What was/is your first Tomato?

Here in Upstate (NW) SC, my first ripe fruit was from my Marglobe, and was picked yesterday. Made me wonder how others are doing, and what came in first, and where. This was from one of two plants (purchased) I set out in early April, the Marglobe, and a Kellogg's Breakfast. The Marglobe is loaded, and I'm hoping from consistent access to ripe ones. The KB has quite a bit of fruit, but none seem near ripe. Of course, there may be some deep in the very thick foliage that are hiding. I hope I'll suddenly see yellow/orange in the near future. Marglobe is one of my favorites, have been since I first planted them, but I've never actually eaten a KB :)

I'm a ways away from this year's first pick, but my first tomato is usually either Stupice or Jaune Flamme, and both of those are good at continuing to produce right through summer's variable weather. I've planted 'Fourth of July' a couple of times, but it wasn't earlier than Stupice. Sometimes cherry types will start producing sooner, but I'm assuming we're talking about "real" tomatoes. :-)

Nyagous-which is supposed to have the longest DTM, was the first ripe, even before Stupice and Bloody Butcher. I'm tired of trying to make sense of this.
Lisa

Poor Lisa :). Yeah, they'll outfox ya every time. As soon as you think you've got a handle on it...

Yes, critterologist, I meant "real" tomatoes. The cherries are always earlier for me. Thanks for clarifying :)

My first (and last-producing, too) is always St. Pierre, but I've planted Jaune Flammé this year for the first time and I'll see whether it beats out St. Pierre. My Petit Moineau, which is a currant-type, already has tiny tomatoes on it, but the others just have blossoms. I sowed them in flats on 3/15 and planted them out in the garden on 5/11. We were having some very cold nights up until then!

No tomatoes here so far, just blossoms.

I just got back from vacation and found a few babies! Small ones, of course, but for NY, that ain't bad! So far I've got babies on3 unknowns, 2 of which are probably Egg Yolk, a Striped Turkish, Pasture Cherry, an Egg Yolk, and 2 of Ozark's crosses. The ST has doubled in size over night and we are optimistically expecting it to continue that progress. I also picked another 300 snow peas, having picked close to that many right before we went camping. Very nice in stir fry.

My first ripe one this year is a Heatwave, but it probably doesn't count because it's from a wintered over plant.
Next up is Jolly, which i don't know if it's a cherry or not. It's on the small side.

In previous year, Stupice was always the first ones to produce and ripen.

(Congrats on the snow peas, Sequee, I'm going to do a fall planting of those this year.)

Bloody Butcher planted 03/04 started with the first red ripe tomato on 05/10. Within the same week, Sophie's Choice and Polar Star also ripened.

A ripe tomato! I'm still hoping to have some by the 4th of July!

I have plenty of green ones, and they are getting bigger and bigger. The plants are now a little taller than I am, and surprisingly, the flowers are not falling off dispite the August 90+ degree weather we are having. Every day I see new baby maters right at eye level - how handy ^_^

It's been raining heavily every afternoon for the past few days right around 5-6 p.m. The garden is loving every drop that falls.

Have been getting Cherry tomatoes for the last two weeks. Planted them all the first part of April this year. They were Sun sugar, Black Pearl and Matt's Wild Cherry. Have only harvested one "real " tomatoes and that was a Black From Tula... The Kellogg's Breakfast, Aunt Ruby's German Green and Red Pear Periform are all loaded with green tomatoes, but none of those are near ripe. The Black tomato was a great one and I am looking forward to a few more in the near future.

It's going to be a photo finish on my end there are so many darn green ones not even ready to turn yet it's anybodies game. I am upset because my 4 Stupic's got crushed by my overly happy, heavy footed Cocker Spaniel this year so the new seedlings don't have a chance this year.

Danko beat Pruden's Purple by one day. Then Anna Russian, Indian Stripe and Paul Robeson(pictured) about a week later. Brandywine and Orange Minsk ripening. Can't wait!

Dang that is my favorite tomato. Doing pretty good considering all the plant problems you are having.

Wow - looks yummy! Haven't tried that one, but I sure do love the flavor of the dark ones!

With all the varieties you've grown I'm surprised you haven't tried PR before. If you like the darker ones you should definitely give them a try next planting.

If it counts, black cherry was my first. I had other cheryy tomatoes, like sweet millions before that, but black cherry takes longer than the little red ones and is the first one I consider a 'real' tomato

Ray-Please don't mention PP. That was the plants that died along with Mule Team.
But there might be one in the greens garden that was from my "mystery" container. The seeds I find everywhere and can't throw away so they are all put in one container and its like a grab bag.

From the green ones out there it will be Early Girl and GoldenBoy coming in second & Boxcar Willie coming in 3rd! The plants are looking so much better than last years. Loads of blooms and growing like weeds!

