stress and tomato production

I knew that stress influenced how your tomatoes produced,but this last season was a real eye opener.

I always start my tomatoes around Valentine's Day for a mid April plant out.Has worked well for many years.I'm dubiously eyeing that date and thinking about waiting another week this year.

An unusually cool and decidedly wet spring kept me from planting in the garden until June 8.I couldn't even walk across the garden without sinking,and when I finally put these overgrown and pitiful plants in the ground,it was another 2 weeks before they seemed to perk up.

They started growing and pretty much appeared normal,but tomato production was way below expectations.I had 78 plants,and barely had enough for my family(4 households)The fruits appeared normal sized,but there were just fewer of them.I finally gave up and let the grass take over,I was so disgusted.When it finally stopped raining,temps hovered around 100 the rest of the summer.Not good for tomato production either.

I saved seeds on the few that were not able to be replaced commercially,but everything else was used,seeds and all.

Incidently,Carolyn,I've come to agree with you that if you can buy it,then why not put your energy into saving something else?It takes a lot of effort to save seeds properly,so I'm just going to save those that need to be watched over.I've got room for about a dozen varieties,so I'm going to make it count.Been looking at your offerings in the SSE Yearbook and trying to make up my mind.I'm getting hooked on the hearts...so I may try another one of those.

What did everyone else experience last year that has changed how they plan on gardening this year? I know Joan had a dismal harvest in N.Dakota.

Also,Given that other factors are pretty much normal,can production be affected by a late plant out? My plants were in 16 oz cups.Probably should have been in gallons by then,but just couldn't bring myself to repot for a 4th time.I'd kept the blossoms pinched and they were well watered.

What say y'all?

What say y'all?

I say if you're looking at my measly offerings down to 6 from maybe 200/year you should consider in the following order:

Neves Azorean Red, outstanding
Aunt Gertie's Gold, outstanding

and while Kosovo is a new heart there are other pink hearts I prefer, such as Nicky Crain, or Ukrainian Heart (TNMUJ ) or Anna Russian, for example.

Oh, the Lithuanian one is also terrific, huge honker pink fruits with lucious taste on the sweet side, but more than that.

Glad you're getting my point about the seed saving bit. I'm in the process of reassessing many that I grew 10-12 years ago so if I like them I'll save seed, if not, RIP.

Carolyn

I'm probably going to try the Aunt Gertie's Gold again.You sent some seeds last year and I got 0 germination in 2 different plantings.I really wanted to try those,so they are on my list.They were just a sample,so there were only 8 seeds.

I'm growing Wes again this year...great all around,and monster tomatoes.The aroma alone was reason enough to grow them again.
I've collected 2 yellows from a 92 year old Launa Story here locally that will have to be grown out.One big and one cherry sized.She isn't able to garden anymore and her seeds are 4 years old,so these are priority.I have to find out if they are worthy of saving.

Uncle Mark Bagby is on my list,as is Mom's,Rose Beauty, and Virginia Sweets.
That makes 8,and I'm determined not to over extend myself.I'm still dragging a hip around and get tired easily.

The Neves Azorean Red was the one that caught my eye.I've got plenty of golds and Yellows and UMB is pink.I'll probably plant Arkansas Traveler for my mainstay,and it's pink.Oodles of perfectly round,unblemished fruit all summer,and it doesn't mind our heat.

I saved seed from Craig's Lucky Cross and Ferris Wheel last year,but not enough to offer,so they will have to be grown again too.

That makes 12...oh well,maybe 15 then....

I started mine wayyyy too early last year (around 2/1), and I won't make that mistake again. Peppers will get sown this week, and 'maters a week or ten days after that. I figure that still leaves a good six weeks of growing time before setting them out between 4/1 and 4/15 (depending on the weather and forecasts, of course.)

