Drum roll, please .......................................

Black Dome Press announces

The GREAT BIG, HUGE, REALLY QUITE LARGE SUNFLOWER CHALLENGE - 2010!

Grow a really big one and win a really small stack of books!!!

Yes, campers (and honor system devotees), just plant your seeds and watch them grow. Send us your pictures (via snail mail) and real-life measurements (not your measurements, your potentially book-winning sunflower measurements) and the GRAND PRIZE WINNER with the tallest sunflower will win a $50 gift certificate to Black Dome Press. Woohoo!

Anyone can do it-see below what we did at Black Dome's test garden in 2005 with these very same seeds (OK, different batch, but you get the idea).

Deadline: November 1, 2010. When submitting your entry photo, please provide your name, addres, e-mail address, and telephone number. Winner will be posted on this Web site by December 1, 2010.


Tall sunflower Left: Black Dome's Science Advisory
Board Chair points proudly.

right: The drama unfolds on manure
delivery day at the Test Garden..

Tall sunflower


* * * 2009 GREAT BIG SUNFLOWER CHALLENGE WINNER * * *

Mary Donovan's Award-winning Sunflower
Mary Donovan's Award-winning Sunflower
Gallagher and Co. - Location of the 2009 award-winning Sunflower
Gallagher and Co. - Location of the 2009 award-winning Sunflower
Close-Up of Mary Donovan's Award-winning Sunflower
Close-Up of Mary Donovan's Award-winning Sunflower


And the 2009 Great Big Sunflower Challenge winner is (drum roll, please)...

The prize for the tallest sunflower goes to Mary Donovan, Gallagher & Co. of Windham, whose 12 foot 6 inch entry towered over her porch, threatening low-flying planes and disrupting cell-phone reception.

Congratulations to our winner! And to our also-rans, we’d like to say thanks for getting into the spirit of the competition.

We hope to hear from this year for the Even Bigger Sunflower Challenge 2010.