It's A New Year!
Let's Grow Some Record Setting Vegetables
The SunStroke Giant Vegetable Weigh-Off is the Arizona Giant Vegetable Growers Association (AZGVG) official weigh-off for 2021. The event will run from now until 5:00 PM (Arizona time) on Sunday, November 28, 2021.
The SunStroke Giant Vegetable Weigh-Off allows growers the chance to get their giant vegetables weighed, or measured, in accordance with International and Guinness World Record giant vegetable competition rules. The AZGVG will judge any vegetable presented by a grower. All Arizona entries, will be considered to help establish giant vegetable records in Arizona.
The growing season in Arizona has always been unpredictable — especially with the early — and long summers — we’ve faced these past couple of years. Last year was awful on a number of fronts. We set records excessive heat (144 days of temperatures greater than 100 degrees). Then, we suffered through a dry year; receiving only 1.13 inches of rain since April 1. The result is our spring crops matured early and our fall crops got late starts. These factors have made it difficult for growers to plan their season to have an entry for either the AZGVG Spring or Arizona State Fair’s Fall Giant Vegetable Championships — or even for the various County Fairs (all which seem to pick dates without consideration of when gardeners and professional growers would possibly have a matured plant to show).
The AZGVG wants to help gardeners/growers, in whatever way we can, to ensure they have the support needed to get their vegetables recognized. The SunStroke Giant Vegetable Weigh-Off gives gardeners some relief from Arizona’s already limited vegetable show opportunities — and is especially important in 2021 as local fairs continue to be cancelled.
“Many parts of the United States have multiple shows over multiple weekends for their gardeners.” said Dean Baker, President of the AZGVG. “In order to fairly care for Arizona growers trying to compete in County Fair Horticulture Shows, or participate in the Giant Vegetable Championships, we’ve had to get creative — and give more people the chance to succeed.”
The AZGVG prides itself on its willingness to help growers get their vegetables weight, or measured, in accordance with International and Guinness World Record rules. The Association owns its own scales, which can be transported to wherever its needed to ensure every giant pumpkin, giant watermelon, or other giant vegetable is properly weighed or measured. “For the smaller vegetables, we often arrange, with a local grocery store, to meet the gardener and weigh their vegetable on the store’s certified scale,” said Baker.
A list of recognized Arizona Records for giant vegetables can be found on the AZGVG webpage at ‘Arizona Records‘ tab.
To enter a giant vegetable in the competition, a grower needs to contact the AZGVG by email at GrowEmBig@AZGVG.COM to arrange a time and place to weigh the entry. An AZGVG representative will assist the grower weigh, or measure, their giant vegetable as required. The results will be recorded as part of the Sunstroke Giant Vegetable Weigh-Off and eligible for end-of-year awards.
The Arizona Giant Vegetable Growers Association is recognized by the Internal Revenue Service as a 501(C)3 nonprofit organization.