Show Us Your Tomato!

[so lucky]

I'm getting concerned because my tomato plants don't have any small tomatoes on them anymore. Medium ones, and large/ripening ones, but no small. These aren't determinate tomatoes. I have a few blossoms on some, but no babies yet. I may be out of tomatoes by the end of August! I didn't think to start any late ones from seed; guess it is too late now.

 

[digitS']

. . . How's your Fireworks coming? Mine have a lot of fruit, small yet, but they probably won't get much bigger. . . . my first tomato seed saving experience
and I guess they seem a little more special to me because of it.

Where I got my Fireworks seed: "one of the largest, earliest red slicing tomatoes available . . . bright red fruit are 6 to 8 ozs" I don't think so. Tatiana's Tomatobase says they are 2 to 4 ounces. I was hoping for something that could push Early Girl off her throne. The plants are nice and healthy. There are a fair number of fruits and there was one of those "miserable" first ripeners - got tossed. I am hoping that the flavor description of "excellent" holds true and staying healthy thru the season - BIG pluses for that!

I don't mind small tomatoes . I like to eat tomatoes in the garden and don't like embarrassing myself trying to eat what I think of as a "lunch tomato" - a slicer. We can save the seed from Fireworks, Thistle'. Yes, it adds to the fun .

Steve

 

[Jared77]

Interesting Tomatofest speaks highly of Fireworks too. They say 2-2/2" and 8-12oz. and SUPER early. I'm really curious to see if it lives up to the hype.

 

[thistlebloom]

I don't know about super early. They don't show any more tendency to be changing than my others. I did notice today that the tomato in a tree pot that I planted for my son has a tomato that is starting to turn ever so slightly. It's a Japanese Black Trifele from my own seed. Except for the few varieties that I saved seed from, all of my others are the early ones recommended for northern gardeners by Tomatofest.

 

[Jared77]

Thistle what else did you plant from their list?

When I planted Black Krims I know it was August before I got my first Black Krim and that was in 2011 when I had them. They got huge, but they stayed green forever. I planted some this year and they are smaller but they are green too. When I had them too they seemed to color from the bottom up vs all over like I'd been used to.

 

[MontyJ]

I have tried a few early varieties over the years. It seems I grew one called iceburg? Iceland? It was pretty fast. Also grew one called Siberian. That one I remember. First time I ever had a ripe tomato in July. Bigger than a cherry tomato, but not by much. Maybe slightly smaller than a tennis ball if memory serves which, of course, is always in doubt

Anyway, I'm showing off this little Rutgers. I've not tried them before, but I think i might give them another go next year. I really like how uniform they are.



Dew says they make great fried green tomatoes...which could explain the lower than expected yields.

 

[journey11]

For the love of a ripe tomato! I wish mine would come ON already!

 

[Jared77]

Agreed!

 

[digitS']

I had planned to take a picture of the Fireworks plants when I was out in the garden this afternoon. But, there's really not much to show. There is another tomato on its way to ripening and several green fruits. Nothing more than that and not much fruit in and amongst the healthy foliage.

I've got ripening fruit all over the tomato patch right now! There are lots of cherries but the Goliath are ripening. Despite the name, all of my tomato plants are quite puny this year. I think I messed up fairly badly with the fertilizing regimen. The cool and cloudy to Hot may have discouraged the plants, also.

The Gold Dust are behaving in typical determinate fashion. All of a sudden, the foliage looks real bad! The plants are loaded with fruit but those plants are never going to recover from a harvest. I think I may as well get all of them off those 2 plants tomorrow & allow them to ripen in the kitchen.

Casey's is not in much better shape. Nothing is said about it being a determinate but it behaved this way last year. It is okay. Really, the Gold Rush is the only one listed as a determinate and there are several late varieties that have hardly made a good start yet. The indeterminates will also take up any slack.

MontyJ, I'm glad that Rutgers is looking better to you. Would a determinate help with your canning? New Yorker is one but, you need to know, this idea is just completely off the top of my head.

Steve

 

[MontyJ]

I do like determinates when it comes to canning, Steve, but it can sometimes bite me where it hurts. The summer, especially late summer, is my busiest time of year at work. I am often sent out of town, as I am this week. If I were to be out of town when harvest hit, Dew would have to bare the brunt of the tomato storm alone. I wouldn't wish that on anyone. I have to find a happy medium in a variety that bares heavily several times. The two I have been using for years, Better Boy and Big Boy, are well suited for my canning schedule...or my schedule is well suited to those two...but I want to switch to a couple of heirloom varieties for the sake of seed saving. Now that I see how Rutgers behaves, I might be able to prompt it into better production next year, or simply increase the number of plants in the ground. Extra plants leads to more staking and tying, hence more time needed; something that is a commodity this time of year.