16,949 Garden Web Discussions | Growing Tomatoes
Malachite Box, Cherokee Green, and Green Giant are most likely to produce a crop of the varieties you have listed. This takes into account your location in TX.
Suggest you broaden your horizon. There will be a new one available next year from Sandhill named Bold Green. Get a few seed and try it.
DarJones
Agree with Darrel in my zone 5 area as well and in addition to those three I think I'd add Dorothy's Green as well.
Sometime I think you should try some of the GWripe cherries and of those I suggest.
Green Doctors and/or Green Doctors Frosted
Green Zebra Cherry ( not from the variety Green Zebra)
Verde Claro
All of the above cherries are very high yielding.
Carolyn, who notes that a couple of us predicted the GW ripe fad would follow the black fad and that has happened and I couldn't be happier since I've grown one heck of a lot of GWripe varieties and love the tastes.
When weather conditions are right for self pollenization usually that happens naturally, but yes, there are some who shake plants, some who use electric toothbrushes to help the pollen fall to the stigma and a few Iknow who have taken a broom to the plants and gently whaked them. But the effectiveness of those methods I think is called into question b'c there are no control plants ever used. ( wink)
But the fact is that as the bud matures to a blossom and the stigma starts to push up, it makes contact with the pollen bearing anthers usually before the blossom is even fully open.
No nectar in tomato blossoms so make some sugar water for the hummingbirds if you want to. ( smile)
Carolyn
You say your ground based ones have few blossoms? I had this problem a few years ago; incredible plants, healthy, robust, dark green, and BIG! But few blossoms and few tomatoes. A master gardener laughed and asked me how much I had fertilized and with what. He told me to get a soil testing kit, which I did. My NPK were all very, very high. The culprit was too much nitrogen. The tomatoes put all their effort into growing, not producing fruit. Even if using the same fertilizer product in your garden and your pots, the N could be higher in your garden soil than the pots because in your pots the N will leach out faster. Oh...and I have had tomatoes (not dwarfs or cherry) produce very well in 2 gal pots on my deck.
The climbing cutworms come in different colors and stripes. I have a butterfly book that shows two colorations of the same type of larva; one is green one darker.
I thought the tomatoes themselves were making me sick. It went on for two or three years. I ate tomatoes anyway because it is hard to give them up but then had a rumbling abdomen. One year I noticed that I was able to eat tomatoes breakfast, lunch and dinner for a few weeks until I had worms eating them. I sprayed with Thuricide. Now I don't use any of the bacterial products. I don't really know what does it maybe it was a coincidence but I can eat tomatoes now.
Looks like damage from a Tomato Fruitworm. Once in the tomato, the tomato is no good....you can't "cure" the damage. Prevention is the only step, now, from spreading to other fruit. If you see a tomato with a hole in it (some up to the size of a pea), pick it and get rid of it. I am not talking about "bites" such as tomato hornworms make, but holes that look like they were drilled into (or out) of the fruit. BT, Neem, or Spinosad can be applied to the plant and fruit, and I believe they are organic approved; but read the instructions. The little worms are the color of the stem and leaves, and prefer new green fruit. Good Luck!
I'll be gone the whole weekend. I gave them a good soaking this morning. I'll give them another right before I leave. I think I'll go ahead and cover with a light sheet. It couldn't hurt.....or could it? Nancy
My tomatoes aren't in pots. They're in raised beds and get a deep watering about once a week by soaker hose and once a week by hand (I like to water everything by hand once a week in order to see if I have any critters or yukky things!)
Nancy
On the counter out of sun or heat. If you want a few more quickly try the paper bag if you want, but I bet they don't taste as good. Ripening is just something that takes time and I think its the time that allows the taste to fully develop. If I get the chance I may try the one on the plant and one from the same plant on the counter at first blush to compare them for myself just because I have never done it. I wouldn't even try that if I were having varmit trouble, though. If you really want to settle the matter, take 3 from the same plant, put one on the sill, one in a bag and one in a cooler place on the counter. Wouldn't take long to see which you like best. :)
Thanks, I have a good place out of the sun, splitting the difference more or less.
Stupid squirrels. I am having to really rush in the mornings now, my department was downsized, an low and behold I have to come in early to have enough coverage. Also very very depressed about loosing a coworker.
This will make it easier than the bags.
I've grown all three.
If you go to the link below you'll find that seeds are available for both Terhune as well as Earl's Faux and Tania herself sells seeds for both of them.
I just sent seeds of Terhune to the seed places this past spring where I know the owners well and have dealt with them for many years so expect to see Terhune at several new places for 2013.
Earl's Faux is not new and is already available at several places.
All three are PL and have large pink beefsteak fruits and as for me where I live and grow my tomatoes I give a nod to Terhune and note from the history at Tania's site, at least I think she said it, while several have suggested it might be Brandywine, even Tom, who found it can't say that.
And while the history for Earl's said he received it as Red Brandywine, it's clear that what he was sent was NOT RB.
When at Tania's main page, go down to where it says special links and search for both varieties using the alphabetical way, which is the easiest when a variety name is known.
Hope that helps.
Carolyn
Here is a link that might be useful: Tania's T Base, Terhune and Earl's Faux
Dave is correct as the simple and cost effective way, even though I have done hydroponics. Best to go from potting soil to soil or soilless mix. Perlite is good to use if you plan on planting in hydro or other hydro like inert medium such as perlite or coir. I'd add one thing, though, I prefer to put a tall dome on top for the first few days to keep the humidity up. I spray the dome to keep it moist inside to keep leaves from drying up. Make sure the soil is moist but not too wet or you'll get rotting issues. Leaves will start to turn yellow when they start to root. Soon you'll see new growth.
Drainage, drainage drainage. If you have really good drainage, you don't have to worry about selecting varieties that are resistant to cracking (or BER either). My preference is to deal with root causes (no pun intended), rather then having to select varieties based on a cultural problems.
let us know how well it goes and if I had to guess it will probably bounce back because it doesnt seem like you moved a very large plant. ANother option would be to remove the staking to let the cherry sprawl around on the ground instead of disturbing an established root system on a fruting plant. Reason being my growing season is already more than half over.
I got 2 tomato plants at walmaart this spring and they were labeled "tomato". I wasn't sure I wouldn't kill them, so went for it as they were cheap.
I can't understand anyone selling tomato plants just labelled Tomato, but whatever.
With all due respect...
I can't understand why anyone would buy them.