Orange tomatoes that are supposed to be red?

Leafer · September 23, 2009

Hey all,

I have recently had to harvest many (looks like soon to be all) of this year's remaining crop because my plants are dying and because of the excess of rain we have had for the past 2.5 weeks.

First, it was a bad infestation of worms that stripped many of my plants. Then, it was a bacterial spot ? that coincided with the infestation. After which, the torrential downpours washing away the sevin, cracking my tomatoes, seemingly worsening my bacterial spot, etc.

The insult to injury being that my remaining tomatoes aren't really turning red; they are "ripening" more orange than red?!? What is going on here? Thanks for the help in advance.

mvan · September 23, 2009

I'm near atlanta, and I've been fighting a leaf ailment which I also believe to be bacterial spot/speck. Almost completely defoliated all my plants. I pruned them severely and used copper. (I also used Mancozeb right before the recent heavy rains.) The plants did recover, but I can't get rid of the disease (and keep the plants). It is a constant battle in this humidity.

When the foliage was sparse, my Druzba were ripening orange also, It seemed to me to be sunscald, but I don't know for sure. The fruit weren't too good.

Matt

Leafer · September 23, 2009

Hey Mvan,

Yeah, we got the same deluge of water that you guys got -- btw, I hope that you and yours are ok with all of the flooding going on in Atlanta.

Far as the 'maters go, mine seem to be slowly finishing ripening on the counter, but they are definitely more orange than red -- I'm gonna be crushed if the flavor is bad . . . don't think in my case it was sun scald, really. Wasn't enough sun in these parts for the past 2 weeks to do that. It kinda seems like the orange-red you get when you buy supermarket tomatoes. I am really just sick, ugh.

mvan · September 23, 2009

Leafer,
Thanks for the well wishes. We live pretty high up a hill, so no problems here.
Matt

Wi-sunflower · September 24, 2009

Yup a lot of my tomatoes are ripening off color too.

For mine, I blamed the fact that we did a severe weeding right before our tasting and now most are showing some signs of sunscald. Even those that aren't tho are off color I think because we have been consistantly below normal temp-wise all year. All the purple/blacks are a muddy yellow/brown.

Unfortunately the flavor has been affected in at least some of the varieties as many that I thought were great in years past are only OK this year.

Carol

September 23, 2009	#1
Leafer Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Oxford, MS Posts: 13	Orange tomatoes that are supposed to be red? Hey all, I have recently had to harvest many (looks like soon to be all) of this year's remaining crop because my plants are dying and because of the excess of rain we have had for the past 2.5 weeks. First, it was a bad infestation of worms that stripped many of my plants. Then, it was a bacterial spot ? that coincided with the infestation. After which, the torrential downpours washing away the sevin, cracking my tomatoes, seemingly worsening my bacterial spot, etc. The insult to injury being that my remaining tomatoes aren't really turning red; they are "ripening" more orange than red?!? What is going on here? Thanks for the help in advance.

September 23, 2009	#2
mvan Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Fairburn, GA z7 Posts: 72	I'm near atlanta, and I've been fighting a leaf ailment which I also believe to be bacterial spot/speck. Almost completely defoliated all my plants. I pruned them severely and used copper. (I also used Mancozeb right before the recent heavy rains.) The plants did recover, but I can't get rid of the disease (and keep the plants). It is a constant battle in this humidity. When the foliage was sparse, my Druzba were ripening orange also, It seemed to me to be sunscald, but I don't know for sure. The fruit weren't too good. Matt

September 24, 2009	#5
Wi-sunflower Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 2,591	Yup a lot of my tomatoes are ripening off color too. For mine, I blamed the fact that we did a severe weeding right before our tasting and now most are showing some signs of sunscald. Even those that aren't tho are off color I think because we have been consistantly below normal temp-wise all year. All the purple/blacks are a muddy yellow/brown. Unfortunately the flavor has been affected in at least some of the varieties as many that I thought were great in years past are only OK this year. Carol