I'm interested. Haven't got any suggestions though so I'll just go with whatever you and everyone else comes up with.

Hopefully I'll actually be able to compete this time. Last year, well last summer, my Brandy Boys were a bust because I planted them at a different location (read that as not at my house) and I couldn't get over there enough to properly care for them. So I had to drop out of the contest.

Perhaps you should also post on the Vegetable Forum to see if anyone over there would wanna participate. Some folks over there might not read this forum.

Rodney

OK Rodney - I will duplicate the announcement over there and on the GH forum - great idea ! Thanks!

My three suggestions for the 2016 Tomato Contest:

1 - New Big Dwarf Heirloom

2 - Big Beef Hybrid

3 - Better Boy Hybrid

Here were the 2015 rules - fyi

Here is a review of the Contest Categories for all participants. If you would like to add or delete categories or change the rules for 2016 please let me know - soon!

Note: Ripe tomato for all categories means picked on the vine ripe or ripened on the counter and >90% red/pink. All entries for any category must include a photo. Tomato must be weighed ripe in grams, ounces or pounds.

Note: Please post entries during the season as you have entries. The deadline for all entries must be posted by 12/31/2016. I will make a summary post after 12/31/2016 with the winner of each category.

Note: Thread participants will determine the winner of the prettiest and most unusual ripe tomatoes from my summary post after 12/31/2016.

Note: You need not register to post an entry - Please post an entry at any time prior to 12/31 - the more entries the better!!!!

Note: There are no restrictions for fertilization and serenading !! - haha

Contest Categories

1. Largest ripe tomato including fused fruit - the winner of this category receives the $25 gift certificate from Burpee (yet to be confirmed for 2016).

2. Largest ripe tomato from a single blossom.

3. Earliest ripe tomato for all zones and by each individual zone.

4. Latest ripe tomato for all zones (entry must be posted by 12/31/2015)

5. Prettiest ripe tomato that weighs the average weight or more for the variety we choose.

6. Most unusual ripe tomato

7. Most blossoms/buds on a truss (note: a photo of the truss showing blossoms/buds is fine - we trust your total count).

8. Most ripe tomatoes from a truss (note: photo can show the ripe tomatoes that are on the truss at the time of the photo - we trust your total count of ripe tomatoes from that truss).

9. Most ripe tomatoes from a single Plant by 12/31/2016

Just thinking here, but maybe we should stick with a hybrid variety? That way everyone has an equal chance at winning the contest since with open pollinated varieties there could be subtle differences depending on seed source.

But it'd also be a shame to limit it only to hybrids.

Rodney

I was going to suggest Indian Stripe (OP) which is a strain of Cherokee Purple. These two have been voted the best for taste many times in the forums, and Indian Stripe is more productive than CP.

Just a thought.

Linda

I'd join but my plant out date is 2 months out now and my growing season is basically Southern Hemisphere schedule. I wouldn't have much ripe until next December! But, I'll enjoy watching ya'll compete

hudson___wy(3)

OK Rodney - I will duplicate the announcement over there and on the GH forum - great idea ! Thanks!

My three suggestions for the 2016 Tomato Contest:

1 - New Big Dwarf Heirloom

2 - Big Beef Hybrid

3 - Better Boy Hybrid

===================================

100% with your suggestions, Hudson.

I am planning on growing all those 3. My special interest is on New Big Dwarf.

I grew one Big Beef (F1) this year. Though I didn't get bumper production but I was happy with it.

I will add Better Boy side by side Big Beef and see how they'll do.

Sey

New Big Dwarf would be GREAT!

Linda

I would enter if you included a yellow/orange/low acid(mellow) variety.

Big Beef

I'm in! I would be fine with whatever the group decides but maybe to keep things interesting:

One choice in each category:

Early Season: Early Girl, 4th Of July, ect. - Earliest in each zone?

Mid Season: Big Beef, Big Boy, Better Boy, ect. - #tomatoes and lb per plant?

Late Season: Porterhouse or other large variety - biggest tomato?

You might state an earliest planting date, otherwise, some of us will possibly have (category permitting) both the earliest ripe tomato on January 1 and the latest (the same tomato) the day before on December 31. I also have a couple of two year old plants with fruit. How old is a layered branch? The variations can be endless...

I'm out of this one cause none of these do well here --- cheers and good luck

LAR

Attention all interested participants:

This thread is to determine if we want a contest and which variety to grow! At this point there is not enough interest to do a contest!

If you are interested - please let us know which variety you would like to compare in our possible contest. I will wait a few more weeks to decide - but a 2016 contest does not look likely - at least not hosted by myself.

As grubby stated - if we do a contest it will be for seeds planted after January 1, 2016.

