Here in our area, we can't give them away because everyone grows their own. Such is life in the country. Next year, I'll have my tomatoes again. I do miss it this year.
Glad your harvesting a big crop.

Julia

Beautiful tomatoes, Rita.
kay

Thats certainly some pretty tomatoes, RIta.I like to grow tomatoes too.I had some BETTER BOYS AND EALRY GIRL, LAST year.The big ones taste so much better then the smaller ones. The big BEEFSTEAK tomatoes are my favorites, one big slice on a Burger sure is good.I decided on the PATIO this year as i put them inside my fenced part of the yard to keep the deer from eating them up.The deer can clean out a bush of tomatoes in a hurry.But, I dont like the PATIO tomatoes much, so next year I will go back to the bigger tomatoes.Do you buy the little plants or sow the seeds and grow your own plants?

jean

No one around here seems to grow their own. Don't know why, I see plenty of yard room. I guess because most of these people don't garden at all.

Jean, I buy the baby plants in the springtime. We have a nursey not far that has the best selection of all sorts of tomato plants.

I tried PATIO myself for the first time this year. I have it in a container. It will not be back next year as I think it has no flavor.

Those Beefmasters I am growing taste absolutely wonderful!

RITA: Did you post pictures today of the daylilies> if so, I cant find it,and I always want to see your beauties.

jean

No Jean. I didn't post, sorry. This is my only post for today.

We like tomatoes, but obviously not as much as you :) I only have 3 plants, although I have a couple of volunteer tomatoes I let go because I thought they were seedlings of Tommy Toes. Surprisingly they aren't. I had counted on the little tomatoes reseeding themselves so didn't plant any. Guess I will be planting some next year, I like a few cherry tomatoes.

The little tomatoes are so nice for snacking. This year I discovered grape tomatoes which I like even better than most of the cherry varieties.

Honestly I HAVE tried to downsize on the tomato growing. I figgured if I plant enough for me than all should be fine. Well, it wasn't LOL! I had so many people asking for tomatoes and I just didn't have enough. Not even close to enough.

I have a voluteer up in my backyard also. It has grape shaped tomatoes on it. I really think that is odd as I had no grape tomatoes last year. They are still green but I really want to try them to see what they taste like.

The most Ive ever done is 30 varieties one year, this year I have a few runty plants left, becuase of a variety of reasons on a couple of diffrent varieties, even though I LOVE big toms the best, and yellow above all else, Im more then satisfied, with one , warm out of the garden big slicing tom, placed on top a perfectly made burger, with melted , chedder cheese. Thats pure heaven to me..

In years past Ive done my own sauce with the roma types, done chilli as well host of other things with them. (there is one year I had like 8 diffrent varietes of basil as well)

Life is just simply too busy to enjoy those things at the moment for me, I have to pick and choose my gardening time.

If I lived near ya Rita, I would pop over for some of those beefmasters =P ..

Silverkelt

I think the most I ever had was 56 plants. But these past few years when I was so busy redoing the garden far less. Around 36 for years and then I decided to convert the veggie garden space to daylilies and went down to about 15 plants for the past two years. Now I have put in new veggie areas and I like the setup now better than the way it used to be before.

Your tomatoes all look so delicious. Somehow we never have enough tomatoes....We have a "Salsa" Garden and grow plum tomatoes, halapeno peppers and basil. We try to grow enough tomatoes to have fresh canned salsa for a year.

Bless you for your generosity in sharing the wealth, Rita!

We have about 8 tomato plants, distributed between early bearing small fruited varieties ('Stupice', a grafted 'Stupice', and 'Foxy Lady') and later, larger tomatoes (a variety of heirloom tomatoes). Right now we are getting swamped from the early tomatoes (we won't start harvesting the larger ones for another couple of weeks, I think). The grafted 'Stupice' (marketed as one of the "Mighty 'Mato" line) is a monster plant with loads more fruit than the natural 'Stupice', but they are a bit smaller in size.

I also have about 5 cucumber plants (3 'Marketmore' and 2 'Beit Alpha' Mid-Eastern type cucumbers) and those are starting to swamp us, too. The cukes have been going into green salads, and also a Ukrainian sour-cream-and-cucumber salad that we like.

I just love this time of year! Tomatoes, cukes, basil, oregano, mint, chives, summer squash, bunching onions, and the peppers late in August (though not many peppers were set this year, sigh).

I don't think you are nutty Rita. I think it's great that you love to grow and share tomatoes. I only had 4 plants this year since EVERYONE in N. Alabama either grows them or gets them at trade day on Saturday. ( Collinsville, Al.) commonly called trade day! I froze a few for salsa and sauces but that is a pain in the neck. I won't do that again..Ellie

I just went and picked three quarts of tomatoes from the JULIET plants. I know I have three quarts as I used those plastic quart containers you get from the deli or chinese food in. I had them stuffed over the top. Can't believe how many tomatoes the Juliets produce. Just fabulous.

