestar]

Nice! My Terhune was 1-1/8 Lbs Nowhere near the leaders.

...I guess I should have planted some of my competition varieties...

[Lindsaylew82]

It's been raining for 4 days.

I have a REALLY big yellow brandywine that's still in the really green "I'ma grow forever" stage! I picked a 1lb 2oz tomato off this same plant 2 days ago! Only problem is that it's sharing a truss with an equally large fruit!

[JayPoc]

Okie dokie gang. I suspect this will be my last biggie. I don't see anything on the vines that will come close to it. Looks like I missed out on a two pounder. Another Lehrers:

[applestar]

Here's another Terhune 1-3/8 Lbs.

Terhune

Lots of nice 3/4 Lb - 1 Lb bigger than the bread sandwich slicers, but nothing approaching 2 Lbs this year.

[PaulF]

German Pink: 33ounces...2 pounds 1 ounce.

[JayPoc]

German Pink: 33ounces...2 pounds 1 ounce.

nope...no picture on a scale, it doesn't exist!

just kidding. Congrats on the largest "unofficial" tomato of the year...

[Lindsaylew82]

LOL!

[rainbowgardener]

I don't have any candidates for this contest. Not growing any particularly big varieties and I don't work enough at encouraging them. My biggest so far is a little under a pound (about 14 oz). But what about peppers? Peppers are intrinsically less heavy than tomatoes, being more hollow inside. But I just harvested a California Wonder bell pepper that was 4" across and half a pound and beautiful! (and it was still completely green, so presumably could still have gotten a bit bigger, if I left it on the plant.)

[Juliuskitty]

German Pink: 33ounces...2 pounds 1 ounce.

Nice!

[Juliuskitty]

New world record 8.41 lb.
video footage of the inspection of the 8.41

[3 Pound Tomato]

A late season beefsteak.