Cow's Tit paste tomato - It's just strange

Steve Magruder · May 30, 2012

I'm relatively new to tomato gardening. This is probably my fourth or fifth (nonsuccessive) season growing tomatoes as an adult, so maybe I haven't seen much.

But the Cow's Tit paste tomato I'm growing new this year is really throwing curve balls at me.

It feels different from other tomatoes. The leaves are kind of fluffy and limpy, yet healthy.

It grows in all sorts of crazy directions.

It seems more "weedy" than other tomatoes in how it almost seems to dislike being trained as it grows.

For those of you who have grown this cultivar, have you experienced the same things? And if so, did you do different things with it during the season to maintain it compared to other tomato plants?

Skaggydog · May 30, 2012

The fruit should be hung up in little bras, that's all I know.

RayR · May 30, 2012

I've never seen that one but it is listed on Tatiania's TOMATObase. The wispy leaves are normal for that variety. I'm growing a few Opalka plants which also have wispy leaves.

Steve Magruder · May 30, 2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by RayR

I've never seen that one but it is listed on Tatiania's TOMATObase. The wispy leaves are normal for that variety. I'm growing a few Opalka plants which also have wispy leaves.

What a fantastic resource that is! Thank you for pointing me to it.

Tom C zone 4/5 · May 30, 2012

I grow CT. I've been a booster of its use. It does present longer and limper leaves than other RL tomato.

Based on past trials, I'd water this plant based on how dry the soil was vs how the leaves look.

Tom C zone 4/5 · May 31, 2012

Other similar accessions have the same leaf structure (and IMO the same watering needs).

Of my trial that would be Henry's, Gilbertie, and Opalka.

I still think Cows Tit is the pick of the litter for productivity, flavor, and earliness.

**carolyn137** · May 31, 2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tom C zone 4/5

Other similar accessions have the same leaf structure (and IMO the same watering needs).

Of my trial that would be Henry's, Gilbertie, and Opalka.

I still think Cows Tit is the pick of the litter for productivity, flavor, and earliness.

http://t.tatianastomatobase.com:88/w...Paste_Tomatoes

The ultimate litter to pick from is in the link above.

I've grown many many paste tomatoes and yes, some much better than others, and many have the knob like appendage at the blossom end as does Cows Tit which as I remember was named by Keith M.

http://t.tatianastomatobase.com:88/wiki/Cow%27s_Tit

Just checking my memory on who found it and named it and it was Keith when he was in NC getting his MS degree with Dr. Randy Gardner of NCSU.

Steve Magruder · June 7, 2012

I've had my Cow's Tit in the ground for just over a month, and the plant is at least three feet tall (the tallest of all my tomato plants planted at the same time) It has some blossoms but no fruit forming yet. Is this normal?

duderubble · June 7, 2012

.....

Steve Magruder · June 7, 2012

It's possible I just can't see the fruit that's growing. This plant has dense greenery, and some blossoms/fruit could be hiding from eyesight.

duderubble · June 7, 2012

I was more taken aback at the idea of having your cows' tit in the ground that long, lol.

Sometimes it takes awhile to get flowers though, some varieties are particular about weather, if you used high nitrogen fertilizer that can certainly delay blooming.

Steve Magruder · June 8, 2012

What a difference a day makes. I spotted the first fruit growing near the top of the plant, where I looked most of the time. And then I inspected the rest of the plant more close-up, and found 2-3 fruit growing in the lower part of the plant that's hard to see. Can't wait to see these mature!

PA_Julia · June 8, 2012

I'd grow it just because it has the words cow and tit in it's name. LOL!!

Julia

Steve Magruder · June 12, 2012

I'm finding that the stems from the plant are very difficult to train in the usual way, as they so, so wispy. Except for the main stem, tying them to anything like I would do with other tomatoes isn't viable. What I think _is_ working is weaving stems around each other and around the cage wires. I almost feel like I'm starting to weave a basket to keep this plant holding together as it continues to grow up like a major weed.

