I'm a total tomato failure

[jungseed]

Hi all, I'm back from Canada. In Wisconsin and at my desk again for about the next 6 months. I told you that I got two tomato plants this past spring. One Brandywine and one beef bush.
On May 31st I planted my two plants. We had a cool and wet spring.
On July 12th I saw my first 1/2" tomatoes forming on the brandywine plant. By early August both plants had tomatoes growing.
On August 10th we had a nasty storm. Wind, hail and heavy rain. Lighting hit a tree near my tomato plants and knocked a branch down on the brandywine plant. Broke the stake in 2 places and knocked the 3 biggest tomatoes I had right off the plant. Broke most of the branches on that plant also. But I still had one good sized tomato (almost tennis ball size)on the other plant.
By the 1st of September I had one tomato on the bush plant starting to turn. It was a pretty orange color by then. I was watching and waiting. I knew any day it would start to go red and then only few more days before I could have a BLT. Went to the store that week and bought the bacon.
Got up on the 7th of September (I think that was the date) and saw that we had a bear at the lodge overnight. He ripped the door off our garbage trailer and made a big mess. I spent a couple hours cleaning up the mess. (I really hate picking up garbage twice). When I was done and going back to the lodge I noticed my ripening tomato was missing. In fact every tomato bigger than 2" was missing.
We normally get snow the first week of Oct, so it was over for me.
Had 2 plants - got zero tomatoes. I think that makes me a total tomato failure. Maybe I can do better next year.

[PaulF]

Were the tomatoes desert or were they the main meal and the garbage the desert? Things always get better and I am sure next year will be a bumper crop.

[newatthiskat]

My first year (last year) was like that too! Plants were looking decent and then roundup in the yard killed them. This year I finally tasted first heirloom and OP but not many (out of about 30 plants). I am reading this forum and next year by golly I am going to be swimming in tomatos!. OK so I don't have bears wanting to eat my harvest but I do have racoons, deer, and squirels. Maybe if you built a fence? Maybe human hair? fake plants surrounding real plants to fake out the bears? Maybe all the great minds here can help devise a bear proof plan. But no you are not a failure! You just were robbed by a hungry bear. Wonder if he liked the brandywine best?

[piegirl]

Jung - please don't be so hard on yourself - stuff happens that is beyond our control. My garden was quite plentiful this year but who knows what the next year will bring - hail, a tornado, a herd of rogue squirrels who want 'their' yard back, a deer - I have had two since living here, drought. Just so you continue to plant - gardeners always look to the future! Piegirl

[dice]

I wonder if you could surround the yard/garden with small, prolific,
early cherry tomatoes (or something else early, prolific, and tasty
to bears). There would be so many and they would be so little that
it would take them a long time to eat all of them. They might
never get around to the bigger tomatoes further in.

[tessa]

i agree with dice.
at least the cherries will grow well out of bear's reach! LOL.

[carolyn137]

Ruth, glad to see you back posting.

Now you know better than plant only TWO plants. I mean if you'd planted three maybe the branch wouldn't have knocked out half of your potential harvest.

Let's say you plant FOUR next year, giving one to tree branches and one to bad weather.

Your choice on varieties b'c you certainly do know them but I don't know what your access to plants is up north. How about next year you sling some in the car before leaving WI?

BTW, do you man the hotline at Jung's on folks who call in asking tomato questions? Sorry, just couldn't help myself.

[jungseed]

Thanks for the encouragement guys. I didn't take into account the deer, bears and ground hogs when I bought two plants. Two was always more than enough for me to eat. My hubby got one jalapeno pepper from his plant. Animals ate the rest of those also. Never knew any animal would eat a jalapeno pepper right off the plant.
He is going to come up with a way to animal proof next year for me. It will probably have to be electric. That's about the only thing that seems to work on bears.
I was very pleased by the selection I saw at the plant sale. Made a deal with one of the local gardners, I'll send the seeds up to her and she will start them for both of us. I'm not allowed to transport plants or plant material accross the boarder. So mid-May is too late for seeds.
Next year, I'll be more prepared.

[jungseed]

Carolyn, you know they don't let me near the phones around here!! They would be afraid of what I might say, at least with email, they know I can delete before I send.

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by jungseed

Carolyn, you know they don't let me near the phones around here!! They would be afraid of what I might say, at least with email, they know I can delete before I send.

Well yes, I did know you don't do phone work but as I said, I just couldn't help myself.

Besides, I woke up to a nice snow cover and with the low night temps my roses have finally gone to sleep for the season and that saddens me b'c they've been such a welcome addition to the landscape as well as inside bouquets here all summer and Fall long.

[newatthiskat]

That sounds like a great plan. I was thinking about the electric fence idea for you. For me I would more than likely fry my kittty so that idea is out here. Can you immagine that poor bears face when it realizes it is not going to get a fresh tomato salad? You might have to clean up alot more trash next time. I am glad you have taken the step in tomato growing. I had a friend tell me last night that when she decides to grow tomatoes she will not grow an heirloom because she wants that good old fashioned tomato taste. I asked her what is more old fashioned than the 1800's? Maybe we can compare our first flavors of brandywine next year and appreciate it more because of the hardships in growing them!
Kat

[Tormato]

Next year, you plant Bear Claw?

Gary