tomato taste

encore · June 26, 2016

ok i have a question as far as taste goes, i have read on here that some people stop watering so many days before picking so as the tomato won't have the watered down taste. i'm growing in the rain gutter system and i noticed that the roots on some of the plants got through the fabric around the mesh cup going through the bottom of the bucket, so they are in the water, now would the taste be better if i pick them when they blush and let them finish ripening on the counter, as opposed to letting them ripen on the vine? or would there be no difference in taste? thanks----tom

AKmark · June 26, 2016

I don't know about that take, if a plant is constantly producing it would never be watered. Just don't drown your tomatoes, and use a fluffy mix that drains well, you should have superior tasting tomatoes.
Vine ripened is about the same as a mostly ripe tomato that you finish in the house.

WilburMartin · June 26, 2016

I only have anecdotal evidence from a short amount of growing and harvesting, but here is what I noticed.

I was getting what I thought was leaf turn on a Patio hybrid and a Creole (heirloom? seems to be a discrepancy), so I backed off on the water for 3 days. I woke up on the 4th day, and the Creole looked to be dead or as close to dying as could be. Rather than take time to give her (Beulah) a proper burial, I just hit my drip system and figured I would rip it out over the weekend.

Well, when I got home from work, the Creole was looking great - and some of the tomatoes were starting to blush. I kept consistent with the water - probably under watered that and the Patio. I yielded 12 from the Creola and 5 from the Patio. They were quite small due to the lack of water, but they KILLED the farmer's market tomatoes in taste. Rich sweetness and a slight acid bite, juicy but not watery - exactly what I was hoping I would get from that plant.

Juxtapose with the farmer's market tomatoes - the farmer's market were much larger, obviously, but lacked the flavor of my tomatoes (Creole and Patio). And they were a bit watery.

Granted, the farmer's market tomatoes were probably some hybid, early ripening tomato - still better than that grocery store tomatoes, but no where the level of flavor as mine.

So - would I chalk it up to starving the plant of water with smaller, but more flavorful tomatoes? The specific cultivar? A commercial venture versus a home grower? I don't know.

I do know that I have kept the plants nice and hydrated for the second go around of tomatoes - a bit bigger, 22 on two plants versus 17. I hope the flavor is due to the cultivar and the preening and primping I did versus depriving them of water and care.

Cole_Robbie · June 27, 2016

Most market vendors I know of grow hybrids. Tville's market growers are not a random sample, by the way. We're people who like tomatoes a lot more than the average market vendor who sells them. So you'll see a lot of vendors and commercial growers on here who grow heirlooms, but that's not the norm.

I think water restriction works best for plants in the ground, and not containers. It also depends on how you grow. I'm kind of in-between. I grow in ridges of soil covered in black plastic. It behaves a lot like a container. If I don't water enough, I just get BER. And BER-tendencies vary a lot from one variety to the next. Last year, out of neglect, I left a plant of Peiping Chieh in the high tunnel for over a month without watering it. My other varieties would have all gotten BER, but the Peiping Chieh produced some of the best-tasting tomatoes I have grown after that drastic water restriction.

zipcode · June 27, 2016

It's tough to underwater in containers in summer. In a hot day unless they have really plenty of water they will wilt due to the container getting hot, which will lead to ber, etc.
I do find getting good taste from containers is tougher, especially for organic. The best way seems to be a complete hydroponic formula, those micronutrients have crucial role in taste and yield.

saltair · June 27, 2016

I have never had luck growing tomatoes in containers. They are always bitter.
Last year I had 2 containers of Super Sweet 100's and they were so bitter even my sister had to spit them out. I use potting soil and a little lime and water only when needed. I'm doing something wrong. Garden tomatoes are fine.

Father'sDaughter · June 27, 2016

Regular watering and regular feeding is how I get the best results from my grow bag tomatoes. And by regular, I mean more frequently than the in ground plants. A good drenching every other day and feeding once a week with Texas Tomato Food.

When almost ripe tomatoes are left on the vine during a heavy period of rain, then yes, I'll get watery, bloated and splitting fruit.

Merediana · June 29, 2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by zipcode

The best way seems to be a complete hydroponic formula, those micronutrients have crucial role in taste and yield.

That's what I'm using and I got a lot of hate for this in other online communities. But with organic fertilizers I end up with deficiencies in my container tomatoes... I use one with high K and added calcium and it works quite good.

