Howz yer maters doing?

[SS MAYFLOAT]

I planted these from 8" starters the second weekend in May. I'm 5'10" and they are well over 6'. Lots of 1 pounders plus still getting bigger. The white stuff is Sevin dust to keep the critters off. I was told that these Brandywine maters is hard to grow. Either I know what I'm doing or just lucky... .............SS

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: Howz yer maters doing?

Looking good !!!!
I live in the tomato capital of Canada so that makes it actually cheaper to buy them from a local farm stand than to grow them. Nothing quite as good as a home grown pounder though. Enjoy !!!

 

[ehenry]

Re: Howz yer maters doing?

SS, they look really good. You sucker your plants? Looks like you do. Sevin is good for everything....from maters to dogs. I also keep mine sprayed with other varmint stuff as well. Down here we're having those afternoon frog stranglin thunder storms and I'm having to pick mine before all the water causes them to split. I'll see if I can get a picture of some of mine. and ad them to this post.

 

[rbh]

Re: Howz yer maters doing?

I hope to see full ripened beef steak's by october if this weather keep's up.
Need to build a green house.

 

[Kiwi Phil]

Re: Howz yer maters doing?

They look really healthy, so hope you are getting a bumper crop.
Nothing better than putting down plenty of relish, sauce, frozen soup and bottle whole ones for the winter.
Homegrown are surely the best for flavour.

They look like an indeterminate variety, (vining..continue growing until they are killed)
Best type to use for home gardener.
If they are, then I have seen them grown horrizontally (like a grape vine along top wire of a fence.....wow, do they fruit.

Do you take your own seed?

(determinate variety grow to a fixed height and ripen all their fruit in a short period).

Cheers
Phillip

Don't want to try teaching you to suck eggs, but I take seed by letting one get real ripe on the bench, squeeze all the wet seeds on to a paper towel, spread out/seperate with a knife, dry in the sun on bench. Gently roll up and store. Next season, just cut towel around seeds and plant...don't remove from towel.....works well.

 

[tx1961whaler]

Re: Howz yer maters doing?

Done!
They won't set fruit and burn up here when it gets over 100 (F)
I'll get a fall crop...

 

[JRJ]

Re: Howz yer maters doing?

I thought that red shirt was a tomato

 

[jbjennings]

Re: Howz yer maters doing?

My tomaters aren't doing well. It's too stinking hot here in NW Louisiana. I planted my whole garden too late in the spring.
Getting some nice watermelons, squash, peas, corn, cantelopes, cucumbers, and okra though....:
Txwhaler is right----mine won't seem to set fruit and the leaves are shriveling in the heat of the day here in NW Louisians. Makes me want to cry because they're pretty good looking plants and I've been watering them every morning. I'm thinking of putting some kind of shade over them during the middle of the day when it's hottest.
I'll post some garden pics later.
JBJ

 

[Kiwi Phil]

Re: Howz yer maters doing?

My tomaters aren't doing well. It's too stinking hot here in NW Louisiana. I planted my whole garden too late in the spring.
Getting some nice watermelons, squash, peas, corn, cantelopes, cucumbers, and okra though....:
Txwhaler is right----mine won't seem to set fruit and the leaves are shriveling in the heat of the day here in NW Louisians. Makes me want to cry because they're pretty good looking plants and I've been watering them every morning. I'm thinking of putting some kind of shade over them during the middle of the day when it's hottest.
I'll post some garden pics later.
JBJ

Shade cloth comes in 2 categories....woven or knitted....the cheaper one will fray-unravel easier, but it is not really a big issue.
Should be available from your local hardware with 3 variations in colour and maybe 4 in % of shade.
Work out; are you going to run it N-S, which means the shade 'travels' as sun moves over, or W-E which means shade is constant.
Attaching is easy. We use what we call 'butterflies' (plastic) which fold together over the cloth and you pinch them tight with pliers, and can run rope thru them. Cheap. Will send a picture if you want to go that way.
Frames are easy. 2 light posts with a beam between them. Hang shade cloth over them like a tent fly. If too much shade on one side, roll it up and tie off....everything is adjustable.....and cheap!!

Cheers
Phillip

 

[marlboro180]

Re: Howz yer maters doing?

Mine- not so well. Apparently the slugs like them better than I do. Cold spring, then wet... Not a good combo

 

[jbjennings]

Re: Howz yer maters doing?

Thanks Kiwiphil.....
Will try that for sure. I think I'll try the east-west shade.
On a positive note, I think my watermelons double in size every day.
JBJ

 

[puddle jumper]

Re: Howz yer maters doing?

When we lived in the interior of BC I loved coming home after work and snacking on the tomatoes we would grow. But down in the rain forest they just don't grow worth a (enter your own word here).

SS your tomatos look great. If you find the seeds try Heirloom tomatoes and see what they should taste like.

 

[SS MAYFLOAT]

Re: Howz yer maters doing?

If you find the seeds try Heirloom tomatoes and see what they should taste like.

These Brandwine tomatoes are one of the variety of Heirloom's. They have the potatoe looking leaf. These are planted in front of my house. I have a few black walnut trees in the back yard. They play havoc on tomatoe plants. They never did well back there. I have them sorta under my soffet They get sun from about 9am to about 4am. I think that is why they are doing well. I keep them suckered, but I do have them a bit too close together. I only had a small area to grow.

I'm cutting down the trees in the back yard to have a bigger area next year. This will allow for more sun for the area I want to put a garden in.

When I was 13, I got a job at 50 cents an hour working in the produce fields in southern Ohio. The farm typically would have anywhere between 1,000 to 2,000 plants. That is a lot of planting, staking, suckering, and picking to do. Of course there was others like bell peppers, sweet corn, melons, egg plant, and cabbage. Then when the produce season was over with, there was over 600 acres of field corn that needed harvested. Did that every year until I joined the Navy at 18. Lots of fun, but it was hard work as well. I did learn a lot from that job.........SS

 

[Kiwi Phil]

Re: Howz yer maters doing?

ok...now that makes sense SS....wondered where you got your skills. I wish I could have had a years experience like that, plus put my kid on the job too.
If you have an Heirloom that you like, will you keep your own seed?

Cheers
Phillip