Thursday, July 15, 2010

Tomato Update - A Bit of Color

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What a difference a few weeks make. My indeterminate tomatoes are over 6 feet tall now. Strange to think that less than a month ago, they were only 18 inches in height. The vines have already reached the top of my trellis. At this rate, they will be toppling over by August.

Cherokee Purple Tomatoes
It's taken a LONG time but a few of my slicing tomatoes are now starting to change color. My Cherokee purple tomatoes are cracking like crazy! Granted it rained a lot in the past 24 hours but they started to crack before this. Also, I would find it difficult to believe that I've been over-watering them. Does any one know what's causing this?

Black Krim
The Black Krim tomatoes look an awful lot like the Cherokees. I wonder how their taste will compare.

Black Cherry
The Black Cherry tomatoes are rather large compared to the others. I've heard so many great things about the darker varieties. We'll see if they live up to their reputation.

Red Siberian Tomato
I expected my Red Siberian Tomatoes to be the first to ripen but I was dead wrong. In this case, the seed packet lied! They are prolific though.

Clear Pink Early Tomato
I'm guessing that this Clear Pink Early tomato will be the first slicer to ripen. I will check on it every day.

cherry tomatoes
Can you spot the odd ball? My Sungold tomatoes are ripening in larger numbers now. Super sweet, we love snacking on them. The other day, Marc asked me why they had such a strong smell to them. I told him that's how a fresh ripe tomato is supposed to smell!

The odd ball is Couer de Pigeon Jaune, the seed of which was given to me by my pal Winnie. It's not very sweet but still quite delicious.

Amish Paste Tomatoes
Finally, the Amish Paste tomatoes are still bright green but I wanted to photograph them anyway. I love the shape of these tomatoes and the plant seems to produce rather abundantly. They should make for excellent sauce.

Update - I just found this great little article about concentric cracking. I guess it is common during hot spells (which we've certainly had lately) and is a result of several things (hot temperatures, the fruit being exposed to excessive light and sudden changes in moisture level. I think I'll add extra mulch to the tomato beds and try to water more regularly.

24 comments:

  1. I believe Black Krim tends to crack, wonder the labels are mixed up?

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  2. Mac - they are both cracking but the Cherokees more severely. I just hope they don't crack wide open.

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  3. Your tomatos are looking great! Not sure about the cracking. Ours had blossom end rot.

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  4. My Cherokees look perfect (so far), but my Amish Paste has just one tomato on it, and my Sungold looks like your Couer de Pigeon Jaune!

    Your vines all look so lush and healthy! Not that I would expect anything less from your garden :-)

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  5. I am soooo jealous! We got a really late start this year because I was busy dealing with crazy parents. So ours are just starting to get a few green tomatoes forming. I sure hope we don't get an early frost this fall!

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  6. You know, Thomas, I've found that the more I starve my tomatoes for water, the better they do for some odd reason. It just rained here for the first time in a month and everything is cracking also. They're still good, you've just got to use them fast!

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  7. Tomato plants are looking very healthy. Bottom leaves on mine started to turn brown, but fruits are in perfect condition (so far).

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  8. You are about to launch into tomato heaven! Lots of good fruit development on all those plants. I have some Siletz fruits but the other plants are just forming tiny fruits on them. We are hard pressed to get tomatoes to grow here because of the cool and more often than not overcast conditions in the summer. As Rebecca said... I sure hope we don't get an early frost this year.

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  9. I don't know why they're cracking, but they all look great to me! :)

    Have a good weekend!

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  10. Perhaps your slicing tomatoes are simply creating lines for your knife to follow?

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  11. The heirloom tomato that looks perfect is very rare... don't worry about it! Most heirlooms are either cracked up top or green, the flavor is unmatched though! Hence the reason for hybrids, people decided they wanted perfect looking tomatoes and they have been bred and manipulated to resist this and other things, but the heirlooms retain the genes that only nature provided, just enjoy!

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  12. Turling - lol....you crack me up. A smart tomato...I like it!

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  13. Your tomato's and the rest of your garden is looking wonderful! Sadly, my new garden (all the raised beds) are doing poorly, so, the bulk of the veg is not producing. However, my corn and pumpkins which I planted in the old garden are thriving!
    Looks like I'll be hitting the farmer's market this year until I can get my soil levels corrected..

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  14. You have quite a few changing color! My tom's are like KitsapFG, a few bigger siletz's and lots of tiny green late season ones. I think the cracking is caused by uneven moisture. Lots of dry/hot weather followed by lots of rain is the biggest culprit. If you water daily when you have a hot spell it should help. Either way it is nothing a pairing knife can't fix.

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  15. Looking good, Thomas! Concentric cracking on tomatoes drove me crazy last year.

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  16. Your tomatoes look great Thomas...and the plants are massive! I can't wait until ours are that big! : )

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  17. I adore my black tomatoes (Black Krim are my favorite) though they never produce as heavily as my other heirlooms they always have a place in my bed.

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  18. Your maters look great! Amish Paste are my favorite variety of tomato since I primarily grow them for sauce making and not fresh eating! My black varieties were the first to turn for me, too!

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  19. Your tomatoes look great! I wish that I could see mine. We are still away and won't be home until Tuesday. Word from home is that almost 20 lbs of tomatoes have been harvested since we left! I have been having cracking in my larger tomatoes as well.

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  20. i have been away way too long !!!

    loved seeing your tomatoes...wish i could reach in the screen...and hold one...

    i am having tostados tonight..i could use a good tomato :- )

    i've missed you. my friend
    sending summer best wishes

    kary

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  21. I am really becoming upset by the lack of fruit set on all my tomatoes. Only the hybrids are continuing to produce, all heirlooms have the brown dying blossoms. :(

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  22. Your tomato plants are looking really healthy! I predict in a couple of weeks you'll be swimming in tomatoes and thinking "I can't believe I was worried they'd never make." What a large variety you're growing as well (if I recall correctly from a previous post, something like 21 varieties??).

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  23. Nice healthy lush plants! Soon you'll be drowning in tomatoes. Thanks for the update on the concentric cracking. Black tomatoes do that for me often and never knew why.

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