I guess I am in the never enough tomato plants camp ha-ha lol!

Polymerous- I have nice neighbors and no one gardens. Honestly it makes me feel good when I can share the fresh veggies. And besides the tomatoes I love my cucumber plants too. Always plant tomatoes and cucumbers. Love a fresh tomato and cucumber salad.

I don't think I ever planted Stupice. I have Early Girl every year. But I want to add some new types (new to me) next year so we will see what I end up with.

If you run out of friends and neighbors to share with, try your local food bank! My poor tomatoes didn't get nearly enough water this year so they didn't do well. I tried a cucumber in a pot with a trellis, and it was much happier than the one I planted in the ground.

Do you actually like the taste of the Juliet tomatoes, Rita? One person on this forum uses them for batting practice.

My Sungold is going nuts this year...it's branched off in all directions and is at least 4 1/2 feet tall.

Lisa, the tomatoes could never make it too the food bank. I just have so many people to give them to.

Donna, I have been on the Veggie Forum and the Tomatoes forum here at garden web also and read as much as I could. I know Juliet tomatoes are really, really disliked by those posters. But honestly I feel the critisism is much too harsh. First off these are much bigger than the other grape type tomatoes but they produce just as heavily. A big factor if yields are important. Never any splitting or blossom end rot. And if you pick them and then let them sit until they are really ripe they taste good. Underripe, not much flavor.

I really like to use them as salad tomatoes. Also on kebobs as they hold together really well. They make excellent roasted tomates in any receipe you might have and you will get plenty of them.

My neighbors two kids eat all I give them and they still would love to have more. I have 4 Juliet plants and I will be planting 4 more in that same spot next year. If I can find room, I will plant six.

I really feel that the regulars on the tomato forum really like heirloom tomatoes and look down on the kinds I grow, which are the hybreds. I have tried and do continue to try some heirlooms. But I need production on my plants and have had generally poor results on most heirlooms I have tried. There are exceptions of course.

I gave all the Juliets plus the other grape types and the sungolds I picked yesterday to my neighbor along with some regular size tomatoes. Today I gave a bag of tomatoes and some cucumbers to the guy that does my furnace yearly cleaning and any repairs I need. Have had the same guy for years.

So I always seem to need tomatoes to give away. In fact yesterday I sneeked past another neighbor I saw because I didn't have any tomatoes to give her.

Rita,
Have you grown Big Beef? That's one hybrid I grow every year (for my salsa). My four plants are loaded with fruit, whereas the heirlooms are taking their sweet time. Now I wished I had picked up a Juliet plant when I saw it at the nursery this Spring...

No, I don't grow Big Beef but I do grow Beefmaster. First time for Beefmaster for me and I just love this tomato. I have been trying various beefsteak types these past few years trying to find the perfect one. Well, I found it. I have 6 plants and will definately be planting the Beefmasters again. Wonderful, wonderful flavor. And the plants are loaded plus the tomatoes are a really nice size.

I might try Big Beef also next year if I can find some plants.

No, I don't grow Big Beef but I do grow Beefmaster. First time for Beefmaster for me and I just love this tomato. I have been trying various beefsteak types these past few years trying to find the perfect one. Well, I found it. I have 6 plants and will definately be planting the Beefmasters again. Wonderful, wonderful flavor. And the plants are loaded plus the tomatoes are a really nice size.

I might try Big Beef also next year if I can find some plants.

Opps, don't know how that last posting got here twice!

I do have lots of plants, both old favorites that I have had before and new to me vartieties to try. On the list the ones starred are ones I tried for the first time this year.

SuperFantastic*
Juliet*
Sugery*
Fourth Of July
Patio*
Better Bush*
Cherokee Purple*
Sungold*
Big Boy
Better Boy
Whopper
Early Girl
Beefmaster*
Vivia Italia*
Grape*

Some of those starred will be back next year and some will deffinately not as I didn't like them much.

The great tomato taste test challange!

I did my own tomato taste testing just for fun. First I picked tomatoes from six hybrid varieties I am growing. Put post it notes on them so I could not get them confused!!!

Superfantastic is new to me this year and so was Beefmaster. Whoppers I have grown on and off for nearly 16 years. Skip some years but they always return. Big Boy was the tomato I grew up with as my mom grew these when I was a kid. Again I have some most years and lately have the Better Boys most years also. Early Girl is an old standby here.

Results are-

1- Beefmaster
2- Big Boy
3- Better Boy
4- Early Girl
5- Whopper
6 - Superfantastic

Those first three I can definately taste a difference on but really, really like the flavor of all three. Early Girl is good and I am very dissapointed in the flavor of the Whoppers this year. I remember them being much better. So I don't know if my memory is wrong or they just don't have as much flavor this year. Superfantastic is not so super since it is deffinately, definately last in my taste tests.