Don't let container tomatoes dry out! They shouldn't start to wilt. Use a potting mix that lets air get to the roots (I use typical german potting mix which is usually mostly peat moss mixed with 25-30% perlite) and keep it slightly moist all the time... Oh and don't forget that your containers need drainage holes. I drill mine in the side of the container, works much better thant in the bottom.

encore · June 29, 2016

the buckets are in the rain gutter grow system, they have all the water they need, as per the mesh cup sticking thru. the bottom of bucket which is wrapped in garden fabric, some of the roots got thru. the fabric and are in the rain gutter filled with water, So that is the reason for my first question on taste, because they are in the water.

ContainerTed · June 29, 2016

Saltair, when growing in containers, don't ever use anything that has the word "soil" in it. Always use "mix", which is "soil-less". Miracle Grow Potting Mix has all the components you need for good tomatoes. It also drains well. Best of all, you don't have to add a lot of stuff to it. Water daily and use fertilizer (I use MG for tomatoes) every 10-14 days.

I also try to make sure the plants in containers have some shade time. The containers can heat up the root systems and a bit of shade is a good way to help cool them down. I never add lime to NEW potting mix, but I always add it when I recycle the mix at the end of the season.

JaxRmrJmr · June 29, 2016

My system is pretty similar to the RGS and I always have roots that have grown through the drain holes and into the standing water.

I use a combination of peat, perilite, and bark fines as my mix. I use either Master Blend or Texas Tomato Food about once per week.

No problems with taste here.

BigVanVader · June 29, 2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by Merediana

That's what I'm using and I got a lot of hate for this in other online communities. But with organic fertilizers I end up with deficiencies in my container tomatoes... I use one with high K and added calcium and it works quite good.

Don't let container tomatoes dry out! They shouldn't start to wilt. Use a potting mix that lets air get to the roots (I use typical german potting mix which is usually mostly peat moss mixed with 25-30% perlite) and keep it slightly moist all the time... Oh and don't forget that your containers need drainage holes. I drill mine in the side of the container, works much better thant in the bottom.

Why would people care how you grow your tomatoes? Geez, do what works for you and the heck with the "organic or die" shrews

BigVanVader · June 29, 2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cole_Robbie

Most market vendors I know of grow hybrids. Tville's market growers are not a random sample, by the way. We're people who like tomatoes a lot more than the average market vendor who sells them. So you'll see a lot of vendors and commercial growers on here who grow heirlooms, but that's not the norm.

I think water restriction works best for plants in the ground, and not containers. It also depends on how you grow. I'm kind of in-between. I grow in ridges of soil covered in black plastic. It behaves a lot like a container. If I don't water enough, I just get BER. And BER-tendencies vary a lot from one variety to the next. Last year, out of neglect, I left a plant of Peiping Chieh in the high tunnel for over a month without watering it. My other varieties would have all gotten BER, but the Peiping Chieh produced some of the best-tasting tomatoes I have grown after that drastic water restriction.

^This. Last year I didnt have irrigation and took a weeks vacation. No water all week 95-100 degrees everyday. Best dam tomatoes you ever tasted.

JaxRmrJmr · June 29, 2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigVanVader

^This. Last year I didnt have irrigation and took a weeks vacation. No water all week 95-100 degrees everyday. Best dam tomatoes you ever tasted.

Were they in the ground or containers?

BigVanVader · June 29, 2016

Ground, I only tried one container. I couldn't water it enough and it died midsummer.

June 26, 2016	#1
encore Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2015 Location: wisconsin Posts: 536	tomato taste ok i have a question as far as taste goes, i have read on here that some people stop watering so many days before picking so as the tomato won't have the watered down taste. i'm growing in the rain gutter system and i noticed that the roots on some of the plants got through the fabric around the mesh cup going through the bottom of the bucket, so they are in the water, now would the taste be better if i pick them when they blush and let them finish ripening on the counter, as opposed to letting them ripen on the vine? or would there be no difference in taste? thanks----tom

June 29, 2016	#10
ContainerTed Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: 6a - NE Tennessee Posts: 4,538	Saltair, when growing in containers, don't ever use anything that has the word "soil" in it. Always use "mix", which is "soil-less". Miracle Grow Potting Mix has all the components you need for good tomatoes. It also drains well. Best of all, you don't have to add a lot of stuff to it. Water daily and use fertilizer (I use MG for tomatoes) every 10-14 days. I also try to make sure the plants in containers have some shade time. The containers can heat up the root systems and a bit of shade is a good way to help cool them down. I never add lime to NEW potting mix, but I always add it when I recycle the mix at the end of the season. __________________ Ted ________________________ Owner & Sole Operator Of The Muddy Bucket Farm and Tomato Ranch

June 26, 2016	#2
AKmark Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Wasilla Alaska Posts: 2,010	I don't know about that take, if a plant is constantly producing it would never be watered. Just don't drown your tomatoes, and use a fluffy mix that drains well, you should have superior tasting tomatoes. Vine ripened is about the same as a mostly ripe tomato that you finish in the house.

