(no subject)

[freyakitten]

Before I forget, review of tomatoes:

Golden Grape: early, prolific on almost no water, tasty, sweet
Red Fig: tasty, more acidic than sweet
Rouge de Marmande: not a happy camper
Beefsteak: Even less happy
Black Russian: Not ripe yet
Green Zebra: not ripe yet

Comments

tommy marty moes

[razorsharpblade.livejournal.com]

We have Golden Grape and I agree!

Still waiting for the rest to set or ripen, including romas, Grosse Lise, Tiny Tim, Cherry Ripe and a "Burke's Backyard Ultimate Tomato" which I have named The Triffid ... I should take a pic and you'll see why!

Re: tommy marty moes

[jeneration.livejournal.com]

They aren't actually Golden Grape... they are just "Grape". They're a red skin variety, not yellow skin. In addition to the above, we have Sweet Bite cherry tomatoes too.

All of them are doing well, although I managed to kill off half the romas and GL's through root burn (accidentally gave them too much sulphate of potash) The survivors are starting to produce green tomatoes - both are late maturing so I expect we'll actually get ripe ones sometime in March.

Re: tommy marty moes

[freyaw.livejournal.com]

I love my tomatoes. I have problems watering them regularly, so they don't grow very well, but my Dad (who waters regularly and has an obscenely green garden) has had no ripe fruit yet at all *evil laugh*

Re: tommy marty moes

[freyaw.livejournal.com]

The Red Fig are grape-shaped also.

Re: tommy marty moes

[jeneration.livejournal.com]

I don't think our grape tomatoes are red fig. They were a particular variety, something-grape, but I'd have to go out and dig the label out of the pot to work out exactly what it was. They might have been "The original grape tomato" or something like that...

Re: tommy marty moes

[jeneration.livejournal.com]

I'm told that tomatoes flower and fruit better if not watered too well. If one waters and fertilises continously, then flowering will be delayed (as the plant is in "growth" mode, not reproduction mode)

Re: tommy marty moes

[freyaw.livejournal.com]

Dad says it's because my plants are scared that they'll die without reproducing. Personally, I think he's jealous. Normally he has a couple of fruit for Christmas.

Re: tommy marty moes

[freyaw.livejournal.com]

There is a variety with a name like that.

The main reason I picked the varieties I did was to see whether they survived my annual neglect well - they're all heirloom varieties, and they look set to survive my leaving them alone for two January weeks in which they shall get zero attention. Whichever ones survive the best will go on the list for growing more next year.

fresh tomatoes are most excellent.

[maelorin]

this moving business is much more complicated then it ought to be.

i'm hanging out to set up planters on my balcony-in-waiting ...

[velvetink.livejournal.com]

I planted a whole bunch of different ones, but the only one I have left from the snails is Tiny Tim. :( (and it's not even flowering yet)

Re: tommy marty moes

[jeneration.livejournal.com]

That will be a good test, and I await the results with interest.

I had originally intended to grow three open pollinated varieties (Roma, Grosse Lisse and Tiny Tim) and to save seeds of the best performers, but was then given all the other plants (or purchased them out of the bargain bin in terrible condition, not expecting them to survive).

I'm curious about the taste of the black russian and green zebra. I'm wondering if, even when ripe, they will taste like normal tomatoes (or if not, how they'd differ)?

Re: tommy marty moes

[freyaw.livejournal.com]

If my memory serves me, the Green Zebra I've tasted have been amazingly sweet, with fairly tough skins, although they do get quite mealy late in the season. They're also supposed to be confusing to birds, but since none of our tomatoes have been eaten, yet, I can neither confirm nor deny.