16,949 Garden Web Discussions | Growing Tomatoes


Determinates and semi-determinates are never pruned because it terminates production. So the 1 vine/2 vine/3 vines argument doesn't apply to them. That is only applicable to indeterminate varieties which grow very differently.
Pruning your plants to 1-2-3 vines will cut your production by thirds or more.
Dave
Here is a link that might be useful: FAQs - Determinate vs. Indeterminates

Mary, Sophie's Choice, which I introduced, isn't a large fruited variety, and nor is Riesentraube, which is cherry sized with a nipple at the blossom end. ( smile)
Kathy, if you do a search here at GW you'll find lots of threads asking the same question, but I'll just list a few large fruited ones that I think are dependable and great tasting.
REDS ( beefsteak)
Neves Azorean Red
Chapman
Red Penna
Milka's Red Bulgarian
Aker's West Virginia
OTV Brandywine
Cuostralee
REDS ( hearts)
Wes
German Red Strawberry
Linnie's Oxheart
Indiana Red
Fish Lake Oxheart
Reif Red heart
PINKS ( beefsteak)
Omar's Lebanese
Large Pink Bulgarian
Tidwell German
Soldacki
Terhune
Hays'
PINKS ( hearts)
Kosovo
Nicky Crain
Anna Maria's Heart
Ludmilla's Pink Heart
... and many more
it might be best to start out with the large reds and pinks for a few years and then go on to the large green when ripes, the so called blacks and gold/red bicolors and oranges.
I listed both beefsteak and heart varieties for each color b'c I find that some of the best tastes are to be found with the hearts, but maybe consider starting with the red and pink beefsteak ones first.
If you don't know the above varieties I think it would be best to go to Tania's Tomato Data base, I'll link to it below, and when on the Home page scroll down to where it says to use the alphabetical method of finding the page for a variety b'c you can do that knowing the variety names I posted above.
Each variety has traits, pictures, comments from others, histories when available and if you scroll down on any variety page you'll find the seed sites that list that variety. Tania herself sells seeds for over 600 varieties and many of the seed sites she specifies list hundreds of varieties.
Hope that helps.
Carolyn
Here is a link that might be useful: Tania's Tomato data base

Favorite beefsteak discussions
Favorite medium size discussions
Best beefsteak, black and oxheart tomatoes
Lots of suggestions for you.
Dave


Sandy, there are many variables that play into BER being induced and many threads here discussing it. For sure weather can be one of them.
It's well known that paste varieties are more susceptible to it, as well as Early Blight (A. solani).
What causes internal BER as opposed to the much more external kind that almost all of us are familiar with. I can only speculate, knowing that the physiology of varieties can be very different ( movement of water and nutrients within the plant) that sometimes the lack of Ca++ occurs internally as well. And I'd attribute that to the transpiration of ions that's known to occur through the upper leaf surface.
Sheer guess work on my part trying to put together transpiration, all the variables known to induce BER and come up with something that at least sounds reasonable to me. LOL
Carolyn

Thanks for the response, Carolyn. I get a lot of questions about BER and I'm still learning more about it each year. Not a scientist or professional, just a long time Master Gardener who likes to know what I'm talking about!
(I bought your book about 3 years ago and didn't realize I was getting a collectible item! Wow! It is one of my most prized books and won't part from me until my hands are cold and dead!!!)

wow you went to st joe?
wish I had known to look for you.
since this is a variety targeted towards commercially growing you likely wont find it small quantities. Disregarding the specific disease resistances (most of which shouldnt be a problem where you are anyway) BHN 871 is going to be very similar to 'Carolina Gold' which are more likely to find in smaller quantities. If you have tried it and didnt care for it then you likely wont care for the BHN line.
Siegers seed was about $25 for 500 seed rather than Seedway's price.
I was rather displeased that none of the seed reps had samples of any seed. When I have gone to other meetings in the past seed company reps always had samples to give away.

