A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion The Food Garden Forum The Tomato Forum I Want em Big Round, and Juicy!

No I am not quoting a line from Baby got back, LMAO! I am talking tomatoes.
I have not put any in yet, Living in Michigan We still had frost. But this weekend they go.. Now I am a serious Hard core tomato lover, I Eat them right off the vine, A little salt and pepper, In a tomato sandwich, You name it, I could live on home growns in the summer. I wont even buy tomatoes in the off season, they are plastic and gross.
So heres the question, What should I try this year. I have done the early girl, Best boy, Better boy.
PErsonally I adore the beef steak.. Meaty and red inside, taste to die for, Unbelievably juicy.
But I have only bought them from farm stands, Never grown them.. I wonder if they are harder.
Would love some suggestions from tomato mavens!

where is peppereater the expert when you need him but I'd say if you love the beef steak plant them. I have never met a home grown tomato I didn't like so I usually plant one of each that I find up to 10. This year I got a bunch of seeds from peppereater and his friends so I'm trying a few new things.

I like pretty much all home grown varieties too. I'm not real fond of the roma which can have a tough skin. great for salsas but I like to eat off the vine too and there skins a bit too tough for that, in my opinion.
this year I'm doing better boys, for the first time.

Cherries are usually the most prolific. From my experience from around 40 of messing with maters the rule of thumb is the bigger the mater the less they will usually produce. There are exceptions. Then what does well in your garden may not in mine. So you also have to find what will work for you. I sowed around 80 varieties this year and will plant probably 55-60. So I grow all kinds and colors. I grow both hybrids and op/heirlooms. I'm taking it you want to buy some. If so that limits somewhat the varieties you will have to choose from. Usually the 6-10 oz tomatoes will produce well. I like the Goliath hybrid and you can find it around here. Several like the Big Beef's, ect. Burpee has a couple I like Brandyboy and Porterhouse if you can find them. If you find any op/heirlooms like Cherokee Purple they have done well for me and taste great if you get the real one. If you can find someone in your area who grows tomatoes ask them what does well in your area. Hope you have a great season and get loads of great maters. Jay

Wow a true tomato lover! LOL THe thing with cherries is they are TOO prolific. And while they are nice, They take too many for a great tomato sandwich! LOL I really like the grape tomatoes. Home grown, they are pop in your mouth sweet. I have always wondered about the heirloom ones. Purple tomatoes?? I must find some. Something new to experience. and so pretty on a nice salad I would think.
There is a local farmer who I buy tomatoes from in the summer, HAnds down he grows some of the biggest tastiest tomatoes I have had. He sells them like hot cakes from his farm stand.
I have to find something to put in the ground this weekend. there are several good family owned nurseries around me. so time to hunt. :) Thanks for the ideas.
Oh and I thought I would weigh in on the title in this forum.. Tomatoes are a fruit.. Well Technically. I can eat them like a fruit. :) And spelling, no e on the end Singular, Plural with and s.. well then there's an E.

I can't imagine having that many tomato plants. I plant 10 -12 sometimes 1 or 2 more (this year so far 13) and we eat and eat and give away and give away. I used to can tomatoes for soup but I never had more than 15 plants.

There's nothing like a fresh tomato sandwich with mayo on soft white bread.

I have grown & like the Early Girl--and I have also grown the other 2-(best boy and better boy). They are good too. My dad-(he is 82)- grows, and has for years those 3 and sometimes the Jet Star--he likes those as well.


Now, if you are wanting a smaller tomato, say about 3 inches across--I really like the Jolly tomato---but I have a hard time finding it around here.

I am no professional, and I have no problem with the ones mentioned above.

I've heard from a lot of hard core tomato lovers that Big Beef is one of the best tasting hybrids. I would think production would be good, production is one goal when hybridizing. If you can find Chef Jeff's or Bonnie plants, you may find some great Heirlooms. Cherokee Purple is fantastic, I grew it last year and it put out lots of tomatoes right up until frost, through an intensely hot summer. Arkansas Traveler was simply delicious. Brandywine is my favorite, but it's known for low production, and needs a rather long season to ripen. I'm happy to even get a few in a bad year, it's that good, in my opinion. Any of the Heirloom varieties are a good bet, many times they're much more flavorful than hybrids. Go with a few you've had luck with before, and try to find some Heirlooms to experiment with. BTW, you should be able to find Beefsteak somewhere, and it should give at least fair production and likely good production. I know people who grow Early Girl, Rutgers, Better Boy, Jet Star and others mentioned and like them. I also hear from some people that there are better tomatoes. I can't speak from experience, but a good tomato from a farmer's market or, better yet, your own garden, will always be better than anything you can buy at the store.

