16,949 Garden Web Discussions | Growing Tomatoes

Carolyn- I was hoping my question wouldn't be misconstrued, but I think it may have. I am not wanting to grow as many tomatoes as I can just for the sake of it. I am a greedy eater and I find the different flavor profiles so exciting. From one tomato to the next there is so much VARIETY! I grew up in NJ, city lifestyle and all the tomatoes looked the same, round and red. Probably Rutgers tomato. I had no idea there were striped tomatoes, green when ripe tomatoes, or white! Who would have guessed it...not me. One day I was having lunch with my grandmother who I adore and respect and she was on a Mansanto rant. I asked her what I could do about it since she said my generation is lazy and oblivious to what's going on and she told me to become a seed saver and protect a variety. Ok I told her, calm down I will protect one variety. She said she could die happy if I knew how to save seed from something and re-grow it. She gave me a Bakers Creek catalogue to pick one out and when I saw all the variety I was overwhelmed, in a good way, once I started growing and tasting...I was hooked. We even moved to a multiple acre lot so I could grow more. I just want to experiment with so much, finding what works for us. Plus, I do it all with my little girl. I plan on saving all the good seeds for her and passing them on to her- she won't have as much of a learning curve as I am having now. I will be able to help her. No one in my family grew food. All semi-recent Europe immigrants who lived in Philadelphia.

I usually buy from Bakers Creek, Seed Savers Exchange, Southern Exposure Seed Exchange, and then do online trading which I have had great success with.

The ones I save seed from regularly are:
Pink Brandywine
Purple Cherokee
Violet Jasper
Italian Heirloom (from SSE)
Emmy (from SSE)
Juane Flamme
Red Zebra
Riesentraube Cherry
Pearly Pink (My daughter really loves this bland tomato, my husband and I don't like it much!)

Ones I tried and didn't continue to save:
Green Zebra (yuck!)
Yellow pear
Black cherry (they taste great but ripped and molded a lot)
Beauty King

This year the new ones:
Jersey Devil
Beefsteak
Traveler
Dr. Wyches Yellow
Moonglow
Pineapple
White Queen
Aunt Ruby's German Green
Lemon drop
Sara's Galapagos
Isis candy Cherry
Blondkopfchen
Gypsy
Gold Medal
Rhoades (probably incorrect name)
Matina
Novogogoshary
Cour d'bue
Fantome du laos
Omar's Lebanese
Hawaiian Currant

Oh my I am so sorry for the length of this!

Lindsey

Oh and Carolyn, right now the trickiest part I am having researching is how to know if the tomato I have is labeled correctly. I read the descriptions, pull back the tomato skin, to check color, check how many seed pockets, leaf growth and such, but sometimes I think, and this may be way off, that people are just naming tomatoes an heirloom when it is already a named tomato. You know, to sound enticing. I could be wrong. I have noticed this feeling with one company.

I'm not sure how to tell if I have the correct Italian Heirloom tomato, from SSE, but I'm not complaining b/c I LOVE it! I bought it last year from SSE public catalogue. The picture they show has red round fruits. I have read a few descriptions on this forum from SSE members catalogue. SO I am not sure what happened to my 6 plants I grew, but they had all different tomatoes mixed on the plants...some were red, smooth and round, some were small and ruffled, some had a ruffled heart shape. It was really fascinating. And such sweet cooking tomatoes for sauce! Here is a picture. Now I want to try more heart shaped tomatoes.

No worries Gary, I actually ordered the plants from that link on Amazon immediately after you posted it, and they have already shipped! So maybe I got the last few plants. :D

Thanks again!

Great, let us know how the plants look and perform, I hope you are as happy with them as my Oklahoma friend is!

Gary

plantitup - I don't see that I can send you an email through GW. I am looking for Sungold and Black Cherry seed if you have it. I have multiple beefsteak varieties to trade. Please send me an email if you are interested. Thanks

Thanks to all for your replies. I think I'll go with a cage 4-7 feet. 39-40 feet seems a little too high for me. I doubt I'll be able to build something that tall!

ajsmama - Sorry for my late reply. I actually got my seeds from a friend and have just enough to plant myself. Although it would be nice to have some beefsteak toms I don't have enough seeds to trade. Sorry and good luck in finding some elsewhere.