This might not be the right time of year to get the maximum attention from growers regarding a new contest. I would suspect that with the holidays, many aren't very focused on gardening right now, but that will change as we get into January and especially February. Recall that the Brandy Boy contest was initiated February 17th and did fine.

Of the selections, Big Beef would be my choice. I used to grow Better Boy, but Big Beef permanently replaced it several years ago. New Big Dwarf sounds interesting, but I'm not sure how difficult it might be to locate seeds.

Is it necessary to limit the contest to just one variety? Why not separate contests for all three? Getting three $25 certificates might be problematic, however, I think most of us are just doing it for fun and bragging rights.

I agree, ... This is not the right time trying to get interest. We should wait until after holidays and germinating time in Feb/Mar when the majority of gardeners come out of their hibernation. LOL.

Sey

I know that to get planted by May you have to get a start by Feb. More than one would make it to confusing. Anybody know anything about the dawarf?

We will give it more time - please post the variety YOU would like. All of your comments are helpful !!

Bumping this back up. Can we at least get a count of everyone who is interested in participating at this time? We can decide upon a variety after we know for sure there is even enough interest for the contest.

I'm in for sure.

Rodney

I am in.

Yea--second thought I can grow anything ---you know I'll be in

LAR---who is freezing and ready to start --come on spring

Sey's comment regarding the holidays and timing makes sense. Sowing season is really the start of folks getting serious about maters. Rather than getting real specific with varieties...perhaps "categories" like dwarf project tomatoes or heirlooms might be good. Of course, that would bring along with it... a lot of "subjective judging".

Hudson, a big thank you for organizing 2015 contest! It was fun and my wonderful first encounter with Brandy Boy. I'm definitely in for 2016! (Watch out, I grow things BIG, haha) For optimum performance I like to start seeds between Christmas and the New Year. But I'll wait till Jan 1 so I'll be eligible. No preferred variety. (By the way, we just had the first fall Big Beef tonight, it was very very very good, just like how it was in summer).

We know you grow tomatoes Big - Pennypond! We see that with Brandy Boy - you appear to be the winner! We'll know in a couple of weeks.

There have been a lot of good ideas - really - there isn't much work in organizing competition - it's basically to choose a variety that draws a lot of interest and participation - then comparing our results throughout the season on one thread. Maybe we should do three separate threads this year to draw more interest. Either like Hoosier40 suggested

Early Season: Early Girl, 4th Of July, ect. - Earliest in each zone?

Mid Season: Big Beef, Big Boy, Better Boy, ect. - #tomatoes and lb per plant?

Late Season: Porterhouse or other large variety - biggest tomato?

or maybe

2016 Contest - Dwarf Project - Variety

2016 Contest - Hybrid - Variety

2016 Contests - Heirloom - variety

If everyone will post their progress and results on the Contest Thread for each variety we choose - it should be a lot of fun to compare our results?

What are your thoughts and suggestions?

I'm in for anything. Perhaps we should go ahead and choose the variety or varieties so that those with early growing seasons can go ahead and get started and those that come in later can join in whenever. If we wait until most of the people show up for growing season in the north and central it may be too late for some.

Again, I don't have any preference. A variety new to me can be fun, like 2015. I do think at least one hybrid touted to all areas should be included. My season starts soon, as Hoosier said, I need to line up seeds soon.

I think it will be fun.

But I recommend to keep the number of varieties down ; to ONE and no more than two. Too many will make it crowded. Unless you start separate threads for each. JMO.

Sey

OK - based on your comments - lets do three separate threads. The rules will be the same for each of the threads. Participate in all three of the threads, two of the threads or just one thread - based on your interest. Because some of you want to plant seeds the 1st of January - here is what I recommend - based on your suggestions:

Dwarf Project Thread - New Big Dwarf

Hybrid Thread - Big Beef Hybrid

Heirloom Thread - Brandywine Pink (Sudduth's Strain)

I will start three separate contest threads - one for each of these varieties. Just to list one seed source to get you going - New Big Dwarf - Tomatogrowers.com, Big Beef Hybrid - Burpee.com, Brandywine Pink (Sudduth's Strain) - Heirloomseeds.com. Of course there are several seed sources and the ones I listed were chosen for no other reason than to get you started in your search. We will get an earlier start in the fall of 2016 for the 2017 season.

Thanks! Hudson

Let's go--although my hoophouse crashed on the last 14 inches of snow with another storm due in on tue. It will be a wile to get to it but I caught up last year

Hudson:

Nice! Time to start seed hunting!

Lar:

Sorry to hear that. When do you usually get started?

Not growing BW, but I will be in the first 2 categories. Seeds for NBW is on the way but I have yet to get Big Beef (F1) seeds. No problem there is plenty of time.

Sey