16,949 Garden Web Discussions | Growing Tomatoes
I am not an expert, but it looks like something might have pecked it and healed all funny. My chickens have given me similar looking fruits, except dimple above it..
Now is the time for someone who knows something to pop in and say exactly.
They are close together, (mine ALWAYS end up that way despite my best intentions.) Fertalize, prune if you must, mulch, and water when needed. Just my .02.
I'm not an expert either, but I agree that the "white splotches" look like some sort of physical damage that has scarred over -- perhaps insects chewed on it. For whatever reason (presumably related to the scarring), that side of the tomato didn't fill out as much as the side away from the camera.
From what I've read, the stripes are seen on some CPs and not on others.
I haven't ever heard of a CP with the coloration of the lighter one. Are all the tomatoes with that coloration from a particular plant? If so I would suspect that plant is not a CP but either a cross or something else: probably a CP cross because of the striping.
Tomatoes ripen first on the blossom end. That may explain the bottom area being more liquid. Perhaps you should try eating them a few days earlier.
I didn't order anything from Shumway this year, but did last year and my free packet said the same thing. We planted some of them and they were quite prolific but terribly prone to BER. The ones we did harvest tasted pretty good, though. We actually have a couple plants again this year from last year's seed. Oh, and even though the packet said "Determinate" they lasted until frost got them just like my Indeterminates.
Edie
Just to give an update. The guy was alive & sticking in the same place for a week from the time I took this picture. He felt down after a week and when I closely inspected all the cocoons had an opening and the wasps are gone. Guessing from the way they eat, I thought these caterpillars have high metabolism and they need a lot of food but he survived a week without any food at all.
Also I don�t find any more caterpillar in the plants, at least not visible anymore.
nirmal
Thanks, everyone, for all the great ideas. I decided to try the Florida Weave and am happy with it so far. I drove t-bar into the ground at the ends of each row, and stretched synthetic baling twine tightly between the pairs of posts; the synthetic twine has not sagged at all. The tomato plants are about 3 feet apart and the line not only does a good job of keeping things upright, but it also allows me to quickly "espalier" the branches to the lines using my Tapener gun.
If you add your zone and/or specific location to the Zone bar provided with posts it then becomes permanent for all your posts and no need to type it in each time.
It really is vital info. They need to remove the "(optional)" element from it because it isn't...optional.
Dave
Hey Guys, thanks. I will click around and see if I can make my area permanent for posts. It is annoying to have to type it in each time.
By the way, Dave, the tomatoes have already started to heal and it's only been about 24 hours-amazing. Thanks for the good advice.
digdirt beat me to it, so I will just add that adventitious roots are also seen as shallow green, white, or tan bumps on the stem (sticking up perhaps only a millimeter or two).
Sometimes people who haven't seen them before think an insect has pierced the outer skin of the stem and laid eggs in a line along the stem.
The tomato's ability to send out adventitious roots means that if your seven-year-old breaks off a branch, you can cut off the newest several inches of it and root a new plant. And if you don't stake or otherwise support a plant, it will root wherever its stems touch the ground.
Birds? No, it never trapped or entangled birds. Sometimes my cats catch some, but that's unrelated.
For tomato bed I suspended CRM on the long sides so I could tie 4 layers horizontally. For pepper and eggplant bed I used stakes on the side to tie 2 layers. There is plenty of room for working through the lower opening to plant lettuce and so on. It is strong enough to support the heavy load last year, but I would like the setup to be more tout for better appearance.
Last summer was the first time I didn't have to frantically trying to add-on or to expand to the CRM. :) I ordered 4' X 328' so there is still a lot left over. I think I'll try to use it vertically for beans this year.
Here is a link that shows a setup diagram similar to mine.
Here is a link that might be useful: Hortonova setup diagram
The famous 5-gallon-bucket chipmunk trap:
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/ipm/msg0502514826494.html
We've had both the 18" and 24" for about 8 years. They are spendy but there is nothing that I've seen that is nearly as good. We have a limited amount of garden space which also translates into limited storage space or I'd make my own from rewire. These fold flat and I can store all 12 of my cages in an area about 2 foot wide by a foot or so deep.
The 18" cages aren't really large enough for a full sized indeterminant tomato but we grow stupice and some skinnier varieties in these cages.
I can't recommend them highly enough.
I use the 24" BUT always grew indeterminates until this year, since I decided to try one determinate. I am zone 5-6 (on the line). I might try the 20" next. I am very happy with the 24" but I am not sure they are REALLY necessary, and if the 20" are less expensive, I am sure they will be fine. I kinda like the idea of having both sizes. :)
Yes, I've grown it. It's a long red paste variety quite similar to many others of that kind and was first offered by the Tomato Seed Co of Metuchen, NJ, who went out of business quite a few years ago. Tomato Growers Supply reintroduced it a few years ago.
There have to be at least 100 long red paste varieties such as Howard German, Opalka, Sausage and on and on and I've grown a lot of them. I have my favorites but you should grow it and see how you like it.
The fact is that quite a few years ago I and many others switched to using the best tasting varieties for sauce, etc., and that meant NOT using paste tomatoes since most of them are not known for taste, and are more susceptible to BER as well as Early Blight ( A.solani).
But there are some paste tomatoes that I do think have very good taste and I can list them here if you like.
Carolyn
Here is a link that might be useful: Jersey Devil
Like suncitylinda said, I wouldn't be too quick to set them in full sun. They've been in shade, are small and might have trouble with hot weather. Let them grow a bit and slowly expose them to the sun. A bit more sun every few days and you should be OK. Same with planting them deeper. Fill the pot until only the leaves show.
Were you pruning and taking out the suckers? That would have helped the situation. Next yr try growing a smaller variety that will not get so bushy. I always stake mine and forget the cages. I then tie the larger branches to the one supporting stake.
You could transplant the pepper plants to another section of the garden. I hope you have good luck w/ good, red, ripe tomatoes! I always go w/ smaller tomato plant varieties anymore!
I forgot to answer the pruning: I did plant to a single leader (but I don't think I will next year!).
What fungicide do you recommend? I have a neem based one.
araomd, to edit the zone and location field,
1. At the very bottom of a page, click on "Member Pages" in the green bar.
2. If you are logged in, this should take you to your own member page. If not, I assume you'd need to log in.
3. Click on "Edit Your Membership Details."
4. The field you want is "Garden Zone."
5. Make any other changes you wish, then click "Save Your Member Profile."
I did it once, so I knew it had to be possible somehow....