16,949 Garden Web Discussions | Growing Tomatoes
I think Jean probably has the correct diagnosis, but can't tell for sure since we don't have a closeup. If it were early blight there would be watery looking brown spots on the leaves and stems and even the fruit would be affected.
If it is strictly a watering issue, just get the watering and feeding back to normal and the plants should put out new leaves. You season is long enough that it should be useful. Of course if you prefer, you can dispose of the plants since I think some people in your zone plant a late crop? (Not sure about that, we don't have that option here in Idaho.)
At any rate, if you water them and feed them as one normally does for tomatoes in pots, the fruit on the plant would have a chance to ripen.
I hope that helps.
Betsy
Dave said it all.
In MO and many other places, fertilizing tomatoes at this time is not going to do much good. Remember that most nutrients stick around for quite a while , if planted in the ground. Exception might be the Nitrogen but you don't need that now anyway.
Seysonn:
You don't think there is any chance that a indeterminate cherry tomato might benefit from fertilizer this late in the season?
I have not used fertilizer on my tomatoes past the month of August, but mainly out of laziness. I usually get cherry tomatoes thru the end of October. State of Missouri.
Do you grow from seed or buy your transplants? If you use store bought transplants your choices will be very limited. So you'd have to focus on adjusting the growing conditions to eliminate all they contribute to thick skins. Do you grow in containers or in the ground? Do you want determinate or an indeterminate variety?
If you grow your own from seed then consider Sun Gold, Super Sweet, Coyote, Riesentraube, or Isis Candy to name just a few. But accept that with the thinner skins you will have much more fruit splitting.
Dave
I have several tomatoes in a hugelkultur bed and still got late blight infections on the plants.
Though truthfully I doubt anything other than physical isolation could stop a late blight infection. It's like Ebola, only for tomatoes, and spread by air currents!
CH
Back on the subjec: Effects of rotten log:
I think most organic matter can play similar role. Instead of a rotten log you can bury lots of coarse compost , mixed with some peat moss, underneath the top 8 inch standard soil. It will play similar role. The root system can grow much easily in that medium than in a compacted medium. The same idea is applied in soil less potting mixes that provide a fluffy ,less compact medium.
Sorry for double post but here is the evidence of them birds. I taped a few hours of it but this video is only about 17 minutes long. The sound is kind of dull because my GoPro camera had the the full housing on it.
Sorry for lack of music and sound but thought it was interesting when I placed them CD's up and awaiting the bird netting ect... The camera was rolling with out anyone on it, just placed next to one of my other plants for a few hours.
Thanks again all,
- Mr Beno
Here is a link that might be useful: Watch them birds fly near my garden
This post was edited by thebutcher on Sun, Aug 25, 13 at 19:30
No luck this time but this can be a good thing. The battery cut out after 40 min and no birds, it should of lasted for about 2 hours but I forgot to charge it all the way. Anyway I made this out of a red cup with ductape and put my trusty old Gopro up. I was trying to think that the birds would fly around the red cup
Tomorrow I will do the other direction and make it spin more. Knock on wood though no new pecks in the new maters I pulled off today, so maybe those CD's are really helping a lot? lol
Edit: on Bird net, I jut got it today and will do it in a few days for added protection. So now I got the water pan out, CD's reflecting and gona try to find that reflective tape as well.
This post was edited by thebutcher on Thu, Aug 29, 13 at 19:07
Joe, mine are pretty much goners as we had so much rain in the last month it was impossible to keep up with spraying. And now we are away for a week. Would like to hear how this milk treatment does for you. I had not heard of spraying with a milk solution.
Jennie
Update: Returned home today. I am almost positive this is Septoria Leaf Spot as the dark spots have grey centers and the fruit are unaffected. If it were bacterial Spot the fruit would be affected. And the hybrids finally succumbed to it also. I have quit spraying as it is too far gone, but I am not pulling the plants yet hoping some of the green tomatoes start to blush. I can't complain, I have had the best year in five years! We froze, ate, gave away and still couldn't keep up with the production. First year doing containers and I am a convert!
Jennie
I can't tell you about the 90+ heat as Bonnie claims. We have barely been in to the 90's a few days this year. We are usually having 100+ heat in July and August.
A lot of nights have dipped in to the mid 50's and it has been cloudy and/or raining almost all day every day.
It was planted later than my other tomatoes and has just gotten started fruit wise. The plant is still small, only 2' tall.
It is a thicker skinned fruit, but I don't mind that, more fiber! ;)
I'm just happy to get some tomatoes with some taste this year.
My tomatoes have been crappy taste wise this year.
This was like that first tomato from the garden after eating the fake tomatoes all winter from the grocery store.
If you like Phoenix, try Florida 91. It is a "sister" variety to Phoenix. We have over 250 of these plants growing and harvesting from for the late summer/early fall. I like their predictability and uniformity. We harvest after they start to blush/about half red. I know that when we do this, take inside to our storage area, they will be bright beautiful red in 1.5 to 2 days. Then they will hold at that bright red for another 3 to 5 days without any loss in quality.
We grow these plants outside and inside high tunnels and both are performing wonderfully!
Here is a picture of some Florida 91's that we had at our December Farmers Market several years ago. Most were picked at blushing to green the week before the market. They were grown in our high tunnel.
Enjoy,
Jay
All sorts of issues can cause lesions/blotches on stems besides Late Blight. No reason to just jump to the worst possible conclusion just based on that one symptom. Especially when LB is the least common of the possible causes.
Dave.
What do you think about the Stupice and Rutgers? I am growing both for the first time. Stupice was the first one to ripen but it was sort of "meh" as far as taste goes - not sure whether I would grow them again. Rutgers have set lots of fruit but nothing ripe yet.
It is easy to get skin off.
Drop them in boiling water fir 15 seconds, take them out put in ice water . then peel them the skin will peel off real asy. I do this for cooking and sometimes for slicing. Tomato skin(thin or thick) is indigestible. So are the seeds.
Gather your browser information, OS etc and inquire at Computer Help Forum - GardenWeb. I've no problem with FF23x and Windows 7 .
My Two largest this year are Homer Fikes Yellow Oxheart and Andrew Ruhart's Jumbo Red.
HFYO top tomato 2lbs even, and several others in the 1lb 12 oz range.
ARJR top tomato 1lb 12oz, and many more at 1lb 8oz range.
Flavor TBD as I haven't eaten any of those yet.
CH
My brother told me he had tomatoes in Dallas that he kept alive during the scorching months, and they didn't start to fruit until the weather cooled.
I've had the opposite situation, weather wise. I'm in northern MN. Our temps stayed in the 60's and 70's for most of July. As soon as the weather warmed, my plants began to really take off. Now they all have gorgeous fruit and some are still blooming.
This image is the best I can get at the moment. The plant usually sits on a window ledge where the sun gets its all day. I water it every few days and use tomato feed once a week. I'm not sure what kind it is as I was given them by an acquittance I am no longer in contact with. As you can see its starting to grow a bit wild. Lol.