Joe's Pink Oxheart

July 16, 2015

This is my Joe's Pink Oxheart- it is about 8 feet tall, and like a tree! Some of the branches are bigger around than my thumb. Last year I grew it and loved the few tomatoes it gave me. So far I don't see any, but it is so dense there could be some. I think I have to top it before it pulls the fence down!

Deborah · July 16, 2015

One word-WOW !

Sun City Linda · July 16, 2015

My JPO was very vigorous also but I had such an early hot spring it never produced one tomato.

PaulF · July 16, 2015

Oh, don't top it! It will do well without chopping it up.

**carolyn137** · July 16, 2015

Here's a nice older thread started by Fred Hempel after I sent him seeds for Joe'sPink Oxheart.

And when you read this link please note the reports back from different gardening zones,

http://tomatoville.com/showthread.ph...s+pink+oxheart

But I was sad when I went to Tania's page for it and found no commercial seed sources.

http://t.tatianastomatobase.com:88/w...b=General_Info

I'm going to have to do something about that. I know I still have seeds for it and probably enough to even offer in my 2015 seed offer, and if I SSE listed for the 2013 SSE Yearbook the seeds were produced in 2012, so still not that old.

So I'm going to have to send some seeds out to the commercial places I usually send to so they can trial it.

I had Freda grow me one plant of it here at home and I thought it was a great variety as to both taste and fruit production.

For some of you that older thread I put up will be a trip down memory lane for you.

Carolyn

July 16, 2015

Should I expect tomatoes from the early growth or on the branches 8 feet up? I just don't see any!

Gardeneer · July 18, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by JoParrott

Should I expect tomatoes from the early growth or on the branches 8 feet up? I just don't see any!

I don;t thinks so. Flower buds grow on the stems about the same time as the next leaf branch.
I wonder how buds can grow and flower inside that much foliage !!

I am in a similar situation with few of my plants. (Probably over Nitrogened).
I am advised to gut back on N. It it hard to believe that your plant grew to that size w/out fertilizing .

MissS · July 16, 2015

I would top and thin it to try to force it out of the growth mode and then feed it a high phosphate fertilizer to promote more blossoms. This happened to me a few years ago and once I cut off 10 ft off of a 16 ft vine it finally produced a nice amount of tomatoes for me.

July 17, 2015

MissS, I will try that- although someone previously said not to-- I am worrying that it will pull the fence over (not really) because it is so heavy. I think I will take it to about the top of the fence.

pauldavid · July 17, 2015

That plant is huge! Don't top it, let that thing grow. It has very lush foliage.

Yak54 · July 17, 2015

If you decide to grow it again next year you may want to cut back on the amount of nitrogen fertilizer you use. Perhaps you will get more fruit and less foilage that way. Just sayin, it might be worth a try.

ginger2778 · July 19, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yak54

If you decide to grow it again next year you may want to cut back on the amount of nitrogen fertilizer you use. Perhaps you will get more fruit and less foilage that way. Just sayin, it might be worth a try.

+1

heirloomtomaguy · July 17, 2015

You have to much nitrogen going on in the soil. Like stated above hit it with some phosphorus as a foliar spray and then water some in the soil. The blossoms will come in nice and heavy.

July 18, 2015

Can soil be naturally high in nitrogen? I haven't added any this year.

EscazuMike · July 18, 2015

I've grown Joe's Pink Oxheart for several years here in California. I've found the growth to be vigorous also, but the fruit production was mediocre at best. I had plants that tall and was lucky to get more than 3-5 tomatoes per plant, most flowers fell off after blooming without producing fruit. I crossed it with a productive cherry tomato last year and when I grew out several F1's they all had lesser productivity - not all flower clusters produced fruit, the ones that did only produced 3-5 smaller tomatoes. So I'm wondering if low fruit set is a trait of JPO's or is it my climate? I've grown in the ground and in pots, with no noticeable difference in production.

July 16, 2015	#4
PaulF Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Brownville, Ne Posts: 3,296	Oh, don't top it! It will do well without chopping it up. __________________ there's two things money can't buy; true love and home grown tomatoes.

July 16, 2015	#5
carolyn137 Moderator Emeritus Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Upstate NY, zone 4b/5a Posts: 21,169	Here's a nice older thread started by Fred Hempel after I sent him seeds for Joe'sPink Oxheart. And when you read this link please note the reports back from different gardening zones, http://tomatoville.com/showthread.ph...s+pink+oxheart But I was sad when I went to Tania's page for it and found no commercial seed sources. http://t.tatianastomatobase.com:88/w...b=General_Info I'm going to have to do something about that. I know I still have seeds for it and probably enough to even offer in my 2015 seed offer, and if I SSE listed for the 2013 SSE Yearbook the seeds were produced in 2012, so still not that old. So I'm going to have to send some seeds out to the commercial places I usually send to so they can trial it. I had Freda grow me one plant of it here at home and I thought it was a great variety as to both taste and fruit production. For some of you that older thread I put up will be a trip down memory lane for you. Carolyn __________________ Carolyn

July 16, 2015	#8
MissS Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Pewaukee, Wisconsin Posts: 3,150	I would top and thin it to try to force it out of the growth mode and then feed it a high phosphate fertilizer to promote more blossoms. This happened to me a few years ago and once I cut off 10 ft off of a 16 ft vine it finally produced a nice amount of tomatoes for me. __________________ ~ Patti ~

July 17, 2015	#13
heirloomtomaguy Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2013 Location: glendora ca Posts: 2,560	You have to much nitrogen going on in the soil. Like stated above hit it with some phosphorus as a foliar spray and then water some in the soil. The blossoms will come in nice and heavy. __________________ “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it."

July 16, 2015	#2
Deborah Riding The Crazy Train Again Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: San Marcos, California Posts: 2,562	One word-WOW !

July 16, 2015	#3
Sun City Linda Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: SoCal Inland Posts: 2,705	My JPO was very vigorous also but I had such an early hot spring it never produced one tomato.

July 16, 2015	#6
JoParrott Guest Posts: n/a	Should I expect tomatoes from the early growth or on the branches 8 feet up? I just don't see any!

July 17, 2015	#10
pauldavid Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: NE Louisiana, Zone 8A Posts: 1,179	That plant is huge! Don't top it, let that thing grow. It has very lush foliage.

July 17, 2015	#11
Yak54 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2009 Location: Madison, OH, zone 6 Posts: 474	If you decide to grow it again next year you may want to cut back on the amount of nitrogen fertilizer you use. Perhaps you will get more fruit and less foilage that way. Just sayin, it might be worth a try.

July 18, 2015	#14
JoParrott Guest Posts: n/a	Can soil be naturally high in nitrogen? I haven't added any this year.

July 18, 2015	#15
EscazuMike Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: California Posts: 20	I've grown Joe's Pink Oxheart for several years here in California. I've found the growth to be vigorous also, but the fruit production was mediocre at best. I had plants that tall and was lucky to get more than 3-5 tomatoes per plant, most flowers fell off after blooming without producing fruit. I crossed it with a productive cherry tomato last year and when I grew out several F1's they all had lesser productivity - not all flower clusters produced fruit, the ones that did only produced 3-5 smaller tomatoes. So I'm wondering if low fruit set is a trait of JPO's or is it my climate? I've grown in the ground and in pots, with no noticeable difference in production.