So Texans, Where do you Stand on Tomatoes?

[karstopography]

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I broke out the party favor bags today as a prophylactic against marauding bushy tailed tree rats. Don’t know if it will work, but had to give these a chance. Better the bags than bullets, but I’m willing to choose the latter if pushed.

[TomatoNut95]

Better the bags than bullets, but I’m willing to choose the latter if pushed.

I always say permanent disposable of pests is best. However, if you have hot pepper spray you could spritz the bags with that if you see signs of the squirrels gnawing on them. Or solar powered-motion activated noise makers. I have heard of motion activated water squirters to.

[karstopography]

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All the late season types are really revving up their fruit setting.

These tomatoes shown will likely be ready around the first or second week in June which has historically been the high point of quality and quantity hereabouts.

[TomatoNut95]

My Delectation of Tomatoes order arrived today!!! Yay! I have extras if anyone wants to SASE for any; I have Hoy, Lebanese of the Mountains, Rhode Island Giant, Michael's Portuguese Monster, Bill Bean Select and Domingo × Lebanese of the Mountain cross.

Looks like none of my German Queen blossoms took. The little green fruits are not growing; I'm assuming the blooms were not pollinated correctly thanks to unfavorable weather conditions yet they're not turning yellow or rotting either.

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My Domingo.

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Westerlund I-26

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Omar's Lebanese

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[MissS]

That German Queen was pollinated. Just give it time. The plant knows what it is doing. It may not be big enough to support any fruit yet. It may be growing and just holding on to those little tomatoes. It also may choose to abort them and keep on growing for a little while. Just have some patience.

[karstopography]

My Delectation of Tomatoes order arrived today!!! Yay! I have extras if anyone wants to SASE for any; I have Hoy, Lebanese of the Mountains, Rhode Island Giant, Michael's Portuguese Monster, Bill Bean Select and Domingo × Lebanese of the Mountain cross.

Looks like none of my German Queen blossoms took. The little green fruits are not growing; I'm assuming the blooms were not pollinated correctly thanks to unfavorable weather conditions yet they're not turning yellow or rotting either.

20240418_173216~2.jpg

My Domingo.

20240418_173628~2.jpg

Westerlund I-26

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Omar's Lebanese

20240418_173639~2.jpg

I would leave those little tomatoes in suspended animation alone. They can suddenly and unexpectedly start to grow and become perfectly delicious tomatoes. Usually, a change in the weather and those tomatoes will take off. Happens to my tomatoes every year.

I don’t understand the phenomenon, but year after year I get these tomatoes that set, but fail to grow, at least initially. Sometimes, the plant will abort some and some will take off and grow like mad at a future date of the plant’s choosing.

[karstopography]

That German Queen was pollinated. Just give it time. The plant knows what it is doing. It may not be big enough to support any fruit yet. It may be growing and just holding on to those little tomatoes. It also may choose to abort them and keep on growing for a little while. Just have some patience.

You said just what I was typing at the same time you posted, but you get credit for saying it first! I’m just glad others have observed this pattern of tomato plants holding fruit until a later date.

[TomatoNut95]

Don't worry, I have no intention of cutting them off unless they do either rot or yellow. I was just concerned that they were stunted or something. We're going to get a storm starting very early Saturday morning otherwise I would administer a bit of liquid fertilize.

[karstopography]

Looks like a little color break on Sart Roloise, going to let it ride for the time being and make sure and let it ripen on the vine. 68 days since transplanting. 97 days from seeding.

[karstopography]

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My little collection of small tomatoes before the bigger ones start rolling in.

[karstopography]

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A Sart Roloise tomato definitely breaking color. Not really sure what a ripe Sart Roloise tomato looks like. I think I have a few days to go.

[TomatoNut95]

@karstopography Lovely fruit! Sart Roloise turns yellow/golden on the bottom according to internet. Did you buy the seed from Baker Creek? Let us know how they taste!

