Tomato Tuesday 2015

I try to keep up some pruning at the start of the season but when a branch splits I just go with it and give it a string to hold it up.  I find they all make blossoms and fruit.  However there comes a time when it seems the plants are holding lots of green tomatoes and ripening none and setting more and more.  So last week I pruned heavily branches and suckers that had flowers but not fruit yet.  I think a bit of a shock is good to get tomatoes into ripening.  August 1rst I usually do a pretty severe pruning including topping and root pruning.  That really pushes them to ripen what they got. 

I see that my avatar Cherokee purple is showing color at last.  Soon we will have our first big ripe tomato.  I hope.

Nice soliloquy, Fred.

I've been taking careful notice of how well my tomato varieties are doing.  One that has stood out and caught my attention is my Floridade tomato.  It is an heirloom determinate that was bred for the south (hence the name).  I've found that this variety has had the least amount of fungus problems (it's doing even better than the Mountain Magic variety).

Here's what some of my new fruit looks like as of today:



It is bushy of course, but I would not call it unwieldy.  A product description on the Sustainable Seed Company website says:  Floradades ability to withstand 90-100F temperatures and still produce heavy crops is legendary.  Floradade was bred to excel in the heavy calcareous soils of Dade County Florida so yields may be reduced in highly sandy soils.

Hey Windmere.......Its good you found a variety that works well in your heat environment.  Since most tomatoes stop producing when the temps hit 90F, that's good to hear. 
The Lizzano seeds you gave me this year are starting to produce.
There are tons of little tomatoes on the short determinate bushes and they are just now starting to gain color.

I can't wait to taste them.

quiltbea wrote:Hey Windmere.......Its good you found a variety that works well in your heat environment.  Since most tomatoes stop producing when the temps hit 90F, that's good to hear. 
The Lizzano seeds you gave me this year are starting to produce.
There are tons of little tomatoes on the short determinate bushes and they are just now starting to gain color.

I can't wait to taste them.

Quiltbea that Lizzano looks fantastic.  I ended up giving away all five of the plants I raised, but they've given their owners very good results.  Many have commented about how prolific they are.  They say they're sweet too.  Looks like your going to have good results too!

Windmere, I have never heard of the Floridade tomato, but it sounds ideal for our conditions here in the Rogue Valley region of Southern Oregon. The common wisdom around here is to expect no rain all summer, and almost the whole of summer and often into spring and fall we get 90's and above. It's so hot here that almost all my tomato blossoms drop until late July at the earliest, and then if we're lucky we have some of August and then September to catch up and start eating tomatoes in quantity at last.

So I'm very curious about this Floridade tomato. What's the word on what it tastes like?

I got an Arkansas Traveler tomato plant this year. sanderson grew one last year, and liked the taste. It's supposedly very good at producing in the heat. I wouldn't know because I haven't had a single tomato set on it yet! We're seeing 100 degrees and more, regularly.

I love trying different varieties of plants, but given limited space, would like to find ones that do great in the heat and plant them regularly.

The small tomato plant that keeps on fruiting despite Nature's and my abuse is Audrey's Snow Fairy. I'll try and remember to save some seeds for you to try. I should save 2015 seeds as a backup to the one's she sent me, anyway. I also have a volunteer that is also producing nice tomatoes. It came up in a 6" x 12" space, and I said, what the heck, and let it grow along with the peppers in that box. I swear, direct sowing may be the only way I can get tomatoes. Last year, the year of doom, a yellow volunteer in the front flower bed (compost) was the only survivor.

I've got a San Marzano with some downward curling leaves starting. Another plant (?) has silver/purple leaves. My season may stop early but at least I got to make one batch of Annie's salsa and one batch of canned tomatoes.

Hmm, I remember reading that purple leaves are a sign of too little ... something. Mineral or phosphate or potassium. Can't remember off-hand. Even if it's too late for that plant, the soil may yet be remedied.

Marc Iverson wrote:Windmere, I have never heard of the Floridade tomato, but it sounds ideal for our conditions here in the Rogue Valley region of Southern Oregon.  The common wisdom around here is to expect no rain all summer, and almost the whole of summer and often into spring and fall we get 90's and above.  It's so hot here that almost all my tomato blossoms drop until late July at the earliest, and then if we're lucky we have some of August and then September to catch up and start eating tomatoes in quantity at last.

So I'm very curious about this Floridade tomato.  What's the word on what it tastes like?

I got an Arkansas Traveler tomato plant this year.  sanderson grew one last year, and liked the taste.  It's supposedly very good at producing in the heat.  I wouldn't know because I haven't had a single tomato set on it yet!  We're seeing 100 degrees and more, regularly.

I love trying different varieties of plants, but given limited space, would like to find ones that do great in the heat and plant them regularly.

I don't have anything to report regarding flavor of Floridade.  Seed company descriptions I've read are vague.  Mine have not ripened yet, but when I can actually taste them myself, I'll post my results.  Interestingly, I had not heard of this variety either.  Winter Sown sent me my seeds a couple years ago.

Marc, Phosphorus. I fed with Espoma tomato food just a bit ago. Also added aged homemade seaweed/manure/straw/veggie compost, and mulched. The weather is hot. So, at this point I'm guessing it's not from lack of nutrients. Hey, at least I have some toms this year.

I bought these 4 varieties at the Farmer's Market for their seeds when I picked up culls for the compost.  I wrote somewhere their varieties on this Forum but now can't find the topic.  Can anyone venture a guess?  I think one of the yellow ones is a Yellow Beefsteak. Thank you

I'm a day late on this, but ... TOMATOES!!

The Atlanta area has endured heavy storms the last couple of days.  Thick, sheeting rains that feel more like standing under a waterfall than a shower.  

When I went out to check on things this morning, I found my sole Beefsteak tomato with a broken stem.  I splinted him with a bamboo kebab skewer broken in thirds for even placement around the stem, and then wrapped it several times up and down with floral tape.  Fingers crossed that the branch heals.  

The Roma clusters are bulbing out nicely, and the Basil in the bottom of the Beefsteak planter is happy in its new home.

Good luck on the tomato. I've seen them survive such things and still keep producing.

My DH took this picture of me this Saturday. He calls this the tomato rain forest.  I was picking tomatoes for the weekend processing.  I ended up with 3 trays of tomatoes drying (mostly cherries) and 15 jars or smoky salsa.

I see today there are more to pick

What a great photo!

Here's some interesting info on saving seed from Rodale.  This first link is for seeds in general.  

http://www.rodalesorganiclife.com/garden/beginners-guide-seed-saving?cid=soc_Rodale%27s%20Organic%20Life%20-%20RodalesOrganicLife_FBPAGE_Rodale%27s%20Organic%20Life__


This one is a video specifically on tomato seeds:

http://www.rodalesorganiclife.com/garden/how-save-tomato-seeds

That was really helpful, especially the video for me. I am going to try to save some Brandywine seeds if my danglers get ripe! I have left-overs of everything else I have planted. Thanks Marie!

Glad to help!  Thanks, Sanderson, for asking me to post it...!

Teamwork is a beautiful thing!!!!