16,949 Garden Web Discussions | Growing Tomatoes

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

Thank you. Can comments be edited?

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

I will post pic tomorrow. Yes they r pretty much like this one u posted. Pretty sure now they r cherry, thx so much

I always water the foliage daily when I take cuttings. That is the only way they can absorb water from what I've been taught.

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.

Used shadecloth for the first time and will never be without it again.

Good to hear Rob. It is amazing what a difference it can make in some locations. What fabric did you use and how did you rig yours up?

Dave

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

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.

They haven't been outside. I am a chronic overwaterer and have been trying to do better. Clearly I need more practice. But I can't help but think that those stinkbugs are spreading disease.

One can wonder about what is in this fertilizer besides NPK. The NPK numbers are just that. The amounts of N, P and K. But there is more to what you sprinkle on than N, P, and K. If this fertilizer wasn't over-applied, it's hard to believe that 2-4-7 would do anything bad, or even that noticeable.

Thank you all who responded to my question!!!

I dont know the variety, but it seems that might be a factor since a different variety growing in the same conditions does taste better.

the plants are in the soil and it is fairly heavy clay soil with some compost mixed in. The problem is probably that it has been raining a lot lately and the spikes must have dissolved a lot faster than they should have.

It would have just shown up if potted up with a new bag.

I asked since I had some tomatoes I potted up in Miracle Gro's Nature's Care organic line, and I believe the soil had herbicide contamination. My tomatoes looked like her pictures. This was entirely indoors and the tomatoes that were not potted in that soil did not have the problem.

I also then made the mistake of not cleaning my trays and wasn't paying attention to the ones that I had used when potting up the ones that I believe were in contaminated, and just grabbed a tray for some new seedlings. The tray had some potting soil in the bottom ridges. The seedlings in that tray all showed the same signs. Toms in a different tray directly next to them nothing. Moved these guys to a clean tray, but damage was done. And I get to wear a dunce cap for being lazy and not cleaning my trays.

jean001a(Portland OR 7b)

Doing a bio-assay will resolve the question of where the herbicide came from.

8888***********************88888

EXACTLY. Where did it come from ?

It is not established that herbicide was used, yet.
Did OP apply herbicide in his property ?

Did OP see a neighbor's property being treated with herbicide ?

Also the potting soil is not cleared up yet.

Where is Megen ? HMMM.

Sey

Actually I was wrong. Today I looked at the other tomatoes and they also have about 8-10 flowers in their first trusses. The flowers in the truss are developing from the tiny ones which I could not see last week. It is probably our local conditions: we have highs around 70s and lows around 50s, and it was humid here last week, sort of like a greenhouse. Season, you'll have this nice weather later in May, when we will be hit by the hot weather.

Some other tomatoes.

And another one.

I see some neck n neck competition already between Hudson, Yolos and Nate, on the First category. I am still in and have not given up on winning yet. hehe

Sey

It's a slimy raisin bug. I get them too. Still have to look up the best line of defense, though, but for now I'm squishing them but more keep coming back.

https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5147/5780953659_d0db3c65ba_z.jpg

Never seen those slimy creatures.
The only slimy things that I know and am dealing with are slugs and some snails.
Try using/ experimenting slug bait on those.
Also sprinkle some table salt on the and see what happens.

Sey

Have to agree with sey...my Big Beef are simply the strongest growers so far. They also have the most standing fruit by far. My Black Cherry is doing quite well...with the Brandy Boy's a close third.

Wow ! I see quite a few winners already.
I, myself, am counting on Big Beef. Siletz might come from behind and catch up.They have lots of buds but no flowers yet.

Sey