I have posted this information here many times so here it is again:
I was fortunate to discover Brandywine Pink through the old Seed Savers catalogue when this variety was first introduced. Back then there was only one Brandywine Pink (Sudduth or Quisenberry strain). Today many seed companies offer inferior strains of Brandywine Pink so the first thing you have to make sure is to get the true Sudduth (also called Quisenberry) strain, e.g. from Johnny's of Maine Seed Company. Of course there are other Brandywine varieties but Brandywine Pink is what is usually referred to "a low yielding variety".
As experienced Brandywine Pink growers know, this variety does not set fruits in hot weather (possibly due to defective blossoms or split calyces as was pointed out on this forum by Carolyn and I think Craig), even here in Southern CTâs zone 5. As VP International I had to travel and live in different parts of North America and Europe. I grew Brandywine in Northern Germany, Dublin/Ireland and Northern Italy. As Brandywine is a late season variety, starting the plants early and getting them into the ground early was absolutely necessary in Germany and Ireland and is also important here in CT. I use efficient Metal Halide grow lights and cool basement conditions which gives me sturdy stocky plants. It allows me to start Brandywine 9 weeks before setting them into the ground. I plant well established, hardened, stocky plants out in early /mid May depending on the weather conditions and go out of my way to protect them against cold temperatures. I noticed that Brandywine did really well in the lower sun intensity countries so while my other tomatoes are planted in full sun, Brandywine does best in an area where high trees block the summer sun around lunchtime. However, you will also get good yield if you follow these rules:
Most gardeners are growing tomatoes in far too rich soil or over-fertilized soil and often use too much fresh compost. Carolyn Male, author of â100 Heirloom Tomatoes for the American Gardenâ said it best, quote:
The result of using compost in the planting hole and added to the soil and using too much fertilizer and too many amendments is that plants are stressed by growing too fast and the stress helps induce blossom end rot and also makes the plants far more susceptible to various diseases (end of quote).
Over-fertilized soil prevents early fruit set. Add to that the fact that Brandywine does not set fruit in hot weather and what do you get: Disappointing yields.
By observing the above mentioned suggestions:
1. Start early
2. Grow the plants in soil that has been fertilized the year before
3. Try to provide some shade during hot summer month in order to increase yields.
I foliar feed with a marine brown algae extract and water once with a stinging nettle manure tea after first fruit set. This procedure is repeated when the first fruits start to turn pink and after the first significant harvest. After fruit set while tomatoes are ripening I will side dress sparingly with a high potash natural fertilizer blend.
Thatâs it. Follow these instructions and you will be astonished about the yield increase of Brandywine Sudduth strain. And if you have never grown Brandywine, get ready for a treat.

missingtheobvious, these were purchased as simply brandywine pink. When I grew brandywine pink from another source they did not set fruit as well. I don't think they are a different variety per se, they just seem to set fruit better. And because it has only done so for two seasons does not mean that the third season won't be a poor fruit set. Who knows it may be that this year they don't set as well. There are enough Brandywines out there as is, so I don't want people to think this one is different than what is widely available and start some new BW type. But I don't rule out that there may be some minor differences between Brandywine seed sources. I also don't rule out the possibility that the label was brandywine pink and Suddeth's seeds were used.

I have also grown brandywine OTV, Suddeth's, Platfoot, Brandywine Red RL. And this year I will be trying Cowlicks and some brandywine crosses. I find OTV to be a very good tomato that sets fruit well in hot weather. In fact, I have found that many of the varieties that Carolyn Male has introduced/stabilized and recommended on this site are great. For what it's worth, I think that we should drop the Brandywine from Brandywine OTV and just call it OTV. That way it would reduce confusion.

I have to defend the Black Cherry. Not sure why people are getting poor tomatoes. I would suggest buying seed from the best possible source. I got mine from Tomato growers Supply 3 years ago and have great results. They taste great. I also like sweet tomatoes. I've never grown Sungold, but from everything I've read, Sungold is the only better cherry. This silly little plant produced over 1000 tomatoes.

I have a little greenhouse up here in cold Alberta and grew black cherry last year and it was the biggest, tastiest, sweetest cherry we grew. Not as many fruit as other cherry plants but still enough to be happy and give away. It's skin was was not thick and it did easily split. I'm growing it again. I usually grow 6-8 varieties of cherries and 2 sweet million plants is all we needed for red as they literally produce a million. Haven't tried sungold but trying golden honey bunch and a few others. Will check back when I have some feedback.

Apparently the night time lights are not preventing these seedlings from doing their thing! I went out to check on them today and had to dig higher supports out of the snow from 18" to 24" to allow them room to grow and the German Giant, Better Boy, Super Marzano and Brandy Boy all had clusters developing - yeah!

This post was edited by Hudson...WY on Wed, Mar 27, 13 at 22:44

According to the CRC Handbook of Flowering most tomato lines are not photoperiodic.

