16,949 Garden Web Discussions | Growing Tomatoes
I caught the squirrels eating mine. They don't usually eat tomatoes except when it is dry and then they eat them as a source of water so they will eat them green or red.
The squirrels can climb the vines to get to them. Has it been dry where you live?
A physiological problem due to extreme temperatures, be that high or low.
See http://www.ipm.iastate.edu/ipm/hortnews/1997/7-18-1997/tomdis.html
Here is a link that might be useful: tomato woes
Puffy tomatoes---thanks :-)
From your link,
Cause: Extreme high or low temperatures, excessive nitrogen fertilization, and heavy rains may interfere with normal pollination, resulting in puffy fruit. Puffiness occurs most frequently on early fruit. Control: No effective controls. Puffiness should decline later in the summer.
Here, in my zone 6B garden, the temp extremes were never hit---nights were over 55 and days were under 100
I had watered more religiously than in previous years when I had grown Mule Team but it was always watered at the base of the plant so I'm guessing this shouldn't have interfered with pollination?
I had used a small dose of 5-10-10 early in the season, which I had discounted as a cause. Found this study by Dept Agriculture (38 BULLETIN 859, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE) where they tried to determine if a fertilizer inbalance was the cause:
Various fertilizer plats were arranged to determine the effect of
different amounts of nitrogen, potash, and phosphoric acid upon the
production of "puffy" fruit. .....
No positive results were obtained in this study showing the cause
of puffiness in tomatoes
Puffiness may therefore be dependent upon an unbalanced soil solution, but,
if so, none of the variations in the fertilizers just enumerated sufficed
to restore a proper condition. It is, of course, not inconceivable that
puffiness is of a genetical nature and due to somatic variation. If so, it
might, in conformity with the observed facts, be much more frequent
in some varieties than in others, and the same plant might show both
normal and "puffy" fruit. The whole subject is one which needs
investigation.
I think I'll get a soil test next Spring and find a "new"favorite tomato to grow.
Thanks so much for the help! :-)
Ahh - chaos theory vs. Darwinism. Your approach is more the former than the latter as it assumes no role for random happenstance.
Of course if they were sheltered somewhat now until they obtained some size and root structure then Darwinism would apply and the odds of individual survival relative to its strength and quality would increase.
Dave
As Carolyn suggested, the rotting stems might indicate that you should bring them in. You might get frost on Friday night also. You could let the larger ones ripen on the counter top. Otherwise, you could have fried green tomatoes or pickles or make them into a relish.
John A
I don't intentionally grow self seeding tomatoes from year to year. But many years a plant (or several) will come up on its own. When I've let them grow, they have usually been cherry types. If you want tomatoes to come up year after year, try putting in a few varieties of cherry types, then leave some fruit behind late in the season and leave some mulch on top to soften the extremes of winter.
My volunteers often do not have ripe fruit until late in the season since they don't have the head start transplants do. For me, the volunteers are not a reliable source of my preferred larger tomatoes that ripen beginning in midsummer.
As mentioned in the above post, or implied, it makes a huge difference if you're talking about hybrid or OP ( open pollinated) varieties.
If fruits from hybrids drop to the gorund in the fall and become dried out then some of the seeds will make it through the winter and will germinate when conditions allow for that. But since they are F2 seeds the volunteers won't give you the same as the original F1 hybrid.
And for any OP variety if fruits drop, the same scenario, but unless those fruits had cross pollinated seeds in them the volunteers in the Spring will be identical to the original OP variety.
So almost ANY tomato plant in SE MI has the potential to give you volunteers, the difference being if a hybrid or OP, and the viability of seeds getting through the winter can also differ, so best not to plant variety X alone and wait to get variety X volunteers.
Years ago I used to dig up 10 volunteers from my tomato field and transfer them to s side garden just to see if I could ID what they were. And at the time I was growing up to several hundreds of varieties and plants each season, and had gotten away from growing hybrids.
Yes, I could ID most of them b'c I never sow seed of a variety unless I know what the traits are for that variety, but sometimes I couldn't ID all of them and that's b/c the seed that led to the volunteer just happened to have that X pollinated seed in it.
