PNW gardeners," Grow a Biggie Tomato Challenge"

[janezee]

The only 'big' I have planted so far is the Pink Honey. She's up and looking fierce!
I'm still thinking about if I can fit a 'bigger' in the garden, but as you might see from my post asking about if those tomatoes will work in pots, I really, really don't have room. I only had 16 tomatoes last year! I think there are 60 this year!
I've already moved the garden fence out by 5'! One long run of 1.5' wide by 33' long will go along the fence, just for the 18 tomatoes in pots that are planned to live there for the summer.
I've mentally added on another section of cattle panel to the hoop house plans, which start going into place as soon as it stops raining next week. That makes it possible for me to have 17'4" under cover, by 10' wide. I should hope that I can fit 18-20 tall tomatoes down the middle, and lots of peppers and tomatoes along the sides, inside and outside the length.
And I still haven't finished the plans for the cold house. They keep changing with the offers of different building materials to finish the other 2 sides.
Now I'm tired.............

Gee, I hope my family isn't reading this!

[tgplp]

Hey everyone! How are your biggies going? Mine, not so impressive. I've been having lots of trouble (WAY too many tomato plants, cold cold weather. I've been forced to put some tomatoes outside because of space inside, so everything is either crowded or cold). My Siberian Pink Honey is probably the best, about eight inches tall with lots of leaves and maybe a little bud or two. I'd post pictures, but I'm embarrassed! How are your plants doing? How has the weather been for you guys?

Best wishes,
Taryn

[Jeannine Anne]

I have mine in 5 gallon buckets in the greenhouse and some outside, but the outside ones are sulking in the rain so I am not too hopeful there. Inside are doing well though, I have few small fruit and lost of flowers.

XX Jeannine

[velikipop]

Most of mine are doing well, both outside and undercover. A few have put out flowers. Looks like it could be a decent year once the weather heats up.

[Jeannine Anne]

I noticed an odd thing today. The Big Zac plants are smaller than all the others I am growing.

XX Jeannine

[janezee]

Hi, everybody,

I haven't been posting much because I haven't been too well lately, and it hurts to type.
I had a slump where I neglected my seedlings for a while, and now they're starting to feel better with me.
I also had to replant a bunch, and they're still small, too.

I just potted up lots to 3.5 gallon pots, and the ground is almost ready for the plants, but the plants are too wimpy to stand up to the bugs and slugs. So they're all still in pots on my porch and deck. Even my biggest are only a few inches tall, and I just buried them up to their leaves. That fish emulsion and TT should help. No greenhouse or hoop house yet, so they're still out in the cold. I'll have some plastic protection for them next week, I hope, and they should be taking off soon. (Hope, Hope!)

I'm going with Stump of the World, Giant Belgium, Pink Honey, and I think something else that should be growing bigger than Goose Creek, which I hope to taste this summer, too. I'm totally embarrassed to take pictures yet, but maybe soon?

j

[igarden]

i'm having trouble with the cold temps here too. i have some plants in the greenhouse and some on our porch. the ones on the porch are doing better?! very strange year for temps...

[pdxwindjammer]

I don't have a green house or hoop house and my tomatoes have been hardened off for almost 2 months now. They didn't really grow until we had a couple of sunny days last week but then the rain came down HARD and it even broke off a few tops and stems.

The biggies I am growing are:

Omar's Lebanese
Giant Belgian
Delicious
Gigantesque (not expecting these to be very large due to some findings on the web.

My Aunt Ruby's German Green has put out BIG tomatoes in the past so I am considering that one and also Cuostralee to be part of the challenge.

Forecast says rain for the next 4 days. Friday a high of 58 and low of 48. Feels like it is February!

[willyb]

Hi all,

Seems like were all struggling with the weather this year. My tomatoes were all stressed when put in the earth.

One came back, a Big Zak. I have hopes for it.

[pdxwindjammer]

Oh, I forgot I also have Big Zac and also Pink Honey. I thought I had lost my one Pink Honey that didn't die when my boyfriend forgot to water when I was gone but I have one that survived!

I know I am a little to far south too be eligible for the contest, but someone mentioned Stump Of The World and Barlow Jap as possible entrants in the contest. If anyone is interested, I grew both this spring with surprising results. Having not grown either in the past, I didn't have fruit size in my mind when I planted the two varieties. Both produced huge tomatoes from fuzed blossoms which have already been harvested without the appropriate photos being taken. I thought I would share a photo of one of my SOW plants with some large tomatoes still on the vine. Photo taken today for this post. I placed a 6" scale above the fruit in order to indicate size. Both the Barlow and Stump plants are still loaded with tomatoes to the top of the plants. Unfortunately, the boat shaped fruits were harvested a couple of weeks ago. I believe if the truss was only allowed to grow out one fruit, it would have been gigantic.

Stump


Ted

[tgplp]

It's on a Cherokee Purple. I hope it grows into a monster!



Sorry for the crappy pictures. This has at least four flowers in it! Cherokee Purple wasn't one of my original contestants for the biggie challenge, but it looks like it will be now. Megablooms can sometimes grow huge tomatoes... my fingers are crossed for this little guy. I heard megablooms have pollination problems sometimes, so everyone wish this lil' fella luck.

Wow, Tedln! What good lookin' maters.

Don't worry, Jane, my other plants are really wimpy too! And Jeannine, my Big Zacs are the smallest too!

Good luck everyone! Happy gardening.

Taryn