16,949 Garden Web Discussions | Growing Tomatoes
They are doing well for a farm down the road - he said he had heirlooms but there weren't many at his stand and I didn't see them on his table at market last week. Johnny's says it's able to tolerate cool and wet conditions, must also be able to tolerate heat if it's done well here this summer. He told me he lost a lot of (heirloom?) tomato plants in June, I'm losing them now, and not a lot of fruit set with the wild temperature swings.
Here is a link that might be useful: Mountain Fresh at Johnny's
Ideally you would want to vary the fertilizer amount and makeup as your growing and fruiting season progresses since plant nutrient needs change and you can find specificic recommendations for tomatoes from various university hort websites. But I also like the idea of a slow release fertilizer for container gardens since research with most flowering plants shows an advantage of using them.
Actually, my 3 containers (Cherokee Purple, Brandywine, and Early Girl) are all healthy and giving good fruit. I am a bit surprised that the height of these only remains around 3-3 1/2 feet...with slow growth now (not complaining). My very un-scientific fertigation program (frequent apps of tomato tone, MG, and Foliage Pro) seems to be acceptable. I bet I could improve...just not sure how. I think the fast-draining mix is key...
Agree with Dave on his answer.
Look at any plant's fruits and you'll see a range of sizes with ripe fruits for a single variety.
Internal distribution of water and nutrients can vary, as he mentioned, and that in turn can be variety related and also impacted by weather conditions.
There's also a bit of biological diversity going on which is why the experts say it's best when saving seeds to save seeds from fruits of different sizes of a single variety.
Just as there is biological diversity with tomatoes, in general, there's also biological diversity for single varieties and that inherent biological diversity is important in terms of variety preservation.
Carolyn
Tomato plant is perhaps the most sensitive garden plant.
I have a soil sensitivity experience with tomatoes:
Years ago i just started a garden right under the canopy of a black walnut tree, Among other things, I also planted tomatoes. A few week later one of them wilted(and died). Somebody suggested that maybe I over fertilized it. But I knew I dad not. Anyway, few days later the other one also wilted and died.
Then I found out that there is a substance, in the roots, leaves , and barks of black walnut(I think called juglanol ?) that acts like herbicide on certain plants, including tomatoes AND its own seedlings.
Of all the things I planted in that garden, ONLY tomatoes wilted and died.
It's a good idea to know how various herbicides act on different plants. In the case with Roundup you need to have the actual herbicide contact the green plant. I spray roundup between tomato rows of hundreds of plants all the time using what I call "Precision spraying" on a calm day and I never killed a plant yet; caused a few leaf tips to turn yellow at most. Some here might argue the residue issue but that's their unfounded view. With many other herbicides the mode of activity varies.
OK Gary, me friend, you are summarily kicked out of the MOST group. LOL
But as I posted above, the woman who sent Earl the Red Brandywine seeds, when contacted by Earl said it was Brandywine that she sent, by mistake, or whatever.
It's hard to recreate exact words for something that happened so many years ago.
I know you have a vested interest in Missouri Pink Love Apple, I've not grow it, and if I had I wonder if I'd say it was the same as Earl's Faux? Or even my Brandywine ( Sudduth)
Carolyn, glad to hear that your Brandywine ( Sudduth) was from me, ( wink)
Mine have been late ripening too, but they've grown well, full of fruit, and the heat of the past few days has started the late summer deluge. First Black Krim and Mr. Stripey came in today. Brandywine and Mortgage Lifter should be ready in the next 2-3 days.
Yeah, mine are really putting out with this awesome weather lately. I'm still waiting for my Hawaiian Pineapple bi-colors though. There are some green monsters on the vine, but no blush yet. One must be 1.5lbs. At least the shoulders aren't cracked, and if they have to stay on the vine for another 10 days, so be it. Weather is supposed to stay great for at least another week.
Hi my Son and Daughter come over and we make over 100 32oz jars of tomatoes sauce we do it in the middle of sept
there really is no different in taste we buy 3 bushels of Marzano tomatoes I make about one bushel from the garden what I call pepper tomatoes but because they are bigger they give more sauce and they are cheaper lol
Yeah the thing with sauce (if you pull up the many previous sauce discussions here and over on the Harvest preserving forum) is that far far better sauce results from using a mixture of varieties and types rather than just paste tomatoes - any paste tomato.
Contrary to popular belief, no where is it written that one must use only paste tomatoes to make sauce. And very few paste tomatoes are noted for their flavor to begin with. Especially so when compared to the flavor of slicers and hearts. So if the tomato lacks flavor so will the sauce.
Like you we can quarts and quarts of tomato sauce each year but paste types are only about 1/4 of the tomatoes that go into it.
Dave
I respectfully disagree with the other posters who prefer SunSugar over SunGold. The SunSugars are very prolific, and have a sweet taste when you first bite into them. But they have an aftertaste that I don't quite like.
I still haven't found anything to compare with the amazing taste of SunGold. If only there was a full size tomato with that flavor ... it makes my mouth water to think about it!
I was able to try Sungold this year for the first time. Obtained seed through trade. I am not a fan of cherries but my daughter is, so I grew it in a topsy turvy as an afterthought. I was very impressed. Great tomato flavor in a small pakage. I still like my slicers better, but it's hard to dislike Sungold.
If you are asking about canning tomato juice then this is a Harvest forum question as it is the food preservation and canning forum.
But the basic answer is no. They aren't acidic enough to lower the pH to the safe level. Only stabilized bottled lemon juice meets the pH requirement. Or you can use citric acid or vinegar (not recommended).
You can learn all about this over on the Harvest forum or at the link below.
Dave
Here is a link that might be useful: NCHFP - Canning tomato juice
This post was edited by digdirt on Tue, Aug 20, 13 at 18:19
The top picture looks like what I have on my plants, but they NEVER get past that point. I've never had that issue before. It's like they just give up in our heat (I'm in Texas). Lucky you! Wish mine would get past the 'ovary stage'-- grrr!
Enjoy!
The first four pictures are of a "heart" tomato which "Coeur de Boeuf certainly is. So everything is absolutely normal. That is how they should look at this early stage in their growth. They're also quite healthy looking.
Congratulations, that's some nice gardening and good photography.
Well, a brief search with the phrase "grow tomatoes in dallas texas" turned up the following from the local newspaper. Sounds like a challenge but it is possible.
Here is a link that might be useful: tomato tips for Dallas
More info, this time from Aggie Horticulture
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/newsletters/hortupdate/2013/mar/protecting-tomatoes.html
With all the info I found online, sounds like most folks in your area had serious challenges with their tomatoes this year. So, in case it's any comfort, you have plenty of company.
Around here, the weather isn't near so extreme as it in Dallas. But now and then, we still have a Green Tomato Summer!
Here is a link that might be useful: Aggie Hort info
I could not resist. Mr. Beno was staring down the lobsters lol.
This post was edited by thebutcher on Thu, Aug 22, 13 at 19:13
FORGET the tomatoes ! $4.99 /lb New England Lobster ?
I used to live in Connecticut. Cheapest I could get them(from the guy who had traps) was about $5/lbs. That was more than 20 years ago. Some Hamburger meat around here cost about that much. Gee, I am moving back East.