16,949 Garden Web Discussions | Growing Tomatoes
I had this problem last year with German Queen; it was the first time I'd grown it. I had both early blossom clusters that never grew large enough to flower and pollinated fruit that remained for weeks at the bb or pencil-eraser size.
Well, they finally began growing (both some of the fruit that had seemed in stasis and fruit from some of the newer blossoms). My assumption was that the plant just wasn't ready earlier. The fruit were huge, and definitely worth waiting for.
I don't know how relevant this is to your Cherokee Chocolate situation, since being a simple skin color mutation of CP it should behave the same as CP. But maybe your CC is just a bit slow for reasons you can't see (voles nibbling at its roots ... whatever).
Or maybe that plant is particularly obstinate. I swear some of them are....
Following up...
Well it turns out what looked exactly like iron deficiency was actually the early stages of herbicide damage. Turns out a well intentioned, but uninformed neighbor sprayed some round up WAY too close.
Going forward, from what I have read, there is nothing you can do for the tomato plants other than "wait it out". That said, should I cut off the damaged parts, or leave them in place?
Glad to see another gardener using cinder blocks for raised beds. Few people realize how attractive it can be until they see a neat well contructed one... not to mention how practical - cheap, no maintenance and permanant. Can't beat it.
I would suggest for basic bug control to alternate catnips, marigolds and basils in the little squares on the outside of the bed. You still may need to spray here and there but it will keep a lot of critters away. It looks nice too.
LOL, every last one of our marigolds were just eaten down to the roots and I mean that literally by slugs and pill bugs last week. Put out some Sluggo which seems to have curbed that problem.
If my Basil were not under a bug net in the Vegtrug right now there wouldn't be a single leaf left on it.
Only reason we still have any tomatoes, peppers and especially all the tender leafy veggies like the Bok Choy etc is because they are on our deck which is 20-25 feet in the air and under bug nets and bird nets.
What I see on some of the leaves looks to me like TSWV ( Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus) infection and it's been a bad year for that in NC, that I know.
The problems is not Bonnie plants, the problem is that there are thrips in your area that are causing the infection.
So I suggest either going to the Pest and Disease Forum here at GW and pulling down one of the disease sites, TAMU or Cornell are good, or better still going straight to Google and entering Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus, so you can learn more about it.
Not all of the pictures showed the spotted leaves, but several of them did.
Hope that helps.
Carolyn, whose best tomato friend lives in NC as well as two others who do seed production for her as well as her brother.
"Jan, Ken Ettlinger makes very clear that he's not sending out seed for stabilized varieties, see the link below. "
Thanks, Carolyn. That's what I understood to be the case when I got the seeds, but due to my Mom's health these past few years I have not had a chance to grow them before now... I thought perhaps the situation had changed in the interim.
And thanks for the link. I did not have time to grab it this a.m. For those who are interested, this is Ken's description of the (non) variety we are talking about:
"An outcross selected and named by Bill Jeffers from Dwarf Champion Mix. Bill sent us some seed which we grew out and found that the fruit is variable from distinct cone-shape to oval. One of the "ramblings" has a photo that shows the characteristic foliage of Dwarf Patio Tomatoes. Red Bullet is one of the most prolific bearers. They began producing in July and were still going in October. That is quite unusual for this kind of tomato. Without Bill's sharp eye, this novel trait could have been lost."
Jan
Yes, I know Bill Jeffers very well and he has interacted with the project before but I don't know if he still is.
I think it's also good to note that he gardens in the midwest in S Indiana whereas you're in CA in a Sunset zone 18 which is quite a different climate, so keep that in mind when you plant out as well.
Also note that it was a selection from an outcross and there's nothing to say that it's genetically stable at this time.
Have fun!
Carolyn
Thanks so much for your extensive answers to my post. Carolyn, I think you are right. This gentleman had gotten the seeds from a dear Italian friend who was ill when he visited. He has since passed on and this guy had saved the seeds from his own tomatoes===but he did not offer to share, so I did not mention. He knew of no source, of course, because of the circumstances. He said they were low acid, supposedly. I do not usually look for that because I don't like the flavor. He said these were extremely sweet. Fushion power, where can I get the Pink Honey? I used to order from a catalog called Totally Tomatoes but did not get a catalog this year. All of you, I do appreciate your help. Like always, I know this forum is full of good people. Barb
Barb, I'm growing Pink Honey this year and there are many others with other names that also have a name other than heart or oxheart in the name. And many of them are only known in their native languages and I think I'm growing perhaps 5 or 6 other hearts this season.
Below I've linked to Tania's page for Pink Honey and of the seed sources listed I think Baker Creek is your best bet right now.
