• Everything other than hot peppers. Questions, discussion, and grow logs. Cannabis grow pics are only allowed when posted from a legal juridstiction.

Tomato Harvest

W

wordwiz

Finally got around to being able to pick more than 1-3 tomatoes at a time. Several were rotten and a bunch are close but not quite ripe yet. Still managed to snag 25 pounds, thanks in large part to beefsteaks that are huge. A bit of BER on a couple of plants, some have cracks, but they are all going to juice. A couple looked ripe but will be left on the outdoor table to ripen up a bit.

If we can get some dry, warmer weather, I should have a bumper crop!

Mike
 
I've let my mater plants go...late blight and heat got to all of them....will be pulling them up tomorrow and making room for my peppers to spread out...

good luck WW...
 
I'm making sauce and salsa today out of all my extra toms. I've been eating lots and giving some away but I'm getting to the point I have to process them before they go bad
 
AlabamaJack said:
I've let my mater plants go...late blight and heat got to all of them....will be pulling them up tomorrow and making room for my peppers to spread out...

good luck WW...
Click to expand...

AJ,

I'm trying a couple of toms that are blight tolerant - if they are tasty I'll send you some seeds next spring.

Mike
 
I've added another 45 pounds in the last two days, bringing my harvest to 70 pounds for the week. Lost a couple of pounds because they grew around the stem. I have three or four Roma plants that are just plain loaded but none are quite ripe yet - the tops are still yellowish.

Mike
 
My 70 pounds of tomatoes produced 23 quarts of juice with a glass left over. I threw away enough bad parts of the toms which shouldn't happen in the future - some BER, some cracks, some parts that were not ripe enough, and my wife gave a couple away that I probably would have 24 quarts.

The bottom line is the ones I am growing are above average juicers. A bushel of maters - generally regarded as 53-54 pounds is supposed to produce 14-15 quarts of juice, or 3.5 to 3.8 pounds of the red fruit per quart of juice. Mine took 3.04 pounds to make a quart.

The HUGE problem I face now is that I don't have enough 2 liter plastic bottles. I need a total of about 100, I have 35. I prefer not having to use Mason jars but it looks like I may not have a choice.

Mike
 
It's been since Wednesday so some more are ripe. Snagged 68 pounds. The beefsteaks are huge, the Siletz plentiful. But I'm getting a couple dozen Romas at a time and the Red Zebra - they are producing faster than aphids. They weigh only about 3-4 ounces each but I probably picked 4 dozen off three plants. Too many seeds for the normal person to eat raw or for me to can whole but do they ever pack a bunch of juice.

Mike
 
Sounds like things are going well for you Mike. My sister grew 2 Romas last season and by the end of September there were a TON. I am sure they are just getting warmed up for you. By any chance can we get a shot of your garden? Do you do Florida Weave or was that someone else?
 
Josh,

I'll try to get some pics tomorrow. Did the Florida Weave on most of the garden but it didn't work on the Romas. My bad - they stayed real short and ten fell over the string. But it is working a treat for the others, though every once in a while a mater grows into the string. I plan on modifying it in my greenhouse this winter.

Mike
 
Hey Mike -

Any chance you can direct me to a tutorial on how to make a tomato cage or a Florida Weave, mate? This country is behind in most things and sensible gardening methods is one of them! :lol::lol:
 
Sure did - thanks! :lol:

Now to find one on the cages...and then figure out which is best, but that's a new thread entirely!

Hey Mike....

How about those pics, mate? ;)
 
Pickin' and Grinnin'

Since Thursday evening, I have picked 104 pounds of vine ripe tomatoes. Actually a bit more - probably tossed 6-8 pounds because they were bad or creatures had taken a bite or two, plus a few pounds I gave to my neighbors.

But good news/bad news... the back row is the one that has the plants with the largest toms, at least for the most part. Twenty plants or so, loaded with 8-14 ounce toms (except the Romas, but they have dozens of toms on each plant) that are just starting to turn. And they are still blooming!

I'm up to 250 pounds on the season and should have at least a month, maybe six weeks to go. There is an outside chance, that if we get a good September and a late October frost, I could hit the 1,000 pound mark on the season.

Mike
 
Kevin,

Been a killer weekend. Have to do a Football Preview: nine teams, reviews of nine teams, schedules, new rules, etc. The only reason I picked the maters last night is because I knew it will be at least tomorrow evening, but probably Tuesday before I get a chance to get some more.

I promise - pics once this ordeal is over!

Mike
 
Had to get some more picked, but only got two of the three rows. The one I didn't get have the biggins! But brought in 68 pounds, bringing my total for the year (not counting what we have eaten and given away) to 318 pounds.

Mike
 
One hundred seventy pounds in a week!

Went out this evening and picked 102 pounds of maters to go with the 68 I got Monday. Brings me up to 441 pounds for the year. A few plants still have blooms and there are lots of green/semi-red fruits still on the vines. Probably will not make it close to 1,000 pounds but after this evening, the only use I will have for them is to preserve salsa (nine cups today) and whole tomatoes.

Mike
 
wordwiz said:
Went out this evening and picked 102 pounds of maters to go with the 68 I got Monday. Brings me up to 441 pounds for the year. A few plants still have blooms and there are lots of green/semi-red fruits still on the vines. Probably will not make it close to 1,000 pounds but after this evening, the only use I will have for them is to preserve salsa (nine cups today) and whole tomatoes.

Mike
Click to expand...

Great work wordwiz!
 
They are starting to slow down - so far this week, I've only picked about 50 pounds but I still have a couple of rows to go. Doubt I can get to 100 pounds for the week, but I should come close. Not complaining, I need three more quarts of juice to reach the century mark, then will set my sights on 21-28 quarts of whole tomatoes. After that, salsa.

Mike
 
Great job Mike! My tomatoes have been kind of disappointing this year. Too many have been rotten. So I have been eating up the ones I do get along with making some salsa. Hopefully next year will be better.
 
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