I also have PATIO and BETTER BUSH new this year. Have already determined that neither has much flavor and neither of this two will be back next year. Also I have 4th Of JULY which I have had once before. Too bland for me and I do not like that the fruits are so small. The size of golf balls. Not coming back. Joining them on the not to return next year will be the Whoppers and Superfantastic.

Those first three, Beefmaster, Big Boy and Better Boy are the true winners to me. Early girl I want to grow but would like to cut back the number of plants in order to try another early variety. Not that I know what that will be.

I honeslty can't believe how many tomatoes I am getting. Today I gave away tomatoes to three neighbors, have pleanty from my picking for myself and still had ones leftover. So I bought them over to Vinnie, the gatekeeper here at the parking lot across the street. He makes sure you are a town resident and pases out parking stickers. I keep one of my two cars in the lot usually so he knows me and we often chat. He seemed quite happy to have them.

My grass cutting and wall bulding yard guy came today (grass cutting day). So I picked him a large bag of those chinese cucumbers and a bag of tomatoes. No one is safe here. They come over, they get sent home with tomatoes and cukes.

I picked lots of tomatoes this morning, which I didn't get pictures of. I had these two really big BEEFMASTERS which I have been watching ripen for a few days now. Don't know why I didn't take pictures of those as I ment too and they were so nice too. Can't take pictures of them now because I took all the tomatoes I picked along with some of my cucumbers over to my car mechanics shop again. So they have plenty to divy up amoung themselves.

But really this is why I need to grow so many tomato plants. I need plenty for me and plenty so I can give them away to friends and neighbors.

These make really great snacking tomatoes and I gave this bag to my neighbors kids after taking this picture.

good grief rita, you are really getting the tomatoes,and all are so pretty.bet all your neighbors and friends are happy to see you coming with the sacks of tomatoes.Most of my tomatoes are going to my neighbor next door, too,as I just am not to happy with these Patio tomatoes this year.The peelings on them are so tough, till I have to peel the before I eat them.. (dentures).Wont grow them again either.

jean

Jean here us a picture of my Better Bush in a container but just in back of it (also in a container) one can just make out the pathetic leaves of my Patio Tomato. The plant does keep producing. But neither of these two types have any flavor to me. I haven't noticed any tough skin on the Patio, just no taste.

Wow, gorgeous tomatoes! That is very kind of your to share your harvest.

I only have a few Sungolds that are ripe yet. The cukes have just come in too. My favorite salad in the summer is sliced cucumber, tomato, basil, olive and sweet onion. Yum!

Wow, I stumbled upon this place that only sells their own intros but what fabulous tomatoes! I have seen some of these varieties listed at Heritage Seed but not all of them. In fact until I stumbled upon their own website I didn't know there were more to be had. Place called Wild Boar Farms. He hybridizes tomatoes and like I said, what fabulous tomatoes. I am going to have to have many of these for myself next spring!

Beautiful, rare, unusual, great tasting, great producing and oh did I mention beautiful?

Here is a link that might be useful: Wild Boar Farms

I gave it along with two others I picked today (not quite as big) and some cucumbers to Vinnie the gate keeper for the park accross the street. He sits in the booth at the parking lot gate and makes sure only town residents enter and passes out parking strickers to us residents if we need them.

When I get really big ones I love to give them away (bragging rights LOL). I love it when people are impressed that I can grow such nice big tomatoes. It is not really anything I did. It is just the variety. But I will take the bragging rights anyway.

Heard nothing but good things about Wild Boar, Rita. For those of us who are really terrible at starting tomatoes from seed (well, at starting anything from seed), Annie's Annuals and Perennials carries some Wild Boar varieties. Obviously it's too late for this season, but perhaps it's something to remember when next spring rolls around.

Kay

OH, I get Annies Catalog but will have to go to her website and look for the tomato seedlings!

I did order already from Wild Boar. I never been one to have any patience, I ordered the tomato seeds from Wild Boar Farms that I wanted. I read on their website that tomato seeds are good for ten years so I guess mine will be fine until I start them next spring!

I ordered -
Black And Brown Boar
Red Boar
Pink Boar
Sweet Carneros Pink
Pink Berkley Tie Dye

I really have to start seeds next spring as I want to grow these. Plus there is another type of tomatoes that I want to grow and those are The New Dwarfs. I know plants of those will not be available locally so seeds it is. It seems to me that this dwarf tomato project is the most exciting thing to hit the tomato world in years!

Here is a link that might be useful: The Dwarf Tomato Project

My neighbors kids really love the Juliets for snacking so they got all the Juliets and cherry tomatoes.