16,949 Garden Web Discussions | Growing Tomatoes

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2ajsmama

Could be bacterial canker. DId you buy the plants or start from seed? Nothing much to do about that except pull the plant if it's bad but I'd say if fruit isn't affected just follow recommendations in my earlier post.

If it's late blight you'd be seeing it on the stems and the plants would be dead within days.

Heavy mulch is good - from the little I can see in the last pix, the clippings look pretty thin.

Give us an update next week.

    Bookmark     July 25, 2014 at 6:37AM
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Stella_z6

In my Toronto, Ontario garden, I've definitely got a blight situation. My leaf edges started going dark a few weeks ago. I picked off affected stems, but the spread rate is accelerating and entire stems are going black/brown overnight. I wondered if it was a bacterial issue, but it's looking exactly like blight in its advanced stages now. Heartbreaking since I had so many green tomatoes on the the vine! I hope your garden is faring better, Kpn.Kardif.

    Bookmark     July 25, 2014 at 9:09AM
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gin_gin(5)

According to a Google image search, that last picture is Black Krim. That exact photo is on various seed selling websites.

    Bookmark     July 25, 2014 at 12:32AM
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seysonn(8a WA/HZ 1)

gin-gin,

you are right. I got it from the internet, As seen, there are 4 different shape and size of fruit in just one cluster.

I just wanted to show that fruits shape, size, color can be different. Normal BK has roundish fruits, not lobbed, not boat shape. So really, short of a DNA test one cannot say if this is CP, BK, Black from Tula, so forth.

I just take it as a guessing fun game here. It is not a matter of life and death.

    Bookmark     July 25, 2014 at 8:43AM
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njitgrad

I have to say they are a very stunning color this morning, I've never seen anything quite like it. I just wish they were a tiny bit larger though. They are now deep purple throughout except for a touch of green on the bottom. All of them still feel a bit firm though. The problem is that I can't determine whether or not to pick them and allow them to ripen indoors. For red tomatoes I usually pick them when they start to blush to avoid splitting, pests, etc.

    Bookmark     July 23, 2014 at 9:05AM
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Prachi(6b (NJ))

From what I understand the flavor of these are better if you let them fully ripen on the vine... so the bottom of the tomato (which doesn't get direct sunlight) should be red like a ripe tomato.

Any areas which get direct sunlight will turn indigo.

I am guessing since they are smaller in size you are lest likely to have splitting etc.

My CSA farmer is growing Indigo rose and his is not cracking (but they are on the smaller side as well). He let me try one (usually I'd have to wait till they came in my share), they were good... nice flavor. I am thinking about growing an indigo variety next year. Can post an update on how the indigo apple was?

    Bookmark     July 25, 2014 at 12:12AM
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joeorganictomatoes(6A)

As a follow up to my original post. My original question was "has anyone ever germinated this variety ( Elfin) and what did they experience and what were their results. I was only asking for "experiences".

    Bookmark     July 24, 2014 at 8:11PM
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carolyn137(z4/5 NY)

To answer your question directly, no, I've never grown it but I thought it might be helpful to give a bit of background information about it. ( smile)

Carolyn

    Bookmark     July 24, 2014 at 9:21PM
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aphidsquish

OMG, digdirt, LOL. Right. I am off to go throw away all my maters then. Then I will never have BER ever.

My plants are okay, but the bucket that my 6 foot yellow pear is in is definitely a solid block of roots. However, I just counted 100 tomatoes on Heather (that's the plant's name lol) so I guess it ain't dying anytime soon. I thought that 5 gallon buckets would be overkill but now I realize why people say it's a bare minimum.

    Bookmark     July 24, 2014 at 6:01PM
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seysonn(8a WA/HZ 1)

BER susceptibility is a known fact. Amongst those some are more prone to it than others. What causes it an how different varieties are affected, are different issues. we are not concern with them in this thread. It is the same/similar case about certain disease resistance that can affect our choices.

As gardeners, we try to maximize our returns and nobody likes to pitch rotted tomatoes. Just going by the laws of probability and statistics we can minimize our losses, by simply avoiding the varieties that have a higher probability of developing BER. Luckily there are many many choices out there and one is not limited in choice to a known limited varieties . AND THAT IS WHAT WE ARE TALKING ABOUT.
Ultimately at the end of the day one can decide for him/her self.
Peace, brothers and sisters !

    Bookmark     July 24, 2014 at 7:52PM
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seysonn(8a WA/HZ 1)

What varieties are you growing ?
What kind of temperature, direct sun you are getting.

I agree, you cannot blame winter in the middle of summer.

Finally if you can post a picture might help you to get better help.

    Bookmark     July 24, 2014 at 5:21AM
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Carla1(5)

The variety you're growing can make a huge difference. Determinate tomatoes only grow for a certain amount of time and then stop.

You might want to stick to indeterminate hybrid tomatoes. Early girl tomatoes are good options for those who live in areas with short growing seasons. You might want to check with staff at nurseries next season about what they recommend for your area.

For example, I've made the mistake of growing heirlooms in the past because the pictures are "different" and "cool looking." What I didn't realize is that they're much more fussy than your traditional hybrids.

    Bookmark     July 24, 2014 at 6:09PM
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ediej1209(5 N Central OH)

You ought to head over to the Harvest Forum where they can best advise you on the safest method for canning the green ones.
Edie

    Bookmark     July 24, 2014 at 3:11PM
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seysonn(8a WA/HZ 1)

I bather that OP wants to use them fresh.

    Bookmark     July 24, 2014 at 4:00PM
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labradors_gw

Brett,

Interesting comment about counter-ripened Sungolds!

