16,949 Garden Web Discussions | Growing Tomatoes
Just an update to my update:
I should have mulched, I was indecisive as to which kind to get, got busy with other stuff, and wound up not getting any.
Here is a link that might be useful: DFW Gardener
Another update, after a month of brutal heat:
Those super sweet 100s sure are amazing!
Here is a link that might be useful: DFW Gardener
I have them on my tomatoes. They hide at the bottom of the plant and deep inside where the foliage is thick. All my tomatoes are damaged by them but not as bad as last year. Mine are not orange I wish they were that easy to find and squash. My hand vac is not strong enough to suck them up because they cling. I should run a long extension cord and use a shop vac but mine are not easy to find even if I did that.
Hi Carolyn and Dave,
You're Rita I did leave off part of the name. The fruits are huge. Don't know why it's called a cherry tomato! I won't be agressive, I know they need the leaves, which is why I am hesitant. I'll take you're advice and be cautious. I did have 3 that had blossom end rot but the rest look fine. Quite a prolific plant. Still waiting for the first one to ripen.
Remove leaves from the bottom of the plant as a general rule, since those are the leaves that tend to get attacked and diseased from the soil. Most years, I haven't had to remove any leaves above, except for this year, where the plants are so bushy that it's humid inside the plant and doesn't get air in there. If you think the plant has too many leaves, remove some leaves from the center that are totally shaded and allow some air through the plant. Don't remove leaves that shade fruit though to avoid sunscald. As Dave said, don't get too aggressive. Just remove enough to avoid splashback and help with air circulation.
Kellogg's Breakfast 2 yrs ago edged out Brandywine as my favorite tomato and was the first tomato ever to be able to do that! Just by a bit, but edge it, it did! I had hoped to compare KB and KBX this year, but the "permanent" marker I used washed off every plant marker except Anna Russian, so I will still be left guessing at what the difference in performance might be for me. Must be I need to learn to relax about it, because I usually even use initials to label the fruit as I pick it so I will know which one it is and if I like it and how the plant does, but the fates are laughing at me this year. :)
Humm, I never even though of using marker on the tomatoes as I picked them so as not to get them confused. I will have to try that.
Sorry your markers faded and you will not be able to decide on a favorite. At least not know what variety that favorite is.
Rain sometimes splashes up, or carries in it's ground hugging mist, herbicides which will make branches look like that, they can shrivel up pretty fast too.
Unfortunately, because i won't learn my lesson with herbicide application, it has happened to me again this year.
I have no idea if this is what happened to your plant, but like you i wouldn't take a chance, I'd snip the offending branch and begin spraying the proper fungicide.
If it's wilt fungicide won't help, but I will spray tomorrow when it dries out a little (I hope) in the AM. I did pull the whole branch.
I don't use herbicides, neither do my immediate neighbors, neither does the farmer I got my mulch hay from and it's only this one plant, 1 sucker (so far) so I am stumped. I really hope it's not going to spread to my entire crop (have about 80 tomato plants and I don't remember how many peppers planted in this soil, more tomatoes planted 30 ft away in another area using same manure and hay, and more veggies - mostly curcubits - planted near the house with again same manure and mulch hay).
I can't think of a better use of a front yard. I started about 4 years ago with my orchard. I have 9 peach, 2 Japanese plum, about 10 apple, and 2 pear. The peach trees are giving us some sweet peaches right now. I lost 3 peach trees due to the very wet spring last year. I also have about 35 blueberries. If you havn't already done so, check out the Fruit and Orchard Forum. lots of good info. It's been a real learning experience. luke
Hey, I'm from New London, OH. I have 12 plants and have harvested 23 tomatoes. That included the 4 Green Zebra which I am not a fan of yet, to me they lack flavor. The rest have been Early Girl, Pink Girl(my fav so far), and Golden Sundburst I think is what its called.. its seeds came from a multi seed pack so its my best guess just from looking at photos online. I have also had 8 or more Yellow Pear(cherry) tomatoes. At the end of this week I should finally have my first ripe Big Rainbow. We have been watering the garden almost everyday because of the lack of rain. Today I picked one more Pink Girl but it has a bite taken out of it almost perfectly round and I am not sure from what. Laying just underneth it was a green tomato that had been knocked off and shredded by something with sharp teeth...my dad thinks it was a raccoon. It better back off or its going to regret messing with my garden.
The moth that produces this worm is big and beautiful. they fly mostly at twilight and maybe after dark. Some people pick thes caterpillars off their tomatos and put them on some other plant which they may eat to reach maturity. I don't know what other plants they can eat except tobacco. Lol
I don't think so. I have had the same problem in the past.
Your plants will grow out the top and then break over the
edge. It looks ugly but won't hurt them much. You can support
some of them with twine. Consider extending your cages to 7'
by adding another 2' section of mesh
It is perfectly normal for indeterminate plants to outgrow their cages - unless you use 10-12 foot tall cages. However topping them is not a standard practice since all that future production is lost.
The branches just drape back down the outside and keep right on growing and producing.
If you only want plants that will remain contained within a 5' cage then grow determinate varieties.
Dave
Your plants look great! If you search 'fertilizing' here you'll find all sorts of discussions about it for more info. But basically it boils down to regular application of the fertilizer of choice. How often varies and depends on type and amounts used. Personally I use a 6 week cycle since the plants grow in approximately 6 week cycles of growth-bloom-ripen-growth.
Given the appearance of your plants I'd just continue with the plan you have been using. I would however, strongly suggest mulching those plants with a good layer of one of the recommended mulching materials often discussed here.
Dave
I'm growing a variety called Zaryanka Sunrise, which is described as "semi-determinate" by the seed company that I bought seeds from. It does have a bush type growth habit, though is slightly bigger than my other determinates. It's loaded with green fruit of all different sizes, but nothing ripe yet, so I cannot comment on taste.
