Message Board - BigPumpkins.com

Hamilton Nj

hey everyone,does anyone have anymore tomatos to weigh inn im gonna close contest on the 1st. of november ,unless anyone thinks they have a monster,lol, so far marv takes it!!!

but im very happy with all the tomatos we had in contest alot of nice maters this year!! and im glad to see everyone shareing seeds ,thanks guys!!! pizza

sorry i havent bein posting much after garden got flattened by irene ive bein slacking fish are starting to bite so ill be happy soon!!lol, and treetop better watch out next year i cant let u beat me 3 years in a row ,omg,ill have to hook my bycicle pump up to my maters in the fall ,lol !!!!

10/2/2011 12:35:31 AM

Hamilton Nj

oh and if anyone wants to send me seeds for new members over the winter to hand out ill send a bubble to u if needed last year gritch,shazzy,treetop,and a few other people sent me seeds to share i also handed out 1000 seeds from my own plants last year over the winter and got a few reports back all were good not as good as marvs. lol, but good, i did not save any seeds this year as all my plants got mixed up !!! pizza

10/2/2011 12:39:51 AM

Hamilton Nj

and tim pennington too!!!

10/2/2011 12:40:59 AM

marley

Massachusetts

pete, i will send you more seeds to hand out, still getting maters off that hunt plant, nothing big, lost one last week about 3 lbs to a chipmunk! he ate through the top
. still have one good one, but not as big as marv's , will pick it this week, it's still green !thanks ,scott..

10/2/2011 6:24:00 AM

Bubba Presley

Muddy Waters

Hey Pete my 3.89 took first at OVPG that puts me in top 20 for the season!Maters are fun! 4.3 Shymanski is a good seed.

10/2/2011 9:10:46 AM

Boise City, Oklahoma, USA

Anybody want some off my 'eater' brandywine and 'eater' mexico that put out like the gal in fishnets? I'll be glad to send you a few of those when they're ready, Pete. I am actually going to clone both plants and see if I can keep them this winter... I would love to take that brandywine around the block again and this time groom it for competition...
Mexico-3 fruit, one 1.72 (cut when grass green for WO)
Brandywine-1.51 cut green and taken 8 off it so far other than that over 1# and still laden with fruit and ripening up. Both were bought at a nursery.
Seeds would be from the 1.72 and the 1.51 (both open)

10/2/2011 4:29:38 PM

Hamilton Nj

okay sounds great everyone!!!!

10/3/2011 10:26:11 AM

treetop

WEIGHED MY LAST TODAY! 3.37 from the FATBOY SEED! KNOX 3.37 GOOD JOB PIZZA. TREETOP out

10/3/2011 8:16:50 PM

Boise City, Oklahoma, USA

Congrats Treetop!

10/4/2011 2:04:22 AM

On top of Brush Mountain, Pa.

I honestly believe that in another 2 or 3 years many of you will be growing 5 pound tomatoes. All it takes is the right seeds, good weather, good growing techniques and a little luck. The way to go is to get the seeds that will give you the opportunity, work on your techniques, and hope for good weather and a little luck. Six and possibly 7 pound tomatoes will not be far behind. Marv

10/4/2011 8:18:23 AM

Boise City, Oklahoma, USA

In our tough growing year, the fact I have and had 'bumper crop biggies' has gotten the attention in town. Paper is mulling having me write a few column inches every week about 'growin' so everyone can get it right (or better) for 2012. Penning some stuff about fall cleanup and fall patch prep right now. Add some killer seed from y'all and we will be right on top of it. (first tomatoes, then pumpkins! Corrupt them and get them trained, hehehe)

10/4/2011 11:10:04 AM

how you can weigh in a mater a month early in another state and still win your local GPC event is beyond me. until that process changes i will not grow a mater again. you want the plaque that bad, bring one to your local weigh off........

10/4/2011 11:52:23 AM

Boise City, Oklahoma, USA

Here our club has certified produce scale and we will do a certified properly judged weigh for one that goes early or late. I do think for GPC Master Gardener, it has to be weighed at a GPC sanctioned weighoff....

Which event are you referring to, Sammy?

10/4/2011 6:36:01 PM

LIpumpkin

Long Island,New York

Just curious.....exactly how much stem can be on the tomato when weighed? Ive seen 4-5 inches of stem on some of the scale wt pix....

10/4/2011 7:30:36 PM

Boise City, Oklahoma, USA

We trim to one inch before it goes on scale. Just like vine trimming on a pumpkin...

10/5/2011 1:05:06 AM

On top of Brush Mountain, Pa.

Sammy, check out the GPC rules. In different parts of the country tomatoes ripen at different times during the year. In order to level the playing field, the rules for tomatoes were developed. Grow some tomatoes, follow the rules and enter the contest. Marv

10/5/2011 7:51:36 AM

i only question why tomatoes get special exemptions, its the rule that i do not like. I know all play by the same rules, but all fruit ripen at different times during the growing season. But i cant take my pumpkin or melon to a weighoff a month early and win my local site. i think to level the playing field, everyone should bring an entry to the weigh-off locally to win.....it my own opinion. i couldnt beat you Marv, anytime. But if i start a plant in late June and put off a 4 lb mater for an oct 1 weighoff, and you start yours in May and have 30 better growing days, yours will likely be bigger. its just a gripe, now thats off my chest i feel better.

