Re: Tomato Tuesday 2016

countrynaturals 5/11/2016, 2:48 pm

Well, I figured out why mine are so small. I checked one of the little ferny ones and it has blossoms. These were grab bag seeds and it turns out they're a dwarf variety. Embarassed

Windmere 5/11/2016, 2:50 pm

countrynaturals wrote:Well, I figured out why mine are so small. I checked one of the little ferny ones and it has blossoms. These were grab bag seeds and it turns out they're a dwarf variety.

Do you have a way to find out the specific name of the variety?

countrynaturals 5/11/2016, 3:10 pm

Windmere wrote:
countrynaturals wrote:Well, I figured out why mine are so small. I checked one of the little ferny ones and it has blossoms. These were grab bag seeds and it turns out they're a dwarf variety.
Do you have a way to find out the specific name of the variety?

I have descriptions, but only of the fruit, so I have to wait until they produce to figure out what they are. I knew that going in, so it's a fun mystery to solve, but I didn't pay attention to dwarf part. Embarassed

**Scorpio Rising** 5/11/2016, 8:11 pm

I can't wait to get my maters and peps in....love the pics! Lucky growers, you! cherry

landarch 5/12/2016, 3:31 pm

so, I set two tomato seedlings on their side yesterday morning (a trick mentioned in a post above) and they've turned about 90 degrees with one day's worth of sunshine. I think the term from jr. high biology is phototropism.

Anyway, this is why mels mix works so well...very easy to dig a trench with your finger and plant. I find that with the trench method tomato roots grow over 2 additional squares.

I also use cattle mineral tubs with mels mix...perfect for planting tomatoes about 16" deep, vertically.

**Scorpio Rising** 5/16/2016, 6:40 pm

OK, I have a spastic mutt, most of which acts like a Jack Russell terrier....yeah. So as I am getting ready for work, he is barking at (clouds, buses, squirrels, birds, trucks with trailers, you get the ideas) this morning and I come out and one of my 2 Great White tomato seedlings from Bakers is broken in half! pale

Noooooooo! And this particular variety was a picky germinator and had to be started twice, so they are runts.

Anyways, the nurse thing kicks in, and I quick stick it back together and surgical tape the thing. After working all day, I look at the plant, and it looks like the top is still alive! Cautious cheers

Time will tell. Hope I can get the tape off if this works!

countrynaturals 5/16/2016, 6:58 pm

Scorpio Rising wrote:OK, I have a spastic mutt, most of which acts like a Jack Russell terrier....yeah. So as I am getting ready for work, he is barking at (clouds, buses, squirrels, birds, trucks with trailers, you get the ideas) this morning and I come out and one of my 2 Great White tomato seedlings from Bakers is broken in half! Noooooooo! And this particular variety was a picky germinator and had to be started twice, so they are runts.

Anyways, the nurse thing kicks in, and I quick stick it back together and surgical tape the thing. After working all day, I look at the plant, and it looks like the top is still alive! Cautious

Time will tell. Hope I can get the tape off if this works!

At least Hero Dog scared away Tomato Monster before it could completely destroy your plant. lol!

Actually, I've had very good luck repairing broken plants. Fingers crossed for you.

**Scorpio Rising** 5/16/2016, 7:18 pm

Yes, thank the powers that be! Lol! Wish he would do it away from my seedlings ! Which should by all rights be outside in the SFG!

BeetlesPerSqFt 5/16/2016, 10:20 pm

Scorpio Rising wrote:OK, I have a spastic mutt, most of which acts like a Jack Russell terrier....yeah. So as I am getting ready for work, he is barking at (clouds, buses, squirrels, birds, trucks with trailers, you get the ideas) this morning and I come out and one of my 2 Great White tomato seedlings from Bakers is broken in half! Noooooooo! And this particular variety was a picky germinator and had to be started twice, so they are runts.

Anyways, the nurse thing kicks in, and I quick stick it back together and surgical tape the thing. After working all day, I look at the plant, and it looks like the top is still alive! Cautious

Time will tell. Hope I can get the tape off if this works!

Tomatoes seem pretty forgiving about accidents where you, say, try to bend the uncooperative cherry tomato just a little more since it didn't turn like the others and totally break it in half... and jam the broken off part in the potting soil anyhow... , or accidentally crack the stem when trying to wrangle a different lanky cherry tomato into a WallOWater... (Sorry, Chadwick! Sorry, Sweetie!)
Make sure your injured shark tomato gets enough water and I bet it'll recover swimmingly!
Oooh, I just read the description for that variety and it sounds like it would make awesome tomato jam!

