OSU Blue growing well

A DG member kindly sent me some seeds of OSU Blue and I'm happy to report that the plants are doing well.

Honey, I just answered you in a thread above about your comment that your foliage was blue, and I showed you some Google Images showing not, and now I look at your pictures and the foliage isn't blue for OSU Blue OR OSU Blue P20, and I see your foliage isn't purple tinted either, which is correct for OSU Blue.

Carolyn

Carolyn, the leaves are tinted purple/blue when the sun isn't shining. Today they look very green. A few days ago, they definitely had more of a purple tint.

The weather has increased in temperature quite a bit over the past few days, perhaps that has something to do with the color change, too. It also rained late yesterday afternoon, so perhaps the nitrogen in the air made the leaves turn green.

If the leaves go back to their purple tint, I'll try to get a photo.

Honey, have you looked at the post and Google images I posted in that other thread. If you had I think you would have posted in that thread as well. b'c I tried to explain about blue fruits with regular non purple foliage and the ones that some breeders have showed pictures of and some are growing and have also showed pictures of that DO show purple stems and foliage.

Carolyn, now going to take a nap b'c it's too darn hot and humid here right now. LOL

HoneybeeNC
I planted Oso Blue last year and I agree with you.
Yes the leaves/trunk were a little purple/bluish color.
I gave away the seeds this year ... I was not impressed by this tomato.
I might just not be good with blue tomatoes. Indigo Rose is stunted ! The only one in my garden !

Below pictures of the Oso Blue from last year. It just produced a few fruits.

Keep reporting your results.

Even though they are a tomato ,that could have to do with climate specialization. The name indicates those where developed for a specified condition of climate,Probably like some they don't like the hot or cold or soil conditions out of the conditions they were bred for. Kinda new yet as things go over time there will be more variations and adaptations.

After all that is what gardeners do.

Well how are they now?Update maybe?

They are still looking very much like they did in the photo. Will keep y'all posted.

I grew them successfully too. They were blue where the sun hit and orange or red beneath.

passiflora_pink; I take from that they do well in the heat? how about water ,any difference? And when and how did you start them?

I was about to ask what color they are supposed to be when ripe, but I see passiflora_pink has already pointed out that they are orange or red. I have a couple that are soft to the touch, but are in orange color - so I assume they are ripe. I guess I better go pick them!

I'm used to growing tomatoes that turn bright red when ripe!

I got them from Hirt's nursery, through Amazon. They actually shipped 4 seedlings through the mail. I also started blue tomatoes from seed: Bosque Blue--which were not blue at all, and Indigo Rose which were blue with blue stems. Here is a pic of OSU blue, then Bosque "blue", and Indigo Rose which turned out darkest:

passiflora_pink - thanks for sharing your photos. My OSU Blue look the same as yours. I'll try for a photo either later today, or early in the morning. I've found my photos look better if I take them when the fruit is in the shade.

I picked a couple of OSU Blue this morning and ate one. It was quite juicy, but didn't have much of a flavor. I'm hoping some of the larger ones will have a bolder taste.

I think I will have to give these a try sometime.

You bought tomato plants at Amazon? I didn't realise they sold plants, I have seen plenty of seeds.

Ok, I went and looked at Amazon and Hirts sells quite a few different tomato plants. Is this a trusted source to order tomato plants from? I will deffinately order in the future if it is. Thanks!

Honeybee I have noted the OSU blue are cool to look at but not flavorful. I probably wont grow them next year. They are cool to look at though. Same with IR...and the IR are small compared w/ OSU.

Hirt's hasn't disappointed me yet and I've ordered several times (trees & shrubs). This was the first time I bought tomatoes. They were packaged with just crumpled newspaper so I am surprised they made it but I carefully unpacked and hydrated the 4 plants and they did fine. Once they mistakenly sent me a golden shadows dogwood when I had ordered a golden glory smoke bush but they promptly sent me the correct plant with apologies and told me to keep the dogwood. I will use them again.

Thanks. I have ordered seed from Hirts thru Amazon, I just never thought of plants.

Here's a photo of OSU Blue as it is ripening on the vine

After trying several of these OSU Blue's I've decided I don't like them!

Hmm... If I put the ripe fruit down by the fence do you think the squirrels would eat these and leave my other tomatoes alone?

Once squirrels decide they like something it hard to say what they might do. We have a few red, and now the Black Bavarian squirrel has come from the north.They are pretty but maybe the hotter weather will drive them back north,supposedly they like the cooler climates.

Yeah it is me again about heirlooms ,it seems I am going back to them as it all I ever find I can grow.I have had a few yellow tomatoes and my red ones are still a while off.
The weather service says this is going to continue for years to come,so I have been collecting some tomato seeds that are suppose to do well in the heat and drought."broad ripple yellow cherry","sugar lump red cherry",seem to be good plants but not much production from either so far.
Here's a photo of my one good plant this year, that Ester Hess that tastes like the yellow tomatoes my grandparents use to grow.6ft and growing, I'm hoping for a least a few hundred tomatoes from this one." I know the cage is extreme"...

I almost forgot to add a thank you for the update and review.It is interesting ti know while considering and contemplating.

Blue on top and pink on the bottom...
Birds did peck so I went and gottom.
It may be blue but it gave me cheer...
The first tomato I picked this year!

Be sure to let them get real ripe. I have grown them a couple of years in the past (not this year) and I like them alot. They have a different flavor, that's for sure, but it grows on you. LOL

These tomato plants will not quit!

They are producing baskets full of fruit. I'm turning them into tomato juice and giving away fruit to my neighbor.

The birds and tortoise like them!

2 years ago I grew OSU Blues. They grew the best of any other tomato that I grew and we ate loads of them. Both my husband and I really like them. You do have to let them sit out and get ripe to enjoy them, but I think that is true with any tomato, to get their full flavor.

Now, this year, I have only one growing, and so far it is just starting to produce. It is a lot smaller than the ones I grew previously, so we will see what happens. The heat is here and they are all growing fast now and putting on fruit.

The OSU Blue were my last winter crop and produced very well. The blue color is only before they ripen, then they are black, and red where the sun didn't directly hit. The leaves had a slight purplish hue to them.The taste is better when you let them ripen on the counter for a few days after picking. Then the root knot nematodes got to them....

This message was edited Aug 5, 2012 10:47 PM

I was giving away some excess produce to a group I belong to, and had written the varietal names on them with a delible (is that a word?) pen. One lady, examining an tomato, asked me how they had gotten them to grow with that "OSU Blue" written on them!

I believe is the word is "indelible". I don't think that ink is edible. Some say the this tomato is inedible. ^_^

Oh! Whoops! So it WAS edible!

^_^

We could probably make a good crossword puzzle using words beginning with in- that don't have matching antonyms (at least not in my dictionary).

-ane
-cantation
-cendiary
-cessant
-cursion
and so forth.

Strange when the ink is edible but the tomato isnt. lol

I'm not sure where Hirt's got the seed for the Bosque Blue, but that is not what it looks like. Guess I'd know because I bred it and we raise it for market :) Anyway, if anyone would like to trial this variety or some of the others we've released send me a D-mail and I'll send some seed. Happy holidays to everyone!
Lee

This message was edited Dec 19, 2012 8:06 PM

Got some seeds for 'Helsing Junction Blue' tomato in a swap. It's a cherry and looks like it is blue all over. I only have room for one blue tomato, so I'll try this instead of OSU Blue this year.