Spring/Summer Tomato Garden 2006 - 3

I was just asking about the cracks.

Looks like a beefsteak.

im sorry. I meant yes, do celebrity get radial cracks?

And yeppers---The Big Beef is crossed between Beefsteak and the Big Boy. Very smooth tomatoes---nicely rounded. Large. And very tomatoey. My favorite.

the Better Bush in 5 gallon pot.

Debbie has a great garden.

I think Tplant said they (bigger plants) work best alone in EB's I'll have to check with him before I start to beg plead and shu shu Serg *lol*

Thank you Cricket! I'm glad someone noticed....

Okay, I just found 4 tinsy winsy little roma's! Woohoo!

debbie, I also noticed but I haven't had time to post lately. I took your garden tour on the other thread and I'm duly impressed! Very, very nice. All types of maters and veggies and flowers and bushes. And, no eb's!! Great job.
Flip

Flip--I'm thinkin' on one for the patio.....
Deb

Deb--well, even I have one but I don't talk about it too much.
Flip

Well finally getting rain here, tomatoes don't need it so much since most of mine are in EB's but the yard is thirsty. Went out and checked to see if the twine cage had all the wild branches pretty well held so if we had wind I wouldn't have damage and noticed a few new maters, they are loving this 80 degree weather.

Flip, was thinking of making an herb garden out of it 2 feet from the back door since I never get around to cooking until "New York time". Get tired of snipping by flashlight and looking skyward for UFO's....but then I couldn't use the cover so what's the sense in using an EB? I may as well buy a nice big decorative pot....maybe one of those real nice one's with the great ceramic paint......hmmmmm, I been real good lately, and think I desrve another gift, huh? ;) By the way, those tomato spirals held up real good in a big storm this morning....I think they are on the final stretch, only gotta work until July; then too hot to set fruit anyway so may as well start over with fall plants. I was thinkin' (I know, dangerous thing for me to do) they might "scorch" the stems on the fall tomatoes.

Cricket...how goes the garden out that way? May be out your way in June, where about's in Bamy are ya?
Debbie

Debbie ---- Who said you can't use the cover? You make a small X wherever you want to put your herbs and plant thru the cover. The white side for your heat will keep the moisture inside and if done right you will have a very productive herb garden.

I grew Celebrity for about 5 years and never had radial cracks. It was my main tomato for fresh and canning, producing heavily and uniformly, and pretty early too, because I started them well in advance.

hm. The garden. Assuming you mean veggie garden. I do not have a tiller. but i used a boxblade with teeth to break the ground in a long row to grow some okra. 120 feet double row.
Mostly have 1/2 barrel planter gardens.
I dont know how its goin to do but i broke the ground with the boxblade teeth so I could sow some corn. It has germinated and up 2 inches but dont know how well its gonna grow out there in the grass. I will just mow the grass on each side of each row.
I grow my tomatoes in the greenhouse cause i have no tiller. I use the greenhouse frame to tie them up.
I do sell the tomatoes---I guess this is not considered a garden? Is this thread for home gardens only?


Live near Jasper Alabama. 45 minutes north of Birmingham.
Things will be booming in JUne.
I just tried to post in here and it didnt work-----hoping I am not repeating myself and have a double post.

Still working on flower beds. The front yard is so huge.
Will never fill it. About 420 feet of road frontage .
The ground is orange clay.
Planters have carrots that have germinated, turnips, garlic, onions. Have 30 more 1/2 barrel plants to mix soil for. Plus I have to start on the Second Crop of tomatoes and mix the soil for them too. ekkk.

Planter with better bush in one. Eggplants, and pepper plants with a few flowers.

the greenhouse garden of maters.

My goodness ... you're busy!

Wow Cricket--that DEFINITELY qualifies as a garden! Love to look at your pics!
Debbie

lol I might just show up at her door when we go home and gather up maters for the return trip.