Only a few lines have been reported to have problems with flowering when there are bright security or street lights nearby. But for the most part the effect is minimal. Especially at this time of the year for most varieties.

The heat to keep them going out ways the set back that might occur from this brief period of uninterrupted light.

Someone told me about this a few years back. I have never tried it, but will this year. May not be "organic" enough for some.

In one gallon of water:
2+ tablespoons of baking soda
1 tablespoon of Murphy's Oil Soap
1 tablespoon of bleach

OMRI is a joke...it only has to be like 17% organic to get listed. Look deeper into most OMRI products and you will be supprised at what you find!

Looks like just environmental damage from cooler temps, a bit of sun scald and maybe some windburn on older leaves. New growth looks food.

Maybe transplanted out a little too early or not hardened off enough first?

Odds are they will recover if weather cooperates.

Dave

That is my guess too... environmental.

Not always true, but often potato leaved plants are sort of gangly. Would it be likely to do well in your container? Keep one and give one to a friend who grows tomatoes. Mysteries are fun.

Thanks Carolync, I didn't know that potato leaf plants tended to be gangly.

Yes, I have decided to give one of these seedlings up for adoption to a co-worker of mine. I think I might just keep the potato leaf variety simply because I don't have any idea what it is and it will be a fun surprise. I've already been there, done that with Amish paste.

Thanks all

I get the distinct impression that we can't convince you that not only is it "unlikely that you have 'blight'", it is essentially impossible.

So ultimately you have to do what you will be most comfortable with. If that is toss them then fine. If segregating them is enough reassurance for you, do that.

For comfort in future years take the time to learn the real symptoms of the various types of 'blight', the causative agents, how they are transmitted, the types and conditions of expose required, and the time frame required for those symptoms to develop.

Good luck with your plants.

Dave

update

lost about 30-40 tomato plants in total. They all got the same symptoms, leaves died off, left with a leafless stem that dies pretty quickly.

now im just hoping it has not spread to my pepper plants.

for anyone that is interested, I have sent around 10 plants, some foliage, and soil samples to a plant pathologist to identify what this exactly was. The full report should be back sometime next week.

Nows the time to get your guess's in.

My guess, Sclerotium rolfsii.

" Cal-Mag contains Calcium Nitrate and is therefore not organic. Ca(NO3)2 is an inorganic compound. It's used more often by hydroponic growers who need a water soluble form of minerals. You would be committing organic tomato heresy using this product. Oh, the humanity!"

LOL...

Well newman...that's why i laugh at BER with the use of cal mag throughout the season.It's part of my watering regime while indoors and much easier to feed my plants at the desired rate rather then using DOL LIME.

We mix our own - less expensive - small or large quantities - we know what goes into it - different recipes for seeds and transplants - works great !

Bruce, in my utterly non-botanist view, a tomato stem just sort of widens. The various structures (layers of outer skin, inner vessels, pith, etc.) stay in their places but increase in size. Not quite as simple as how your finger grows from babyhood to adulthood, but closer to that than to a tree trunk. There will be other changes in the tomato stem later, but not till your plants are much older than they are now.

Click on the links marked "Primary tissues" and "Secondary tissues" here:
http://www-plb.ucdavis.edu/labs/rost/Tomato/Stems/Stems.html

Here are some close-ups of tomato stem grafts:
http://www.ezrasorganics.com/ezras-organic-methods/ezras-grafting-process/
http://therealgarden.com/2011/05/tomato-grafting-spunky-pulls-through/

One of them talks about grafting stems which don't quite match in diameter; maybe that's what happened with your indentation. Could you post a photo?

I'm betting your leaf color issue would be solved with a bit of Miracle-Gro. Probably a lack of iron. But I-am-not-an-expert, so we'll hope one of them happens along soon.

Don't knock scars: they're very useful things. They hold us together. ;-)

-mto

Thanks very much for the links, and for your layman's explanation. Those are very nice-looking grafts in the photos! Mine look nothing like that! The ones on my plants are on a diagonal, and as I said, there's a gap of almost an eighth of an inch between the rootstock and the scion. There's the tan-colored scar tissue, around a narrower stem in the graft site.

We've had a few warmer days, but mostly "coolish" since I received them (40-45F nights, 55-65F days). I noticed in one of the links that the author mentioned he preferred warmer temps for the grafts to heal better. Perhaps that has something to do with the sluggishness. There just aren't enough roots to feed the scion, and the restriction around the graft site isn't helping matters. I could try a bit more fert, but I don't want to burn their feet. I know there's probably some leftover fert in the compost they're in.

I'm afraid my camera's not cooperating these days...

Thanks again!

-Bruce