Bland tomatoes - will flavor improve if not over-watered?

[GooberStraw]

My tomatoes are finally getting ripe and I noticed their flavor is very bland and watered-down. I suspect I've been over-watering them since they were small. They are lush and disease-free, but I'm worried the flavor will remain bland as the remaining fruit ripens. I'm more careful with my watering now and I'm wondering if the batch of tomatoes I'm tasting is bland because they were ripened during a period of over-watering. Maybe the next batch will taste better?

Does soil pH make a difference in taste or flavor development?

It's so disappointing to bite into your first tomato and have it taste like a supermarket tomato.

[ubergoober]

I have found my first couple to ripen were pretty mild tasting as well. I have been told it will improve with subsequent fruit. Just be careful to only water when needed and it should be ok.

Love your name by the way! lol I see you are in the GTA as well.

[Marko]

First tomatoes are often bland but taste usually improves later in the season.
It's not only overwatering, fruit ripening at high temps can't have the same rich taste as the fruit ripening in moderate weather. Where I live tomatoes begin to ripen in july, but taste is the best in late august.

[French-Connection]

If you under water you could get BER , so be careful.

[FILMNET]

Good think i picked from the brandwine family, and all blacks. because i have a few yelllow and mixed Bi-color which are not good taste at all

[GooberStraw]

Thank you very much, everyone, for your feedback.

Originally Posted by ubergoober

Love your name by the way! lol I see you are in the GTA as well.

Another goober on Tville! Welcome aboard. I'm new here myself, but spend most of my time reading - lots of valuable info around here.

Originally Posted by Marko

It's not only overwatering, fruit ripening at high temps can't have the same rich taste as the fruit ripening in moderate weather.

That's interesting. I was always under the impression that tomatoes like hot temps, which makes them taste good. Maybe there's a temp range for optimal flavor development? It's been awfully hot early in the season this year. But then it won't get cooler till Sept. around here...

Originally Posted by French-Connection

If you under water you could get BER , so be careful.

Thanks! I'm trying not to starve them of water, but it's so easy to over do it either way. Two of my Speckled Roman tomatoes got it, but now the remaining fruit seem fine. I need to calibrate my watering somehow so I know exactly how much they get.

[feldon30]

You may have already posted this, but what are you growing?

[Glenn 50]

Next season try a few English tomatoes such as Moneymaker, Harbinger, Potentate amongst your selection. The English prefer a tart flavoured tomato although it may not suit the American tastebuds.

[Tormato]

Originally Posted by GooberStraw

Thank you very much, everyone, for your feedback.



Another goober on Tville! Welcome aboard. I'm new here myself, but spend most of my time reading - lots of valuable info around here.



That's interesting. I was always under the impression that tomatoes like hot temps, which makes them taste good. Maybe there's a temp range for optimal flavor development? It's been awfully hot early in the season this year. But then it won't get cooler till Sept. around here...



Thanks! I'm trying not to starve them of water, but it's so easy to over do it either way. Two of my Speckled Roman tomatoes got it, but now the remaining fruit seem fine. I need to calibrate my watering somehow so I know exactly how much they get.

Maybe there's a temp range for optimal flavor development?

I think I have it.

This year, EVERY pink beefsteak (of many different varieties) has tasted as good as the best tomatoes I've ever had. Many of these varieties, in past years, had tasted fairly bland. I've yet to try my favorite varieties.

There has been little rain, and I'm watering less than I ever have. The PL's are in good shape, small leafed RL's look a bit stressed. P20 is way stressed. The fruit of all varieties are about 1/3 smaller than previous years. Just a few fruit have had blossom end rot.

As for the temp range...it's mostly been about 90, +/- a degree, or two.

Gary

[habitat_gardener]

Originally Posted by Tormato

Maybe there's a temp range for optimal flavor development?

I think I have it.

....As for the temp range...it's mostly been about 90, +/- a degree, or two.

Hmm, here it's been mostly in the 70s all summer, and I'm getting some terrific-tasting big tomatoes. My favorites so far are Purple Brandy (Marizol Purple) and Tobolsk. Maybe a consistent temperature is the key? Every other summer in the past few years, we've had heat waves every month or so. No summer rain here, and I underwater to the point that the foliage starts turning brown (that's when I notice it), and then I step up the watering a bit. I've heard of other gardeners in the area who water well until fruit set starts, then stop entirely.

At the community garden, I grew a Pink Ping Pong one year that had a sparse yield but a terrific taste. I underwatered to the point where the foliage was almost gone. Another gardener grew the same plant from the same supplier, but watered heavily and more often. Her plant got more sun than mine, and was more heavily mulched. Her plant was dense and lush, as well as unbelievably prolific, but the fruits tasted bland and bad at the same time. Didn't taste at all like the same tomato! So watering can matter a lot. It was only one plant of each, though, and it'd be interesting to do a real trial with multiple plants.