Always keep a link to Tania's main page in your faves b'c she has pages for over 3,000 varieties, most with pictures and reports and seed sources if there are any.
http://t.tatianastomatobase.com:88/wiki/Main_Page
And at her main page there are different ways of searching for varieties, When I know the name of a variety I use the alphabetical way, but you can also search for plant habit, leaf form, shape, and on and on.
http://t.tatianastomatobase.com:88/wiki/Category:Heart-Shaped_Tomatoes
Without checking I think my Pink Honey was sent to me by a woman in Russia from whom I got several varieties.
Most of the more recent varieties that folks grow are still not listed at commercial vendors or in the SSE Yearbook, but with time the good ones will be. I've been sending the best of what I grow each season to several vendors where I've known the owners for quite a while, for trial, and am sure they will do fine with those that they select.
Carolyn
Here is a link that might be useful: Pink Honey seed sources
Deborah, if you're SURE that your one plant had TSWV then you know that thrips are the insect vector for that disease.
And they usually land not just on one plant but in an area, so if it is TSWV then I think it's possible that your other plants will also get infected with TSWV.
But let me copy some words from my Seminis tomato pathology monograph which I think is interesting and pertinent in your case and that of others.
CONDITIONS FOR DISESE DEVELOPMENT
******
(The virus has a very wide host range from which it can be transmitted in a persistent manner by thrips.Although the virus is acquired at the larval stage it is only spread by the adults which are wind-borne to tomatoes from infected weeds or ornamental plants. Usually there is very little spread WITHIN a tomato crop.)
Where I live and garden we don't have TSWV but over the years I've learned a lot from tomato folks in areas where it is a problem, and most of them say that usually many plants in the same area become infected.
Perhaps the Seminis monograph is speaking primarily to large scale tomato growers who have hundreds of acres of tomatoes each year.
Best I can do with your question.
And if you Google TSWV I'm sure you can come up with the names of some of the alternative hosts such as weeds and others that are the major problem for home growers.
Carolyn
I don't like the taste of Matt's and when it was first introduced by JOhnny's seeds and still today you'll see that it says cerasiforme after the Latin name and that's there so folks don't think it's a currant variety ( S. pimpinellifolium) and being a cerasiforme also means that it's not a fully domesticated variety and is closer to original small fruited ones.
Taste is personal and perceptual and a human genetic component is also involved and I do know folks who like Matt's but I'm not one of them when it comes to cherry tomatoes that I prefer. ( smile)
Carolyn
Agree with the above but I water my garden every evening around 6:00pm if it has not rained during the day. We have sandy loam here in Metter, and my garden is nearly sand. I do not add anything but homemade compost to the soil, and I have not mulched. sure sounds like it sure could use some work.
Daily watering gets you water-dependent plants with watery flavored tomatoes and shallow roots. That is a stressful set of growing conditions.
Dave
I also have loamy fine sand for my soil. Tomatoes are fairly drought resistant plants. My tomatoes can go up to a week and not wilt. The problem I have is that watering my squashes cannot be easily separated from watering my tomatoes. I find that I have to water my squashes every other day or so or they will wilt and die. Mulch helps a lot.
No one talked about how you are watering? I would recommend having drip irrigation that feeds water to the root zone, at least 4 to 8 inches below the surface, let the top 1" of soil be dry, eventually at every watering the top soil gets moist due to capillary action.
To prevent further moisture loss, use mulch cover as everyone said. Mulch is no good if you are watering from over the much. a lot of water will get soaked by mulch and will not get to the roots of plants.
Mulch is the answer for sure. Once tomatoes get established, they have very deep roots, and with the addition of a deep mulch layer, you'll rarely have to water.
I use two layers of mulch. First layer is mostly composted grass/leaves. Top layer is usually pine bark, wood chips and/or chopped spruce or pine cones and needles. The first layer provides N and other nutrients, the top layer breaks down slower, allows water to pass through and doesn't steal N from the soil. The combination replenishes the soil and retains moisture. It all usually breaks down by the next spring. I usually don't have to add any additional amendments or fertilizers when I do this.
I cant speak fora large farm but for small gerdeners I think drip lines is one good choice. I have successfully used tale-apart flag drippers with 1/4" tubing from plant root to 1/2" main tubing. Best part is that we all have water that has solvents and drippers clog up. these flag drippers can be cleaned easily and could last a very long time. Although I have found that after few years of use, the main 1/2" tubing could start leaking where dripper is punched in, then again 1/2" tubing is cheap to replace. I have been plugging in lose ones and moving over the dripper by few inches.
That is one of the things I love about this place, they are all enablers. :))
I dragged my sister out to see our first actual tomato, she was thrilled. Well o.k. she humored me. It's pretty small, but really a fruit!
YAY blooms! Soon it will be a tomato, and then you will need to decide how to eat the first one!
This is the first year my seedlings have done this well, and I credit the advice of this forum. I am just so tickled!
Soon it will be a tomato, and then you will need to decide how to eat the first one!
In the garden, warm from the sun, not even washed off, before it's fully ripe ... and before anyone else grabs it!