Steve Magruder · June 20, 2012

Update:

11 fruits are growing. Plant is overflowing tall cage. As wild and wispy as the stems/leaves are, the fruits are strange too. These are really sizable cow udders, much bigger than romas and comparable paste tomatoes.

May 30, 2012	#1
Steve Magruder Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2012 Location: Louisville, Kentucky (Zone 6B) Posts: 89	Cow's Tit paste tomato - It's just strange I'm relatively new to tomato gardening. This is probably my fourth or fifth (nonsuccessive) season growing tomatoes as an adult, so maybe I haven't seen much. But the Cow's Tit paste tomato I'm growing new this year is really throwing curve balls at me. It feels different from other tomatoes. The leaves are kind of fluffy and limpy, yet healthy. It grows in all sorts of crazy directions. It seems more "weedy" than other tomatoes in how it almost seems to dislike being trained as it grows. For those of you who have grown this cultivar, have you experienced the same things? And if so, did you do different things with it during the season to maintain it compared to other tomato plants?

May 30, 2012	#5
Tom C zone 4/5 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: SE Ohio Posts: 253	I grow CT. I've been a booster of its use. It does present longer and limper leaves than other RL tomato. Based on past trials, I'd water this plant based on how dry the soil was vs how the leaves look. __________________ Beyond the mountains, there are more mountains.

May 31, 2012	#6
Tom C zone 4/5 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: SE Ohio Posts: 253	Other similar accessions have the same leaf structure (and IMO the same watering needs). Of my trial that would be Henry's, Gilbertie, and Opalka. I still think Cows Tit is the pick of the litter for productivity, flavor, and earliness. __________________ Beyond the mountains, there are more mountains.

June 7, 2012	#9
duderubble Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Southwest Missouri Posts: 71	..... __________________ Dude Rubble

June 7, 2012	#11
duderubble Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Southwest Missouri Posts: 71	I was more taken aback at the idea of having your cows' tit in the ground that long, lol. Sometimes it takes awhile to get flowers though, some varieties are particular about weather, if you used high nitrogen fertilizer that can certainly delay blooming. __________________ Dude Rubble

May 30, 2012	#2
Skaggydog Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Southern California Posts: 131	The fruit should be hung up in little bras, that's all I know.

May 30, 2012	#3
RayR Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Cheektowaga, NY Posts: 2,466	I've never seen that one but it is listed on Tatiania's TOMATObase. The wispy leaves are normal for that variety. I'm growing a few Opalka plants which also have wispy leaves.

June 8, 2012	#12
Steve Magruder Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2012 Location: Louisville, Kentucky (Zone 6B) Posts: 89	What a difference a day makes. I spotted the first fruit growing near the top of the plant, where I looked most of the time. And then I inspected the rest of the plant more close-up, and found 2-3 fruit growing in the lower part of the plant that's hard to see. Can't wait to see these mature!

June 8, 2012	#13
PA_Julia Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Princeton, Ky Zone 7A Posts: 2,208	I'd grow it just because it has the words cow and tit in it's name. LOL!! Julia

June 12, 2012	#14
Steve Magruder Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2012 Location: Louisville, Kentucky (Zone 6B) Posts: 89	I'm finding that the stems from the plant are very difficult to train in the usual way, as they so, so wispy. Except for the main stem, tying them to anything like I would do with other tomatoes isn't viable. What I think _is_ working is weaving stems around each other and around the cage wires. I almost feel like I'm starting to weave a basket to keep this plant holding together as it continues to grow up like a major weed.

June 20, 2012	#15
Steve Magruder Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2012 Location: Louisville, Kentucky (Zone 6B) Posts: 89	Update: 11 fruits are growing. Plant is overflowing tall cage. As wild and wispy as the stems/leaves are, the fruits are strange too. These are really sizable cow udders, much bigger than romas and comparable paste tomatoes. Last edited by Steve Magruder; June 20, 2012 at 07:09 PM.