Paste tomatoes with no BER

frankcar1965 · December 29, 2015

Looking ahead for the new year and making my list. Is there a paste tomato that is less likely to BER? I know that it is physiological but are there ANY that are better than the others? Last year I don't think I got but two perfect ones out of four plants. It was bad however with record rain but it seems to be a problem every year to some extent. Any ideas?

taboule · December 29, 2015

I grew Super Italian Paste for the first time last year and had zero BER on more than a dozen plants.

However going forward I'm switching to hearts (FLO and other) for my sauces since they're more productive and still good to eat raw. You may want to try some.

Salsacharley · December 29, 2015

I've had good success with Shannon's. I might have had BER on the first one or two fruit but it cleared up and was nice and productive. I've grown it for 2 years.

ContainerTed · December 29, 2015

I've never seen BER on Casino Paste. After 5 seasons of growing it, I have to say that it just doesn't happen.

**carolyn137** · December 29, 2015

I've grown a lot of paste vareties jus to be growing them but as some above said I too strongly prefer hearts or also meaty beefsteaks for making sauce,

Yes, BER is physiological and it really depends on a specific season as to the weather as to whether or not pastes develop BER. So variety X in one season may develop it and the same variety in another season will not.

Growing where I did and do the three that were less likely to develop BER are Opalka, Heidi and Mama Leone.

Carolyn

crazyoldgooseman · December 30, 2015

My San Marzano Redorta never has BER. I do a soil test every few years and make adjustments and do drip irrigation under 5 in straw mulch.

gssgarden · January 2, 2016

Shannon's. I agree with Salsa. I have never had ber on her.

Made an entire batch of sauce with JUST her and it was wonderful!!

Been growing it for countless yrs.

I have plenty of seeds if you want them.

Greg

Gardeneer · January 3, 2016

I have never grown tomatoes strictly for making paste/sauce or canning. But have grown San Marzano and Roma, years ago. Both had BER problems where close to a dozen others varieties did not.

From what I have read and gathered over the years, most paste tomatoes are not good at the taste department. That is ok if you use them in cooking, since you can improve the taste by adding, onion, garlic, herbs and spices.
So I say, unless you are a big time canner, why bother with those varieties that don't taste as good and you run the risk of BER spoilage ? I make some sauce with whatever is extra. To make it thicken faster I mash them and get the juice out for soups or for drinking, Bloody Mary. That reduces the volume by 1/3 to 1/2 right away.
Then of course everybody has different preferences.

Gardeneer

crazyoldgooseman · January 3, 2016

What is Shannon's? a paste variety or T'ville member or ?

Thanks

Greatgardens · January 3, 2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by taboule

I grew Super Italian Paste for the first time last year and had zero BER on more than a dozen plants.

However going forward I'm switching to hearts (FLO and other) for my sauces since they're more productive and still good to eat raw. You may want to try some.

What is "FLO?" Searched and came up with nothing. Thought maybe the it was an acronym, so I looked for oxhearts that began with "F". Found none.

-GG

gssgarden · January 3, 2016

Shannon's

She's not a member, but my daughter! lol

http://www.tomatoville.com/showthrea...ht=Shannon%27s

Here's some history and great pics!!!

http://www.tomatoville.com/showthrea...ht=Shannon%27s

Greg

gssgarden · January 3, 2016

One more...

http://www.tomatoville.com/showthrea...ht=Shannon%27s

ABlindHog · January 3, 2016

I have grown Chico III for several seasons with no blossom end rot at all. Very prolific too.

Gerardo · January 3, 2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by ContainerTed

I've never seen BER on Casino Paste. After 5 seasons of growing it, I have to say that it just doesn't happen.

Ted,

If I may, where did you get seeds for Casino paste? I keep bumping into Casino Chips, no paste.

Can you point me in the right direction por favor? Thanks.

Father'sDaughter · January 3, 2016

About 3/4s of my plants are pastes. I like dry and meaty, and I've learned that even the ones with little flavor are transformed once they are cooked down. I add very little seasoning to my sauces so that the tomato flavor is what dominates. As there are only two of us, six or seven slicers and one cherry provide more tomatoes than we can eat, so the pastes are used strictly for canning. And while I would agree that some may be more prone to it, I think it can be prevented.

My first year with fresh compost fill in my new beds, I had no BER that I can recall. The following two years it did plague a good number of the paste varieties. After that I started on a more consistent fertilizing regimen (I had been lazy about keeping up with it in the earlier years), amended my soil with fresh compost each year, and am now heavily mulching with dry leaves every fall. I have had zero BER in the tomatoes grown in my beds (knocking on wood).

Last year I planted four varieties in grow bags using Wonder Soil -- Early Wonder Pink, Moravsky-Div, Dwarf Pink Passion, and San Marzano Nano. Right around the time the plants started setting, we went away for 18 days during which we had a lot of rain. I came home to find three of the four grow bag plants completely covered with BER tomatoes. Surprisingly, the only one that escaped it completely was San Marzano Nano. The others grew out of it after being regularly fertilized. The plants in the beds, once again, had zero BER.

