Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
njitgrad

and red ones in NJ yet?

njitgrad
10 years ago

I'm getting concerned here...its July 15, tons of green tomatoes and nothing ripening. Not even my Independence Day plant. How am I supposed to make a tomato salad with no tomatoes? Could the heat wave this week set things right?

Comments (20)

  • plantgrrl
    10 years ago

    njitgrad, I've got no good news for you...I'm in Lynchburg, VA--(7B) foothills of the Blueridge Mountains. It's ALL green right now--even my large fruited cherry tomatoes. They just sit there looking shiny and fabulous. LOTS of fruits forming. I blame the wet weather. I've even started sucker pruning, in hopes of getting the plants to decide to ripen some fruit. Nada. Then again, they started fruiting in mid-June here, so maybe just a few more weeks. It's killing me.

    *Are they red yet? Are they red yet?* Enh! Making me crazy.

  • njitgrad
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    I hear ya. I've been checking my tomatoes 2-3 times a day at least. It's driving me nuts too.

  • monet_g
    10 years ago

    Not on the east coast, but Michigan reporting in here. I've been looking at the greens for weeks and all of a sudden a few are blushing overnight! It'll be soon - very soon for you guys. Interestingly, my cherry is going to be late because of the weird weather this year.

  • tigrikt (Central NJ/6b)
    10 years ago

    My Glacier started to get red. Had the first one yesterday.

  • sjetski
    10 years ago

    A lot of us are two or three weeks behind this year due to the unusually cool and wet spring and early summer, delaying plant-outs and tomato ripening, etc etc.

    Next year i'm planting a couple of Stupice in containers as insurance :)

    2013 was an odd year.

  • bltlover
    10 years ago

    Everything is still green here but looks good. Berks County PA. Plants went in June 1st. I'm ready for salsa and BLTs but it'll be a bit yet...usually it is August for us.

  • MzTeaze
    10 years ago

    I live in Northern NJ (Bergen county) and yes I have red tomatoes. Mainly the Romas and a patio type tomato. The beefsteaks aren't ready yet. Those took longer to actually flower and set fruit.

    Where are you in NJ?

  • Prachi
    10 years ago

    My cherry and grape tomatoes have been ripening for a few weeks now but I also started them at the end of April under floating row covers. (I will be doing this from now on... prevents all the stress over our crazy weather) This was a harvest last thursday (when my daughter didn't get to them first). Over the last two years my sungold cherry tomato has been the absolute first to ripen. which toms are you planting?

    I had my mail order company trade my independance day tom for a might sweet hybrid grape tomato.... that has worked out so well for me as the grape tomato has had ripe fruit daily and the fruit is 2 oz each (grown in compost)

    My Brandywines are still green but the cherry and grape are keeping us busy... my San marzano was put in I think June.

    I live near the Freehold, NJ are in south/central jersey.

  • njitgrad
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    I'm in Passaic County (Wayne) and have the following varieties, all still green as of 7/16....

    Pineapple
    Black Zebra
    Black Krim
    Abe Lincoln
    Independence Day
    Better Boy
    Gardener's Delight Cherry
    Chadwick Cherry
    Super Steak
    Better Bush

    I have this feeling that I'm going to be swimming in tomatoes in early August because they're all going to turn in a matter of days, not weeks. It just figures we're vacationing the first week of August.

  • 2ajsmama
    10 years ago

    Little bit north of you, but just want to let you know my Independence Day (if that's what it really is) hasn't even set fruit yet. Other varieties are just setting fruit now, except for Brandywine and Mark Twain. I'm hoping the cherries and Latah ripen soon, Grandma Mary's paste and Cosmonaut Volkov might take longer since they're larger tomatoes.

    But this time last year I had squash and green beans, and I didn't start those any later this year, I think the weather did delay things. Might have some next week though. Tomatoes and peppers got set out later this year (though Independence Day was only 1 week or so later than usual).

