16,949 Garden Web Discussions | Growing Tomatoes
I leave the water for the very few smaller pots that have saucers outdoors, most don't have them. They evaporate or the water gets drawn back up in a few hours. Since it's so hot they have to be watered every day and the water is never there for very long. If you had a cool rainy period, where the water remained standing for days, it would be different.
I no longer see the point of even having the saucers.
Because in extremely dry hot weather that water in the saucer will be quickly reabsorbed by the plant.
There is no one method fits all times. Wet cooler weather with lots of rain, yes you may need to empty the saucers. Hot and dry weather, no as the plant will use it within a short period of time.
Think of saucers as a poor-man's form of self-watering containers. We leave water in self-watering containers for short periods of time, right? So for much of the summer heat the water can remain in the saucers just note how long it takes it to disappear. If it is still there 24 hours later, dump it.
Dave
Besides the green shoulders, it's lacking the concentric cracking normally seen around the stem on BK.
What was the source of the plant?
The small black spots are minor damage of some sort; you may need to cut a bit out on the inside.
Some varieties are worse than others but I even have episodes of cracking in my high tunnels where plants are esentially covered and the critical factors are more controlable. I find that running circulation fans for an hour each morning to dry plants (and fruits) goes a long way to minimize cracking. However if the weather turns from dry to foggy dampness every morning your only recourse is those crack resistant varieties. I've never seen a Rebelski tomato crack.
I was thinking that too. Those supermarket stickers don't even break down in the compost!
I find that the masking tape works for me, but then I'm only a small-scale grower. Another idea that works is to have small containers with the name on (which I keep on my kitchen counter), and I just add varieties to the bowls as I pick them. The fruit flies are going to have a ball this year!!!!
Linda
To me the subject becomes an issue when I want to process and save seeds. Otherwise I know every single variety (19 varieties). I even know the exact location they are planted and are growing. Though everyone of them is tagged. Most of them have distinct fruits (in terms of color, shape, size). I find only 2 of them very similar : So I do not need to label the fruits. But for seeds, I just use stick on type labeling paper used to stick on envelopes etc. That is if I store the seeds in plastic bags. But if I use a paper envelope, I just mark them with Sharpi.
So we all have ways to do it. That is fine as long as it works for you.
I love my Sun Golds. The whole reason I started gardening was to grow these, because I used to buy about 4 pints a week at the farmers market - I figured it would be far more cost effective to grow them myself :)
I also grew Tess's Land Race currant tomatoes - huge flavor and a nice crunch from the tiniest little tomato. My only complaint is that they're a pain to pick - so many little ones!
This thread was supposed to orovide feedback from the 2013 growing season and what you're interested in trying out of the 2014 season.
I'll make a Part III thread for conclusion of the 2014 season and what you'd plant in 2015.
(Part III link below).
smithmal
Here is a link that might be useful: Tomatoes You'll Never Plant Again - Part III
This post was edited by smithmal on Wed, Jul 30, 14 at 11:59
When plants are growin in too rich soil or are getting too much fertilizer added to inground or container grown plants, it keeps them in the vegetative cycle and prevents them from going into the sexual cycle of blossom formation and fruit set.
Initially I grew all my plants inground and fertilized them only twice, once about two weeks after the plants were set out and then again when they first started setting fruits.
Later in the summer if they looked like they needed it I gave them some low NPK foliages prays b'c by that time I couldn't get near the plants to add to the soil since my rows were 250 ft long and 5 ft between rows /
Summary? Use as little fertilizer as you can since too much, or growing in too rich soil,keeps plants in the vegetative cycle of stem and foliage growth and does not allow the plants to go into the sexual cycle of blossom formation and fruit set.
Carolyn
As Carolyn mentioned, bi-colors are a temperamental lot. One year they are a creamy flavorful delight with impressive size, the next year that are mushy bland flavor with low to no production.
Of all the bi-colors that I've tried, Pineapple was the most productive for me.
Tried:
Virginia Sweets (low production; great flavor)
Hillbilly (no production; not sure why)
Berkeley Tie-Dye (moderate production; 12oz fruits)
Lucky Cross (low production; great flavor)
Marvel Stripe (low production; excellent flavor)
I would love to find a "slicer" size bi-color that ripens in 60-80 days with good/great production.
I love bi-colors and will continue to allot space for them in my garden, but they take forever to ripen, need a lot of sun, are generally pretty huge plants and spoil fairly quickly after being removed from the vine.
Carolyn, I'd be interested to hear what some of your favorite bi-colors are.
smithmal
This post was edited by smithmal on Wed, Jul 30, 14 at 11:56
They ARE fun. I have at least a dozen volunteers growing all around my back yard. In the past, I used to discard any split toms by just chucking them over my shoulder. Had a couple pop up last year but this season they're sprouting all over the place. Most seem to be cherry or grape tomatoes. My prolific sweet 100 cherry tomato plant is currenty experiencing a fungal issue. I'll do what i can, but knowing that I will be overwhelmed with cherries later in the season, I'm not too too concerned.
