How are Things in the Tomato Patch?

[journey11]

I'm glad to have caught that little piece of advice on the cherokee purple too. I've been picking mine just as soon as they show a hint of color. Those that ripened on the vine have split pretty badly. Most of my tomatoes are splitting though, with all the rain we've had all of a sudden. Even my Super Sweet 100's are splitting!

 

[Hattie the Hen]

I have just finished moving all the pots of tomatoes that have been standing in my front garden to join the other pots in the back. I have noticed that they are not producing nearly as many new flowers (or in some cases the few they produce are drying out too quickly, before they get pollinated). I think this is due to our very dry weather this summer. I have been watering approx. 3 times a day but it is obviously not enough. The plants in the back garden are in perfect condition & the tomatoes are ripening now So I will shift things around a bit & set up some more trellis for the incomers. I had already moved a couple of pots last weekend & they are already back in bloom.

I am still worried by the ghost of last year's horrifying Late Blight. This is the reason why I had a whole lot of this years plants in my front garden so they were well away from the site of last year's debacle. I will place them as far away from that area as possible. I am being very careful about my watering & mulching & cutting back of all the lower leaves.

I think today I will get to eat my first tomato of the year........I am so excited.......!!


Good luck with all your harvests........

Hattie

 

[HunkieDorie23]

Just pick and weighed one of my hungarian heart tomatoes, the one I have been waiting on. It is 1 1/2 lbs. It is huge. I am going to have to post a pic. This is my first year for this type. I am going to see how they taste but so far I love them.

 

[hoodat]

I took all the seed for my Cherokee Purples from the same tomato I bought in the organic market. All except one are producing recognizable cherokees but one insists on producing pink tomatos, but at least they are nice sized.
That purple fountain grass in the background threw my color balance off but you can see this isn't a typical Cherokee.

 

[digitS']

That is a very pretty tomato, Hoody!

Just pick and weighed one of my hungarian heart tomatoes, the one I have been waiting on. It is 1 1/2 lbs. It is huge. I am going to have to post a pic. This is my first year for this type. I am going to see how they taste but so far I love them.

I am also interested in what you think of those heart tomatoes, HunkieDorie. I have heart tomatoes this year, altho' I didn't plant them! Many of the Early Girls have heart-shaped fruit which are ripening first.

This has happened before when the plants have had to go thru an unusually cool June. I asked and got a reply from Dr. Carolyn Male last time how it happened that I had so many heart-shaped fruits. She said it was weather stress.

If your Hungarian Hearts are useful as both a cooking tomato AND a fresh tomato, maybe I should grow them. I haven't been very happy with paste tomatoes in the past but then, beefsteaks and cherries don't always make the best of sauces. Heart tomatoes are supposed to be very suitable for sauces and I figure if I'm likely to get that shape many times in the 1st tomatoes anyway . . . may as well grow the ones that are genetically inclined that way.

Maybe they would like it here!

Steve

 

[journey11]

I took all the seed for my Cherokee Purples from the same tomato I bought in the organic market. All except one are producing recognizable cherokees but one insists on producing pink tomatos, but at least they are nice sized.
That purple fountain grass in the background threw my color balance off but you can see this isn't a typical Cherokee.
http://www.theeasygarden.com/forum/uploads/6858_cherokee.jpg

So how did it taste?

 

[hoodat]

I took all the seed for my Cherokee Purples from the same tomato I bought in the organic market. All except one are producing recognizable cherokees but one insists on producing pink tomatos, but at least they are nice sized.
That purple fountain grass in the background threw my color balance off but you can see this isn't a typical Cherokee.
http://www.theeasygarden.com/forum/uploads/6858_cherokee.jpg

So how did it taste?

The pink ones taste pretty much like the regular Cherokees and that's good. I may save some seed to see if the pink stays true.

 

[desertwillow]

The only tomatoes that are doing anything here are the six cherry tomato plants my neighbor gave me. I planted Celebrity and Goliath and boh usually do good here but our weather has been crazy in the high desert. We had a cooler than normal May and the it turned hot really fast. The plants blossom don't set fruit in this heat.

 

[1chichi]

It's not the thickness of the skin, 1chichi. At least, I don't think it is .

It's the elasticity of the skin, perhaps.

Some folks complain about SunGold splitting, for example. They don't split often for me but SunSugar just about never splits. Today, I am once again reminded that SS has a more tender skin than SG.

Okay, I'll get off the SG/SS thing . . .

Thessaloniki is an heirloom beefsteak that is known for not splitting. Porter is an heirloom saladette with the same claim to fame. Neither have heavy skin on the fruit.

Steve

edited: Oh, I gave up growing Yellow Pear after 4 years trying. The last season, I doubt if there was a handful that didn't split. Better results came from Ildi .

Better elasticity, so that's what I'm looking for!
Thanks so much for the recommendations of
Thessalonki,Porter,Sun Sugar, & Ildi.
My Yellow Pear is kicking out tomatoes daily.
I'm picking them a little early to avoid some of the splitting.
Also, I noticed if I accidently barely bump the green ones with my finger , they easily fall off the vine.
Good thing there are very productive!
They're a pretty little tomato that I like to share w/ co-workers who have never seen anything like them before.
Bland tasting though.
Looking forward to growing that SUN SUGAR next year!

 

[ducks4you]

I have a few blushing!!!!