Click on a thumbnail picture below to see the full size version. 27 Entries. Thursday, March 10 View Page Tentative 2022 Tomato Line Up. Plan on starting 2 seeds of each. We'll see how many I have left to put into the ground after I harden them off. Last year's dismal tomato season started off by losing 40 plants while trying to harden them off. It continued with 8 dismal looking plants growing in the patch. I was able to salvage from a dismal looking 9.44 LaRue plant while cleaning up the patch last fall. The F2 Porterhouse seed now is producing the megablooms needed for giant tomatoes. This year going for weight on the Porterhouse seeds. Not pictured Cherokee Carbon and Mortgage Lifter tomato seeds.   Tuesday, March 15 View Page l'll be soaking these Giant Bell Pepper seeds for 24 hours in Gibberellic acid before trying to germinate them this weekend. I hope to have better results than last year. I'll also be germinating 20 Anaheim and Poblano Pepper seeds for chili rellenos and other uses this weekend.   Tuesday, April 5 View Page Western Labs soil test. Best soil I've ever had. The last 2 years I've been only adding Sustane 8-2-4 and 4-6-4 as my only soil amendment.   Wednesday, April 6 View Page Approximately 6.5 yards of composted cow manure delivered today. Usually get it much cheaper from a landscaper but he won't be open until Mid May and I need it now. Now I just need to have the patch thaw out so I can roto till it in.   Thursday, April 14 View Page 5.91 Murphy Tomato seeds (7.19 LaRue X Open). CA record. Got them from Austin Murphy (Weird Wint on BP) a few years ago along with other seeds. I am going to try to grow them this year.   Thursday, April 14 View Page 2022 Tomato Line Up. Tomatoes – 2 seeds each 9.44 LaRue 9.09 LaRue 9.06 Brown 8.83 LaRue 8.71 LaRue 8.35 Strickler 8.19 MacDonald 8.07 Daho 8.01 Karkos 5.91 Murphy- CA Record (7.19 LaRue X Open) 4.12 Karkos – Delicious Variety F2 Porterhouse Variety Cherokee Carbon Variety Mortgage Lifter Variety Undecided if I want to compete in Team Challenge after last year's disastrous season. Don't want to let down teammates if disaster strikes again.   Friday, April 22 View Page Revised my Atlantic Giant/Squash seed line up. I figured that this year I have the best soil I've ever had and it's only going to get better when I add all my composted cow manure and amendments. I am going after the state/world record by starting the 1109 Jutras squash seed instead of a seed from my 166 pound squash last year. I am starting the 2139 Skonager as a backup.   Monday, May 2 View Page Giant Tomatoes and Giant Bell Peppers started today. It will be a good problem to have if all my giant tomato and giant pepper seeds germinate. 3 pepper seeds in each pepper pot and 2 tomato seeds in each tomato pot. I will separate plants once they have germinated. Back Row Left to Right: 695 gram Daho Pepper, 8.01 Karkos, 8.83 LaRue, 9.06 Brown, 8.07 Daho Middle Row Left to Right: 621 gram Daho Pepper, 8.10 Mac Donald, 8.71 LaRue, 8.355 Strickler, F2 Porterhouse Fron Row Left to Right: Chinese Giant Bell Pepper, 5.91 Murphy ( CA State record), 4.12 Karkos, 9.09 LaRue, 9.44 LaRue Hopefully I will not have any disasters after all of the disasters last year.   Tuesday, May 3 View Page Atlantic Giant Pumpkins and Squash getting sun today. 2158 Cutrupi, 2356 Mendi, 1109 Jutras Squash, and 2139 Skonager. I hope to have them in the ground by this weekend; if mother nature gives me a few more days like today to do patch prep.   Friday, May 20 View Page Giant tomatoes germinated. 1 9.06 LaRue, 1 8.01 Karkos, 2 5.91 Murphy (CA Record), 1 9.44 LaRue, 1 8.71 LaRue, 1 8.10 McDonald, 2 7.66 Hill, 1 8.83 LaRue, 1 8.07 Daho, 2 8.36 Strickler, F2P is a 2nd generation Porterhouse tomato I am trying to grow for size. Last generation gave me correct shape. Not Pictured: 2 9.09 Brown, 1 7.66 Hill. They have not shed their seed shells.   Friday, May 20 View Page Ready to transplant but patch not ready yet. Being behind has kept these plants from being beat up by the 3 hailstorms I've had. Waiting for overnight temps to be close to 50 degrees so I don't have to put out greenhouses instead of doing patch work   Friday, June 17 View Page Mega Bloom on Cherokee Carbon plant. Didn't expect this. This plant is about 6 inches tall. Hopefully, the tomato will grow bigger than the plant.   Thursday, July 21 View Page 2139 Skonager X 2356 Mendi at 10 feet 3DAP   Thursday, July 21 View Page Pollinated 1109 Jutras X Self today at 12 feet with 14 secondaries behind it today. I originally planned to transplant it mid May but put it off until June 1 because of 3 hailstorms and freezing overnight temps. It sat it transplant shock for about 3 weeks before starting to grow wild. I am naming it Wild Thing.   Thursday, July 21 View Page 2356 Mendi X Self 12 DAP at 10 feet. I was going to cull it if the pollination at 14 feet took.   Thursday, July 21 View Page 2158 Cutrupi. 2nd time this season the main vine got snapped off. This must be my designated sacrificial plant to the black cloud in my patch.   Saturday, July 30 View Page 1st tomato Mega bloom of the year 8.10 MacDonald. I had to fight like hell to keep it from dying this spring. Hopefully, it rewards me. Domingo variety.   Sunday, July 31 View Page Megabloom on 6.32 Borgers. Megamutt Variety   Sunday, July 31 View Page Megabloom on 4.12 Karkos. Delicious variety.   Saturday, August 6 View Page Found this megabloom on one of my other 8.10 MacDonald plants.   Wednesday, August 24 View Page 5.91 Murphy   Wednesday, August 24 View Page 6.23 Borgers   Wednesday, August 24 View Page 8.07 Daho   Wednesday, August 24 View Page 8.10 MacDonald Probably is 2 tomatoes together.   Tuesday, September 6 View Page 146 Salva Field pumpkin????? The problem must be with the seed. It must have been open pollinated by something other than a field pumpkin last year. I pollinated it with a 82 Hochstetler flower. When I selfed the 82 Hochsteteler, a normal field pumpkin started growing for me.   Thursday, September 15 View Page 8.10 MacDonald plant #3. My Charlie Brown tomato plant. Several times this spring I had to prop it up because it had fallen over. Each time I gave it TLC and it took time to recover. Now it has grown the biggest tomato in my patch so far. It's the only tomato this plant has grown. I hope I can take this tomato to Stillwater Harvest Fest. I've pulled so many giant tomatoes this year that had Blossom End Rot. It has to be the humidity because I am not doing anything different than past years. The moment of truth will be when I take it out of the sling.   Saturday, October 8 View Page Del and Julie Faust New world record. The seed was 9.06 Brown. Del told me he grew his tomato in red clay with chicken manure.