10/5/2011 8:57:37 AM

I guess to sum my ramblings up: I think the GPC should have 2 sepeate awards 1. for those who enter early tomato's and 2. for those who enter a late season tomato at a weigh off. if you want to try to grow 10lb'ers during the height of the season, go for it. However, if an individual is able to bring a 4lb mater to a weigh-off in Oct. he shouldnt take 2nd to a fruit that was weigh-in a month earlier (im guessing that it wouldnt make the extra month)......

10/5/2011 9:06:58 AM

On top of Brush Mountain, Pa.

Sammy, you have a good point and I can't really say that I disagree with you. Our site would probably support that. The GPC is more about pumpkins than anything, including squash. Who knows what they will do with tomatoes? I am not growing tomatoes to win a plaque or the small prize that goes with winning in the tomato category. I am competing with my personal best. This year my goal was to get over the 5 pound mark and I was lucky enough to do so. Now I want to break through the 7 pound level. What I really would like is to beat the world record but doubt that I will ever be able to do so, But, someone might. It could be Chris Lyons or Timm Brandt or Nick Harp or Phil and Jane Hunt or somebody else. If I was so concerned about winning the local contest do you think I would be giving out seeds to anyone who asked and would I be telling people what I do in my garden? If you want some seeds send me a SASE. I would like to see the record broken. I would really be very happy if it was me that did it. Marv

10/5/2011 11:30:46 AM

i get you 100% Marv. i do think the current rule setup may actually discourage the growing of giant tomatoes and participation at local events. I know you openly distribute seeds and share your knowledge.Ive just noticed the general number of tomato entrees at altoona has greatly diminished since the rule change took effect. 2 tomatoes entered this yr is sad. It is in no way your fault the way the rules are structured.

10/5/2011 11:52:17 AM

Boise City, Oklahoma, USA

Sammy, wish you were closer to here, as we do honor the tomato with it's own weighoff.

Tomatoes don't keep. A pumpkin may change weight but it doesn't go rotten in 4-5 days once it turns ripe. Rules may need an overhaul but. I'm all for unified rules for tomatoes.

Meantime we do run a dedicated weighoff for tomatoes and certify fruit that come in early or late. That is our clincher, for the weighoff the tomato must be entered AT the weighoff. The rest are just certified (judged, measured, weighed and reported) so they are reported but they can't win in our weighoff.

What the GPC at their level does, we leave up to the GPC. Maybe it's a winter and convention topic?

10/5/2011 4:52:33 PM

you hit the nail on the head OkieGal....

10/6/2011 6:58:45 AM

oswegosteve

Oswego,ny

sammy , what we did, not shure if most do it this way . weigh early if you want, but the weigh=in prize is still for our weigh- in site on that date.
Prime Tomato season here is early august not October.

my results 5.1 early tomato entry
2.9 at our weigh in
2.6 in cooperstown
5.1 in august got me nothing
2.9 in oct was our site winner.
2.6 at cooperstown got me a t-shirt
I enjoy gardening, I've done it since I was a little sprout.Never weighed a thing til 6 years ago.Competition isnt my main motivator, It's just fun as hell to go to weigh-ins for me.
for what it's worth my oppinion is grow em big,

I personaly got more satisfaction from seeing a 5.1 lb tomato and many others well over 3 lbs. in person in my own garden...... priceless....

10/6/2011 7:45:00 PM

Boise City, Oklahoma, USA

Last year I offered to put up a nice big metal trophy cup, for the biggest tomato grown and listed; from the GTG *IF* someone would present it at Niagara. It would be something handed every year from grower to grower, and I got no response.

Anyone still interested? (Last year Phil and Jane Hunt would have gotten it, this year the prime candidate would be Marv Meisner...)

10/6/2011 7:57:21 PM

Boise City, Oklahoma, USA

I'm going to take this to a new thread.

10/6/2011 7:57:41 PM

Chris L

Ontario

Well, I guess I should weigh in here with some thoughts of early and local weigh-off tomatoes.It should be noted that the 7.33 Hunt and 7.18 Harp tomatoes were weighed at October weigh-offs and that these weigh-offs have prizes for giant tomatoes. It can be difficult to have a big tomato available to be weighed in October but it can be done and it has been done many times. My best tomato this year lost 4ozs because it was kept in "cold storage" for two weeks and the one that I will be weighing at the Woodbridge weigh-off will have lost as much since it has been waiting now for two weeks to be weighed.I guess that what I am saying is that it may be necessary to discuss the possibility of making a tomato category with weigh-off site directors that attracts interest and makes it worth while to aim for late season entries. For the past few years the regular tomato growers here in Ontario were bringing their tomatoes to some weigh-offs that did not have a tomato category to be weighed for official status before the early entries started and it has lead to those sites having a paying tomato category.

10/6/2011 8:58:04 PM

On top of Brush Mountain, Pa.

