Here it is July

[camochef]

Got up and out early this morning to prune tomatoes before the heat set in too much. I was happy to see a few plants with decent sized tomatoes that had a pink blush to them.
I was amazed at the amount of really large tomatoes hidden inside the lower areas of the larger plants. I began counting when I started pruning, but once I reached two hundred tomatoes I quit as I still had more plants to go.
I did notice a few with catfacing but as long as it stays at just 3-4, I can live with that.
I hope everybody can maintain their patience a while longer and that we all will be picking ripe tomatoes very soon.
Enjoy!
Camo

[Ken4230]

My tomato garden normally slows down in July. This year, it's just about dead. My squash, zucchini and cukes are still booming.

We plant early(first week of April) and try to protect everything in the raised beds. Most of the time, we have enough tomatoes on the vine to get us through the slow period. Now I'm not so sure, we may have to start planting in Feb.
I've been trying for years to get a tomato on the plate before June. I've been close but no cigar yet.

[Father'sDaughter]

I just got back from the grocery store where I had to purchase a package of Campari's for tonight's salad. Killed me to do it, and I hope these are the last store bought tomatoes that will have to enter my house for the next several months! Still not seeing much in the way of color on my tomatoes.

[zabby17]

July is actually looking better for me than usual! Here in Zone 5 with my tendency to plant out on the late side even for what's possible out of sheer lack of time and organization, I rarely see ripe fruite before the end of the month.

But I got some early varieties planted a bit earlier than usual, the wet weather followed by heat cycle hit pretty well for my babies' development, and while I don't do a lot of watering once the plants are well established, I am lucky in that I CAN, and have done so a little bit in the recent really nasty heat.

As a result of which, I have A TINY BLUSH OF COLOUR ON A TOMATO! Yes, my first Stupice has started to turn, suggesting I'll be eating it within a week or so---earliest tomato for me ever, I think. And first time I've had a larger (comparatively) tom before a cherry. (Sungold and Sweet 100 have a lot of little greenies on them and I imagine they'll start to turn v. soon.)

I think my first bed, with the Stupices and also some Kimberlys and a few other salad-sized varieties went into the ground May 15, so it looks like we'll be under 60 DTM!

My sympathy to those who will be still waiting for some time. I know that wait well---often I've seen nothing but a smattering of cherries till well into August. I remember in particular one mid-July day in Toronto when my garden was a sea of green still, seeing an elderly Italian woman picking ripe, red tomatoes in her front yard and being CONSUMED with jealousy. ;-p

Hang in there, all. It'll come!

P.S. The tomatoes are the ONLY thing I have running on schedule or early. I had to re-start my cuckes and pumpkin from seed, and they're now seedlings still INDOORS UNDER LIGHTS, just now potted up into six-inch pots sicne I want them to be good and sturdy before I set them free in insectland... with luck Ill get a few cukes in September, and only with LOTS of luck will I get a pumpkin before frost....

[duderubble]

This morning I had color on quite a few--all with blossom end rot! All that is save one Cherokee Purple turning a lovely pink. Cherokee Purple has been first in my garden for several years now--of course I normally forget to plant early varieties, but CP is still pretty impressive in its earliness. I believe this will be right at 70 DTM from planting.

[PA_Julia]

I have just eaten a ripe Cherry tomato from one of the the Burpee Sweet Cherry 100 plants I have in ground.

Delicious!

My wait continues for all of my heirlooms to ripen however.


Julia

[lakelady]

As if it's not bad enough that many varieties still have little greenies, the worst is when you see toms that you KNOW are mature size, and they still are not turning either!

I did have 1 Vorlon turn ripe finally but it was a very deformed little guy )1st blossom on the plant) and it was delicious even if a little mealy, and had no seeds at all. odd! Now I'm doubly anxious for a nice good slicer!

[kath]

The only reason we've been eating slicers is because I started some plants early and planted them out on April 30th. The rest were about 5 wk. transplants when put out on May 12th and the only ones to blush/ripen from that batch have been cherries with the exception of Hungarian Heart, which started to get yellowish today. It won't be long now!

[stonysoilseeds]

i have a long way to go.. first there was too much rain here and i think you should be careful what you wish for as the weather has been hot and sunny for over 2 weeks now nd all i wnt is rain..my plnts for the most part look helthy but i have a long way to go to taste the delicious fruit

[roper2008]

Luckily I have been getting some nice big tomatoes. I just gave my
sister a Large Pink Bulgarian(beautiful tomato), Sandul Moldovan and
some red brandywine's. My favorite one is so far is the Sandul Moldovan,
although the Large Pink Bulgarian is very good too. Both of these I
received from your seed offer Kath.
It's been so hot here that I haven't even looked at the tomato plants
today. Will see what's ripe tomorrow.

[Tapout]

I have a lot of tomatoes just hanging around laughing and taunting me with their green faces.

My blooms mostly fell off during storms we had and then when the heat wave hit there went tons more. It looks like they are starting to bloom up again slowly but now I am contending with some kind of blight I think the lower leafs turned yellow and died. I trimmed most of the bad off and now I am waiting. My green zebra contracted some kind of wilt with 9 green unripened tomatoes on it... Just looking at it breaks my heart.

[Chartreuse]

I went outside today to try buzzing the blossoms with an electric toothbrush, and lo and behold, I found my first tomato growing! It is a Red Belly. This is my first year growing tomatoes from seed and I don't think I really believed that I would get any fruit until I saw this today! I sat down on the grass and stared at it for about ten minutes. It was very exciting. In fact, just writing this post makes me want to go outside and check that it's still there and I wasn't imagining it!

[lakelady]

Originally Posted by Chartreuse

I went outside today to try buzzing the blossoms with an electric toothbrush, and lo and behold, I found my first tomato growing! It is a Red Belly. This is my first year growing tomatoes from seed and I don't think I really believed that I would get any fruit until I saw this today! I sat down on the grass and stared at it for about ten minutes. It was very exciting. In fact, just writing this post makes me want to go outside and check that it's still there and I wasn't imagining it!

Ah that is always exciting!

For me personally, I love looking at the ones that are shapes I've never grown before such as hearts, pears and a few ruffled beefsteaks. I could stare at them all day. In fact, I saw a pear turning a yellowish orange color this morning and my second Vorlon (a nice big one!) is turning too! Better get a really good loaf of bread tomorrow so I'm ready for that tomato sandwich!

[marc_groleau]

I'm in zone 5B Northern. Rhode Island and I've got lots of greenies too. I am a little bit happy to hear that I'm not alone in line for first GFT (garden fresh tomato).
I even made a special trip to the farmer's market to find something close to GFT. I paid 7 bucks for three tomatos grown in a"local greenhouse". They gotta be better than supermarket tomatoes, right? Wrong! They sucked just as bad!

Oh well, here's to fortitude.

[babice]

Originally Posted by Chartreuse

I don't think I really believed that I would get any fruit until I saw this today! I sat down on the grass and stared at it for about ten minutes.

That's totally awesome!