I will add that Harris seeds has came out with 4 new hybrids this year that is supposed to have good production and great taste. I'm growing three of them this year. I know some nurseries have them this year. Red Defender, Scarlet Red and Security are the three I'm growing. I think all 3 I'm growing are Det.. I hardly ever grow Determinates but the report on these is very good and so growing one plant of each. I will know more at the end of the summer.
And like I mentioned before what does well for me may not for you. Also we each have different taste preferences. Dave gets good flavor from the Brandywines. So far not only has the production been terrible but the taste has been average compared with the others. The one tomato I grow even if I only get one fruit is Lucky Cross. It is the best I've ever tasted to this point. Along with Cherokee Purple some of the op's at the top of my list are Black from Tula, Carbon, Chapman, Texas Star, Juane Flammee'( A golf ball sized orange tomato with very good flavor),Kellogg's Breakfast(orange beefsteak), Hege's German Pink, Indian Stripe and Caspian Pink( very good and offered by several commercial sources). This is just a few of the ones I like. But then they may not do well in your garden.

peppereater

I planted Cherokee Purple a few years ago---I was so excitrd--but I only got 2 tomatoes, and they both did not fully develop, but rotted.---when I plant any of the above mentions varieties, in the same area, I get a very good yeild, so I am thinking it is not my soil.

Do you have any advice??

Try Cherokee Purple again. It think that was a fluke thing.

Yeah, I think it was a fluke, I don't think I've ever heard anyone say they had problems. Some years weather can have a major effect on tomatoes, last year, many people reported low yield and disappointing results, I sure had that, but oddly, Cherokee Purple did Great!

JunieGirl,
First I ask where you got the seed or the plants for the ones you grew the first time? The first time I grew them I had good yields but not impressed with the flavor and size was small. When mentioning that on another forum the person who introduced CP stated he thought I had the wrong seed that was floating around and sent me some of his. When grown side by side they are different maters and his are way the best and bigger. Mine set well in a very bad year last year. One I would suggest to anyone. One along with Black from Tula I feel is good for the novice grower. So yes I would also suggest you try it again. Jay

you've got it from the 2 experts Carol. Go for it.

Sheri: Yes I can see that--(well I can read that)--these guys sound like they really know their business. While I am only doing a pot tomato this year it may well be a cherokee Purple.(sweet 100 plant is not doing so well)---and if not--next year I will definately try a CP in my veggie garden.

Kim--I did not mean to hijack your thread----what tomatoes did you decide to try this year?????

Sheri I appreciate the compliment but as I tell everyone I don't consider myself an expert just experienced. Ha. And from growing around 80 plants a year of many varieties I have gained a lot of that. And as I always say what works well and tastes great here in my garden may not for you. So best to try a few and find what works well for you. Jay

junie, I wonder if it's just the weather messing with your sweet 100. Otherwise, poor drainage or lack of nutrients are possibilities. Try using Fish Emulsion or one of the liquid fertilizers, watch how fast or slow the soil dries, and you may salvage a crop yet. I'm growing Sweet 100 for the first time this year, I rarely grow hybrids, but I'm expecting hundreds of cherries/plums, whatever exactly they are, that ought to be great for salads...so I hope! :wink:

OH sorry I have not been back! Looks like we have nmany hardcore tomato mavens here!
I got a beef steak plant and a few heirlooms. They fascinate me. One is yellow with red stripes. One is a deep burgundy and one is purple. And I got a grape tomato. ITs called roma grape. I think I will get a few more, My garden is not that large, but I am the only one that likes tomatoes.so More for me. LOL
They went in the ground yesterday, and its raining this am.. Give them a good drink to get their roots stretching so they can establish.
I should get an early girl plant as well, I am still looking for a few more heirloom varieties.
And sheri.. Yup theres NOTHING as good as a tomato sandwich the way you described!

I think the stripped tomatoes are so pretty. I've planted a yellow stripey I think.

Dave: thanks--DH thought the same thing so he bought me some tomato fertilizer spikes. Jobes I think??? I was liery of putting the recommended 2 per plant in a pot but it looked so sickly I did just that. Those 2 are supposed to be good for quite awhile so we shall see.

I'll be sure to let you all know how things are coming along.

Well...I don't have a lot of faith in spikes, but there certainly is a great deal of nutrients in them...in order to release those nutrients, however, you may want to water somewhat frequently, say twice a week, to get those solids to release and become available. My reluctance is, I like to go organic as much as possible, plus, spikes allow nutrients to release mostly right where the spikes are....not that the plants won't use them, they will, but I just don't think they're all of that. If you see what I mean. Much better, though, than being deficient in the major nutrients...look at it this way, would you rather use some synthetic fertilizer while you learn about plant growth, or buy a product form your grocery store which has possibly never seen soil?
I avoid synthetic fertilizer when I can, but it's better to have an excellent product from your own garden, whether with spikes, granules, or whatever, than settle for the half-ripe, styroform produce available at the grocer's.

thanks Dave...and I agree with you completely.

Well...You are alright in my opinion!

Totally agree. Same goes for pest issues. Avoid chemicals. But if you must use them, at least you know what you used & when you used it. Can't say the same for the stuff at the store.