But I never saved seeds from any of those 10 volunteers b/c I only save seeds from varieties that were labelled.
But I did find it was lots of fun. LOL
Carolyn
Not that any one has posted about but a search will pull up any discussions about it still here.
The so-called "book", whenever mentioned, is scoffed at, and is considered a joke and a rip-off. Justifiably so IMO.
The controversy was most likely about the book, not the member, unless it was yet another of the many names the author has tried to use here to promote his book.
Dave
Put them in larger pots. This will give the roots more room to grow and will encourage the plants to set larger canopies. You could do a 5 gallon pot for the celebrity, but Big Beef will produce a fraction of its potential in a small container.
Change the fertilizer you are using. You have way too much nitrogen and not enough potassium or phosphorus. Also, get a micronutrient supply and use per directions.
Put the plants in full direct sunlight at least 8 hours per day. My best guess is that your plants were in a place with only 5 hours per day or maybe less of direct sun.
DarJones
Those varieties are all indeterminate, and they are a waste of time in a container that small. It would work better in a 40-gallon container, but the problem is the cost of so much media to fill it.
You need a determinate tomato, which is a variety that does not keep growing and setting new fruit. That's what made your plants get root bound and quit on you.
My favorite red cherry determinate is Terrenzo. I have been researching other early red determinates lately, and I want to try Lyana, Mountain Princess, Northern Delight, Pipo, Siberian, and Wilford.
John, if you post this on the exchange forum(just above the forum threads)you should get some traders. The threads are a bit old but the forum usually starts to pick up this time of year. I have a few varieties, but we are in the process of moving so everything is packed up. Here's the link also...hope you get some great ones.
Here is a link that might be useful: tomato exchange forum
You may also wish to check out the 5th Annual Pepper and Tomato Seed Exchange, in this or the Hot Pepper forum. It's my first year, but I've read great things about it. Heather says that, if you have seeds that breed true, you can send in pepper seeds and ask for tomato seeds in return.
The deadline to send your seeds in to her is approaching fast.
Black spots, settling mostly on their tops, wash off with warm detergent water. Tomatoes look fine once cleaned This is the first year my neighbor and I have noticed this strange occurence. This could be an environmental hazard, where does one REPORT or send samples in order to see what is on the tomatoes. I wonder if one day my suburb will becoming dirty like the innercity homes. Ours is NOT a heavy industry city area.
But just adding compost to soil won't make soil-borne diseases go away.
I am not saying that compost cures all but let's not totally disregard the many university studies that show that beneficial parasitic bacteria and other microscopic creatures in compost can neutralize and even kill many of the pathogenic bacteria in soil. They can also control the reproduction of several varieties of fungi by altering the pH of the soil and out-compete them for the available nutrients. Plus control some viruses by neutralizing their needed soil hosts such as pathogenic nematodes.
As Carolyn indicated above the soil borne diseases include Fusarium, Verticillium, Southern Blight all of which are far less common than Alternaria, B. Speck and Spot, Early Blight and Septoria which are airborne.
Dave
I've been growing in the same bed for the last 6 years. Every year after the growing season is over and I clean up the bed I add horse manure and compost. 3 years ago I went no-till and just added the manure and compost and let it sit. Buy the time spring rolls around most of it has broken down by the time I get ready for plant out.
When I plant out my seedlings I dip the roots in a dip consisting of Actinovate, Biota Max and MycoGrow soluable which are selected fungi and bacteria that help control soil borne disease and also assist the roots in getting nutrients for the plants. All I can say is every year my plants are getting taller and fruit production increases.
Ami
Thanks for the variety reports. If your seedlings got leggy, they probably did not have enough light.
Paste tomatoes always get BER the worst. It's more about water/air balance in the soil than it is a nutrient issue. In the clay soil that I have, mixing in organic matter like manure lightens the soil, which helps to provide more even moisture and reduce BER. I am just guessing, but I think any soil lightener would help, at least for me. You might try experimenting with amendments to find the one that works best for reducing BER in your soil.
Ok, think I will let this one go and if no ripe fruit by Christmas, kill it off.
I killed it. I am going to start Landis by seed soon.