If the tape doesn't come off easily, consider very careful application of nail scissors -- the small size and curved tip makes them nice for delicate plant surgeries.

Windmere 5/17/2016, 1:37 pm

Mmmm.... I agree with the post above about the Great White sounding delicious... I want to try that next year!

Well, I thought I'd post some of the progress of my tomatoes:

This one is a Gilbertie. I have a question for any Gilbertie growers: This tomato has been floppy ever since it germinated. It doesn't seem to be unhappy, but I'm just wondering if any of you have noticed the same thing...

Gilbertie
Tomato Tuesday 2016 - Page 4 Dscf7132

This one is Ace 55:
Tomato Tuesday 2016 - Page 4 Dscf7131

And this cutie is Lizzano. It's a semi-determinate, so it will not get more than 3 feet (or so). Last year, I gave all away all I raised. Everyone who got them marveled at how prolific they were... so, this year, I kept one of the seven I raised:
Tomato Tuesday 2016 - Page 4 Dscf7133

yolos 5/17/2016, 1:43 pm

Windmere wrote:This one is a Gilbertie. I have a question for any Gilbertie growers: This tomato has been floppy ever since it germinated. It doesn't seem to be unhappy, but I'm just wondering if any of you have noticed the same thing...

Gilbertie

Yep, same thing is happening to my Glbertie. Drooping when it gets hot, drooping when it rains, drooping when it gets cold, etc. Same thing is hapenning to my other paste tomato - Opalaka.

BeetlesPerSqFt 5/17/2016, 2:05 pm

yolos wrote:
Windmere wrote:This one is a Gilbertie. I have a question for any Gilbertie growers: This tomato has been floppy ever since it germinated. It doesn't seem to be unhappy, but I'm just wondering if any of you have noticed the same thing...
Yep, same thing is happening to my Glbertie. Drooping when it gets hot, drooping when it rains, drooping when it gets cold, etc. Same thing is hapenning to my other paste tomato - Opalaka.

Aha, my Opalaka, too! So probably not sick, just a moody variety, and will need extra support and reassurance - got it. thanks

countrynaturals 5/17/2016, 9:45 pm

Okay, here's my entry for the week. No toms yet, but most of my plants are in bloom. Here's the big fuzzy one:
Tomato Tuesday 2016 - Page 4 Tomato14

Here is the ferny dwarf. I've never had a dwarf tomato plant before. This should be interesting.
Tomato Tuesday 2016 - Page 4 Dwarf-10

**Scorpio Rising** 5/17/2016, 10:11 pm

Done for. No way to make any kind of union. Tried but she couldn't do it. I still have one. My loss was the runt that I had to re-start. Still bummed. Some of this stuff you cannot get in a nursery!

Country, are those planted in their forever homes? Nice!

Beetles, yeah, just didn't work out. Too complete of a severance.... Evil or Very Mad

Windmere, nice mater...I really wanted some tomato variety this year. So I have Ox Heart from little sapphire, Sungold cherries, a purple Cherokee, German green, and great white! I love tomatoes, there is nothing like a garden grown mater on a BLT , IMO!

**trolleydriver** 5/17/2016, 10:48 pm

My tomato seedlings got to spend time on the front porch today. They had a traumatic situation a couple of days ago when they were outside on a cold windy day. Nothing exotic in terms of varieties ... just Big Beef and Roma. I still have a couple of Sweet 100 seedlings indoors under the grow lights. I'm planning to transplant some of the tomatoes into the garden in about six days.

Tomato Tuesday 2016 - Page 4 IMG_1745_zpsmligjfyp

Tomato Tuesday 2016 - Page 4 IMG_1745_zpsmligjfyp

Tomato Tuesday 2016 - Page 4 IMG_1746_zpshba2pknu

**Scorpio Rising** 5/17/2016, 11:01 pm

Gorgeous! Nice plants, TD!

landarch 5/17/2016, 11:13 pm

trolley, very nice color and blemish free plants.

countrynaturals 5/17/2016, 11:34 pm

Scorpio Rising wrote:Done for. No way to make any kind of union. Tried but she couldn't do it. I still have one. My loss was the runt that I had to re-start. Still bummed. Some of this stuff you cannot get in a nursery!

Country, are those planted in their forever homes? Nice!

Beetles, yeah, just didn't work out. Too complete of a severance....

Windmere, nice mater...I really wanted some tomato variety this year. So I have Ox Heart from little sapphire, Sungold cherries, a purple Cherokee, German green, and great white! I love tomatoes, there is nothing like a garden grown mater on a BLT , IMO!

