catjac1975
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Professor Marshall is back.
Growing Crack-Free Heirlooms
- Thread starter curly_kate
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897tgigvib
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@catjac1975 , that was just the coffee kicked in just right. (I am part modern human, and sometimes the coffee brings that part out in me. Wallll, plus, my dad was a professor, and my mom was a grade school teacher until I came along...)
Lol!
Lol!
digitS'
Garden Master
@curly_kate , cracking can be a serious problem in my tomato patch. Overhead sprinklers and a quickly draining soil set things up for culled tomatoes. Culled from the market, anyway.
Mulching should help but then I'm facing a few other problems. Voles like to get under a nice mulch and, that terrible tomato pest, the slug likes to hang out there, also!
Generally, I avoid beefsteaks with that traditional oblate tomato shape. They hold water and often crack.
I'm not sure if people think that my tomatoes are heirlooms, or not. Having a display with a number of colors may distract them sufficiently
. Only the non-red varieties are heirlooms. Nearly all of the red ones are hybrids.
There are 2 exceptions. I have continued to grow out an accidental cross of Kellogg's Breakfast. It's earlier and an orangy red. The other is Thessaloniki. There is not much to distinguish that heirloom from a modern red variety. In fact, it was brought to the US for commercial farming.
There is a possibility. Old-time commercial varieties may be a good choice for you. I haven't felt the need to explore that too far. You may have to put up signs identifying them as heirlooms. That's okay. Part of your job is to educate the consumer; not just to distract them
.
Steve
edited to add those last few words
Mulching should help but then I'm facing a few other problems. Voles like to get under a nice mulch and, that terrible tomato pest, the slug likes to hang out there, also!
Generally, I avoid beefsteaks with that traditional oblate tomato shape. They hold water and often crack.
I'm not sure if people think that my tomatoes are heirlooms, or not. Having a display with a number of colors may distract them sufficiently
. Only the non-red varieties are heirlooms. Nearly all of the red ones are hybrids.There are 2 exceptions. I have continued to grow out an accidental cross of Kellogg's Breakfast. It's earlier and an orangy red. The other is Thessaloniki. There is not much to distinguish that heirloom from a modern red variety. In fact, it was brought to the US for commercial farming.
There is a possibility. Old-time commercial varieties may be a good choice for you. I haven't felt the need to explore that too far. You may have to put up signs identifying them as heirlooms. That's okay. Part of your job is to educate the consumer; not just to distract them
.Steve
edited to add those last few words
Last edited:
SprigOfTheLivingDead
Garden Addicted
I always just assumed some varieties get cracks and some don't. I'm curious if I cloned one of my desters and watered one coconsistently and the other one a bit more sporadic, but the same amount, if I'd see a real fruit difference
SprigOfTheLivingDead
Garden Addicted
That sweet sweet pollen was the gateway
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curly_kate
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I'm loving the detour this thread has taken! 
