Hey Fellow Floridians - Year 2

[efisakov]

Everyone's pictures are looking great. Nice fruit set. They are about to start ripening by the dozens.
Sauce pots and dehydrator time is coming soon. Yea!

[ginger2778]

Just harvested my first 2 ripe ones. SunGolds. It's such a good feeling getting that first fruit of the season.

I also noticed that there were 2 Spike fruit missing off the lowest truss, and I heard a bang as a fence plank was flexed while a critter was pushing through. DH is setting up the infrared camera. We are gonna see what kind of rat bastid is stealing my fruit!

[Barb_FL]

Marsha - Let us know what it is.

I'm seeing squirrels in the backyard.

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I have a few big ones turning color. Hopefully I can eat my first big fruit on December 1.

Meanwhile, the Lizzano tomatoes are great. Very tomato-y with thin skins. A short wide plant.

So far the only ones we have been eating are SunGold, ICD, and Lizzano as of yesterday.

[ginger2778]

Barb, we have tons of squirrels too, but I never see them eating tomatoes. This thing is definitely nocturnal.

[efisakov]

O, Marsha, I hope your intruder did not like green tomatoes and does not come back.

[Fiishergurl]

Marsha,

We saw a squirrel making off with a huge beefsteak green tomato in Philly from a neighbors garden down the street. He was trying to cross the street with it when we went by... lol. Racoons stole some ripe tomatoes from my plants one year but havent messed with them since (knock on wood).

Keep us posted with what you see on infrared!

Ginny

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[Zone9b]

The picture is some of the large tomatoes we picked today. We are picking before completely ripe because the squirrels are busy this season. I also picked 10 Grandma Pick’s which are on the large size they aren’t in the picture and I also put 2 of each large tomato variety in the cupboard until they are totally ripe for a bit of a taste test. I didn’t keep as good of notes as I have in past seasons because I’m not doing the majority of the picking. The earliest of the large varieties were BHN1021 and Tycoon. We’ve have been picking these for some time. I never had large tomatoes to pick as early as these two.
I transplanted both varieties on 9/4/16. and I have a note on each on 11/9/16 that we had been harvesting them. That means these both started to be harvested at 60-64 days after transplant.
Given the fact that BHN 1021 has a76 dtm and Tycoon has a 80 dtm it is one heck of a season. Charger was another large tomato that was very early also. Given these varieties ability to handle the heat I see no reason not to transplant some of them in August next year.
What the tomato breeders are doing with large red round tomatoes is remarkable. For example, the 2011 High Tunnel Tomato Trials included varieties such as Big Beef, Fabulous and then new variety BHN 1021. Forward to 2014 Evaluation of Determinate Tomato Varieties in High Tunnel Production and most of the old guard is gone and one sees Red Deuce, Primo Red leading the production and BHN 1021 is still there but for the most part a new generation of varieties with greater production, said to be better taste, greater disease resistance and so forth. I hope to trial Primo Red in the Spring. It is of course a large red but has a published dtm of 68.
Larry

[Fiishergurl]

Originally Posted by ginger2778

See Ginny! I knew It! Haha.

Blossoms, blossoms, everywhere. Hope a big bad freeze doesn't come along and rain on our parade!

Ginny

[efisakov]

Originally Posted by Zone9b

The picture is some of the large tomatoes we picked today. We are picking before completely ripe because the squirrels are busy this season. I also picked 10 Grandma Pick’s which are on the large size they aren’t in the picture and I also put 2 of each large tomato variety in the cupboard until they are totally ripe for a bit of a taste test. I didn’t keep as good of notes as I have in past seasons because I’m not doing the majority of the picking. The earliest of the large varieties were BHN1021 and Tycoon. We’ve have been picking these for some time. I never had large tomatoes to pick as early as these two.
I transplanted both varieties on 9/4/16. and I have a note on each on 11/9/16 that we had been harvesting them. That means these both started to be harvested at 60-64 days after transplant.
Given the fact that BHN 1021 has a76 dtm and Tycoon has a 80 dtm it is one heck of a season. Charger was another large tomato that was very early also. Given these varieties ability to handle the heat I see no reason not to transplant some of them in August next year.
What the tomato breeders are doing with large red round tomatoes is remarkable. For example, the 2011 High Tunnel Tomato Trials included varieties such as Big Beef, Fabulous and then new variety BHN 1021. Forward to 2014 Evaluation of Determinate Tomato Varieties in High Tunnel Production and most of the old guard is gone and one sees Red Deuce, Primo Red leading the production and BHN 1021 is still there but for the most part a new generation of varieties with greater production, said to be better taste, greater disease resistance and so forth. I hope to trial Primo Red in the Spring. It is of course a large red but has a published dtm of 68.
Larry

Larry, thank you for sharing this info. Interesting to hear about their taste. Price of the seeds is a bit high but resistance to so many diseases and nematodes is amazing.

[nancyruhl]

Larry, that is interesting information.

Glad all of your gardens are doing so well. Your pictures are sooo pretty.

[Fiishergurl]

Originally Posted by Zone9b

The picture is some of the large tomatoes we picked today. We are picking before completely ripe because the squirrels are busy this season. I also picked 10 Grandma Pick’s which are on the large size they aren’t in the picture and I also put 2 of each large tomato variety in the cupboard until they are totally ripe for a bit of a taste test. I didn’t keep as good of notes as I have in past seasons because I’m not doing the majority of the picking. The earliest of the large varieties were BHN1021 and Tycoon. We’ve have been picking these for some time. I never had large tomatoes to pick as early as these two.
I transplanted both varieties on 9/4/16. and I have a note on each on 11/9/16 that we had been harvesting them. That means these both started to be harvested at 60-64 days after transplant.
Given the fact that BHN 1021 has a76 dtm and Tycoon has a 80 dtm it is one heck of a season. Charger was another large tomato that was very early also. Given these varieties ability to handle the heat I see no reason not to transplant some of them in August next year.
What the tomato breeders are doing with large red round tomatoes is remarkable. For example, the 2011 High Tunnel Tomato Trials included varieties such as Big Beef, Fabulous and then new variety BHN 1021. Forward to 2014 Evaluation of Determinate Tomato Varieties in High Tunnel Production and most of the old guard is gone and one sees Red Deuce, Primo Red leading the production and BHN 1021 is still there but for the most part a new generation of varieties with greater production, said to be better taste, greater disease resistance and so forth. I hope to trial Primo Red in the Spring. It is of course a large red but has a published dtm of 68.
Larry

Larry,

That is so interesting. Please let us know your favorites as soon as they start to ripen. I might try to grow one or two of the most productive/best taste for spring and I start my seeds in December. I'm interested in the most productive slicer or beefsteak, red or pink that tastes good. I also bought Esterina cherry based on your comments. Just got them in the mail yesterday and will start a few today. If anyone from our Florida thread (includes you Ella!) wants a few Esterina seeds to try PM me.

Ginny

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[Fiishergurl]

My plants are finally starting to grow the tomatoes larger. Seemed like they stayed at that smaller size for a while.


Surpriz


PBTD




Cherokee Black Heart

Ginny

[efisakov]

Beautiful fruits, Ginny.

[Fiishergurl]

Thank you Ella!

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[ginger2778]

Gorgeous, Ginny! The Florida folks are killing it this season!