16,949 Garden Web Discussions | Growing Tomatoes
thanks again Carolyn, I will take your advice, in the kitchen not the window sill, and you are right as the taste I had one that had a "blush" on it and it was bland tasting!The good news, my Ramapo's are 6 feet tall and loaded with fruit all green, but my fingers are crossed.
I have a Cherokee Green fruit ripening up nicely in a paper bag right now. It fell from the plant while utterly unripe - completely hard and green - while I was harvesting the ripe ones. I hate it when that happens! Seems to work OK although I might rethink my strategy due to Carolyn's comments about the bag method.
I tried the black light last night - extension cord, CFL black light in a shop light housing - and the hornworms did show up clearly against the tomato foliage. But they weren't like Elvis on black velvet type of glow-in-the-dark. At least one moth glowed too.
I am embarassed to admit that for the second yr in a row I dont know which plants are which. Not gonna happen next yr. Just wanted to say that I have the most and biggest red yellows ever for me. I planted 6 Mr Stripeys, 2 Va Sweets and 4 Hillbillys. I have the table covered with these tomatoes. I weighed the biggest and it tipped the scales at 37 ounces. I like the taste a lot.
My gold medals just started and I'm worried they won't have time to grow and ripen. I don't know why it took them so long to have fruit. I planted them 2 nd week in June. All my other tomatoes have gone bonkers. I'm growing Mr. Stripey for the first time. I have to be aggressive with pruning 'cause it's also gone nuts. Nothing is ripe yet.
dickiefickle, If you look around these forums you will see many people having issues with earthtainers with water retention symptoms. They may have holes to drain, but they also have a wicking system. If you have a soil that is too water retentive and wicks up too much water, you'll have problems. Using an earthtainer isn't foolproof and doesn't preclude you from building a well drained soil to go in it.
About peat, There is a difference between peat-based soils, and bark based soils with peat in them. Peat based soils mean the majority of the medium is peat. I have no problem with peat - as a small component of a mix, and in fact has a crucial function of water retention control in a bark based soil such as 5:1:1. But when the majority of the mix is peat, it holds to much water (or none at all - hydrophobic). That is why so many people have problems with peat dominant soils.
Thanks so much. Your answer makes a lot of sense. We have had extensive dryness in the area. I do water, but not to excess.
I tried "googling" the problem and they kept referring to wilt, root rot, and fungus. I knew that wasn't the reason.
My tomatillos aren't producing either. I'm guessing it's the same answer.
I picked a bad year to try new veggies.
Linked below is a pic of a tomato hornworm someone brought to the event. I thought it was rather large and we could watch as it chewed the leaf down. That is a dime & a quarter in the pic.
Here is a link that might be useful: Tomato Hornworm pic
Katkeeper, BER is not transmitted from one tomato to another nor one plant to another so It makes little difference to remove the affected ones. If less than half to tomato is dark and the rest red, cut off the bad part and eat the rest. If 1/2 or more is dark pull them off so the nutrients that would have gone into them will go into the remaining ones. Maybe. Lol
Yes, very hot here in southern Colorado..average 100 degree weather the last couple months. I also grow in grow boxes in a greenhouse so even hotter in there though i have it vented and also have a fan on the hotter days. The larger tomatos dont seem to be as effected as the smaller ones.
Granddaddy Estler routinely got 2+ pounders so it could easily be your ML.
And, guess what? I found an ML hidden back in the back of the plant under all the foliage and it's about 1/2 ripe already. We'll be eating a BLT soon!! YAY!!!!!
Edie
Interesting - I'm in Denver and the last couple of Beefmaster tomatoes I've picked have had some uneven ripening. Not quite as noticeable as the ones in your pics, but definitely different from the ones I've been picking all summer. They do seem to eventually ripen fully though, so maybe its unrelated to what you have.
I've never grown tomatoes in your neck of the woods, but what have you got to lose?
Doubt that your highs for the next few weeks will be worse than what we've gone through for the last month or so here, and many of us are still harvesting fruit. I'd give it a shot.
Remember that shading your plants can really help when needed.
Oh I'm not looking for middle eastern varieties, I'm looking for something different to try. I have a relative in the states who would be able to forward any seeds I purchase to me.
From what I read about Sioux, it looks like the thing I'm looking for. I'm also wondering if I go for partial shade or grow in a container that I would move in when the sun gets too hot would I have a better chance at growing more varieties?
It, like all the tomatoes is happier if you can grow it in a spot that gets morning sun and afternoon, but I threw a light shade cloth on it in the REALLY hot stretch.
If you decide to grow in a container, you have the advantage of being able to blend a moisture retaining soiless potting mix which will help to avoid any soil-born disease issues. And maybe the dog won't get the cage!
What else do you grow there?
Jan