December 29, 2015	#1
frankcar1965 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: NW Louisiana Posts: 89	Paste tomatoes with no BER Looking ahead for the new year and making my list. Is there a paste tomato that is less likely to BER? I know that it is physiological but are there ANY that are better than the others? Last year I don't think I got but two perfect ones out of four plants. It was bad however with record rain but it seems to be a problem every year to some extent. Any ideas?

December 29, 2015	#4
ContainerTed Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: 6a - NE Tennessee Posts: 4,538	I've never seen BER on Casino Paste. After 5 seasons of growing it, I have to say that it just doesn't happen. __________________ Ted ________________________ Owner & Sole Operator Of The Muddy Bucket Farm and Tomato Ranch

December 29, 2015	#5
carolyn137 Moderator Emeritus Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Upstate NY, zone 4b/5a Posts: 21,169	I've grown a lot of paste vareties jus to be growing them but as some above said I too strongly prefer hearts or also meaty beefsteaks for making sauce, Yes, BER is physiological and it really depends on a specific season as to the weather as to whether or not pastes develop BER. So variety X in one season may develop it and the same variety in another season will not. Growing where I did and do the three that were less likely to develop BER are Opalka, Heidi and Mama Leone. Carolyn __________________ Carolyn

December 30, 2015	#6
crazyoldgooseman Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Southern Maryland 7a Posts: 200	My San Marzano Redorta never has BER. I do a soil test every few years and make adjustments and do drip irrigation under 5 in straw mulch. __________________ Anybody see where I sat my beer? -crazyoldgooseman

January 3, 2016	#9
crazyoldgooseman Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Southern Maryland 7a Posts: 200	What is Shannon's? a paste variety or T'ville member or ? Thanks __________________ Anybody see where I sat my beer? -crazyoldgooseman

December 29, 2015	#2
taboule Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: MA Posts: 903	I grew Super Italian Paste for the first time last year and had zero BER on more than a dozen plants. However going forward I'm switching to hearts (FLO and other) for my sauces since they're more productive and still good to eat raw. You may want to try some.

December 29, 2015	#3
Salsacharley Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2013 Location: New Mexico Posts: 2,052	I've had good success with Shannon's. I might have had BER on the first one or two fruit but it cleared up and was nice and productive. I've grown it for 2 years.

January 2, 2016	#7
gssgarden Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: N.C. Posts: 1,827	Shannon's. I agree with Salsa. I have never had ber on her. Made an entire batch of sauce with JUST her and it was wonderful!! Been growing it for countless yrs. I have plenty of seeds if you want them. Greg

January 3, 2016	#8
Gardeneer Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: NC - zone 8a - heat zone 7 Posts: 4,919	I have never grown tomatoes strictly for making paste/sauce or canning. But have grown San Marzano and Roma, years ago. Both had BER problems where close to a dozen others varieties did not. From what I have read and gathered over the years, most paste tomatoes are not good at the taste department. That is ok if you use them in cooking, since you can improve the taste by adding, onion, garlic, herbs and spices. So I say, unless you are a big time canner, why bother with those varieties that don't taste as good and you run the risk of BER spoilage ? I make some sauce with whatever is extra. To make it thicken faster I mash them and get the juice out for soups or for drinking, Bloody Mary. That reduces the volume by 1/3 to 1/2 right away. Then of course everybody has different preferences. Gardeneer

January 3, 2016	#11
gssgarden Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: N.C. Posts: 1,827	Shannon's She's not a member, but my daughter! lol http://www.tomatoville.com/showthrea...ht=Shannon%27s Here's some history and great pics!!! http://www.tomatoville.com/showthrea...ht=Shannon%27s Greg

January 3, 2016	#13
ABlindHog Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2014 Location: The Texas Hill Country Posts: 149	I have grown Chico III for several seasons with no blossom end rot at all. Very prolific too.

January 3, 2016	#15
Father'sDaughter Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: MA/NH Border Posts: 4,919	About 3/4s of my plants are pastes. I like dry and meaty, and I've learned that even the ones with little flavor are transformed once they are cooked down. I add very little seasoning to my sauces so that the tomato flavor is what dominates. As there are only two of us, six or seven slicers and one cherry provide more tomatoes than we can eat, so the pastes are used strictly for canning. And while I would agree that some may be more prone to it, I think it can be prevented. My first year with fresh compost fill in my new beds, I had no BER that I can recall. The following two years it did plague a good number of the paste varieties. After that I started on a more consistent fertilizing regimen (I had been lazy about keeping up with it in the earlier years), amended my soil with fresh compost each year, and am now heavily mulching with dry leaves every fall. I have had zero BER in the tomatoes grown in my beds (knocking on wood). Last year I planted four varieties in grow bags using Wonder Soil -- Early Wonder Pink, Moravsky-Div, Dwarf Pink Passion, and San Marzano Nano. Right around the time the plants started setting, we went away for 18 days during which we had a lot of rain. I came home to find three of the four grow bag plants completely covered with BER tomatoes. Surprisingly, the only one that escaped it completely was San Marzano Nano. The others grew out of it after being regularly fertilized. The plants in the beds, once again, had zero BER.