Tomato question?

[livinoutdoors]

Florida weave??

Yessir. Its a system that involves string and some posts to hold a row of maters up. Its most helpful on a long row with a bunch of plants where cages would be expensive, but it would work with just a couple plants as well. Plenty of good info on how to do it better than i can describe here.

 

[snagged]

What varieties are easier to grow in south Georgia?

I would start with Cherokee Purple. You can find it in most stores with a garden section. It's a large, vigorous plant. Produces a medium to large purple fruit that's really tasty. It also is good about setting fruit even in hot weather. A lot of tomatoes will bloom, but not set fruit when it gets hot in the middle of summer.

If you want a large, red tomato, a lot of people like Big Beef. I have grown it a few times. It's a hybrid. Hybrids are supposed to have better disease resistance, but I have never noticed them being much better.

I have noticed some of the potato leaf varieties (such as Brandywine or KBX) have slightly better disease resistance. Brandywine has an incredible classic tomato flavor. It's a large, pink tomato. You can also find it at a lot of places. But, it can be stingy on putting out fruit.

 

[NE GA Pappy]

Florida weave is how I do mine..

 

[Hit-n-Miss]

I would start with Cherokee Purple. You can find it in most stores with a garden section. It's a large, vigorous plant. Produces a medium to large purple fruit that's really tasty. It also is good about setting fruit even in hot weather. A lot of tomatoes will bloom, but not set fruit when it gets hot in the middle of summer.

If you want a large, red tomato, a lot of people like Big Beef. I have grown it a few times. It's a hybrid. Hybrids are supposed to have better disease resistance, but I have never noticed them being much better.

I have noticed some of the potato leaf varieties (such as Brandywine or KBX) have slightly better disease resistance. Brandywine has an incredible classic tomato flavor. It's a large, pink tomato. You can also find it at a lot of places. But, it can be stingy on putting out fruit.

Thanks

 

[Hit-n-Miss]

Florida weave is how I do mine..

View attachment 1305661
View attachment 1305662

Thats cool I like it. Thanks

 

[NCHillbilly]

Yessir. Its a system that involves string and some posts to hold a row of maters up. Its most helpful on a long row with a bunch of plants where cages would be expensive, but it would work with just a couple plants as well. Plenty of good info on how to do it better than i can describe here.

There are a lot of big commercial mater growers around here. Some of them do it just like that.

 

[ucfireman]

Cherokee purple is the best tasting I have had. Its not real prolific and but well worth it.
Rutgers are good and celebrity.
Sweet 100 Cherry, really good.

Cages, find a place building houses and get the left over concrete wire, use 10 squares and fold the end on itself to close it up, will last a LONG time. And you can reach your hand in easily.

I have never pinched the suckers. If you do stick them in water or dirt and root them for more plants. Tomatoes root easily.

I have read somewhere the static electricity through the metal the tomatoes like.

I have heard the really humid times sometimes prevent the pollen form transferring, especially if there is no wind.
Maybe try a blower or tap the cages a few times if you have lots of blooms but no fruits.

Blossom end rot, lack of calcium, but caused by inconsistent water uptake, so Walter says.

Blossom End Rot – On Tomato and Pepper | Walter Reeves: The Georgia Gardener

Q: What causes young tomatoes to get a black bottom that turns to rot? A: Blossom end rot is caused by lack of calcium in the tomato sap nearby when the small fruit is just starting out. Applying calcium (lime), egg shells or gypsum to the soil doesn’t help much. Calcium sprayed on the leaves

www.walterreeves.com

I have never grown determinate.

 

[NE GA Pappy]

Cherokee purple is a great tasting tomato, but it isn't the easiest to grow and get to produce. It has very little disease resistance, and doesn't produce a lot of fruit.

If I were going to suggest a easy to grow tomato, I would pick one with the most disease resistance, that produce a lot of fruit of a decent size, and had a good taste. I would pick an indeterminant plant so that I spread the harvest over a longer time. Then I would decide what I wanted to do with the tomatoes. If I were raising tomatoes to eat fresh in a salad or slice up on a pizza, a cherry tomato would be the first ones I looked at. They produce a lot of tomatoes, they tend to be sweeter, they don't require peeling and you can wash them off, drop them in a salad and you are ready to munch.

If I was looking for slicing tomatoes, I would look at Celebrity, Rutgers, or Better Boys. They carry good disease resistance, produce a good quantity of fruit and have a great taste. If disease resistance wasn't a concern, then some of the heirloom varieties like Cherokee purple or German Pink would be a good choice.