Tomatoes are so different from pumpkins as to when they ripen etc. Canteloupes also are not necessarily at their finest by October. I don't know the answer. It is difficult to grow a prize winning tomato in the first place and then having it at its peak in early October just makes it all the more difficult. As pumpkin growing spreads over the world, the pumpkin growers may face a problem similar to this. How do you deal with a country where pumpkins are grown but the do not mature until December or maybe early May? Will those pumpkins be excluded from the weighoffs. Does the Guiness book have dates when things must be weighed in order to qualify? I am thinking that everyone should be entitled to their input and then maybe some new rules can be propagated for the future. I don't think a huge tomato, say 10 pounds, should be excluded from some kind of recognition because it was not weighed in October. Maybe the answer is to have 2 categories for tomatoes? A lot of big tomatoes will be excluded from competition if they have to be weighed in October. Maybe the weighoffs should be moved to late August for tomatoes and pumpkins? LOL. Marv

10/7/2011 10:32:49 AM

You wanna enter early tomatoes, you compete against other early tomatoes. You wanna enter an oct tomato, you compete against other october tomato's. if you grow the the biggest tomato for the early, you still grow the biggest. However, to win your local weigh-off your fruit would be judged against others grown under similar circumstances. i think the points brought forth are pretty clear and from what im understanding other places do it this way.

10/7/2011 11:26:07 AM

http://pgpga.com/wo2011.htm check out the tomato contest and explain to me how the individuals on the right and left both have fruits that they were able to bring to the weigh off despite early frost and vast rain and they do not win??????? its only a 50 first prize, but it should belong to the man from st mary's. Marv, yours is still the biggest grown in the US, but could your prize tomato made it until oct 1? if not, then you shouldnt be able to claim that prize for the local weigh off. imo

10/7/2011 11:34:03 AM

it is only considered a site record for PGPGA bc of the way the rules are written, that tomato never made to Sam's Club saturday. if it wasnt weighed in on the day of weighoff its not a site record.....

10/7/2011 11:59:07 AM

On top of Brush Mountain, Pa.

Sammy, do I know you? You aren't the girlfriend I dumped 50 years ago are you? I followed the rules. If you do not like the rules then change them. If you want the $50 give me your address and I will send it to you even if you had no tomato. If you want the plaque, I will send you that too. What is it that you want? Exactly what rules would make you happy or at least satisfy you? I am certain the GPC and Dave Stelts would welcome your recommendations. You act like I wrote the rules. I didn't. I just followed them.
Marv

10/7/2011 2:31:52 PM

you dont know me and i dont want anything from you. i just want transparency. that tomato was entered under early tomatoes in new york, not in altoona. you didnt set a site record. your tomato wasnt on the scales that day. i agree its a pgpga record, but not a site record. you should send your plaque and 50 to the man from st mary's. The GPC rules state the grower must attch it to a site. yours was attached to NEW YORK EARLY Tomatoes. we should at least follow the rules that are in place now.

10/7/2011 2:49:26 PM

i hope dave stelts has the time to review this thread. i do not think the rules have been followed as outlined. ive read them over a few times and my interpretation is that if a fruit is attched as an early tomato it is not eligible to win at any other event. this has been going on for yrs in toona town. im calling foul.

10/7/2011 2:54:00 PM

On top of Brush Mountain, Pa.

Sammy, I never have weighed a tomato or entered a contest in New York. You have bad information. Why are you so hesitant to identify yoursef? Everyone knows who I am. Marv

10/7/2011 4:10:23 PM

If you look at the GPC weigh in page, your tomatoes are under early tomatoes in NY, you are not listed at the altoona weigh off. Do you really feel that you a set a site record? Did you weigh in a 6 plus lb tomato oct 1?

10/7/2011 4:29:58 PM

Hamilton Nj

i just looked and did not see a category for early tomatos just tomatos listed,and it says marv.m pennslyvania!!

was it listed ny by mistake ????

pizza

10/7/2011 5:14:47 PM

Boise City, Oklahoma, USA

Andy has explained this... there is a default early entry site, he set it as NY because HE is in NY, if you look at the other, it says GLOBAL....

If a local site is not handling local early or late submissions (we do do that here) then it gets sent to Andy and HE enters them. From ALL OVER.

As for what's going down for attaching an entry to a site...

They are working on rules and changes right now. If you have anything you wish to constructively add to the discussion, send your concerns to your GPC rep.

As to how prizes and other things are awarded at a site, it is up to the site involved. If you have anything concerning how stuff was done at a site, take it to the SITE rep, and your GPC rep if it was a GPC sanctioned event.

In the MASTER list of all tomatoes, it doesn't show early, just everything input (as reported).

Only site officials and a few others (such as Ken D) are allowed access to that database and can add, edit, or delete entries to the official lists. And a site official can only access the list or lists they are recognized to.

10/7/2011 6:27:41 PM

Bubba Presley

Muddy Waters

sounds like sour grapes to me,We can all start early or late its our choice!Marv followed the rules,NOW back off PAL!

10/7/2011 9:57:58 PM