Paste tomato seedlings

dirt dauber · February 11, 2013

Hello everybody-- Hoping that someone can advise me regarding paste tomato Opalka. I've read where paste tomato plants can be wispy and shy of foliage. Do the seedlings take a while to catch up with other varieties? This is my first year growing opalka and other paste tomatoes. Compared to my other seedlings these are down right punny compared to my others. Is this normal? Thanks!

**carolyn137** · February 11, 2013

Quote:

Originally Posted by dirt dauber

Hello everybody-- Hoping that someone can advise me regarding paste tomato Opalka. I've read where paste tomato plants can be wispy and shy of foliage. Do the seedlings take a while to catch up with other varieties? This is my first year growing opalka and other paste tomatoes. Compared to my other seedlings these are down right punny compared to my others. Is this normal? Thanks!

http://t.tatianastomatobase.com:88/wiki/Opalka

From the above link you can see that some say the leaves are wispy, others don't say that and I'm the Carolyn mentioned in the link who first was given the seeds for it as you'll read at Tania's site.

I've grown lots of paste types, and many do have narrow leaved wispy droopy foliage but as grown by me, the leaves are not of tha tkind.

Even with the wispy ones they may look puny to you but make good seedlings and plants.

Look at the foliage in the pictures at Tania's page and I doubt you'd call them narrow and wispy,

That being said there are few paste varieties I like, search here at Tville (top of page for search) and you'll find lots of threads about all kinds of varieties. But many of us feel that using any great tasting variety, especially those with few seeds, like hearts, make the best sauce.

I do feel that Opalka along with Heidi and Mama Leone and Martino's Roma and a few others do have darn good taste.

Most paste varieties don't have great taste and are also more susceptible to BER ( blossom end rot) as well as Early Blight .

Carolyn

Doug9345 · February 11, 2013

I grew them last year I don't remember them being any weaker that any others.

ddsack · February 12, 2013

Opalka are always wispy and thin as seedlings for me. Also more susceptible to CRUD - the drying and crumbling of the leaf edges that some varieties are prone to as seedlings. Have patience and don't give up on them, even if they look bad. Once you harden them off and get them in the ground they will catch up to the others.

zeroma · February 12, 2013

What is CRUD? what do the letters stand for ddsack?

ddsack · February 12, 2013

Carolyn is the expert on CRUD - I'm not sure if the letters stand for anything or it's just an exasperating term for this malady. Here are some previous good discussions about it.

http://www.tomatoville.com/showthrea...seedlings+crud

http://www.tomatoville.com/showthrea...highlight=CRUD

I guess it could stand for Carolyn's Recurring Undetermined Disease?

But that sounds like she is the one who has it and not the seedlings.

casino · February 12, 2013

Some paste varieties have that whispy folage look about them and that makes them look fragile and weak. Side by side the whispy plants seem to grow more slowly in the seedling stage than some of the beefy hybrids but dont worry about that. Give these plants support and believe me they have the stregnth to hold on to a large volumn of fruit.

To me paste tomatoes always taste better when cooked. Summertime BBQ slap a few paste tomatoes on the grill, warm them up covered in Parm cheese and serve, Yum.

February 11, 2013	#1
dirt dauber Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: south carolina Posts: 28	Paste tomato seedlings Hello everybody-- Hoping that someone can advise me regarding paste tomato Opalka. I've read where paste tomato plants can be wispy and shy of foliage. Do the seedlings take a while to catch up with other varieties? This is my first year growing opalka and other paste tomatoes. Compared to my other seedlings these are down right punny compared to my others. Is this normal? Thanks!

February 12, 2013	#4
ddsack Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Northern Minnesota - zone 3 Posts: 3,220	Opalka are always wispy and thin as seedlings for me. Also more susceptible to CRUD - the drying and crumbling of the leaf edges that some varieties are prone to as seedlings. Have patience and don't give up on them, even if they look bad. Once you harden them off and get them in the ground they will catch up to the others. __________________ Dee **************

February 12, 2013	#6
ddsack Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Northern Minnesota - zone 3 Posts: 3,220	Carolyn is the expert on CRUD - I'm not sure if the letters stand for anything or it's just an exasperating term for this malady. Here are some previous good discussions about it. http://www.tomatoville.com/showthrea...seedlings+crud http://www.tomatoville.com/showthrea...highlight=CRUD I guess it could stand for Carolyn's Recurring Undetermined Disease? But that sounds like she is the one who has it and not the seedlings. __________________ Dee ************** Last edited by ddsack; February 12, 2013 at 11:25 AM.

February 11, 2013	#3
Doug9345 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Durhamville,NY Posts: 2,706	I grew them last year I don't remember them being any weaker that any others.

February 12, 2013	#5
zeroma Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2012 Location: SW Ohio Posts: 637	What is CRUD? what do the letters stand for ddsack?

February 12, 2013	#7
casino Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Southfield, Michigan Posts: 318	Some paste varieties have that whispy folage look about them and that makes them look fragile and weak. Side by side the whispy plants seem to grow more slowly in the seedling stage than some of the beefy hybrids but dont worry about that. Give these plants support and believe me they have the stregnth to hold on to a large volumn of fruit. To me paste tomatoes always taste better when cooked. Summertime BBQ slap a few paste tomatoes on the grill, warm them up covered in Parm cheese and serve, Yum.