Portugese Monster

[Mantis]

All of the fruit set so far on my greenhouse plant are in fact hearts.

[Grub]

Did they have big flowers that don't open that much, with big green outside thingies (can remember the name for the bits that form the top of the tomato), that look kind of like trumpets?

[Mantis]

Sure do and they are called sepals

[Grub]

Yeh, that's 'em. Got some big sepals here.

Now imagine a 4lb heart. Maybe we should rename this one Phar Lap... actually, what a good name for a big heart... patent that for a future project.

Working from home today and getting interupted by the garden. 30C today. 19-20C forecast tomorrow.

[Mantis]

That would be a good name.
We mioght even get a bit of rain here this evening with any luck. Looks like it on the radar maps. Hopefully they get some in Gippsland as well to help with the fires

[Grub]

Yeh, them fires are wickedly bad.

Where I'm working right now I can see my patch. It looks so healthy. I'll shoto some pics soon.

[michael johnson]

I cant understand how you are all getting heart shaped ones down in OZ, as none of the tomatoes that I originaly took the seeds from were heart shaped as such.

[amideutch]

Mantis, Grub!! Is "WE mioght" and "I'll shoto" a down under thing or have you been drinkin beer again?
Jealous?, You bet!! Definately need some pics from the both of you. Happy holidays to all down under! Ami, doin it in the northern hemisphere.

[Grub]

Must be the beer. Only way we know to combat the bushfires.

[Mantis]

Well heres the first one. About one pound two oz. It was growing in the same soil that produced much smaller than usual fruit on many plants. I botched something up there.

[Grub]

What shape is it? Pointy bottom?

[Mantis]

This one is a slight heart shape but the others on the plant are real heart shapes. This one looked heavier than it felt and weighed. Tapping on the sides of it , it sounds like it will have hollow spots. Don't think it is ripe yet so will take it on holidays in the esky and try it in a couple of days.

[Grub]

Thanks Manto. Got some good fruitset on this one.

Got about three or four new ones for you to try next season, tasty ones that seem happy in the hot weather.

Fair bit of EB now, some mouldy peppers, a few eggplants turning up their toes. I think it's the humidity.

But still miles of stuff coming on and there are unbelievable clusters of large Stump of the Worlds, putting this plant right up there with the most productive I have ever grown.

Hope you catch some fish and/or tuck into plenty of shellfish and fine white wine. Horsham is doing it tough from the rainfall maps.

[Mantis]

Yeah, we just had our second lowest rainfall on record. The last time we had less than 200mm of rain for the year the year after we had record high rainfall. So hoping for a repeat.

[Grub]

The wheat farmers must be bleeding.

The P.Monster is a big plant, too. Got two loaded with small fruits that look a bit like your one. I think it will be long road to ripening. I think they will be big.