First Ripe Tomatoes

[Pam]

I picked my first ripe tomato on Friday, and I just picked two more today. They're Stupice tomatoes, and I do plant them as my early tomatoes. Now, they're not great big tomatoes, but by golly they're ripe home grown tomatoes, and they taste so good!

I thought the cold spring we had would put all the tomatoes off schedule, but those hardy little Stupice will produce in spite of the cold weather.

 

[hector]

Congrats!

I've been growing tomatoes for several years, and they can be quite tricky if weather conditions are anything but ideal. I used to plant a lot more than I needed, just in case some of the plants died, and then didn't know what to do with all of them...

But nothing beats the flavor of a ripe, gorgeous, home grown tomaatoe... enjoy them!

 

[POTAWIE]

Nothing beats having early fresh tomotoes and peppers. I got a tiny tim just about to turn red but I can't wait for some big ones.

 

[Pepp3rFreak]

Fresh tomatoes already? I'm so jealous!! I'll trade your weather for mine any day We're fixin to get a cold frost tonight so I'm very glad I haven't planted anything outside yet.

 

[Pam]

Fresh tomatoes already? I'm so jealous!! I'll trade your weather for mine any day We're fixin to get a cold frost tonight so I'm very glad I haven't planted anything outside yet.

Ha! Yeah, say that when it's 100 F with 90% humidity around here.

I pass by your way in August to escape some of the heat. The Puppies O'Thunder and I head for upstate New York for a bit of canoodling before we all go to Vermont for a weekend of cavorting and overeating with Internet perverts and ax murders.

 

[Pam]

Congrats!

I've been growing tomatoes for several years, and they can be quite tricky if weather conditions are anything but ideal. I used to plant a lot more than I needed, just in case some of the plants died, and then didn't know what to do with all of them...

You can buy a lot of good karma by sharing a home grown tomato. I always plant more than I could possibly eat, but I like having different varieties and different sizes. And, of course, I share, that's part of the fun for me.

But nothing beats the flavor of a ripe, gorgeous, home grown tomaatoe... enjoy them!

Oh believe me, I'm enjoying them. I don't even bother with grocery store tomatoes. Every now and then you get a tasty one, but mostly they have no flavor.

 

[Pam]

Nothing beats having early fresh tomotoes and peppers. I got a tiny tim just about to turn red but I can't wait for some big ones.

Oh yeah, I can't wait for that first big tomato either. Fresh mozzarella, fresh tomato, fresh basil.....yum!

 

[DevilDuck]

Fresh tomatoes already? I'm so jealous!! I'll trade your weather for mine any day We're fixin to get a cold frost tonight so I'm very glad I haven't planted anything outside yet.

...and that's why I don't live up there anymore.

 

[bentalphanerd]

Beware the cherry tomato...I grew one last year in my old chook shed (now herb garden) - it got out through the cage wall, climbed on top of the roof & grew to such mass that two of the cross beams broke. On the plus side I was getting about 1 kg a week of sweet cherry tomatoes off it before a wind storm broke it's main stem.

Have replaced the beams on the chook shed & now growing another one in the same spot

 

[the666bbq]

I've got mixed feelings with this forum - lots of interesting stuff but all those messages of dudes picking pods and tomatoes already... not really influencing the motivation of this Belgian chilehead in the good way ;-)

 

[bentalphanerd]

I've got mixed feelings with this forum - lots of interesting stuff but all those messages of dudes picking pods and tomatoes already... not really influencing the motivation of this Belgian chilehead in the good way ;-)

Sorry to say the666bbq we're heading into winter here, but given that its now mid may and still t-shirt weather through the night, I'm going to try to grow straight through.

You packing your bags yet

 

[POTAWIE]

Beware the cherry tomato...I grew one last year in my old chook shed (now herb garden) - it got out through the cage wall, climbed on top of the roof & grew to such mass that two of the cross beams broke. On the plus side I was getting about 1 kg a week of sweet cherry tomatoes off it before a wind storm broke it's main stem.

