16,949 Garden Web Discussions | Growing Tomatoes

Dave, I read through each of your links and wanted to share some points that were not made in either one and that has to do with how hybrids are constructed.

The earliest hybrids developed usually had just two parents that were selected for different desired traits .Examples would include Big Boy F1, Better Boy F1, Ramapo F1, etc.

But more modern varieties are done in a different way.

There are two breeding lines, let's call them A and B. An OP with a desired trait starts off in line A, these are NOT specific varieties, rather what are called breeding lines that have been chosen b'c they have desired genes. Then that first one is crossed with another OP to introduce a gene, such as uniform ripening, high solids, a disease tolerance gene, etc.

There can be up to four parental gene inputs in a line and none of them are known varieties.

The same is done for line B.

When the last of lines A and B are done, then those two last selections are crossed with each other to form the F1 hybrid.

One of thel inks also discussed the role of using male steriles so that there's no self pollenization.

Carolyn, who did say she would be back later, and the reason being is that she's a HUGE tennis fan and Wimbledon in London is on now, and she wants to watch as much as she can, especially her favorite players. ( smile)

Yeah I know all about you and Wimbledon. So was trying to save you some time to watch. 3 copies should cover it well. :-)

Didn't intend them to be all encompassing info on hybridizing but they cover the basics that was asked for.

Dave

Early Blight is a fungal issue.

My reference above was to your use of the term "blight" - "I always have blight". There are 3 different types of Blight - Early, Late, and Southern all with difference causes and symptoms.

Plus we have a chronic problem here with the fact that many folks use the term "blight" for their tomato problem no matter what it actually is - Alternaria, nutrient deficiency, Powdery Mildew, leaf mold, Septoria, Bacterial Speck, etc. etc. etc.

Without seeing it I can't tell what disease you have so I take your word for it being Early Blight.

Dave

Ok thanks.

This is a strange year for me as well in Ct. I have been pinching blooms off small plants for a couple of weeks now across several varieties I am growing. weird

I left that one but pinched some buds off other plants that hadn't been in the ground as long (replacements). That raises a question though - how long should a plant be in the ground before you allow it to flower? If it's been in the ground 3 weeks to a month, but is still small (like this one), do you figure the roots are established enough to let it flower, or is there some rule of thumb as to how much to let it grow first?

The BWs never purpled as much as some of my others (the Mark Twain planted 6/17 still look a little peaky), but they haven't doubled in size either - I think they went in on 6/8, most of the plants I put in 6/3 had to be pulled and replaced - just too much rain and I planted the runts still in 6 packs first.

I think this is the latest I've ever planted tomatoes - except for the leftovers I didn't sell last year (that never really produced after getting them in late June - makes me wonder about even putting in the large ones now but they look so healthy I hate to compost them).

Next year a hoop house or at least set the transplants out under row cover (I can't afford 100 WOWs)!

macbttz - where are you in CT that's zone 10??

Are the Dona F1 that are now at Reimer, the original? I grew it just for the name, and ended up liking it immensely. Last year I purchased from Tomato Fest, and found it to be different. Does anyone know? THANKS!

Dona F1 and Carmello F1, both French hybrids, were originally offered by Renee Shepherd many years ago and I grew them both.

Honestly I didn't think theys competed with some of the earliest hybrids bred by Harris Seeds or Ramapo F1 either,

Nice plants, uniform red fruits, decent yields and that's about it for me.

I could grow some OP varieties that had the same triats such as Break O Day,and get the same plus better taste IMO.

Right now I can't remembe rwhich disease tolerence genes were bred in, but that didn't matter to me since where I live the foliage diseases are the mainconcern,not systemic soilborne diseases.

Carolyn

Thank you for your responses. Theplants slowed their growth. The tomatoes stopped growing or turning red. My neighbor across the street gave me some of his. Many varities and different ages. I cant help but think the compost tea had something to do with it. Could I have made it too strong? I put about 36 oz. To about 3.25 gal water.