We'll see what develops.
Sorry I'm so late in responding! Thank you everyone for the advice! I have left it there and need to find support for it. It's huge already and is making lil tomatoes. I will let ya know what they turn out like. Now I have tomato plants popping up all over the place one in my petunia bed and I last counted over 100 seedlings coming up under my sunflowers. A friend is coming to take some most will need to be pulled. Half way wish I hadn't planted anything there now haha. Another is coming up across the yard by a fence in a random spot. So funny! And yes such a fun surprise!
But a zone 8 climate, assuming that is accurate for your location, can often harvest well into late November. Even here I harvest ripe fruit until end of October.
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I have lived in the area now for about 3 years and don't know of such climates.
Seattle metropolitan ares to the north, has a similar temperature to April, in the month of October : 46F to 60 F.(per Accu Weather). Sure, nothing will be killed by the frost but things like tomato can just sit pretty at best. On top of that it will be rainy 2 out of 3 days.
Snipping flowers is a personal option.
So, back to subject: OP's decision to call a season by the end of September (as far as tomatoes are concerned) make sense to me. I will do the same.
"To Me", when somebody says a tomato is "Great Tasting", that does not tell me a lot, (great tasting compared to what)?, so I welcome any "Creative Tasting Posts" that our knowledgeable folks here, care to offer!
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Gary, you shouldn't think that I disliked your wine comparisons, I did not, or I wouldn't have gone ahead and given those crazy wine descriptions of mine, but yes, I'm a wine drinker, from time to time, but I don't think that there are many who are who post here who could relate to wine comparisons. I could certainly be wrong about that,though.
When talking about great tasting, I agree, compared to what?
What one person loves another person will never grow that variety again, which is the problem in being asked what are your best tasting varieties.
There are so many variables that go into taste that it's almost inpossible to rate tomatoes bc taste is personal, perceptual and even has a human genetic factor.
I know it's popular to ask for a person's best tasting ones, but I agree with you, again, compared to what:
Which is why I, for one, never post what I think are my best tasting ones, never have and never will, since best tasting is a moving target and changes, for me, from year to year.
I have less problems responding if someone asks about a certain category of varieties for a certain reason/purpose and if I have time would consider doing that. .
So I'll be curious to see what other kinds of creative comparisons folks come up with.( smile)
Carolyn, who also thinks it might help to say all time best tasting versus what I grew last year, what I've tasted so far this year, etc.
Since most traffic lights have 3 lights, I guess we best "add the caution (Yellow) light".
So Here She is, "in all her Splendor".
Kelloggs's Breakfast.
"KB" has been 2nd in production to only the Green Giant.
KB & GG have produced the biggest 2 tomatoes I've grown this year, (so far)!
Each has produced a 1.4 Lb tomato.
Taste wise, I would compare it to the Cuostralee, but since I only had the Green Giant and the KB on the plate , we will compare them, (as best I can).
"To Me", if you took the Green Giant and attached a spigot to it and drained out
about 90% of the acid, then you might be close to the flavor of the Kellogg's Breakfast.
(This is "NOT to say the GG has too much acid though").
This is also not to say, KB is "overly sweet".
It still has many of the other flavours in it that we associate with great tomatoes,
just not much acid,similar to Cuostralee in that regard.
The KB is very juicy with perhaps more seed pockets than GG, alto not a lot of seeds.
It is thin skinned and you don't really notice the skin when you eat the tomato.
In fact, I'll tell you something "interesting" about KB.
I've been growing tomatoes for 10 years now, (not an expert by any means), ~~~~but~~~~~I've grown many different kinds, (again not in "Carolyn's League"),
but here's the interesting thing!!!
In all those years, my wife has never said,
"we have to buy that tomato again, next year".
But she has said,
"We must buy another Kellogg's Breakfast, next year".
She has even repeated that msg, several times.
So, "To my wife", that is a very special tomato.
She likes the Green Giant too, so it's not strictly a "Low acid high sugar thing"~~~~
but to be honest, I have no idea why she feels as she does about that mater,
but how many guys, (even my age), have "totally figgered out Women????? (ROFLMAO)!!!
Gary
It said "one gallon feeds 10 square feet",
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I am not sure about that. Not tomatoes.
If you water just 1", a 10 square feet area will need over 6 gallons. Even if you apply just 1/4". you will need 1.6 gallons for 10 square feet. An average tomato plant in ground should need a minimum of one gallon per time. In a bucket you can use half of that (because of small root/soil volume.
Vibrate your blooms with an electric toothbrush ...
What are your current temperatures and RH ?
Most tomatoes will do blossom drop in high temps ( over 90 F ?). That is due to drying up the pollens and/or getting too sticky.
Otherwise tomatoes are self-pollinating and won't need any help.