Member discussion regarding the methods, varieties and merits of growing tomatoes.
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January 19, 2019 | #1 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: SE Texas Zone 8
Posts: 101
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Hearts and vine ripening
A lot of people have success with heart varieties, while a few of us seem to have poor results.
I'm curious if hearts: a. ripen best on the vine, or b. need to be counter-ripened longer than other tomatoes? I know that I pick most of my tomatoes at first blush, as that works well down here, but maybe this does not hold for all varieties. I'm curious if others who have had trouble with hearts are first-blush pickers like me, and if those with good success tend to let fruits ripen on the vine. I am standing at about 1/7 with hearts, all highly regarded varieties, with most being too dry and firm to enjoy. (Most produced okay or even well, though two gave only one or zero fruits.) Wes was the one exception, with good production and great taste the year I grew it without any deviation from my harvesting norm. Wes is back on the list this year, as well as two new-to-me varieties. I'm tempted to leave them on the vine longer, though this may result in zero fruits for harvest.
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January 19, 2019 | #2 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Branson MO
Posts: 441
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I love hearts, particularly Wes. I've always let them ripen on the vine.
I'm not sure this limits production. They seem to produce new blooms at the top and I harvest from the bottom. I also use lean and lower. Don't know if that affects anything. |
January 19, 2019 | #3 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Den of Drunken Fools
Posts: 38,539
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A tomato on the vine here where I live has to have a sock on it to keep critters away.
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January 19, 2019 | #4 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Branson MO
Posts: 441
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January 20, 2019 | #5 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: SE Texas Zone 8
Posts: 101
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Hi, Worth. You would have no reason to remember me, but I have fond memories of talking to you a bit back in the mid 00's, when I lived close to Fort Worth. I never realized you could put a sock around a tomato, but now I'm thinking I recall my grandma using pantyhose.
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January 20, 2019 | #6 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: SE Texas Zone 8
Posts: 101
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Thanks, Mike. That's interesting, that you do let them vine ripen. I know many of the most knowledgeable tomato folks do, particularly in more hospitable growing conditions. I've seen at least one other person who mentioned having poor luck with hearts who I think is a first blush picker like me. What's lean and lower?
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January 20, 2019 | #7 | |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Den of Drunken Fools
Posts: 38,539
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Quote:
I always look at the birthday thing at the bottom and see who is there. One in particular stands out today. Neohippie. She had just graduated university and married. Use to know Carolyn as a teenager on AOL it think. Got into a discussion about something people disagreed with and she never came back. Not even to look see. Gone zilch over with. Very sad. So yes I do remember not everything but most. Call it a curse if you will. My boss uses me as a photographic memory bank. As for the sock it doesn't do anything to stop the thing getting ripe and disguises the tomato. The deer will eat them green and at first blush the other critters come along. Cant count how many times I would say just one more day and low and behold the critters were thinking the same thing. |
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January 20, 2019 | #8 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: Drenthe, The Netherlands
Posts: 75
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I never had any problems letting hearts ripen on the vine in my green house. We don't really have problems with critters in The Netherlands so that makes it easier I guess. Never tried to grow hearts (and big beefsteaks) outside. I always felt like they need that extra protection.
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January 20, 2019 | #9 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Brownville, Ne
Posts: 3,284
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Usually about half the varieties in the tomato garden here are hearts. There is really no difference between the hearts and any other variety on how they ripen. I like to harvest tomatoes so that they have about a day or two to full ripeness, but from first blush to fully ripe works.
Thankfully we do not have the critter problem. My garden is surrounded by an eight foot deer fence, but even before that the deer ate green beans, beets and peppers and left the tomatoes alone.
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January 20, 2019 | #10 | |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: SE Texas Zone 8
Posts: 101
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Quote:
I'm going to try the sock thing. In my yard, the deer will eat the leaves and vines just as readily as the fruits. I could swear I catch them even giving me a once over from time to time
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January 20, 2019 | #11 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: SE Texas Zone 8
Posts: 101
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Is that because of the days to maturity? I can understand that, especially in certain climates. We have so many critters looking to eat our gardens, it's a wonder they don't quarrel with each other and leave our tomatoes alone.
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January 20, 2019 | #12 | |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: SE Texas Zone 8
Posts: 101
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Quote:
The deer ate my pole beans down to nothing my first year growing here, and snacked on pepper plants, too, but they had no problem chowing down any parts of my plants they could reach.
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January 20, 2019 | #13 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: Drenthe, The Netherlands
Posts: 75
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Days to maturity but most of all the rain. Rain is the biggest threat to my tomatoes because after rain comes blight. I grow most of my tomatoes in the green house and the ones I grow outside (mostly dwarfs and determinates) are in containers I can bring in when it rains.
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January 20, 2019 | #14 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: SE Texas Zone 8
Posts: 101
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Makes sense! I'd love to have a greenhouse.
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January 20, 2019 | #15 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Den of Drunken Fools
Posts: 38,539
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Smelly work cloths and my pee poured in the general area seems to keep the deer away.
No way can I put a deer fence up where my stuff grows along the driveway. |
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