I wish I could tell you about your compost tea, but I don't use it. I compost frequently, and have gradually turned my sandy clay soil into dark loamy soil, with compost, but I only use standard fertilizers.

I will say that I did reach a point where I used neither compost nor fertilizer for a few years, since I think I had too much. Now i use small amounts of regular fertilizer, but only up until June 1st, each year.

"add a little tomato-tone every 10 days"

You are feeding your raised bed like a container, and that really shouldn't be necessary unless you are having issues with nutrients washing away like containers do. With that feeding schedule, which is pretty close to what the package directions for Tomato-tone say to do, I would expect the plants to look more lush. (Deeper green with more leaf cover and branching.) Also, "a little" doesn't tell us if what you are feeding is too much, too little, or just right.

With temperatures in the 60s, a weekly watering may be sufficient, and is generally the desired interval, as long as it does not get dried out. By watering deeply, you are training your tomatoes to look deeper for their water (and food.) Shallow rooted plants are more susceptible to dry spells and temperature fluctuations.

However, if you are not watering deeply (or that is not water receptive soil under the beds) then it may not be enough and that could be the problem with the branches that are dieing.

"...lower yellowing, some curling..."

Those are very typical signs of overwatering. If the soil under the beds has a lot of clay in it and doesn't drain well, it could be that you are watering too much. Either way GardenWebber sprouts_honor (Jennifer from Cleveland) had a wonderful suggestion on how to tell whether or not you need to water your tomatoes, and I quote here: "Get a wooden dowel rod (or two) and sink it in the ground near a plant or two and leave it. Pull it out when you think you need to water. If the top is dry and the bottom is a little damp, it's time to water. If it looks dark and feels saturated, wait to water. I use this technique with potted plants that don't like being over watered and it's helpful with in ground plants too."

I hope that helps.

Betsy

Here is a link that might be useful: Signs & Symptoms of Overwatering Tomatoes

To me, your plants look fine with an exception of the dead branch. But they are not as vigorous. Water and food are kept near minimum. as if they have been on weight watchers diet. That is why they are slim, but healthy thou.

looking at it more closely, it is almost grape shaped now. Here is a picture... the (blurry) tomatoes in the background look more round.

Doesn't look like Black Cherry to me and I grow it every year.

Cindy

I go to the greenhouses and have a look, too. Those prices are probably pretty average for here. We're north, though. I've *never* seen a six-pack of *anything* for less than two bucks.

well, if the seedlngs are decent and are of the rare to find varieties, I wouldn't mind paying $3.50 -$4.00. But for the ordinary varieties those prices are bit expensive. I paid about 3 bucks each for Brandywine and Black krim at Lowes. So, I think that small home growers should concentrate on specialty varieties and differentiated themselves from the big box stores.

Yes, generally they will assign same plot year after year, but one has to remove-disassemble everything and village will rototill everything after the season and before the season starts. So there is benefit in adding to the soil just not the same I would have done otherwise.

Fertilizer is a general term . Essential general all-purpose fertilizers contain N, P, K( Ninitrogen, phosphorous, potassium ). Of those three, Phosphorous stick to the soil and stick around for a long time. Nitrogen, being readily water soluble, has tendency to be leached out. Potassium (K)is somewhere in between.

Therefore, in container gardening and also during and shortly after prolonged rains, it is mostly the nitrogen that becomes deficient as evidenced by yellow foliage. Under such circumstances I feed mostly Nitrogen, maybe some Potassium(K) but not much Phosphorous. If you cannot find those elements separately, use a fertilizer that is rich in nitrogen but poor in phosphorous with some potassium.

Also, I often just give nitrogen to my leafy veggies that you don't want them to flower and fruit. But K is essential for roots . Wood ash is an excellent source of potassium if you can get it.

I wouldn't say red, but I would say a deeper orange is how they look when fully ripe.

Luckily, Sungolds are so sweet and delicious that you can eat them anywhere from barely ripe to fully ripe, and enjoy every one.

I like to eat mine when they are orange.