What tomatoes will you grow this year (2017)?

Bear Claw, one of my favorites.

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Kellogg’s Breakfast, the latest to ripen among 16 varieties I grow this year.

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We’re growing just five varieties this year, but I believe we’ve got 30 plants currently caged.

  • Pantano Romanesco
  • Wood’s Famous Brimmer
  • Royal Hillbilly
  • Sungold
  • Black Vernissage

This is one of the frankenblossoms on a Royal Hillbilly from about 8 days ago. I think I counted 15 buds on it.

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Will many drop?

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I ate my first ripe tomato yesterday. I think it was Moscow.

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I think some would have to drop, given that these tomatoes are huge beefsteaks. I don’t think that stem could support a 20 to 25 lb cluster :slight_smile:

I’ll post another photo as they ripen.

J

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Thanks!

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I’m looking forward to ripe tomatoes, prepping peppers and tomatoes since March it’s time already! Most years I have my first tomato by the last few days in June. I started later this year, but I’m happy about it as my plants never looked so good.

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My tomato plants went into my raised beds mid-May. The are tall and healthy with no flowers.:frowning:

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That does seem a little late for zone 7a?

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Drew, due to late frosts sometimes tomatoes are not planted till May 30th in RI. You cannot buy the exotic and heirlooms till June 1. Island living with no luau!

That’s the problem with zone info, too general really. We usually plant out after May 12th here. No frosts after that, and I’m zone 6a. Since I grow my own I can plant out whenever and usually I plant out May 1st, sometimes I get hit though. I did this year, but the plants survived being hit by a frost. It set me back, but all have recovered now.
It’s ideal here with temps between 75 and 83F. Great for flower pollination.
Many of my plants are now 3 feet tall, some I started later are smaller.
Black From Tula has been impressive. I have two plants both hit by frost, but now have about 5 larger tomatoes, and many more just forming.

Another impressive Plant is Stump The World

Black Ruffles had it’s main leader frozen off and 4 branches formed and they are all loaded with fruit.

I had about 10 seeds of Carbon Copy cherry tomato. Only one germinated and it got hit by frost. I thought I lost any chance to grow this, but it somehow recovered! Yes!
This one is extremely hard to get, only gardeners have it, not for sale. Next year I will grow Carbon one of it’s parents.

Bear Creek probably has the most tomatoes on it with about ten.

My dog is on watch for any critters thinking about bothering my plants. I got him trained now to go after birds besides tree rats. Jesse is the best dog I ever had. He’s almost 5 now. I love him so much, he is family.

I used to start even earlier, but timing it so fruit forms in June is a great strategy here, as you pretty much eliminate BER, as the spring rains are done by June here. Which is the main cause in my area from being too wet. Even in containers, no BER if the fruit forms in June.

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I wanted to show how dry it has been around here. I had to cover this crack with boards so we don’t lose any small children! This dryness has eliminated any disease on my tomatoes so far (knocking on wood).

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Everything looks good, Drew. It doesn’t seem that your frostbit tomatoes were hurt at all. I was out in the 'mater patch today, and staked up a few plants, they are growing fast, and it’s hard to keep up with all those new big branches. There’s lots of fruit on most of the plants, so that’s good to see, but it looks like some of them are getting some kind of early blight or some such. Just hope we get our fruit to mature before the plants rot to the ground.

Sorry, but you’re not going to get any sympathy from me regarding yer dry weather! It was drizzly today, didn’t get much, but made things extra steamy and mucky underfoot. We are supposed to get maybe another 1.5" over the next couple days, and then maybe four days of decent weather. I just want a couple weeks of dry weather so all my veggies can recover. Plus, I really need to mow, but I just can’t when it’s wet like this.

Sure wish my dog was more vigilant when it comes to varmits, but at 12, he’s seen it all, and really doesn’t care anymore. He’ll chase the occasional rabbit, but no deer. At least you don’t have to worry about them where you’re at.

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I know, it doesn’t make sense? Everything I know is wrong now! On some 3/4 of the plant turned black and died! Yet only one plant died outright. [quote=“subdood_ky_z6b, post:254, topic:9320”]
Sorry, but you’re not going to get any sympathy from me regarding yer dry weather!
[/quote]

LOL, they have declared it a drought here now. I should get some high brix stone fruit!

We do have them at my cottage. But very few, a couple a year swim to the island at best if even that.

Bob, what Indian Stripe did I send potato leaf? A regular leaf one is around too.

I guess it would be best to grow some hybrids that are resistant. You can spray for that before it hits, miss one day after rain and you’re screwed. Not much you can do!
You could try Mancozeb next year. You would have to use it all season probably.

I have heard this works, but as a preventative. I should use it with copper for Septoria Spot. This is what I get every year. I do get some production on infected plants. I may be trying it next year too. I’m going to go trim off bottom leaves tomorrow to help prevent soil splash on leaves. Seems to be the problem. I used heavy mulch in the pots this year, a thick layer of pine straw. But it’s far from perfect.

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Here is Romeo tomato. The picture does not reflects it but the fruits are very large and there are many of them. This is one of the best tomatoes this year so far.

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I may have planted mine too close together.

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VERY nice Antmary!!

Drew sent me a few to try out for next year and I have my fingers crossed. I couldn’t stand it and even though it was woefully late (too late for this year) I did put a couple in a pot but they never did sprout. I chalked it up to being second hand potting soil used from another tom that got broken off. The other seeds will get fresh next year that’s for sure!

Boy those look awesome though!

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Will you make sauce with them?

I am not sure about a sauce. I usually do a type of chunky salsa with a mix of vegetables from the garden. If I have enough of them ripening at the same time, I’ll try sauce.

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