Here it is July

[camochef]

June has come and gone, and I still haven't seen a ripe tomato from my garden. Most years, I begin to get my first ripe slicers the last week of June. Occasionally as late as the 4th of July. Especially the last few years since I eliminated growing cherry tomatoes in favor of large slicers.
The other day, while watering, I counted just over 135 tomatoes on 23 plants. Some as large as my fist, or larger and not a bit of desired color on any of them.
It's starting to look like I won't have anything ripe by the 4th of July...thats never happened to me before! We've had some crazy weather this spring, alternating between extreme heat and really low temps. Then there was all that rain that I thought had killed my entire first row of tomatoes...but they finally came around although they're stunted compared to the rest of the early plant-outs.
Now I'm not complaining...or perhaps I am. The past few weeks, I've been buying tomatoes from a nearby farm stand that is getting their tomatoes from Lancaster County which is a couple counties east of us here in Adams county.
They taste as good as my own homegrown, but at $2.99/lb. they certainly add up to a substantial amount. Sure hope I start to see some color soon!
I know...patience! It sure seems hard to come by this year.
Enjoy!
Camo

[duderubble]

I know that feel, bro.

[SteveAustin]

I'm in SC and I just got my first tomatoes to turn late last week. This was my first year planting from seeds and I made the mistake of sowing them too late for SC. Well, I guess it's never too late here unless you start them in September.

[babice]

I second your emotion camo! I had a round of grey mold attack my toms including any flowers that were on them. So, I had to prune all of that off. I have more but it's going to be some time, I think, before I see even any green fruits! Ah well.

[PA_Julia]

Hi Ya Camo!

I'm at approx 155 tomatoes on 22 plants and 3 cherry tomato plants also with copious amount of fruit on them and not a single one is flashing color yet let alone ready for picking.

Everything looks really good and healthy so far.

I guess I will wait along with you.


Julia

[lakelady]

Oh boy I hear you too. I even planted out about 8 plants extra early with WOWs and while those plants have fruit, none are turning, and many are still not close to size. I've been wondering what happened as I estimated I should have had red ones by now. Even my 4th of July PL and a few other "earlies" have NONE ripe. Today I saw the first "almost ripe" Sungold, my only hybrid this year. Last year I had lots of tomatoes by July 4th even if they were mostly pastes. None of my "earlies" seem to be very early at ALL. I thought it was just me !

[Opie610]

Same here, I only have 6 tomato plants in the garden and have lots of green ones hanging. But nothing seems even remotely close to turning color yet. Ugh, my mouth is watering. I have dreams of heading out to the garden with a pocket knife and a salt shaker!

[Father'sDaughter]

I think this is the worst time in the whole tomato growing season! Thirty eight plants and all but ten have set fruit. Nothing but green tomatoes every where I look!

It's going to be close between Pink Honey and Kimberley for first ripe, but I'd say I'm at least a week or two away from picking either.

[lakelady]

Sandul Moldovan looks like they are ready to turn, but as I understand it, they are quite large beefsteaks, so I think my mind or my eyes are playing tricks on me. I could have sworn a few Vorlons and Black Sea Man were turning too, but nope, today they are still as green as last week !

[pdxwindjammer]

Be thankful that you have green fruit on your plants! I didn't even plant mine out until 2 weeks ago due to cold and rain!

Our normal rainfall for June is 1.7 or so and we had over 4 inches of rain in June, more than double our normal and I think the 2nd wettest record in history.

I just stopped into my community garden and pinched out all the suckers. I am trying the single stem method since I planted them closer than normal in order to grow more varieties. Many plants have several flowers but I am weeks away from fruit, I think.

I did notice a few mego blossoms so I am keeping my fingers crossed that they set fruit!

[grow24122]

I am located in Montvale Virginia and planted some Tomatoes on March 23 and have picked a few from my Early Girls and Lemon Boys and I see one starting to turn on my German Johnson. Our Tomatoes come in around July 4 week but like to try to get some early if I can. I hope you get yours real soon.

[CrazyAboutOrchids]

I am not even close to a tomato to pick! I started my plants indoors, under lights with the hopes of planting early. We had wonderful weather early on, but then a cold spell and the plants never got set out when I had planned. We've had really, really wet weather mixed in with a few really hot days. I lost my early blossoms to the first blast of heat. I am so ansty to pick a tomato with seeing folks pictures, but I think my tomatoes will actually be later than usual for me. Must practice patience.....

[carolyn137]

Confession time.

I can't even see any blossoms on the 40 plants in gro-bags and containers in my backyard. Plants got out late, rainy and cold, then hot and dry, so everything is set back re tomatoes.

There are weeds coming up in those containers and many have been woodchuck pruned, a first for that.

Freda hasn't been able to stop by much at all to care for any of my gardens/plants here, so what is, is.

I just hope that the folks doing seed production for me, Shoe and Lee in NC and Neil in IL, are having better luck. Neil has had an awful time, he's growing about 500 tomato plants, b'c they've had a terrible drought where he is, but he went out and bought 300 ft of hose and is doing his best, but has to water just so much and then wait a bit until the well fills up again.

As is oft said, every season is different and this one sure is for me, said Carolyn dreaming of some great tomatoes and fingers crossed no Late Blight here (P. infestans) b'c it's been reported widely in NYS. I do hope that Freda will be able to get some Daconil on my plants soon b/c I certainly don't want any LB spores to land here and many T-storms headed this way in the next few days, from W NYS where there's been lots of LB reported.

So I'll go watch my tennis from Wimbledon, look for Phil, my UPS man to deliver today my nuts ordered yesterday, so I can continue to watch tennis.

[babice]

Mine are looking pretty sad right now due to the extreme heat and humidity we've had. Nothing I can do but keep my fingers crossed. Tomorrow, since I have the day off, I think I'll push them into the shade around noon to give them a break.

[lakelady]

Okay so one of my eyes must be playing tricks, and the other sure did see a Vorlon just beginning to get that ever so slight orangy tinge today! I know, it's a stretch and a ways away from ripening fully I think. Nothing else coming close other than 1 lone Glacier in the SWC that is just beginning to blush a bit too. I thought I'd at least have the Sungolds by now!