From

Location

Message

Date Posted

Lebanon, Oregon

Attached are the GPC rules for Early Tomato entry. It includes the rule that the GPC will accept 3 tomatoes for early entry. Is this rule outdated and can it be changed? What will it take to change that to say, 4 or 5? It appears that more people are growing tomatoes and this would only help with better genetic tracking with the increased better weights. I know it is more work for the person entering data but that is not the point. How can this process get started and is there any support with this?

1/26/2017 2:14:59 PM

Lebanon, Oregon

Oh, here is the attachment: http://greatpumpkincommonwealth.com/PDF/tomato_weighoff_guidelines.pdf

1/26/2017 2:16:31 PM

Oak Grove, Mn

I also would like to see a change where tomatoes could be entered year round. With indoor growing and southern hemisphere growers, giant tomatoes can be harvest at any time.

1/26/2017 2:40:52 PM

On top of Brush Mountain, Pa.

If the genetic information relative to the tomato is not entered with other information such as weight, grower etc. why bother unless you might have a winner?

1/26/2017 2:55:35 PM

Lebanon, Oregon

Having more of seed history trail when someone wants to make a planting choice can only help. Here pretty soon I think many growers are going to grow multiple 5 lb+ tomatoes. I think a serious grower would rather choose traceable seed genetics over something only weighed on a kitchen scale because he couldn't enter his fourth 6 lb tomato. To me anything over 5 lbs is a winner. I haven't gotten there yet. I shouldn't take an act of congress to change the max amount of 3 to 4 or 5. This would benefit only those who would prefer a better data base in the future for competitive growers. It would only make it a more thorough data base so some people may want to bother. I know in the past a max amount entered may of been there to prevent clutter but now people may use it as a resource, like the AG data base.

1/26/2017 3:32:36 PM

Lebanon, Oregon

What prompted this post is I am preparing 780 individual seeds for our upcoming PGVG tomato promo for the approx. 130 members. One seed is an unregistered 4.24 Wixom Slammer. A great seed potential but not in the data base. What if in the rare instance someone grew a world record from this seed or its future lineage? It is sloppy tracking all because I couldn't (or didn't) register it with the early tomato weigh off because I already had my 3 entered. It would of been my 4th. I could of changed my name for a 4th entry but that is stupid. Again, is there a contact person who can get the ball rolling in changing this?

1/26/2017 4:05:28 PM

Buffalo, MN (Billsbigpumpkins@hotmail.com)

Garden Rebel I think you just volunteered to help put them in the data base. There could be a rule added about all genetic information must be filled out.

1/26/2017 4:54:27 PM

Lebanon, Oregon

Yes Bill, whatever I can do to help. I could of entered a lot of data in the time it took to write those long winded paragraphs above. To some people this hobby is still new and exciting.

1/26/2017 5:12:13 PM

Bloomington Indiana

looking at early tomato form no place to put varieties just the cross. Keeping track gets lost in the cross box or in the comment line! Please just add a box for varieties on the form. This will make data for genetics information a done deal. All info for tomatoes will be at same location on the form.

1/26/2017 6:08:14 PM

Buffalo, MN (Billsbigpumpkins@hotmail.com)

Any thoughts on a size limit once a certain number is reached. To me it doesn't make sense to fill in every tomato a person grows unless they are something special.

GR I'm sure Andy would love the help.

1/26/2017 7:09:30 PM

Massachusetts

i had 12 tomatos over 3 lbs early last year, I think it would flood the system. but I would like to see the last entry date changed to the end of the year,

1/26/2017 7:48:37 PM

Lebanon, Oregon

Yes, the entry date from Jan. 1 to Jan. 1 to cover any Winter growers. I think the limit could be raised from 3 to 4 or 5, not every tomato. Also, you are right gmay. Instead of the useless "phone number" on the form, simply delete that and put the word "variety". It would take two seconds and that information would be more useful.

1/26/2017 8:49:38 PM

Oak Grove, Mn

I would support raising the number of tomatoes grown past 3 for tomatoes over 5 pounds (maybe 4) . I think the dates for early tomatoes should be Nov 1 to Oct 31 to allow for awards at GPC convention. It is sad that the 8.36 Boudyo is not a GPC recognized fruit.

1/26/2017 8:54:43 PM

Wixom MI.

i like the way garden rebel put it in his last post, but they may still need your phone # if they need to contact you for anything.

1/26/2017 9:52:59 PM

Massachusetts

we lost a great grower in fabrice, might be a reason behind his departure. ya think....

1/27/2017 1:20:11 PM

Wixom MI.

fabrice may have just taken a break or just had a bad year ! im sure that he will be back !

1/27/2017 2:39:58 PM

Kaukauna, Wisconsin

Garden Rebel
Are you Volunteering to do all the work?

2/2/2017 7:57:31 PM

Lebanon, Oregon

Glen, thanks for your vote of confidence. If the person who enters all the weigh-off data is overwhelmed and doesn't want to do it anymore, by all means, I will entertain the idea. Back to the original idea of the post. Can someone who has access change the following: "The GPC will accept a maximum of three (3) entries per grower per year. Any other
entries must be entered at a regular GPC sanctioned weigh off." Change the "(3)" to a "(4)". This would be for better heavier tomato genetics tracking. I like the idea that bnot raised that we can add another one if it is over 5 lbs (maybe 4) as to not overwhelm the page. Also, put 1 line, (only 1 line!) on the entry form that says: "Variety". That is all I am suggesting. By leaving the word "variety" off the entry form would suggest the variety of the tomato is not important. It only became pertinent to me after Marv enlightened me on the subject maybe two years ago on a tomato thread. If this is not an important enough subject and there are bigger fish to fry at the GPC, I will move on.

