16,949 Garden Web Discussions | Growing Tomatoes
The more I look at those poor plants the more I want to say "don't waste your time and work" on them. Buy some healthy normal transplants now, while they are still available, for your garden.
Dave
One good thing about bare stem, is that it keeps the lower leaves further away from the soil, which can encourage disease. I would however assume those plants are pretty badly rootbound, but also that stem looks very woody and unlikely to readily sprout new roots.
Heat retention, helps the growth of the plant. Remove it during the day though or it can get too hot and plants can burn especially if there is condensation on the plastic.
Hey, I didn't even get around to doing tomato seeds this year, had to go by some plants yesterday. Last year I had 80 plants in the garden and they all ended up with late blight, hardly got any tomatoes, was so disappointing. I lived in a 5b zone about 5 years ago and it was not uncommon for me to have tomatoes until Canadian Thanksgiving (early October). You probably should still get a decent amount and of course it does depend on the variety for ripening times.
Ariel, those look about right for seeds started 3 weeks ago. I would leave them in their pots until they get a little bit bigger and stronger. Transplanting them to the garden now might be a too much of a shock and slow their growth. Congratulations on their first true leaves! With the warmer weather, they will start to take off.
Don't assume that the Brandywine is a PA original since Ben Quisenberry who is credited with getting seeds from Doris Sudduth Hill was from Ohio. The Red Brandywine might have better tendency of having PA beginnings. But to get to the meat of the original post I believe you can't get a good consensus on taste since that trait is very subjective. In one reported taste trial of 12 tomato varieties the 5 heirloom varieties in the trial were all rated lowest in flavor. Not all hybrid varieties should be prejudged to have undesirable flavor.
One attribute of all Brandy.... types is poor yield. The older types are very poor whereas many of the crosses like BrandyBoy are just moderately poor. There are many pink tomato varieties to choose from, many with consistently high quality and yield.
I'm a Brandywine lover, but I do NOT love waiting all season for just a few tomatoes.
Last year, I grew Brandywine cherry which was pretty and prolific, but I didn't think it tasted like Brandywine.
I also grew Little Lucky which has Brandywine as a parent. This was my FAVORITE tomato last year. It's smaller than BW and very pretty (red and yellow), and the taste was delish! I didn't find it all that late either!
Linda
Due to health issues Carolyn hasn't been able to post much here recently but she has been asked this many times and her reply is pretty much always the same - "they change every year". Here is a link to a previous discussion about this question from a few months back.
http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/2237502/question-for-carolyn137?n=11
She does mention a few past personal favorites in some of the 'favorite ___________' (insert specific type of plant/tomato) threads the search will pull up for you if interested.
Dave
Yes, comments/posts can be edited for a while.
If you see "Edit" icon on the top, just click on it ... and edit your post.
But the Opening Post has a short window of editing time.
Sey
BTW: The "Edit" icon on the opening post is located at the bottom, IF still available.
Yeah, As Dave mentioned : What did you buy/grow ? A picture can also help.
To my experience , non cherries would have limited number of buds/flowers per truss while some cherries would have clusters like grape. But then I have had some cherry variety that had not been like that.
This is definitely a cherry/grape. No beefsteak will grow like it.
Sey
Rather than watering daily try just placing newly stuck, watered cuttings in dark for 48 hours, then moving to lower light (under artificial light) until they are growing well. You'll find that propagation success rate will come close to 100% and you'll have healthier transplants. Since roots take a while to form there is no need to rewater for at least 10 days after the initial soaking.
Thank you all! You all sound so scientific! I'm merely a retired school teacher in my 5 season of organ gardening and loving it! I have used egg shells whole for years in my compost and directly in the garden. I have had my share of "black bottomed tomatoes" and few if any slugs...hummmm? I am trying the ground shells with vinegar this season in hopes of combating all the ills mentioned, as well as fertilize. I plan on using lime after reading this blog, and will also begin searching locally for bat gung! again, Thank you all!
Doesn't look like CMV to me - don't see the mottled leaves and the leaves aren't shoe string nearly enough IME - but then CMV isn't seen here much at all and a pic is far from ideal for a diagnosis.
I suppose it is possible and yeah it can be transmitted by aphids (it is supposedly not seed borne nor does it remain in soil per Cornell) but this plant was bad before the aphids came along. Been bad since day one, right?
But honestly, what difference does it make? It is obviously sick with 'something' and has been since it was a young seedling so why is it still growing? Still risking other plants? It needs to be pitched IMO but I suppose you could always cut it way back, check the pith in the stems you cut off, and watch the new growth to see what happens. Wouldn't tell you what the problem is but would tell you it was likely seed borne.
Dave
I guess I will never know what the problem was. Hoosier, is there really such a thing as a genetic problem. If that is the case, I will be so relieved that I haven't transferred anything to the other plants. And Dave, yes it has been bad since day one. And since I have known it was sick with something, I moved it out of the garden to an isolated spot and was very careful to not transmit anything to the other plants by not using any tools that weren't cleaned after use. But I Just kept hoping it would pull out of it with new growth, I really wanted to try this variety. I could post more pictures of all the growth but I won't. That was new growth already deformed. Lots of shoe string leaves on older leaves. It was pitched yesterday Dave just so you know. Thank you for all replies.
Jennie
Yeah many discussions here on this question that the search will pull up for you if interested. Personally I don't recommend anything less than 15 gallons for Brandywine and that would be the minimum. Yellow Pear (you sure you want to waste space on that given its many blah reviews?) might do ok in 10 gallons. I do banana peppers in 7 gallons every year with no problems but then I use an automatic drip irrigation system on them too. Anything less poses problems.
Dave
Did it go outside? Hard to tell in the blurry pic, but could be sunscald.
I was too careful not to water and caused quite a bit of drying out damage this year, with dying lower leaves like your second pic. Next year I will water the tomatoes indoors more. They are thirstier than other nightshades and do not tolerate the soil drying out like peppers do.
You have the right soil : Promix Bx.
You can also root in water and once you see roots developing, pot into potting soil'
Here is a current/recent discussion started by Hudson, called:
" Tomato Propagation"
http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/2207385/tomato-propagation?n=7
And here is the link for it
Good Luck !
Sey
sorry sey . i typed that wrong , my lost post i said promix bx ,, mean to say im sure that the problem is this promix brand of potting soil with water crystals is the problem just called promix ( orange bag ) ,,,, i will try rooting some in water than pot them up in the promix bx soil that comes in the big square cube bags like im used to
rooting hormone speed this process up ?
should i get the heat blanket out and make a cloning station near a window ?
thanks guys
zak