I agree with the above posts. Dave made some very good suggestions. I also add some molasses to transplants and plants that are struggling. I have added mulch, manure and natural additives long enough that my soil is really nice and has lots of worms. In fact when I sent off my soil test last fall they said I didn't need to add anything. In the past when I could see a plant needed something I used commercial fertilizers. I do use a fish/seaweed spray along with some blue water on my plants I start sometimes like this year when I got some bad starting mix. Like said above I would rather know what I added than buy at a store and have no clue. Jay

I always just use Miracle grow. Works great.
I hear tomatoes like The magnesium in Epsom salts. Any thoughts??

Some people swear by Epsom Salts, others say it does nothing unless the soil is deficient of magnesium. According to organic gardening standards I have read, it is permitted in cases of deficiency, so in that way it is different from synthetic nutrients. I added some at planting once, but I have no way of knowing if it affected my results that year, other nutrients and conditions have much more of an affect. I may add some this year, now that you have me thinking about it.

Dave,
Epsom Salts is like many things. I think it can help. Do you have to use it? No. I have in the past at times but like you never knew if it helped or not. Don't think it hurts anything. A lot of the older growers used what they had and many are now going back to it. i know some who used to put sweet feed in each tomato hole and molasses. And several doubted them. Today many use molasses and also manny of the ingredients found in sweet feed. It usually contained corn, oats, barley and alfalfa pellets. Also many of the ranchers used cottonseed meal. And others used egg shells. Some under the plants and other used it around the stem and said it stopped the cutworms if they were crushed. And many of these people grew as good a tomatoes as we do today. My Mother had her way of gardening mainly learned during the 30's and 40's growing and canning enough to feed a family of 8. She started all her seeds in egg cartons on top of a fridge in sandy garden soil and they did great. Many say today you can't do that. They just took what they had and learned how to survive with that. I say there is very few don'ts in gardening. What works for me in my semi arid sandy soil won't work for another in a different climate and soil type. My advice it to try something on a few plants first to see the results before jumping in whole hog. Jay

Guys--My DH took my pots to "the country" and filled my pots with fresh excellent soil.--now if it would stop raining every other day I think I would be doing well.--

Rod brought me another tom plant from a guy where he works--they guy grew it from seed and has no idea which one he gave us. I hope I do not love the tomatoes from this plant, since I will have no idea what to buy next year--

Carol Jean, maybe your mystery tomato will have a color that someone can identify, like purple or yellow or pink.

Hi tomato lovers! I think the maters I planted will be good this year. What with all the rain today, everyone looks thriving. I have not staked any of them yet.. I think I will tomorrow if it stops raining.
I hate cages, So I guess I will go with the pantyhose and bamboo stakes. LAst year I did that and they still ran amock. I still dont think I get where I should be pinching off the suckers so as to get a fuller less leggy plant. Anyone??

my first tomatoes got too much rain and most did not make it. I bought some to replace those and they are doing okay I do have a few blooms, but they are still smaller than they the first ones would have been

Sheri : Thanks perhpas that will be the case--I hope so--
thanks for the kind words

Kim: I wish I could help----I have always had a problem with that myself.

anyone else have any advice for Kim???

which Q is Kim's?

Peppereater, I was wondering about pinching off the suckers so the plants dont get too big and leggy. I know lots of folks swear it makes for better plants and more tomatoes so you dont have the plant putting all its efforts into growing vine. and makes more fruit. I just dfont get where to pinch them off.

I've read about this, don't remember where, but I did read about it. the cherry ones seem to vine more for me

I can't say for certain where to pinch, I really haven't read up on that, but I know some people swear by it, and others just as strongly argue against it. It's good to have plenty of foliage to protect the fruit from sun scald, I've lost fruit from that. I believe pinching means the secondary branches that come off from the main stem where the primary branches join. All I can say is pinching isn't necessary, at least, some of the best growers don't bother with it, but it can be useful for keeping the plant more compact like you want to.

I usually just pin mine up more if it vines more, not a neat gardener, just like to grow stuff.

I pinch the suckers off. Look for them to grow in the V of your main stems. I've heard that pinching them off will cause the plant to send more energy to the fruit instead of using energy on unnecessary foliage. Whether true or not it seems to work for me.

I've experimented with pinching suckers and not. I get more total production from the plants I don't pinch them off of. The fruits can be a little bigger on a plant you pinch them off of but not much in my garden. I do pinch stems in a few cases. One being on a plant when I transplant and again when I fill my holes up I trim the bottom stems on all caged plants where the stems won't touch the ground. Where I mulch so heavy now I don't even think that is necessary. Probably removing only those I would cover up would be plenty. I also topped a few plants last year to speed up the maturing of set fruit. It made 5-7 days difference the best I could tell. Now back to pinching suckers. Here in the wind and hot intense heat we need all the foliage we can get to prevent sunburn of the fruit. I can't grow some varieties because of their sparse foliage a large percentage sunburn in a normal year. So leaving the suckers serves me well and gives me better production. In other areas it may not. I would experiment with a few and see how they do in your garden and your conditions. Jay