Have replaced the beams on the chook shed & now growing another one in the same spot

Sounds big. Even in containers the cherry tomatoes go crazy. One plant produced enough for my family and many friends last year

 

[Pam]

Hey bentalphanerd and Potawie, what varieties of cherry tomatoes did you grow?

I'm growing Black Cherry and I always grow Yellow Current tomatoes, but I usually don't grow a lot of cherry tomatoes because I love the big ones so much.

 

[POTAWIE]

In containers I grow TinyTims and MicroToms and I'm trying a few RedRobins this year. I'm growing some BlackCherries for the garden and they are getting huge in their pots in the greenhouse. I'm also trying some Principe Borghese that I got from Luigi in Italy which are said to be great for sundrying.
I never tried the yellow currant tomatoes, are they very sweet?

 

[Pam]

I never tried the yellow currant tomatoes, are they very sweet?

The problem with current tomatoes is that they never make it into the house. I walk around the yard popping them into my mouth like little bonbons.

 

[RedThumb]

Hey Pam,

What would you recommend for tasty sweet tomatos?

This is my first year growing them & I was overwhelmed by the choices that could be ordered. Unfortunatley they are all described by their visual characteristics rather than by taste.

I wound up getting whatever Home depot carries:
Early Girl Hybrid
Pink Beefsteak
Bush Goliath Hybrid

It's funny but the "Early Girl" is the only one that has not flowered yet. Must be a late one.

 

[bentalphanerd]

Hey bentalphanerd and Potawie, what varieties of cherry tomatoes did you grow?

I have no idea of the variety Pam - I got it as a seedling with a sticker just saying "Cherry Tomato" - It does look a lot like the one in Potawie's post & grows at least an inch per day. I think it likes the chook poo.

 

[POTAWIE]

I personally try to grow only heirloom or open pollinated tomatoes altough I do have a couple giant Supersteak hybrids from Woody this year. For a really well illustrated book with good descriptions buy "100 Heirloom Tomatoes for the American Garden" by Carolyn J. Male. It describes 100 good varieties and it'll have you thinking twice about store-bought seedlings or your typical seeds.

 

[Pam]

Hey Pam,

What would you recommend for tasty sweet tomatos?

This is my first year growing them & I was overwhelmed by the choices that could be ordered. Unfortunatley they are all described by their visual characteristics rather than by taste.

I wound up getting whatever Home depot carries:
Early Girl Hybrid
Pink Beefsteak
Bush Goliath Hybrid

It's funny but the "Early Girl" is the only one that has not flowered yet. Must be a late one.

I'm with Potawie, I prefer open pollinated and heirloom tomatoes. I think they have better flavor. One thing I have learned about them, though, is that it is best to get varieties that will do well in your part of the world. I'm in South Carolina, the Great Mildew State, so I try and get varieties that can stand heat and humidity and have some disease resistance to fungi and blights. I get a lot of my seeds from places like Southern Exposure Seed Exchange (http://www.southernexposure.com/index.html)because they carry varieties that do well in the South and Seed Savers (www.seedsavers.org) because they have so many great heirlooms.

That being said, I am trying a hybrid this year, Brandy Boy. I love Brandywine tomatoes, but it's almost too hot here for them to do well. If we have a coolish summer, I get lots of Brandywines. If it's hot... not so much. So, I'm trying Brandy Boy because it's supposed to give me Brandywine flavor in a more heat resistant plant.

You might try http://vegvariety.cce.cornell.edu/ to see what people who actually grew and tasted the tomatoes think of different varieties, and what people in your area are growing.

As to what I'm growing, let's see: Yellow Current, Black Cherry, Box Car Willie, Mexico, Amelia, Brandy Boy, Uncle Bagby's Best, Tropic, Nepal, Sara's Galapagos Cherry, Ponderosa, Stupice, and...um.. something else. I'll have to get my list when I get home.

 

[POTAWIE]

I'm trying some Giant Belgiums this year which are suppossidly so sweet that some make wine from them, and they can get from 2-5 pounds. I've found that most large slicing tomatoes have little taste so I'll have to see how this one compares.