June 26, 2016	#3
WilburMartin Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2016 Location: Mississippi Posts: 169	I only have anecdotal evidence from a short amount of growing and harvesting, but here is what I noticed. I was getting what I thought was leaf turn on a Patio hybrid and a Creole (heirloom? seems to be a discrepancy), so I backed off on the water for 3 days. I woke up on the 4th day, and the Creole looked to be dead or as close to dying as could be. Rather than take time to give her (Beulah) a proper burial, I just hit my drip system and figured I would rip it out over the weekend. Well, when I got home from work, the Creole was looking great - and some of the tomatoes were starting to blush. I kept consistent with the water - probably under watered that and the Patio. I yielded 12 from the Creola and 5 from the Patio. They were quite small due to the lack of water, but they KILLED the farmer's market tomatoes in taste. Rich sweetness and a slight acid bite, juicy but not watery - exactly what I was hoping I would get from that plant. Juxtapose with the farmer's market tomatoes - the farmer's market were much larger, obviously, but lacked the flavor of my tomatoes (Creole and Patio). And they were a bit watery. Granted, the farmer's market tomatoes were probably some hybid, early ripening tomato - still better than that grocery store tomatoes, but no where the level of flavor as mine. So - would I chalk it up to starving the plant of water with smaller, but more flavorful tomatoes? The specific cultivar? A commercial venture versus a home grower? I don't know. I do know that I have kept the plants nice and hydrated for the second go around of tomatoes - a bit bigger, 22 on two plants versus 17. I hope the flavor is due to the cultivar and the preening and primping I did versus depriving them of water and care.

June 27, 2016	#4
Cole_Robbie Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Illinois, zone 6 Posts: 8,407	Most market vendors I know of grow hybrids. Tville's market growers are not a random sample, by the way. We're people who like tomatoes a lot more than the average market vendor who sells them. So you'll see a lot of vendors and commercial growers on here who grow heirlooms, but that's not the norm. I think water restriction works best for plants in the ground, and not containers. It also depends on how you grow. I'm kind of in-between. I grow in ridges of soil covered in black plastic. It behaves a lot like a container. If I don't water enough, I just get BER. And BER-tendencies vary a lot from one variety to the next. Last year, out of neglect, I left a plant of Peiping Chieh in the high tunnel for over a month without watering it. My other varieties would have all gotten BER, but the Peiping Chieh produced some of the best-tasting tomatoes I have grown after that drastic water restriction.

June 27, 2016	#5
zipcode Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Romania/Germany , z 4-6 Posts: 1,582	It's tough to underwater in containers in summer. In a hot day unless they have really plenty of water they will wilt due to the container getting hot, which will lead to ber, etc. I do find getting good taste from containers is tougher, especially for organic. The best way seems to be a complete hydroponic formula, those micronutrients have crucial role in taste and yield.

June 27, 2016	#6
saltair Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2015 Location: Lower Delaware Posts: 14	I have never had luck growing tomatoes in containers. They are always bitter. Last year I had 2 containers of Super Sweet 100's and they were so bitter even my sister had to spit them out. I use potting soil and a little lime and water only when needed. I'm doing something wrong. Garden tomatoes are fine.

June 27, 2016	#7
Father'sDaughter Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: MA/NH Border Posts: 4,919	Regular watering and regular feeding is how I get the best results from my grow bag tomatoes. And by regular, I mean more frequently than the in ground plants. A good drenching every other day and feeding once a week with Texas Tomato Food. When almost ripe tomatoes are left on the vine during a heavy period of rain, then yes, I'll get watery, bloated and splitting fruit.

June 29, 2016	#11
JaxRmrJmr Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2015 Location: Jax, FL - 9A Posts: 172	My system is pretty similar to the RGS and I always have roots that have grown through the drain holes and into the standing water. I use a combination of peat, perilite, and bark fines as my mix. I use either Master Blend or Texas Tomato Food about once per week. No problems with taste here.

June 29, 2016	#15
BigVanVader Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Greenville, South Carolina Posts: 3,099	Ground, I only tried one container. I couldn't water it enough and it died midsummer.