Oh y'all my maters are gettin rain!! They're just looovin it too! *grin*

Kinda hot down here today...and the humidity is absolutely "chewy"....I spy Sun Sugars for the old man's and Robin's salad this week....they may be wee but they are mighty! Gotta admit April tomatoes are a first for me...but I never grow short day varieties in April (Sun Sugar 62 days--indeterminate orange cherry--TGS--planted out 3/4/2006)
Debbie

This message was edited Apr 22, 2006 12:02 PM

Blocky looking "Hard Rock"....
Debbie

Lovely debbie Lovely.
I am so jealous right now. But I will Live.

Wish I could gather up rain water for my greenhouse maters. I have so many though---it would take a water tower.

Everyone says Horse Poo is too strong to use directly.
Why can't ya just use one ball of poo sprinkled on top soil of each plant? Would that not do any good?
I dont have time to make poo tea and water each plant. EKK
The tomatoes are very important to me. Since I am not sure just how strong horse poo is, I will use my squash plants as a tester. Gonna put a few balls of poo around them and see what happens. Might end up with a ball of grass. lol

Someone gave me some Pineapple seeds. Forgot who at the moment. But they are about 6 inches tall and one has the biggest bud I ever saw. It hasn't bloomed yet--not for a few more weeks I recon. But I cannot wait to see it bloom and produce. Amazed how big the bud is at such a young age.

Ok gotta go.

Cricket

Okay ... I've got 3 new babies ... Parks Whopper, Celebrity and Brandy Wine. Can y'all tell me which ones in your mater opinion is the best? Also, will they do okay in 5 gallon buckets?
... Elaine

Yeah Elaine!! I have not tasted any of those three varieties...but I'd imagine from what Tplant has said...the BW is the best.

Flip...didn't you plant all those? Which is your fave?

Here is another pic of my two big boys in the EB. The one with my first open bloom is the Black from Tula. The other is the Red Brandywine that Foolcontrol gave me. Check out the diff between the pics at the beginning of this thread....and today's pic.

Those are some strong looking stems you have there. I think this year will be better for all of us!

-Kim

I tell you, I have tasted a Brandywine before and it was the best tomato I have ever put in my mouth.

I'm growing some Parks Whoppers myself this year, so I can't compare on those yet.

I'm sure I have had a Celebrity before, and it was alright.

Thanks! This is going to be an *interesting* year. I'm growing 13 diff kinds if they all survive! Course Aunt Madge ain't lookin too froggie. LOL

IO1...

I'm close to that with varieties. I had only "PLANNED" on 5 varieties this year, but you know how that goes. Critterologist posted up tomato seeds for SASBE and I jumped on it. Here's my list now:

Mortgage Lifter
Parks Whopper Improved CR
Red Cherry
Brandywine OTV
Cherokee Purple
Black Russian
Stupice
Yellow Brandywine
Sprite
Elfin
Brandywine Sudduth Strain
Burgess Climbing Trip-L-Crop
Pennsylvania Pink
Dr Carolyn
Juanne Flamme

That's 15 varieties.. Not too bad for someone who has NEVER started tomatoes from seed before.

Billy

Billy,

This winter I grew about half of the ones you're doing (among others) and I'll tell you - all of those Brandywines came out great. It was the first time I grew them from seed also...The Sudduth was outstanding with very large and very, very tasty maters. The yellows (Platfoot) I grew were also large and very tasty for a yellow/gold. The OTV's I grew were gigantic plants with more tomatos on them than the rest of the Brandywines together; about 60-70 per plant. They were also very tasty. You have some other nice ones going also - I like the Mortgage Lifter and Jaunne Flamme a lot and the Stupice was decent too. Good luck and show us some pics when you get some maters!!

Flip

Elaine, speaking of pictures...you need to get DH to take pictures of your emerging fruit and post them for us!

Okay, here's my revised list. I *promise* ... pics will be coming soon. I cannot *believe* how these babies have grown!