[karstopography]

I didn’t get those particular seeds from Baker Creek. @TomatoNut95

This is the first blue tomato I’ve grown. I hope it tastes as good as it looks.

[karstopography]

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7.6 ounce Sart Roloise is the first non-cherry sized fruit to come inside. Looks perfect. Photo in natural light since power is out in the house, but that’s another story.

110 days since seed got planted. 70 days since transplanting.

In other tomato news, BER has made an appearance. Mainly on black from Tula with six fruit, plus one for Brandywine Cowlick’s and two for MPLA.

Possible causes. I was low on Langbeinite so I mixed in Muriate of Potassium as a source of K. That source of K can compete with Calcium and block Ca absorption. Might have overdone the Nitrogen a bit. Definitely enough Calcium available in soil from various sources.

Not overly concerned, I tend to get a little BER early in the season year after year. Not using hardly any Urea or Ammonia based N, most all is from Nitrate sources. Ammonia based N will compete with Calcium absorption also leading to BER.

I just think early in the season BER is a quirk of my garden. So long as the losses are minor, I won’t get too worked up about BER.

[TomatoNut95]

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My Nicky Crain is blooming and my German Queen is giving birth to a lopsided fruit.

[Seven Bends]

In other tomato news, BER has made an appearance. Mainly on black from Tula with six fruit, plus one for Brandywine Cowlick’s and two for MPLA.

Possible causes. I was low on Langbeinite so I mixed in Muriate of Potassium as a source of K. That source of K can compete with Calcium and block Ca absorption. Might have overdone the Nitrogen a bit. Definitely enough Calcium available in soil from various sources.

Do you happen to know what it is about potassium chloride (muriate of potassium) that makes it more of a problem than potassium sulfate (the form in langbeinite, I believe) for competition with calcium? Asking because I need to add potassium to my garden this year (soil test came back super high in phosphorous and low in potassium, so I can't just keep adding "balanced" fertilizers like I have been doing).

[Wildcat82]

Today I picked a nice hat full of cherries, mostly Sun Gold. Probably 90% of the these came from the 2 plants I over-wintered. I'll have to do that every year.

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[karstopography]

In other tomato news, BER has made an appearance. Mainly on black from Tula with six fruit, plus one for Brandywine Cowlick’s and two for MPLA.

Possible causes. I was low on Langbeinite so I mixed in Muriate of Potassium as a source of K. That source of K can compete with Calcium and block Ca absorption. Might have overdone the Nitrogen a bit. Definitely enough Calcium available in soil from various sources.

Do you happen to know what it is about potassium chloride (muriate of potassium) that makes it more of a problem than potassium sulfate (the form in langbeinite, I believe) for competition with calcium? Asking because I need to add potassium to my garden this year (soil test came back super high in phosphorous and low in potassium, so I can't just keep adding "balanced" fertilizers like I have been doing).

There was a thread on the other tomato forum about this and then I had found something from Yara or Haifa on this that I can’t seem to find now. But somehow the chloride ion (from Potassium chloride) interferes with Calcium uptake.

[TomatoNut95]

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So this is my German Queen, the fruit on the megablossom has grown only a fraction of an inch so far, whereas younger fruits are growing bigger. I'm considering cutting the stunted, first fruits so that the energy is going into the next ones. Sorry my pics are out of order but included are what looks like more megablossoms (or doubles?) further up the plant. One is at the top.

[TomatoNut95]

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These are my two Dwarf Emerald Giant types. The story begins as follows: I bought the seed from Victory Seed. I planted 3 seed. One was born a potato leaf, 2 were regular leaf. Victory Seed website says Emerald Giant is a potato leaf, so I'm left to question if my two regulars are sports or a mix up happened during packing. I plant 1 plant of each leaf type and both are blooming/about to bloom. The regular leaf type has been more vigorous than the potato. The truss on the regular looks like small blossoms that will give small fruits. The potato leaf truss has a large bud on it, typical of a beefsteak type.