Bummer, Scorpio. Sad

I'm also doing a large variety this year cuz I've failed at everything but a cherry tomato 3 years ago. I don't know what I have going now, but there are 3-4 varieties. I also have 4th of July, Super Snow White Cherry, and Heirloom Crimson Cushion Beefsteak waiting in the wings. They're all in containers, in case I have to move them. The last 3 I'll plant on June 1 in small containers in case I have to bring them in from the summer heat. That's my problem every year. When the temps hit triple-digits they all go dormant. Gotta find a variety and location that works. study

reynajrainwater 5/17/2016, 11:49 pm

Here's today's tomato harvest, early girl, big boy, sun gold, black pearl, Italian ice & tumbling toms.
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**sanderson** 5/18/2016, 3:16 am

Country, I think everyone in Hot summer regions has the same problem with tomatoes and other heat sensitive plants. They are just like people, struggling to just survive until the heat wave is over. I get a second flush of beans, peppers, tomatoes, etc. once it drops below 100*F. PS: 95*F predicted for tomorrow. Shocked

PPS: I just noticed a beautiful tomato plant in the front color spot! A super healthy and fast growing volunteer from the compost.

yolos 5/18/2016, 8:00 am

My tomatoes are starting to set a lot of tomatoes. I have 8 tomatoes in my SFG (1 grape, 2 paste, 1 dwarf, 4 big slicers). But I also have what I think is a disease (as opposed to physiological) starting on some tomato leaves. Will have to take samples to the county extension office.

Juliet Grape Tomato - almost ready to start turning.
Tomato Tuesday 2016 - Page 4 Tomato21

Pictures of Diseased leaves.
Tomato Tuesday 2016 - Page 4 Tomaot10

My favorite LOOKING tomato. Trying it for the first time this year. It is planted in a large pot outside my back porch. New Big Dwarf. It is so pretty and stocky. I will have to see how it tastes.
Tomato Tuesday 2016 - Page 4 Tomato23

I also have 6 tomatoes planted outside my SFG that I am trellising up strings. So far I thought I had managed to remove all the suckers except two. But I see an extra one on this tomato. Now the decision becomes, take it off or let it go. Big Beef Hybrid
Tomato Tuesday 2016 - Page 4 Tomato24

BeetlesPerSqFt 5/18/2016, 9:28 am

Scorpio Rising wrote:Done for. No way to make any kind of union. Tried but she couldn't do it. I still have one. My loss was the runt that I had to re-start. Still bummed. Some of this stuff you cannot get in a nursery!

Country, are those planted in their forever homes? Nice!

Beetles, yeah, just didn't work out. Too complete of a severance....

Windmere, nice mater...I really wanted some tomato variety this year. So I have Ox Heart from little sapphire, Sungold cherries, a purple Cherokee, German green, and great white! I love tomatoes, there is nothing like a garden grown mater on a BLT , IMO!

Aww. Drat. Next time severe it the rest of the way and pop it in a glass of water ala ANSFG p159 - I imagine it would root the same as a side branch would... Oh - were there any leaves below the break that might yield a sucker to replace the main stem? I had a broken stem without leaves that tried hard to releaf, but it didn't work out, probably because it didn't have any leaves to fuel the effort. Boy do I wish I could have a real BLT... it'll be awhile yet. I didn't have tomatoes until August last year, but I think I'm ahead of last year, I hope.

Windmere 5/20/2016, 1:32 pm

A few moments ago, I was outside training the branches on my tomatoes to keep them off of the ground. I intend to be much more vigilant about that this year. I want to share a method that has really helped when dealing with pesky thick bottom branches that will snap if you try to bend them upward.

This Ace 55 is supported by an Ultomato cage. See how I was able to snap an arm upward to train that lower branch? Being able to move supports to accommodate the tomato instead of vice versa makes the process easier for me:
Tomato Tuesday 2016 - Page 4 Tomato10

I have this tomato planted in the corner of this box, so the PVC pipe acts as an additional support.

yolos 5/20/2016, 1:39 pm

Windmere - pretty neat idea. I just try to cut of the bottom branches. Of course that only works when the get enough upper branches to keep the plant healthy. When I have very few branches, I just cut off the part of the branch that is touching the soil.

Windmere 5/20/2016, 1:45 pm

yolos wrote:Windmere - pretty neat idea. I just try to cut of the bottom branches. Of course that only works when the get enough upper branches to keep the plant healthy. When I have very few branches, I just cut off the part of the branch that is touching the soil.

Our area being what it is, I'm am always terrified of cutting any branches. Here's why: It might be my imagination, but it seems like the minute I do that... blight, blight, blight.

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