1. Heat Wave
2. 4th of July
3. Big Zach
4. Brandy Wine
5. Matina
6. Sun Gold
7. Aunt Madge
8. Homestead
9. Parks Whopper
10. Celebrity
11. Sweet 100's
12. Roma

Okay okay ... I *know* I said 13 ... but I counted my Brandy Wine twice as I planted out twice! LOL
~Elaine~

holic --- You must be doing something right as your plants look superb and they promise a great crop this season. Looks like I converted you from a dirt farmer to an EBer. Now if we can only convince Flip but he likes to get his hands dirty!

Well I've got a birthday coming up in the fall and have an EB on my list. We'll just have to see if I've been that good. LOL Y'all wish me luck, okay?

Hi TP, yes, the conversion to an EBer is complete. I am a true believer! I have told DH that any presents for bdays or Christmases, etc need to be EBs. He said that was great b/c it is easy for him to order online. So that was a positive remark from him. I think his logical mind has seen the proof and eventho he will not admit it, he is a believer too. He also likes the idea that i will not break the sprinkler system with the pitchfork while tilling if I had all EBs. It would be so much easier too once we have the baby to garden in the EBs.

Elaine, your list looks fantastic. I cannot wait to see pictures. I bet your Brandywine is going to be mighty tasty from what Flip and Tplant have said. BTW, are your Sungold and sweet 100's less bushy than the rest of your plants? mine are still not filling out like the other plants and so I'm wondering what the deal is.

Michelleb

Actually my Sweet 100's are very nice and sturdy and my Sungold is a bit on the scrony side but very healthy. I have been so surprised at the fact that I can *even* grow them though. :) I've been expecting men in little white coats to appear at my door, because I am constantly cooing and talking to my plants and telling them how beautiful they are! :-)
~Elaine~

Enjoying the posts! If you want to try a FANTASTIC tomato try Chianti Rose from Reneesgarden.com - it and the yellow Brandywinewere my best. Brandy Boy is an improved Brandywine - seeds are available at Walmart. Plants are up and growing here in Greensboro NC

Flip: Thanks. I really look forward to tasting those Brandywine's this year. It will be curious to see how the Brandywine OTV stands up to the Brandywine SS. I believe Carolyn had a hand in developing the OTV? Heck, I'm just as anxious to see how they all do! Gonna try and build some EB's to put some of them in. 2 will be going into a hay bale, and most likely the rest will go in the garden soil.

cecropia: Hadn't heard of the Brandy Boy, it sounds like a hybrid? The Brandywine OTV is supposed to be an improved Brandywine too. Most of my plants still have about a week to 2 weeks before set outside.

Hello everyone,

Here's some of my tomatoes in their homemade EBs. The red ones are Oregon Springs that I picked right after taking the pic. I've been picking them for about a week, and transplanted them out on Jan 21. I had read on this forum that they aren't that tasty, but I was pleasantly surprised. The taste was mild, but definitely not tasteless. I am amazed at fast my plants have grown, especially the hybrids. The plants in the second container from the left are actually not in a homemade EB, but just planted in a container instead. You can see that they are lagging behind the others to their right. I'm growing the following varieties:

Brandywine OTV
Marianna's Peace (pretty plant)
Earl's Faux
Creole
Sioux
Omar's Lebanese
Cherokee Purple
Paul Robeson
Purple Haze
Goose Creek
Celebrity
Better Boy
Big Beef
Oregon Spring
Juliet
Isis Candy
Red Currant
Micro Tina

I've picked a few Micro Tina's--they are OK, but about half have been eaten by slugs. Some of the Red Currants will be ready in a few days. I'll have seeds of all of these by the end of the summer if anyone is interested.

Mark

Actually the non-EB plants are in the third container from the right. Here's a pic of the Micro Tina's (after I had picked a couple of ripe ones).

Mark