If I were looking to make salsa, sauce or soups, I would lean more toward the Roma type tomatoes. They have fewer seeds, less juice and more meat, so they tend to cook down faster and with less liquid. Amish Paste is a good indeterminate Roma.

Since I like to do all of the above with tomatoes, I grow about 8 different varieties every year. It spreads out the harvest, gives me a different flavor of tomato when I want it, and provides plenty for my family and leaves me with some to give away. I planted German Pinks, Better Boys, Celebrity, Amish Paste, and Big Boys so far. I will be transplanting some cherry tomatoes next week. So far I have around 50 in the ground.

If you will watch your farm supply stores, in about 3 weeks or so, they will get slow and low on plants. You can pick up tomato plants for cheap then, plant them and have some late tomatoes for the fall. If you will pull them green, just before the first frost, wrap them individually in newspaper, and store them in a cool dark place, you can have home grown tomatoes all the way up til Christmas.

 

[antharper]

Dang ! Y’all got me ready for a fresh tomato sandwich !

 

[NCHillbilly]

Cherokee purple is a great tasting tomato, but it isn't the easiest to grow and get to produce. It has very little disease resistance, and doesn't produce a lot of fruit.

If I were going to suggest a easy to grow tomato, I would pick one with the most disease resistance, that produce a lot of fruit of a decent size, and had a good taste. I would pick an indeterminant plant so that I spread the harvest over a longer time. Then I would decide what I wanted to do with the tomatoes. If I were raising tomatoes to eat fresh in a salad or slice up on a pizza, a cherry tomato would be the first ones I looked at. They produce a lot of tomatoes, they tend to be sweeter, they don't require peeling and you can wash them off, drop them in a salad and you are ready to munch.

If I was looking for slicing tomatoes, I would look at Celebrity, Rutgers, or Better Boys. They carry good disease resistance, produce a good quantity of fruit and have a great taste. If disease resistance wasn't a concern, then some of the heirloom varieties like Cherokee purple or German Pink would be a good choice.

If I were looking to make salsa, sauce or soups, I would lean more toward the Roma type tomatoes. They have fewer seeds, less juice and more meat, so they tend to cook down faster and with less liquid. Amish Paste is a good indeterminate Roma.

Since I like to do all of the above with tomatoes, I grow about 8 different varieties every year. It spreads out the harvest, gives me a different flavor of tomato when I want it, and provides plenty for my family and leaves me with some to give away. I planted German Pinks, Better Boys, Celebrity, Amish Paste, and Big Boys so far. I will be transplanting some cherry tomatoes next week. So far I have around 50 in the ground.

If you will watch your farm supply stores, in about 3 weeks or so, they will get slow and low on plants. You can pick up tomato plants for cheap then, plant them and have some late tomatoes for the fall. If you will pull them green, just before the first frost, wrap them individually in newspaper, and store them in a cool dark place, you can have home grown tomatoes all the way up til Christmas.

It's just now getting safe time to plant maters here. We had temps in the upper 30s and low forties most of the last few nights.

 

[livinoutdoors]

It's just now getting safe time to plant maters here. We had temps in the upper 30s and low forties most of the last few nights.

I got plants setting fruit already!

 

[livinoutdoors]

Maters will break your heart. They grow big and beautiful til one morning they are a big mess of blight and worms.

 

[Hit-n-Miss]

Maters will break your heart. They grow big and beautiful til one morning they are a big mess of blight and worms.

This is my experience.

 

[livinoutdoors]

This is my experience.

Yeah its hard to grow maters. Im doing a variety trial this year. Trying new kinds.

 

[fishfryer]

Yeah its hard to grow maters. Im doing a variety trial this year. Trying new kinds.

Give us a report at end of season if you will please.

 

[snuffy]

Anyone plant Parker’s Whoppers. They usually do good for me. Haven’t planted any this year though.

 

[NCHillbilly]

Yeah its hard to grow maters. Im doing a variety trial this year. Trying new kinds.

I think you'll like those Arkansas Travelers, unless it's too hot furum down there.

 

[livinoutdoors]

Give us a report at end of season if you will please.

Sure thing. If i have a nice standout i will post so others can try.

 

[livinoutdoors]

I think you'll like those Arkansas Travelers, unless it's too hot furum down there.

Yup thats one! Idea came from some wild mountain man. Hope it works! Also along those lines i have Ozark pink.

 

[Dustin Pate]

I love Celebrity, but this is the first year I haven't grown any in a long time. I had bad disease problem's from the word go last year and from reading other gardening forums, others did too. It had to come from the nursery. I will add them back next year, but needed a break from this year I felt like.