16,949 Garden Web Discussions | Growing Tomatoes

"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

Even more amazing is what some folks consider "sweet"

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.

Arent Brandywines known to do that when it's not perfect out?

Yes, some Brandywines are said to have difficulty setting fruit, even in good conditions.

Maybe soil temps, better soil? The black pots would make it warmer and most likely have better soil. They both look great to me!

I think they all look great! :)

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.

Any brand names of soaker hoses to buy? FLEXIBLE being most important. Don't want to go with drip - I have a 60 X 12 plot planted in rows and soaker is great for me.

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.

It looks like I'll be the outlier. I band my tomatoes lightly with granular 10-10-10 about 2 weeks after they're in the ground, then again in about a month. You need to be careful to keep it off the plant itself. This has been very successful for me.
John A

Thanks for all the helpful responses here. One often does what one is used to doing. In this case I approached the tomato plants the way I do bulbs and some perennials, scratching in granular fertilizers in the top couple of inches of soil. But tomatoes aren't bulbs slowly storing nutrients for a bloom next year and I can see the advantage of relatively fast-acting liquid fertilizers. I'm not persuaded that granular fertilizers are wasted on tomatoes or of no benefit to them.

The reason I ask about Texas heat is because some varieties don't pollinate very well in the heat and production is low. That is why I ask.

The reason I ask about Texas heat is because some varieties don't pollinate very well in the heat and production is low.

No tomato variety, even the so-called "heat tolerant" ones, pollinate well in the heat and that is an issue for all of us in the south. It is called Blossom Drop and it is the nature of tomatoes.

The controls for that, insofar as it can be controlled, is in the growing conditions provided, not the variety. Earlier planting times, provided shade, heavy mulching, consistent soil moisture levels, windbreaks, extremely large containers if not in ground, low N fertilizers, etc. etc.

Dave

Here is a link that might be useful: Blossom Drop FAQ

Oops! Meant to say, that's *not* damage from Roundup.

When it comes to 2,4-D versus dicamba, it's most likely 2,4-D.

jean is right, that is *not* glyphosate damage, that looks like 2-4D damage. My first year of gardening I listened to my grandpa and he said "aw hell just spray roundup around the plants to keep the weeds down. Well, my tomatoes looked like this afterwards:

2-4D causes plants to basically grow themselves to death, it causes the plant to grow in all kinds of weird directions and shapes, it makes them curl.

If it is herbicide damage, then My vote goes into the 2-4D type of chemicals. Are there any farm fields next to you that might have gotten sprayed?

Another thing no one has mentioned yet is disease, I was scolded and scared by my dad and grandpa when getting advice "you never never never plant tomatoes in the same dirt year over year" they said. Eggplant, peppers, potatoes, tomatoes, and tobacco are all in the nightshade family. They will be vulnerable to the same sets of diseases.

Here is a link that might be useful: My Garden

Djole, I would have sworn when I bought the seed they said indeterminate. But after Dave said they were determinate I went back to the website and it said they were determinate. Maybe it is like Celebrity tomatoes. Depending who you ask or the website some say they are determinate and some say they are indeterminate. I know that used to be all my neighbor grew and his get up to around 7'-8' tall. It would be great if they turned out to be semi-determinate.

If not I am also growing some Delicious and Red Beefsteak up a string as part of the experiment also. Although I don't have as many of either of them.

Guess we won't know until you actually go through it :)
Best of luck!

Hmm, crushed egg shells and tums? I guess that would work, lol. I generally go for a little bit of lime and bone meal....

I'm guessing it's a troll.