Last year I bought a Sungold that turned out to be an imposter, so a friend gave me a container of them to try. I let them ripen for several days and was disappointed in the taste.

This year I have my own Sungold plant and the tomatoes taste pretty good!

Linda

    Bookmark     July 24, 2014 at 3:23PM
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rt_peasant(5 CO)

I had the same experience that Brett had with sungolds. Since reading on this site about picking at color break vs ripening on the vine, I've started picking large beefsteak varieties when they're 1/3 to 1/2 ripe, and I would agree that I can't see much difference in flavor between ripening on the counter vs ripening on the vine. But I tried doing the same with sungolds to avoid having them split, and there was a big difference in taste. Even sungolds that were close to fully ripe never achieved the same sweetness as fully vine-ripened sungolds. I haven't experimented with other cherry varieties, so I don't know if this behavior is unique to sungolds.

    Bookmark     July 24, 2014 at 3:23PM
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ash1970_gw(6a)

Thanks for all the interesting comments. Yes, I have been using a liquid fert (which includes micros) at a low "maintenance" concentration with every watering, for my small containers with very short determinates. And yes after the very first blossoms did not go anywhere, got a cheap battery-toothbrush, and since then almost all have set.

Still learning, but at least the first couple of tomatoes are now starting to blush red...

    Bookmark     July 24, 2014 at 1:09AM
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seysonn(8a WA/HZ 1)

IMO, not that there isn't any difference between det and indet tomatoes There is not much difference between tomatoes and pepper either. Any fertilizer that is suitable for tomatoes is also good for peppers, eggplants cucurbita, etc.

There is a new theory that almost all garden plants use NPK at 3-1-2 ratio. When all those elements are present in the medium, the plants will choose and pick what they need, provided the soil chemistry is right and balanced. In other words if we give the plant a fertilizer, in 1-1-1 ratio ( like 12-12-12) the plants are not going to use them in that order. That is why in most established gardens there is a surplus of P and K.

This post was edited by seysonn on Thu, Jul 24, 14 at 16:45

    Bookmark     July 24, 2014 at 4:43AM
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Mizzkate89

Makes a lot of sense, thank you so much I really appreciate it! I'll definitely focus on those things.

    Bookmark     July 23, 2014 at 12:22PM
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jimmy56_gw (zone 6 PA)

Looks like EB (earlyblight) too me, Had the same problem but mine our in the ground, I would spray with a fungicide.

    Bookmark     July 23, 2014 at 9:23PM
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mrm54

no walnut tress nearby. The plants start dying as soon as the fruit is about the size of a golfball! sometimes a tad bigger. I think I have tried every kind of hybrid there is. Is there any way to determine what type of wilt it could be, it that is what it is?

    Bookmark     July 23, 2014 at 6:21PM
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labradors_gw

Check out verticillium wilt and fusarium wilt online. I've just been reading about them myself as my eggplants have been wilting. They are really horrid diseases and the fungus that causes them can persist in the soil for many years.

It is possible to solarize the soil using clear plastic, although I'm not sure how long the effects of this will last.

Another solution would be to grow tomatoes in large containers using potting mix and not soil.

Linda

    Bookmark     July 23, 2014 at 8:55PM
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labradors_gw

Go for it. Google is your friend!

I first read about it on a tomato forum. It sounded logical to me.

    Bookmark     July 23, 2014 at 9:17AM
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posierosie_zone7a

Growth inhibitors are commonly used for greenhouse plants. No one wants to buy something that is"leggy ". My mother used it when she taught horticulture and sold poinsettias for fundraisers.

I cannot speak directly about tomatoes, but I would not be surprised.

    Bookmark     July 23, 2014 at 8:32PM
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deadhead61

In central Alabama,winter unpredictable in recent years.This past winter we had some really crazy spells,had 3 nights in a row below 15 degrees,a couple of nights around 9 degrees.Last winter not near as bad,but nowadays the weather is crazy everywhere.Thanks for the tip on Gardens Alive,got a $25 off deal on purchase over $50.

    Bookmark     July 23, 2014 at 3:37PM
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digdirt2(6b-7a No.Cent. AR HZ8 Sun-35)

They should do ok then as even a several day cold spell won't freeze the ground deep enough to threaten them. Once you get on GA mailing list those good coupons come pretty regularly. :)

Dave

    Bookmark     July 23, 2014 at 5:24PM
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tishtoshnm Zone 6/NM

I have had hornworms up until frost. They often seem to come in waves but I pretty much search the entire season.

    Bookmark     July 23, 2014 at 1:18PM
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digdirt2(6b-7a No.Cent. AR HZ8 Sun-35)

They have a cyclic lifecycle. How many cycles your have depends on where you are located but you can plot them for future reference with good note keeping.

Here I have 2 cycles - moths and eggs show up mid to late-May (20th +/- a day or 2). First hatch is a week later (early June). Those you don't kill will grow and pupate for 6 weeks total so the second round begins six weeks later early August.

Dave

    Bookmark     July 23, 2014 at 3:01PM
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Jdoran

Finally got our first ripe Black Sea man tomato :)

    Bookmark     July 22, 2014 at 3:55PM
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wertach zone 7-B SC

Jdoran, nice looking plant!

How do you like the taste?

I grew BSM one time and I didn't like the taste. Some of my co-workers liked them, the organic/vegetarians. ;)

Then later, after growing black cherry, Cherokee purple, ETC. I found that I don't like any of the dark colored toms.

I only like pink, red, and green! But taste buds are different!

    Bookmark     July 23, 2014 at 2:33PM
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