  • MzTeaze
    10 years ago

    Your bounty looks good prachi! My Romas look more like your grape tomatoes. I think they may have been mislabeled. No surprise there.

    So njitgrad, we are fairly close as I am just bit more East of you in River Edge. I have about 4 tomato plants that were stressed for most of June so they are fighting back right now. I, too, suspect that I will have tomatoes into September & October at this rate as long as the weather stays warm.

  • thebutcher
    10 years ago

    Im about 5-10 minutes from NJ just west of Trenton and had my "4th of July Ripen" Well it was red I should of let it sit another day but could not resist.

    Now the others "4th of July" are to size but still green. And to note this one was the first flower to produce and the others followed about 2 weeks after. So I think the weather had something..?

    To note it was grown in a 20 gallon fabric container and I also have another plant in ground.

    Edit on start date. Germanation at March 15th and planted May 16th

    This post was edited by thebutcher on Tue, Jul 16, 13 at 13:45

  • LogyMcKae
    10 years ago

    I am in E TN, in the valley and still none ripe here, it's kinda discouraging! (this is my first year starting from seeds)

  • bltlover
    10 years ago

    Started getting some color on a grape tomato plant last week, and a few gold cherries ripened, but all our regular tomatoes including early girls are still green here in Berks Co.

  • mandolls
    10 years ago

    Mine are all green too, but I dont feel to bad. I went to the local farmers market two days ago and only spotted 3 tomatoes there, so if the pros dont have them yet, I'm not doing so bad.

    Early Girls and Parks Whopper look the closest. But it actually got down to 48 last night, thats not going to help at all!

  • plantgrrl
    10 years ago

    Well my Red Cherry, Large Fruited finally ripened a small handful over this last week, so there's hope! Then again, I'm having to figure out a new deer deterrent system as they've found a way in to the garden and are only eating the very biggest green tomatoes. Grr...

    And now I'm getting Septoria Blight from all the wet and the deer damage and my neighbor, who has it really bad right now. :(

    At least they're starting to turn red though...

    Anyone else having problems with "Big Rainbow" this year? Tiny flower bud clusters that are forming *super* slowly and not a fruit to be seen yet. Or is this just how it is? Brandywine was slow too, but it actually has fruit now, so Big Rainbow is officially the latest. Don't know why, all the other plants fruited...

  • bltlover
    10 years ago

    Some Early Girls are starting to blush finally. Went in June 1 so 59 days since planting. Fresh salsa next week, I believe.

  • 2ajsmama
    10 years ago

    I'm just hoping I can get what's set already to ripen before frost. Some "earlies" look almost full sized, I swear the cherries should start ripening soon (though there aren't many of them), and I actually have a few Brandywine, Mark Twain and 5 Rose de Berne set.

    I want to say this is the worst tomato year yet (Sue already asked that), but at least I have a variety though no many. 2011 everything except Glaciers drowned/rotted and those had bacterial speck/spot/anthracnose so I guess that was worse. But the other veggies aren't doing well either - the berries were, but since July has been so dry the wild blackberries are shriveling up like they did last year. Maybe we'll be lucky and have apples in the fall - look good so far.

  • bggrows
    10 years ago

    Mine have done the same. Green fruit that set early sat forever. Now they are all ripening at once since the weather has turned milder. Not many new blossoms or fruit though on the top of the plants. I figure maybe 30% production compared to the last few years. Flavor of Black Krim is not as good as usual. BooHoo.

  • seysonn
    10 years ago

    bump:

    Those were the days, my friend,
    we thought they never end.
    we couldn't wait for that mato to turn red..
    and suddenly the fall fell upon us
    ..
    when life becomes memories , it becomes of more value.
    I dream of spring again.

    how about you ?

Sponsored
Hoppy Design & Build
Average rating: 5 out of 5 stars9 Reviews
Northern VA Award-Winning Deck ,Patio, & Landscape Design Build Firm