Florida Growers Thread

[MargeH]

I had 2-plus inches of rain yesterday afternoon in about 2 hours. This morning, when I checked my plants, I had several pea-sized toms on Black Krim and Heaven's Joy. It was the first good rain I have had in more than a week. I guess they really liked the rain and decided to take off. I think that I also have small toms starting to show on Florida Winter and Earl's Faux. We had another good rain today. We will see if any others are showing themselves tomorrow.

Low temps are supposed to be below 75 starting Tuesday. We will see if that helps. I have lots of blooms on most of my plants and I am thumping them every morning.

_____
Marjorie

[captnkirk]

Marge is this your 1st try at EF? Hope it does good for you.I will be growing it next spring.While i was on TGS website i saw where they have a midseason variety i think was Sun King supposed to have recistance to TYLCV I plan on trying that next spring to.Marge when do you think i should start seeds for next spring.I was thinking early jan,maybe even earlier?

[MargeH]

I grew Sun King last fall. It was one of my last varieties to set fruit. That may have been because it was in a semi-shaded spot. I did get some tomatoes from it and it didn't show signs of the virus. I didn't think it's taste was anything special. If you aren't showing real signs of TYLC and you are limited in the number of plants that you can grow, I'm not sure that I would recommend it. There are so many better tasting tomatoes out there.

Even as bad as the virus has been here, I am not ready to give up and plant just the varieties that show some resistance. I am trying two more right now, but they are modern hybrids bred for the growers, so I am not expecting great flavor from them

I started my first batch of seeds last year between Christmas and New Year's and a second the first week of January. I set most of my plants out the second week of February.

You are enough north of me that you might want to wait a couple of weeks later. I grow in pots and had to bring them in for a couple of nights the middle of February. I know that growers in this area lost plants during that cold spell.

___
Marjorie

[annecros]

Setting out the last of my transplants today. Gardener's Delight is blooming already!

I think I will start some more seed next month.

[captnkirk]

Well guess i wont be ordering no Sun King seeds. Hows the plants coming Marge and Anne. I Will finally be home tomorrow to get a look at mine.Its been over 2 weeks .I hope my water hoses connecting all my earthboxes didnt get clogged up and are still getting plenty of water.Im probably going to have to increase the waterflow some before i go back out on the road next time with the plants getting bigger and using more water.I might go ahead and order the automatic watering system they sell for the earthboxes for next year.I will post tomorrow on how plants are doing after i get a look at them._________________-oh and after i get some golf addiction out of my system.

[annecros]

Please let us know, captnkirk.

My plants are anywhere from a foot to a foot and a half tall. No fruitset yet, but with all the rain we are getting right now, the temps are cooler and I should see some soon.

The fall corn is jumping up out of the ground as we speak...

[captnkirk]

I got lots of tomatos set on heatwave,and sunmaster some allmost as big as tennis balls.Also have some small ones on rutgers and red beefsteak.I cant believe how fast they are growing.I am gonna have to get some stronger taller support stakes tomorrow.The plants are spreading out way more than i was expecting with alot of long branches.I ended breaking a few trying to get them tied up.The selfwatering earthboxes have really impressed me so far.All of the plants except the ones i started from seed are loaded with blooms and have no sighns of any disease so far.The plants i started from seed are doing well allso,a few in EB and a few in the ground.They were only about 4inch plants when i put them out ,they handled the heat well.

[MargeH]

Wow, Kirk. Sounds like your plants are setting better than mine. The Black Krim has 8 or 9 that I can see, but none are the size of tennis balls. I have 3 or 4 on the Stupice that I set out a month later than the others. You can tell that it is an early variety. Manasota has started showing a lot, too.

I guess your water system kept them going while you were away. We have had so much rain here for the last week that mine have needed very little water.

_____
Marjorie

[captnkirk]

Yea marge the watering system did well,I think the constant water flow might help keep the containers cool.______________________________________Im hoping heatwave and sunmaster are tasty .They both have set fruit well in this heat and seems like these could be really productive plants for me.

[captnkirk]

http://s213.photobucket.com/albums/cc53/captnkirk2112/ Heres a few pics of my plants

[captbobs]

hey kirk nice pics--I put some seedlings in last week--some have croaked already --but some are hanging on-- it's still early here in Puerto Rico - should wait until nov.---but always try a little early.
heatwave and sunmaster taste ok the best taste in a hot weather mater is cherokee purple - or ark. traveler in my house. keep me posted !

[annecros]

Sheesh. I really need to try Arkansas Traveler. I hear so many good things about it - so many toms.

Started seed two days ago for 1884, Paul Robeson, Anna Russian, Striped German, Green Zebra - and Fargo as a freebie.

I guess you can tell where I ordered seed last?

I thinned my plants last week as well, and have extra cuttings of Earl's Faux, Marianna's Peace, and Gardener's Delight that will fill in some blank spaces around and about next weekend.

Fall in South Florida is great! And - it's raining!

[captnkirk]

OK Bob will keep ya posted._______________________I got some CP seeds i will be growing next spring. Arkansas Traveler does seem to get alot of good reviews so i have that in mind for early fall next year.________Anne seems like you got quite the variety going down there in south florida.Wish i could grow more but with my job im lucky to grow what i do,thanks to the self watering containers i can be away for 2 weeks and still keep plants watered.________Marge you still not seeing no sighns of the TYLCV so far.All is good here ,still no sighns since the one i had to pull early on.I noticed last couple days alot more fruit set on some of my others.Red beef steak is my biggest plant and has really started to set alot of fruit.

[captbobs]

well folks this is the early Puerto Rico scoreboard !( I know it's too early to start--but being the mater sicko that I am I always try !) I planted these seeds 6 weeks ago-
6 seeds each-
black from tula
black krim
floralina
heatwave
florida
sunmaster
solar set
cherokee purple
those that made it to 6 " and into the garden

black from tula-3
black krim-2
floralina-2
heatwave-4
florida-3
sunmaster-1
solarset-1
cherokeepurple-4

now of those-- these croaked!
heatwave-1
florida-1
blackkrim--1
black from tula -2
floralina-2

now if the rest can hang on !!!

I will plant more seeds later this month--I know they will do well-you can grow most anyone nov.-mar. and they will grow--the trick is to try to get something sept-oct !
KEEP PLANTING!!!!

[MargeH]

Well, the virus is back.

Several plants that have more that 12 tomatoes set are showing signs of it. I haven't found pulling them to make much difference in the spread, so at this point I will just watch all of them, one by one, come down with it until the whiteflies are gone. From what I have read, whiteflies stay infectious at least two weeks after the last time they fed on an infected plant.

The virus doesn't seem to hurt the fruit already set, so I will get something from those plants, at least, if I can keep them from getting leaf problems, too.

The Cheeky plants that I have in the dwarf project are in another area, so I hope that will help to give them time to set some fruit. Conditions for fruitset are improving, so I have my fingers crossed that the first and second sets of blossoms on those will come through for me. The documentation says that the virus is not carried in the seeds, just from a whitefly bite.

I have some seedlings still under lights and they won't be ready to go outside for another 2 or 3 weeks. They are Sophie's Choice, Extreme Bush and Sweet Baby Girl. I decided to see if putting them out that late would help hold off the virus and still give me some tomatoes. Those, at least the first two, should stay small enough that I can bring them in if the weather turns too cold early.

The two plants that are supposed to have some resistance are next to the infected plants. They both look good but fruitset on them hasn't been wonderful yet. Inbar has about 5 that I can see and Polina has three. They both have lots of blossoms, though. I guess this is going to be a good test to see how they do against the virus.

______
Marjorie