Tomato Tuesday 2015

This used to be a topic specific to regions but I am greedy to see how tomatoes in Florida are doing as well as show off my sprouts.
 Show us your sprouts, your fruits this fine April day (not quite Tuesday anymore but hey it will roll around again, I am always late or early   )

What varieties are people trying this year?


My babies, just about big enough to be up potted. 



Half are peppers but the tomatoes are Striped Roman, Coure Di Bue, Black Icicle.  I went by the nursery today to double check and admire their Cherokee Purple and Golden Nugget sprouts.  Those are all indeterminate varieties.

I planted out 6 Varieties of tomatoes last weekend in my SFG.  They are planted so far apart I can't get a picture of all of them.  (trying to defeat early blight by spacing).  I did plant my backup tomato plants today but they are not in my SFG.  (Brandywine, BrandyBoy, Goliath, Gilbertie, Mountain Merit, Juliet).

Anybody need any tomato transplants.  I still have backups of my backups.  I had a very successful seed germinating/growing season this year.

My itty bitty tomato plants are still under the lights but they are coming along just fine up here in Maine's zone 5a.

These are Tiny Tims, Lizzanos (sds from Ybeta), and Early Girls.

I am doing 11 varieties this year...

Mountain Magic
Mountain Gold
Floridade
Tigerella
Kumato
Supersweet 100
Lizzano
Tiger Blush
Honeydrop
Honeybunch
Sungold

They have all come up and are about four inches high now.  I have not yet conducted the grizzly task of thinning.  That's on my list for tomorrow. 

Wow Windmere, yours look lovely.   I know its hard to thin them out.  I have the same difficulty.  If I had a bigger garden and more lights set up this year, I'd keep them all but space is at a premium this year.

Mine are like QB's, just starting out.  I thinned them earlier this week and gave away two 6-pks and kept another one for myself, not in the photo.

tomatoes - 2 packs on left.  The others are peppers:

This year I'm growing

Brandywines, yellow & red
Super Beefsteak
Sweeties
Black Cherries
Speckled Romans 

I think they are all heirlooms, but not sure.  The 6-pack from thinning has more Black Cherries & Sweeties which will be planted here and there in the perennial gardens.

CC

Very nice crops of sprouts we have  
I too just did "The Thinning".  In years past I would carefully pull out the doubles and pot them too, they did amazingly well.  This year I just snipped.  Not enough room on hte window sill.

Yolo, those are lovely plants.  I hope giving them all lots of room helps keep the blight at bay.

quiltbea wrote:Wow Windmere, yours look lovely.   I know its hard to thin them out.  I have the same difficulty.  If I had a bigger garden and more lights set up this year, I'd keep them all but space is at a premium this year.

Thank you QB.  I noticed that my Lizzanos came up very robust.  So far, it's one of the most vigorous.

I recently found this self-watering planter online and think it would be nearly perfect for growing tomatoes, cucumbers, etc. in my new greenhouse.  However, the planting tray itself is only 5.5" deep.  (It's 13" wide.)

http://demandware.edgesuite.net/sits_pod10/dw/image/v2/AABF_PRD/on/demandware.static/Sites-Gardeners-Site/Sites-GSC_Products/default/v1428576327978/Products/8588368_025.jpg?sw=182&sh=237

Would this be sufficiently deep?

5.5" is the width of a 2" x 6" lumber.  So, yeah, it should work.

I don't have pictures yet, but I have some really nice seedlings growing:

Amish Paste
Purple Russian
Russian Big Roma
Sweet Brandy Plum
Couilles de Taureau

My White Bush seeds did not germinate at all.  Last time I tried them I got only 1 of 6 to sprout, and that took 3 weeks, then I managed to kill it.  I will not try them again.  I will toss the seeds around my compost bin and see what happens.

Thanks, Turan!  It's either that planter, I think, or possibly a cement tray bottom with a deeper top.

Turan wrote:TuranThis used to be a topic specific to regions but I am greedy to see how tomatoes in Florida are doing as well as show off my sprouts.
 Show us your sprouts, your fruits this fine April day (not quite Tuesday anymore but hey it will roll around again, I am always late or early   )

What varieties are people trying this year?


My babies, just about big enough to be up potted. 

...snip... the tomatoes are Striped Roman, Coure Di Bue, Black Icicle.  I went by the nursery today to double check and admire their Cherokee Purple and Golden Nugget sprouts.  Those are all indeterminate varieties.

