Hey Fellow Floridians - Year 2

[Barb_FL]

It was excellent! and I have 3 others that were picked. Thank you for the seeds.

Earlier in the day we ate fused Big Brandy. One side was good; but the other size was excellent.

It's been easy keeping track of the tomatoes. I picked a bunch today and there are several more ready to be picked too.

[ginger2778]

I am so glad to hear that Barb. I love Dana's.

[Fiishergurl]

First to ripen have been Indigo Cherry Drop, Black Cherry, and Sgt Peppers. But now some Pink Berkeley Tie Dye and Surpriz have ripened so hubby made the first bacon tomato sandwiches of the fall. Yummy!



Ginny

[ginger2778]

Looks beautiful,Ginny.

[Barb_FL]

Looks yummy!! Are you keeping track of production? I am and am cutting a piece of label to attach to the fruit so I will know what it is when we eat it. DH hates when I write on the fruit.

So many of mine are starting to ripen now. New to ripen were some General Lee, Orange Slice F2, Chef Choice Orange F1, Momotaro, Beauty King Dwarf.

Tons of ICD are correctly ripened, picked 2 large Big Brandy today, Wild Fred.

I already gave away several batches.

I was a little worried as my first 2 big tomatoes didn't taste all that great; but since then everything has improved tons. Hopefully, the first 2 were outliers since they ripened way before the others on the same plant.
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I have to spray with BT tonight at least with the dwarfs; I've been putting it off but when pruning the dwarfs today, I saw several tiny catepillars. I am loosing too many fruit mainly the striped ones.

Also in my yard recycling Waste Management can (the huge ones) there were tons of green catepillars (about an inch long) on the inside of the lid. They must of hatched after I pruned and crawled up there. A lizards delight if I leave the top open -- I just don't want the moths flying out.

[BigVanVader]

Please rate chef's choice orange (rating them all would be great). I plan on growing it next season.

[Fiishergurl]

Barb, I havent been tracking them yet but will start. The first few were set prior to the hurricane and stayed really small since the plants had to recover. Will do my best to track them from now on.

Ginny

[Fiishergurl]

Originally Posted by ginger2778

Looks beautiful,Ginny.

Thank you Marsha. They tasted sooooo good. I was sick of tonatoes in September but ready again for them... :-).

Ginny

[Barb_FL]

Originally Posted by BigVanVader

Please rate chef's choice orange (rating them all would be great). I plan on growing it next season.

Will do; but Orange Slice (F2s) are visually more appealing.

[Fiishergurl]

Cherokee Black Heart (delicious and productive large purple hearts).



Sgt Peppers.... close to 60 tomatoes set but there are 40 to 50 more blossoms and most of the new blossoms are not setting. Going to prune those and some extra suckers and see if that will kick start it.

Marsha i think my other picture made the antho look darker because I took it from the top down instead of the side.

Ginny

[ginger2778]

My Sgt. Peppers has about 20 fruit on it but keeps setting more. I have been meticulous in pulling off suckers, so it only has the 2 main stems. The lowest, largest 4 are about 10 oz size, and look like the color is changing. I am very much looking forward to this one.
I have been harvesting Malinovoe Chudo,(Raspberry Miracle) an 8 oz pink, it is just delicious. Productivity only medium. I am starting to prefer the pinks to the browns/ purples, they are so sweet, and seem to have a better shelf life.
Also harvesting Kljukva V Sahare a 1oz red cherry, semi determinate, had a terminal fluorescence, but it is putting out more sucker which I will let grow.

[Barb_FL]

Marsha - My raspberry miracle plant has HUGE tomatoes; Definitely look to be in the 11+ oz range. None are turning color. Will check, but I'm guessing there are about 12 tomatoes.

DDR is KILLING it with productivity. I picked one yesterday that was 17+ oz and NOT Fused.

Yesterday, with the 18 MPH wind plus huge gusts from all directions was not kind to my plants especially the DDR plant in the RP. It kept of falling over. I finally removed it being elevated. I guess elevated on the pool deck doesn't work when I don't have any ground to place a stick.

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Ginny - My one Brad Gates Mix plant (in the EB) produces the small PBTD. Yummy. Really a nice size; way bigger than a cherry tomato but no where near a beef stake. The other plant in a RP is way more productive and so far GWR. Thank you for the seeds.

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Marsha - Do you think plants have a given amount of tomatoes that can be set? Last spring, when I grew Orange Russian 117, I had 5 huge tomatoes on it (>1lb). When I finally picked them, the plant set another 7ish tomatoes which were never as large, but then ran into heat.

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I'm just rambling away but it seems the first few trusses are the easy ones. Plant isn't huge yet and hard to maintain.

[Fiishergurl]

Barb,

Somebody (and by somebody I mean you... lol) needs to do a test with 6 plants in one EB with 2 stems each and 2 plants in another EB with many stems and see howvthe production compares. Has to be a tomato you really like as all 8 plants should be the same.

Ginny

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using Tapatalk

[ginger2778]

Originally Posted by Barb_FL

Marsha - Do you think plants have a given amount of tomatoes that can be set? Last spring, when I grew Orange Russian 117, I had 5 huge tomatoes on it (>1lb). When I finally picked them, the plant set another 7ish tomatoes which were never as large, but then ran into heat.

Barb- tomatoes are a perennial that is treated as an annual. No, I dont think there is a set number as long as it's an "indy". If you can keep it healthy and alive, you can get more fruit out of it, if conditions are right.

[Fiishergurl]

Bottom row Fish Lake Oxheart
2nd from bottom row - Cherokee Black Heart

Top row - a descendent of unstable Surpriz seeds

2nd from top
Left is Black Cherry, right is Indigo Cherry Drops

I pick most of mine at first blush for several reasons. Here are this mornings. I only have 12 plants in 6 EB's which is more than enough for Terry and me but the vultures (neighbors) are circling and winter is the busy season here so Im wishing I had about 12 more plants so I had plenty to share with everyone. And to think I almost didnt grow any after the hurricane wrecked them.

Ginny