Since Fusarium can't exist in the soil where the ground freezes deeply, there hasn't been much Fusarium IN NJ, although there are pockets of it. This past winter was a mild one so it would mean, if the spores survived, that you probably should have had Fusarium infected plants LAST season.
Most of the Fusarium in the northern climes is imported on tomato plants that were grown in more southern Fusarium areas and then shipped up north for sale.
What criteria did you use to make a DX of Fusarium as compared with other systemic diseases such as Verticillium and others?
So I assume there were no spots on any of the leaves?
If you're sure that it is Fusarium, and again, may I ask if your plants have ever had it before b'c it seems new to you and you say that ALL of the plants are going down one by one.
No, there are no chemicals that will rid the soil of the systemic diseases caused by either fungal or bacterial diseases.
There's another thread here which discusses what I suggest folks can do if folks have plants with foliage diseases, but I'm not too sure it would work well with systemic diseases, especially if a whole area such as you describe is contaminated.
Hope that helps at least somewhat.
Carolyn

Some of it yes. Classic 'cooked skin' appearance. The rest is uneven ripening caused by hot air temps. They tend to go hand-in-hand.
Dave
Here is a link that might be useful: Sun Scald images

The only way to be sure about that cherry tomato is to grow it again. I have several "volunteers" every year because I don't clean out every fruit that drops to the ground in my garden. One that does this with great regularity is Sungold F1.
I'm quite sure that Sweet 100 is a Hybrid. As such, the variations will be quite evident. Plant 10 seedlings and you will not see 10 identical "true to type" tomato plants with "true to type" fruit on them.
If you like the original and it is a hybrid, then you'll have to buy the seed occasionally.
Ted

Lucky you. Mine never grow that tall. I've been trying for 3 years. For a plant that is supposed to be easy to grow, and an old tyme NE tomato, I always seem to have an issue with it. Love the taste though, which is why I keep trying.

Does that mean they aren't standards now, but rather hybrids?
Not at all. Why would it? Look at all the different Roma's out there. In addition to Rutgers there are sub-species, stabilized selections, of many different stabilized varieties. There are also many different sub-species of classic OP's including Brandywine which has 8 or more sub-species.
Dave

If you puchased these seeds,the seeds remaining in the pack will be viable for many years if stored proper.
If you save seeds from the toms you grew they may not grow out to the same plants you have now .But still are viable.
VIABLE means "(of a seed or spore) Able to germinate."

I really don't have the room to experiment, just hoping for an identical harvest as this year. Maybe one of the nurseries will have them again next year.
Carolyn, you mentioned the aroma of the plant; I think the mosquitoes are attracted to them as well. When I'm picking these babies, I'm getting swarmed by the little beggers. Very uncomfortable. Another home in the neighborhood gets visited by my wife doing homecare and when she works with her patients outside the same thing happens to her. There's a sungold plant near her as well.
They are tasty though. (the tomatoes that is)
Speak to ya,
elliot



Is it good? Well it won't hurt anything but it isn't the way it is intended to be used and it will increase the leach-out rate.
Granular organic fertilizers will only work in containers if there is something in there besides a sterile potting mix to provide the needed bacteria for it to work. Organic fertilizers work well for in ground plants because of all the natural soil food web in the dirt but in containers, which need to be filled with a well draining potting mix rather than dirt, there is nothing to convert it to a usable form by the plants.
Dave


This might help clear things up:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magicicada
Carolyn, It was probably a cricket that "was clicking so loud and on such a regular basis that it really got to me." I don't think that grasshoppers click. At least mine don't! LOL
As marymcp said, if you get a swarm, " Grasshoppers can eat right through your lovely garden and leave it looking like the picture from garf."
A good feral cat does wonders in the garden, mine collects bugs every day! He is a hunter. And yes, before anyone asks, he has been neutered! And he has his own little cozy house, he comes in during bad weather.