Fantastic idea Turan! Gotta love a gardener who is confident that Tuesday will roll around again. I love seeing a fellow soil-block user.

I am so happy with Coure Di Bue and Striped Roman that I am planting them for the 4th and 3rd seasons. Both of them provide for me in-spite of our chilly PNW nights. Last season was an epic tomato year for us in Everett, WA. I cannot count on a repeat so I cast a wide net when it comes to tomatoes. For cooking and sauce, besides the two I mentioned we also have early season Black Plum Paste (6th season, funky-spicy taste that I have come to love), Beaverlodge Plum (ground hugging determinant, heavy producer, 6th season) and Oroma (2nd season, ho-hum, dependable, mid season) We also have too many different kinds of slicers in lots of colors and seasons. The only "new" tomatoes at The Toy Box this season are Black Cherry and Sweetie (because I could not find local seed from anyone for the sweet # family) to go with our popular Gold Nugget... which is a determinant unlike your Golden Nugget. Weird.

Debs.... who just got most of last years glop cooked down and canned...and can I jus say that the nice surprise about freezing tomato glop before cooking it (besides not cooking in the heat of summer) is that about half of the water separates from the thawed glop and can be poured off before the cooking even starts. Awesome!

Goosegirl wrote:...snip... My White Bush seeds did not germinate at all.  Last time I tried them I got only 1 of 6 to sprout, and that took 3 weeks, then I managed to kill it.  I will not try them again.  I will toss the seeds around my compost bin and see what happens.

Hoping a little neglect is all that is needed!

Debs.... who doubts that you killed that shy white tommy

Lavender Debs wrote: Oroma (2nd season, ho-hum, dependable, mid season) We also have too many different kinds of slicers in lots of colors and seasons. The only "new" tomatoes at The Toy Box this season are Black Cherry and Sweetie (because I could not find local seed from anyone for the sweet # family) to go with our popular Gold Nugget... which is a determinant unlike your Golden Nugget. Weird.

I wonder if your Black Plum paste is like my Black Icicle. It has good flavor but a bit mushy for a paste really. Sort of a wispy growth habit a lot like the Black Russian paste I grew before. How firm is yours?

We decided that Oroma is so ho-hum that it was not worth bothering with again. We get enough of the others.

Weird that your Gold Nugget is a determinate? Mine are huge rambunctious take up the space of 2 indeterminates impossible to keep pruned plants. Where are your seeds from? I get that plant locally and have no idea of the seed source, might be their own seed saving.

Growing Stupice this year? It was you that reminded me of what a reliable early to late producer they are. I forgot it in my list but will surely come home with one. It is another I let the nursery grow for me. After I recommend a variety to them I feel obligated to buy a few in thanks.

Grin! It seems almost inevitable that eventually tomato breeders would have to start recycling tomato names. Yep Gold Nugget is determinant and fairly happy growing in a Lowe's bucket.

When I say that Oroma is ho-hum, I don't mean yuck, just not pretty like Stripped Roma. But I'm guessing you mean the same thing. Last year we grew Sheboykin and Oroma side by side. They look slightly different but everything else was equal. I shut my eyes and grabbed one this year. They are a little earlier then Stripped Roma or Coure di Bou and are the perfect size for grilled pizza.

The blue arrow is pointing to the Black Plum Paste, does that look anything like yours? I keep reading that they are mealy, maybe mine are picked a little on the green side, I have a hard time telling when they are ripe, but they seem fairly smooth to me. All I know is that I miss their unique flavor in my sauces if I don't have any.

Debs... who JUST made sauce over spring break from last years frozen tomato glop.

Edited to add, YES we are growing Stupice again this year, Juan Flamme too, another very early tomato but with bright orange flesh. Thanks for asking!

Happy to see this thread as I always enjoy our Tomato Tuesdays!

Our babies are staying the day and some nights out in the green house....we brought them inside last night as it got down in the 30's

This year from seed we are growing:

new for us ...Top left 2-Purple tomatillos, Top right 2-4th of July and then at the bottom....our favorite cherry that we have grown for several years now 2-Sweeties



New and free seeds given to us 2-Amish gold on the left & another favorite we  have grown for a few years that has done great in hanging baskets on the right....2-Red Robins



on the left front and back are 2-Jubilees that we grew a couple years ago and loved....the center and to the right are 2-Rainbow Mix (meaning the seeds came in a pk with mixed Rainbow tomato seeds)....these two we have to wait and see what we get...they could be any type of heirloom and they due seem to be different looking at their leaves which is exciting 

 

wanted to add: the Burpee Rainbow Heirloom Tomato seeds are from a package of sale by 2011 and the germination rate was great still!

