2013 Tomato Tuesday in the Middle South

Pollinator - how are your Abe Lincoln tomatoes doing. I planted two of them to see if they fared any better against disease. Time will tell.

Yolos,

I am intently watching to post to see how your tomatoes fare. The disease affecting your plants has me nervous. I too intend to plant tomatoes in various spots. I think if one section of tomatoes gets sick, I'll have back up in another portion of our land.

Which variety of tomato are you growing? Are they all determinate? I have Black Krim Russian heirlooms. I have heard that heirlooms are more susceptible to disease. My neighbor down the street told me he has never had any success with heirlooms. This makes me want to investigate grafted plants.

I am thinking of trenching my plants. Perhaps I will trench some and plant the rest vertically.

Do you pick off the early flowers on your tomatoes? My plants were planted in early mid-March, and they are beginning to flower.

I am really impressed with your set up. You are quite handy!

Oh, and also: Assembled my beds on Monday. Parts were missing. I had to laugh at that. Called company and they said I should receive missing parts within a week.

Windmere wrote:Yolos,

Which variety of tomato are you growing? Are they all determinate? I have Black Krim Russian heirlooms. I am thinking of trenching my plants. Perhaps I will trench some and plant the rest vertically.

Do you pick off the early flowers on your tomatoes? My plants were planted in early mid-March, and they are beginning to flower.

I have a mixture of heirlooms and hybrids and one determinate.
Big Boy (always gets diseased)
Better Boy (always gets diseased)
Early Girl (always gets diseased)
Brandywine Pink (best tasting ever)
Brandywine Red - new this year
Abe Lincoln - new this year
Mortgage Lifter - new this year
Box Car Willie - new this year
Gilbertie (thanks Quiltbea)
San Marzano (thanks Quiltbea)
Tom Sausage? (thanks Quiltbea)
Unknown Determinate (can't remember right now) (thanks Quiltbea).
So even the hybrids catch whatever disease is going around.

No, I never pick off the early flowers. Gotta get as many fruit as I can before the diseases hit and the plants succumb.

Thanks for your response yolos. Wow, you have quite a variety. I am very curious about the Brandywine Pink since you said it is the best tasting. You have a very nice variety of tomatoes. Again, I've very impressed.

I went with my cousin to Lowes in Fayetteviile, and I steered her to Better Bush (rather large for less than 10.00). She is doing a container for it. I've read a bit about this variety and I've seen that it is resistant to many diseases. The fact that it is labeled as disease resistant might now mean much. I may pick up one of these just to see what happens. I'd like to learn how a determinate tomato grows.

Good advice regarding whether to pick flowers.

Yolos, are your Pink Brandywines diseased this year or have they been in the past? I'm very interested in watching how yours do as I'm growing 2 of them for the first time in the same SFG bed as 2 Beefsteaks (which Boffer is currently having problems with) and a Red Brandywine. Btw, I didn't do well with my Red last year but I had absolutely no idea what I was doing as it was my first year and I planted the store bought start with the peat pot still on it. It never dissolved.

Like you, I've planted a few toms in different beds. The cherries are in one by themselves and some SuperSonics (best tasting) are in another. Hopefully whatever is going around on the forum won't spread out to all of them.

CC