What are common tomato misconceptions/mis-knowledge? - Page 3

Tracydr · March 31, 2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by texasrockgarden

What about high or low acid tomatoes? I seem to be seeing "low acid tomatoes" more and more on commercial seeds web sights.

I'm confused about the low acid thing, too. When I learned to can, I learned that any tomato product needed citrus acid or lemon juice added. So, I really don't care about the acid level. I've also learned that a tomato can taste low acid because it has a high brix and yet actually be high acid and vice versa.

Canning nomenclature drives me crazy. Using "high acid" and "low acid" when things are low pH and high pH tends to get confusing, since it's the opposite.

Boutique Tomatoes · March 31, 2012

When determining how many of each crop to plant for your garden, the rule of thumb is that 1 tomato plant per family member is enough...

Worth1 · March 31, 2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by marktutt

When determining how many of each crop to plant for your garden, the rule of thumb is that 1 tomato plant per family member is enough...

That would be true if they were Texas tomato plants.

Worth

Sun City Linda · March 31, 2012

I live alone. I plant as many as is humanly possible in Earthboxes, pots and the ground. There are never enough.

Ruth_10 · March 31, 2012

That tomato plants need to be pruned so all the nutrients go to the fruits rather than the leaves. Wrong, wrong, wrong.

I recall a thread in the early days of TV that went at this fast and furious (and nasty towards the end), with one chap championing the pruning camp. He either quit posting or got banned, don't remember.

Tracydr · March 31, 2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ruth_10

That tomato plants need to be pruned so all the nutrients go to the fruits rather than the leaves. Wrong, wrong, wrong.

I recall a thread in the early days of TV that went at this fast and furious (and nasty towards the end), with one chap championing the pruning camp. He either quit posting or got banned, don't remember.

I saw something on a YouTube video about pruning squash. It was from England. I think many UK gardeners are really into the pruning method, perhaps because they like very tidy gardens? Or, maybe space is at a premium in community, urban allotment gardens? I don't know.
Of course, the famous Italian tomato gardens are very heavily pruned and staked with one stake.
Nutrients of course come from the leaves, not vice versa, though. There are some reasons to prune but that certainly wouldn't be a reason. Pruning could be used to keep tomatoes smaller so as to have more space to grow more varieties, to allow more air flow, but to allow nutrients to go to the fruit instead of the leaves? No sense there.

Tracydr · March 31, 2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by Worth1

That would be true if they were Texas tomato plants.

Worth

I guess that depends on how many tomatoes each person likes to eat? And, how many each person will eat for the rest of the year? I put most of my tomatoes up, by canning and drying. It's amazing how many tomatoes it takes when they are cooked down into a thick sauce or dried. Depressing, sometimes.
All that hard work and then 12 or 14 itty little bitty tiny jars of tomato paste. But, oh so good in the winter to open those jars!

Ruth_10 · March 31, 2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tracydr

I saw something on a YouTube video about pruning squash. It was from England. I think many UK gardeners are really into the pruning method, perhaps because they like very tidy gardens? Or, maybe space is at a premium in community, urban allotment gardens? I don't know.
Of course, the famous Italian tomato gardens are very heavily pruned and staked with one stake.
Nutrients of course come from the leaves, not vice versa, though. There are some reasons to prune but that certainly wouldn't be a reason. Pruning could be used to keep tomatoes smaller so as to have more space to grow more varieties, to allow more air flow, but to allow nutrients to go to the fruit instead of the leaves? No sense there.

For sure there can be legitimate reasons to prune. The guy making the pruning/nutrients argument was British, as I recall. Maybe the standard for how a tomato plant should look gets set in childhood, and thus one prunes, regardless.

Worth1 · March 31, 2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tracydr

I guess that depends on how many tomatoes each person likes to eat? And, how many each person will eat for the rest of the year? I put most of my tomatoes up, by canning and drying. It's amazing how many tomatoes it takes when they are cooked down into a thick sauce or dried. Depressing, sometimes.
All that hard work and then 12 or 14 itty little bitty tiny jars of tomato paste. But, oh so good in the winter to open those jars!