The mix is of Bonney Best, Brandywine Pink, Golden Sunburst, Black Krim, Evergreen, Djena Lee's Golden Girl...we shall see.....hoping one is a Black Krim as I been wanting to taste one   



http://www.burpee.com/vegetables/tomatoes/tomato-rainbow-blend-heirloom-prod001183.html

Happy gardening
rose

Thanks for mentioning how much you like Sweeties Rose, I've never heard of them.

Lavender Debs wrote:Thanks for mentioning how much you like Sweeties Rose, I've never heard of them.

your welcome

the Sweeties are a bit late in ripening, but if you are patient they will put out LOTS of yummy ripe fruit!!

May 2012 in our son's SFG container



Aug 2012 in our son SFG container....they also like to get really bushy




ripening in Sept 2012



hugs
rose

Help sortin by determ. vs. indeterm. for cages vs. tall stakes. I have to move the tomatoes to their final growing spots. This is what I''m guessing, but your past experience will help me.

Cages: Snow Fairy, Abu Rawan and Basrawya from Iraq, and Yellow Pear Petite

Stakes or overhead support system: Amish Paste, Arkansas Traveler, Brandywine, Cherokee Purple, Beefsteak, Gypsy, Black Krim, Roma, Rutgers,

??: Atkinson, San Marzano

Thank you in advance.

I will only speak to those I have direct experience with (you can google as well as I )

Cherokee Purple~ short InDet. It does pretty well in a 3-4' cage. I get 2 fruit sets from it in my short season.

Brandywine, Beefsteak, Black Krim are tall InDet. They easily hit my greenhouse roof and have to be whacked back.

Roma~ Determinate. Short not even very bushy. One heavy set. Probably with your long season they will do 2 sets with smaller fruit the second time.

San Marzano is InDet. It has somewhat sparse growth and did not need much pruning to keep to a single or double stem.

I am really curious about your Iraqi varieties. An Iraqi friend says the tomatoes there aren't so sweet like here. He finds our tomatoes a bit weird. (and our carrots a lot weird)

I hope that helps

Turan, thanks. I did Google/Bing but could not find info on everything. When one was called a Medium, I didn't know if that meant 4-5 feet or 3 feet, or what. Likewise, my first year Roma was 8+' so someone's experience is good for me. It could have been the long hot summer here.

I up potted this weekend into reused nursery 4" pots.  Every one looks happy and has grown in just the last couple days.  All but one that as of this morning is trying to die.  It is looking limp and its leaves are purpling.  I gently firmed up the mix around it and watered it with a touch of epsom salts hoping that would fix what ails it but I really have no idea.   I should of kept some of my extras when up potting
Well, this will make room for that Stupice I forgot to plan for and know I want.

sanderson wrote:Turan, thanks.  I did Google/Bing but could not find info on everything.  When one was called a Medium, I didn't know if that meant 4-5 feet or 3 feet, or what.  Likewise, my first year Roma was 8+' so someone's experience is good for me.  It could have been the long hot summer here.

I figured you had so I could add nothing to that by doing the same.

Did you see how Deb's Gold Nugget is determinate and mine is indeterminate? This happens..... Did you save your tall Roma seeds? If so you should get the same again, unless there was some promiscuity in the back ground. I suspect you would not get another tall Roma from a different seed source.

I have noticed that we can push a determinate to act indeterminate within certain limits with pruning and vice versa. Especially with some plants. I have seen Stupice and Cherokee purple called either indeteminate or determinate, I think they are on the continuum between the extremes.

I guess what that adds up to is we need to recognize the fuzziness of these definitions (no one told the plants the rules, after all), and act accordingly.

Wow, everyone's tomatoes are really coming along nicely!

Well, today really was Tomato Tuesday for me.  I just finished "upgrading" my babies from seed starters to peat pots. 

Here's a peek at some of them:'



Between mixing the MM and delicately planting... it took me a long time to get them all done!
That scrappy one in the front is one of two Mountain Gold tomatoes.  They had a hard time coming up... but they're trying.