Yes, as Melody said, I had a very dismal harvest last year. Part of it was my own fault for starting my seeds too soon, then mother nature played a wonderful trick by sending us winter in April and it lasted through May. February was gorgeous and I had the seed starting itch, so I did. But, I couldn't get my plants out until June and by then they were so overgrown that lots of them didn't make it through the transplanting and the ones that did pouted terribly and never produced many tomatoes. I went to Walmart and bought some hybrids just so I would have some tomatoes to eat, and even those didn't produce much last year. It was a strange growing season indeed.

This year I'm sitting on my hands and will not start my tomatoes until mid to late March. I can normally plant them outside after May 15th, but what is a normal year anymore?

As for the types I'm planting? I'm still not sure. I can't find my seeds after we moved and still have things packed up. I've been lusting over the catalogs and trying to find some that don't require a long growing season. My growing season is only from about May 15 to Sept. 15. That's the maximum, because we can get frosts in June and then again in the fall in early Sept.

Here's hoping that we all have a better 'mater year this year. My root cellar needs canned tomatoes replenished in a big way.

Joan

Melody,

I only grew Aunt Gertie's Gold for the first time last summer so didn't have any of my own saved seeds until last Fall.

Do you mean you received seeds donated by Chuck Wyatt thru that seed distribution I organized at another site where I used to post?

If so, I used the same seeds last Spring and had , as I recall, almost 100% germination as did almost everyone else from whom I got feedback. I wonder why yours didn't germinate well.

Glad you like Wes. I think it's an overlooked variety.

On the Arkansas Traveller. You know it wasn't until about three months ago that I discovered it's not an heirloom at all. Almost every seed catalog/net site says Southern Heirloom, but it was developed by the U of Arkansas and called Traveller, and folks just added the Arkansas on to that name.

Always something new to learn

Carolyn

I knew that the U of A had developed the AT,but it does so well here that if everything else fails,I still get tomatoes..and they taste good.

The Aunt Gertie's Gold you included with my SSE request for the Dr.Carolyn Pink.You sent a little package of 8 seeds as a bonus gift.You said that you didn't grow these,so I'm assuming that they were part of Chuck's donation.

I planted 4 in a flat with several other varieties and 4 days later planted the other 4.The other tomatoes germinated,but not either planting of the AGG.I got nearly 100% germination on the Dr.Carolyn Pink,so it wasn't something that happened during shipping.I gave them 2 weeks before I gave up on them.

I'm going to try again this year anyway,last year wasn't fit for man or tomato,and They had such good reports,I want to give them a fair chance.

Joan,I'm putting together a 'care package'.Use what you want and give the others good homes.I just figured by waiting,you wouldn't start them too early..heh,heh

Last spring was a shocker for near 'bout all of us. We even had a freeze one month AFTER our last frost date, dagnabbit! Let's hope this yr will be more friendly to the garden.

Joan, need seeds for anything just give me a holler. Can't stand the site of bare cupboards!

By the way, anyone know the year that AT was created/stabilized? (I'm the curious sort, ya know.)

Traveler tomato is a homegrown tomato released in 1971 by Joe McFerran of the University of Arkansas Horticulture Department. It has a distinctive pinkish look due to the absence of a yellow pigment in the epidermis, a characteristic perpetuated during the breeding process to distinguish it as a high quality product. McFerran developed the cultivar for the tomato growers of southeastern Arkansas, but it’s equally at home in the home garden, cut and p[asted from one of my fave blurbs

And I can't find the article in my faves about all the varieties bred at the U of AR, but there were many.

At least this little blurb tells you the year of release for Traveler was 1971.

Carolyn

Thanky Ma'am! Yep, that should do it! (Ya see, now I have ammunition to work with when someone quizzes me at the Market this yr.)

Thanks Mel, I'll look forward to the care package. You must have remembered my fiasco last year with the tomatoes taking over my house. LOL! What a nightmare that was.

Shoe, I'll keep looking for my seed box. I know it's around somewhere and as I unpack boxes, I'm hoping it will show up. If I don't find it before it's time to plant, I'll give you a hollar. Thanks for the offer.

uh oh, it's that time????????? gosh, better get my peppers going if gv says, and tomatoes this weekend. can't believe it's time already. thank heavens though, cause I think the world is getting cabin fever.