I had to eat so many jars of toatoes we put up while I was a kid I don't really care for cooked tomatoes much.

Almost all of my tomatoes are consumed fresh.

Worth

RobinB · March 31, 2012

That you should save seeds from only the best tasting tomatoes on a plant. I now know that all seeds from all tomatoes on any given plant are genetically identical (thanks Craig!)

arivaraci · March 31, 2012

Quote:

I had to eat so many jars of toatoes we put up while I was a kid I don't really care for cooked tomatoes much.

Almost all of my tomatoes are consumed fresh.

Worth

I am with you there! Most all of mine are eaten fresh.

And I agree with the estimated tomato plants to household number myth. I had 14 very good producers last year with a few mediocre plants - and it was not enough. I am afraid I don't have enough sunlight for enough tomatoes, and am gently trying to convince dear husband to cut a few more of the huge trees that are blocking potential garden space.

livinonfaith · March 31, 2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by marktutt

When determining how many of each crop to plant for your garden, the rule of thumb is that 1 tomato plant per family member is enough...

Darn it! Where am I going to find those 30 other family members at this late date? And where are they going to sleep?

desertlzbn · April 1, 2012

What are heirlooms? That is the most asked question that I get at my drive way sales

FILMNET · April 1, 2012

That 9 hrs of sun is needed for growing tomato plants, my neighbors all have trees over there yards. We live at the bottom of a hill in a small very old city. Our house was the first built 1810, and the yard called the smith land. All land around use is small,and has some land on this hill and no gardens get 9 hrs sun. Only me, sorry all!!! being on the bottom of the hill we have the best land and 11hrs as old trees are cut done i get more sun.This year more them 9 hrs for me.

tomakers · April 1, 2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by Worth1

I had to eat so many jars of toatoes we put up while I was a kid I don't really care for cooked tomatoes much.

Almost all of my tomatoes are consumed fresh.

Worth

I'm with you on this one! We ate a LOT of canned tomatoes in the winter, and I don't like them cooked.

March 31, 2012	#35
Ruth_10 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: MO z6a near St. Louis Posts: 1,349	That tomato plants need to be pruned so all the nutrients go to the fruits rather than the leaves. Wrong, wrong, wrong. I recall a thread in the early days of TV that went at this fast and furious (and nasty towards the end), with one chap championing the pruning camp. He either quit posting or got banned, don't remember. __________________ --Ruth Some say the glass half-full. Others say the glass is half-empty. To an engineer, it’s twice as big as it needs to be.

March 31, 2012	#32
Boutique Tomatoes Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Northeast Wisconsin, Zone 5a Posts: 1,109	When determining how many of each crop to plant for your garden, the rule of thumb is that 1 tomato plant per family member is enough...

March 31, 2012	#34
Sun City Linda Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: SoCal Inland Posts: 2,705	I live alone. I plant as many as is humanly possible in Earthboxes, pots and the ground. There are never enough.

March 31, 2012	#40
RobinB Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Near Reno, NV Posts: 1,621	That you should save seeds from only the best tasting tomatoes on a plant. I now know that all seeds from all tomatoes on any given plant are genetically identical (thanks Craig!)

April 1, 2012	#43
desertlzbn Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Tucson Posts: 659	What are heirlooms? That is the most asked question that I get at my drive way sales

April 1, 2012	#44
FILMNET Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: North Charleston,South Carolina, USA Posts: 1,803	That 9 hrs of sun is needed for growing tomato plants, my neighbors all have trees over there yards. We live at the bottom of a hill in a small very old city. Our house was the first built 1810, and the yard called the smith land. All land around use is small,and has some land on this hill and no gardens get 9 hrs sun. Only me, sorry all!!! being on the bottom of the hill we have the best land and 11hrs as old trees are cut done i get more sun.This year more them 9 hrs for me.