Garden Detective

Photo by Larry Goldstein

Thank you all for responding with interest to my call for gardeners across Long Island to join the Great Long Island Tomato Challenge. What a wonderful success it has been so far, with readers from the Queens line to Riverhead and beyond enjoying the competition. I have read each of your emails, many of which were touching, some funny, and certainly all of them intriguing. I would like to give all of you the opportunity to participate in the competition and share in the fun.

If you can't bring the Garden Detective to the tomatoes, bring the tomatoes to the Garden Detective

Please bring your largest, heaviest tomato to Newsday's Melville offices on Friday, August 31 at 7 p.m. I'll be on hand to weigh each fruit personally in my quest to find Long Island's most impressive tomato. Photographers will be on hand, and light refreshments will be served.

Winner gets a handshake, my admiration and their story and picture in an upcoming issue of Newsday.

Please RSVPto let me know you're coming so that I can prepare accordingly. I look forward to meeting you!

Newsday's offices are located at 235 Pinelawn Road in Melville. Look for the red balloons!

From the west:

Take the LIE to exit 49S (RT-110 S/Amityville)
Merge onto S Service Rd and proceed to Pinelawn Road
Turn right on Pinelawn Rd (CR-3 S)
Newsday is approximately 1.2 miles down on the right, past the Eastern Athletic Club fitness center

From the east:

Long Island Expressway to Exit 49S
Merge onto N Service Rd.
Turn left at Pinelawn Rd.
Newsday is approximately 1.3 miles down on the right, past the Eastern Athletic Club fitness center