Ray - i obviously can't read. i thought that was the Danko you had in the photo. Duh'm! I have not tried the PR yet, though I do have the seeds. I started them twice, but once the seedling tray got dumped and stomped on and earlier this season I have a tray of 18 seedlings disappear from the seedling tray overnight, the suspect being mousies in the basement!

Those Mule Team must be some kinda fussy seedlings. This is the second year in a row they didn't survive plant-out. And I was sooo looking to try those, too!

4 cats and a ratter, but i usually keep them OUT of the basement! Wouldn't want them to make a mess. I did leave the basement door open for a few days after that and was rewarded with more than a few gifts!

House helper knocked the seedling trays over then stepped all over them while trying to clean up. She's no longer allowed to "help" in the sunroom during seedling time. (And she's not allowed to weed in the garden either. Last year she pulled out 2 rows of peas and the melon patch. I'm afraid I got a might testy with her...)

Ray-throwing out the unknown seeds is self control. Sequee and I don't have much self control regarding tomatoes.

I'm still recovering from the va'pahs over that one! Lordy, lordy - using throw away and seed in the same sentence. I do believe you can go to the hot place underground for that one!

sequee..... you "got a might testy with the helper"?? After all that damage, I'd say she got off easy!

LarryD

Yeah - it's a darn good thing the pets love her and she likes to do housework - which I hate. And she's actually coming along with the garden,as long as I don't let her near it when I'm not home! I even gave her a couple of her very own plants this year - her first EVER! (I probably should run over and check on them one of these days. For all I know she pulled out the veggies and is watering the weeks!)

How ya doing old friend? Seems like we have "spoken" in a gazillion years! Hope you and your beautiful wife are doing well!

I can't throw them away, either. Seeds would be dificult, but plants, impossible. This year I ran out of homes for my extra heirloom babies. Seems rural SC isn't all that interested in GWR, purple, orange and striped 'maters.

Dave's to the rescue!! I found someone near me who kindly gave them homes, and I hope they'll produce for them :). Need to see if she wants any peppers....

OH!! Yesterday I was out communing with the 'maters, and found the largest fruit I've ever grown. It's Kellogg's Breakfast, and it will fill my cupped hands. I'm sure it isn't any kind of out of the ordinary size, but for me, it's a monster *G*. I was so surprised I kept going back to be sure I wasn't dreaming. Of course, when we had the hail warnings I was terrified, but, for now, all is well.....

I collect all my extra seeds in a container marked Misc Unk and those are the seeds I play with in the winter. When I get bored and want to watch something grow, I will plant a few and see what happens. I don't expect those to make it so plant-out, but the ones that do tend to be my earlies. I must have had a hole in my MS-5 packet, because I've sure ended up with alot of those in my trial garden! Good thing I love them!

Oh, yeah - I used to give away loads of tomatoes, but now I give them plants instead (too?). It's amazing how many people have never grown a tomato, but if you present them with a seedling and a 10-gallon pot, they can become addicted in a mere season! (If you listen carefully, you can hear the evil laugh of the enabler in the background. "Looks like I've hooked another.")

Ironically, for the determinates it is 1st Pick. And for the ID's it is Kellogg's Breakfast. Both last night after work. I don't have any really large tomatoes this year. Yet, anyway. My understanding is that this is a really hard growing conditions on tomatoes here in TX this year. Gee, time to start some plants for fall!

Kellogg's beefsteak IS a biggie, no?

It sure is for me *G*! I just can't wait for it to color....

The heirloom "babies" I gave away _were_ plants. I'm not ready to give away tomatoes until i've et my fill,which may be never.....

I thought when I read the descriptions that Kellogg's should have large sized tomatoes. This first one for me was of average size at best. But maybe it is just getting started. The plant is loaded with greenies. The temps have been up in the 90's for weeks now. I'm still happy to have ANY tomato! Some big ones would be nice, though.

The big one I found was not one of the first ones to set. The first ones are more what I expected, but this one was about midway up, and well covered with foliage :)
There's hope :)

I've always heard that the earliest ones are neither the largest nor the tastiest. (It's lucky we are all Jonesing from the off season - the first ones usually bring me close to tears..."OMG, OMG - these are soooooo goood!") You gals have me salivating!

This message was edited Jun 17, 2010 12:36 PM

I suspect that that's why my first one was just so good. It probably wouldn't even get a glance later in the season, but for now, it rocks !
#2 today:)

I'm sure it will continue to knock your socks off!

Golden Jubilee and "Holiday Elf" grape tomatoes. I didn't think much of the Jubilee things (not much flavor), but loved growing the grape tomatoes. I planted about 20 seeds directly into the ground and they must have all sprouted. I remember filling grocery bags with vine-ripened grape tomatoes and giving them to friends when the stores were selling them for $4 a pint. Then the birds discovered my yard and started eating them (and pooping red stuff on my yellow house). Eventually the bugs and nematodes discovered my yard and growing became a little more complex.

My favorites so far a Costoluto Genovese and Opalka.

Just had my first taste of Jolly today. Good flavor but a bit mealy....and TOO SMALL! :oP