2/2/2017 10:09:25 PM

Oak Grove, Mn

I think Garden Rebel would be a great person to keep track of early tomatoes for the GPC. If the position is open...he would do a great job.

2/3/2017 5:08:57 AM

Buffalo, MN (Billsbigpumpkins@hotmail.com)

I second that.

2/3/2017 8:31:57 AM

On top of Brush Mountain, Pa.

After the weighoff in 2015 I worked with Ken to update the tomato lists to add variety where possible for all tomato entries for 2014 and 2015. Dale Thurber helped me. Ken was to update or have the GPC update the entry lists to include tomato varieties for tomatoes of the future.
problem solved. After that, somewhere along the line, listing the tomato variety fell through the cracks. Weighoff sites were lax on listing many tomatoes variety and it did not happen as often as it should have for early entries. The result was that now many of the 2016 tomatoes listed do not include information about variety. I would suggest that whoever wants to be the person to fix this needs to sit down at a table with the GPC President and Ken and work through whatever problems there are. This could take place in Niagara at the GPC Convention. Just my thoughts. Dale Thurber and I worked with Ken to update the 2014 and 2015 lists and it took more than a few minutes. Good luck.

2/3/2017 9:21:57 AM

On top of Brush Mountain, Pa.

Anyone want to step up?

2/6/2017 3:40:29 PM

Buffalo, MN (Billsbigpumpkins@hotmail.com)

Marv, I agree someone will need to work with Ken, and all tomato growers. Just look at the 2016 tomato results the variety column has about 1 in 10 filled and many missing parents. I'm hoping Garden Rebel is willing to accept this task.

2/6/2017 6:07:16 PM

Oak Grove, Mn

You are being recruited Rick.....we know a good person when we meet one. Take on tomatoes for all the tomato growers. If you need help...i would be willing.

2/6/2017 6:19:02 PM

Lebanon, Oregon

So the person (Ken?) who worked on the tomato entries doesn't want to do it anymore? I would be willing to do it provided someone from the GPC contact me through my email at Rickspaziani@yahoo.com and we can work out the details. I would not be able to make it to at Niagara this year. Maybe the people who are in control of this and make these kinds of decisions do not read these posts.

2/6/2017 10:13:13 PM

Buffalo, MN (Billsbigpumpkins@hotmail.com)

Ken is the great Bigpumpkins Ken. Green Bay Glen is the Midwest representative for the GPC. Ken's email is at the bottom of this page and Glen's should be on the GPC page.

2/7/2017 10:17:39 AM

Lebanon, Oregon

Thank you

2/7/2017 4:09:59 PM

Massachusetts

ken lists any and all info submitted to him, he does not have the time to do the research that marv and dale did, with that said, it is 90% grower fault not knowing the variety and or the cross, with that said, I would propose a new rule to the gpc. all tomato information cross and variety must be listed to be eligible for gpc awards and local weigh offs, money, ribbons ect.or listing in the gpc standings.

2/7/2017 6:34:45 PM

On top of Brush Mountain, Pa.

After what I have seen, I would have to agree with Marley. Some one with a higher pay grade than mine will have to make that decision.

2/7/2017 8:52:46 PM

Oak Grove, Mn

I would disagree with requiring of tomato cross and variety to be listed in gpc standings. My biggest indoor tomato is looking like it might be in a pot that i lost track of what variety it was. I will probably grow the seed from it. No one else has to..in my mind "biggest is biggest". Consider that no one can tell me the difference of varieties by looking at the plant or the fruit i think it does not matter so much. Most of the tomatoes grown for the past 20 years have been open pollinated. Many of the largest tomatoes have heredity listed that only goes back one or two generations. I have read that with an open pollination there is about a 5 % chance of cross pollination. I have to think that many of the varieties that growers think are pure Big Zac actually have been crossed in the past during an open pollination. Should this be extended to pumpkins...A new grower was given a package of seeds from a club...didn't give the parentage of the seeds..just called giant pumpkin. They grow a nice one and take it to a weigh-off and are told "nope, this is not an official pumpkin" you don't know the parentage. A pumpkin is a pumpkin, a tomato is a tomato. If i grower does not want to grow unknown seeds..that is their option.

2/8/2017 5:44:03 AM

Massachusetts

90% grower fault.... the above post hurts my brain. would take me a month to explain why. new world record grown off off what seed? sorry I lost that info......, why do you think pumpkin weights have come this far? guessing? new world record tomato, sorry I forgot to write that down... if you cant keep a record of your genetics for the good of other growers, then you should not get recognition for that fruit of veggie. you owe it to growers.

2/8/2017 6:42:00 AM

On top of Brush Mountain, Pa.

This is an important and pretty basic topic. It might be worthwhile to start a new thread titled "Is it important to know what the parentage of your tomato seed is." That way more people would read the thread and chime in?

2/8/2017 9:34:59 AM

Wixom MI.

Well marley they dont diqualify a pumpkin if someone doesnt have the information on their pumpkin but it is clear that no one will plant their seed the following year. All we need to do is make a place on the tomato entry for the seeds used and veriety used. Right now it only has one line called cross ??? No male or female like pumpkins.

2/8/2017 8:21:16 PM

Oak Grove, Mn

wixom...there is an independent thread for this subject....i think it might be an important one

2/8/2017 8:22:37 PM