So Texans, Where do you Stand on Tomatoes?

[karstopography]

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As of this morning, 85 total tomatoes weighing over 20 kilograms harvested so far in 2024, not counting the cherry/grape types. Most from any one plant is 4288 grams from Red Barn.

No sign of squirrel damage or much in the way of bug problems other than a few clusters of tiny caterpillars on the leaves. Three or four leaf footed bugs that I smashed.

Had what I thought was a cluster of brown oak leaves blown onto my Cuostralee plant and when I went to pick the leaves off, the cluster turned out to be an enormous Polyphemus Moth that made me jump when it sprang to life and flew away.

[TomatoNut95]

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My first Westerlund!!! *victory dance*

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Newborn Hoy.

[karstopography]

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The seed saving has begun. From left to right, Cuostralee, Sart Roloise and Hoy.

BTW, Cuostralee is super delicious. Definitely a winner on taste. Bold flavors, hefty acidity, pleasing texture, L like it all.

I have the one plant in a less desirable part of the garden. Plan is to grow it in prime real estate in 2025. Even in the sort of mediocre location, it looks pretty productive.

Sart Roloise probably won’t be back in 2025. Early star, but not a strong finisher, must not be a heat lover. It has been popular. Opposite of Cuostralee on flavor, subtle, low acidity.

[karstopography]

I’m not sure what else I will be saving as far as seed except Brandywine Cowlick’s and Red Barn. I might save Creamsicle Grape.

Red Barn has been outstanding in every way. Plant vigor, production, fruit quality, disease resistance, fruit size, fruit flavor. Seems like I have to grow it in 2025. I don’t think it is one of the more widely grown varieties either and that’s probably a shame since it has performed so well for me. At least I can save some seed and send it to the next MMMM swap if we are fortunate enough to have one for 2025.

Brandywine Cowlick’s has been intriguing. I actually have not tasted one yet. I gave the first runty one away. I’ve got one perfect looking one inside now that’s a couple of days away from being ripe. Unfortunately, like Hoy and Black from Tula, Brandywine Cowlick’s hasn’t been able to shake off the BER. So plenty of fruit setting, but most are being destroyed by the rot. I figure my spotty BER problems this season are related to user error and not a varietal issue. Anyhow, the three Brandywine fruit I have gotten past BER are gorgeous. There’s still more out there, maybe a few will make it past the BER point of no return.

Creamsicle grape has been extra productive and super meaty for a small fruited type. Healthy plant to boot.

[bower]

That's a beautiful haul, karstopography.

[karstopography]

One potential positive takeaway from this season’s tomato growing efforts as it relates to past seasons is that I now understand that about any mid to late season heirloom/open pollinated tomato will flower and set and ripen multiple fruit given the appropriate timing and care.

In other words, I feel confident in the future to try any heirloom, open pollinated type of tomato that might catch my eye and confident that I can care for the plant in such a way that it will flower and set fruit in a reasonably abundant way.

There may be kinks, BER, pests, etc. in getting any and all set fruit to the point of maturity, but those kinks and annoyances can be worked on and tinkered with to make improvements season after season.

The bottom line is that growing heirlooms here, even ones with a reputation for being difficult, is a viable and rewarding pursuit and nothing like an impossible dream or something reserved for people in other parts of the country. There’s absolutely nothing about the soil, climate or anything else here that precludes or is an absolute impediment or deal breaker for growing quality mid and late season heirloom tomatoes.

I might have grown my last hybrid tomato ever in 2023. I did not grow out a hybrid tomato in 2024 and no longer see any reason to grow hybrid tomatoes in future seasons.

[karstopography]

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Been eating, freezing, delivering, drying and yet the tomatoes continue to pile up. More deliveries tomorrow.

[TomatoNut95]

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These are my potentials for the Ugly contest. Top: lopsided German Queen
Bottom: My one and only Westerlund.

My Domingo and my Omar's Lebanese are not producing. I may just pull the plants, the blossoms are dropping in this bad 2024 weather. Very disappointing.

[karstopography]

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Growing collection of saved seeds. Cuostralee, Sart Roloise, Hoy, and Brandywine Cowlick’s.

For sure want to save Red Barn seeds. Have a very ripe and very large one picked out on the counter.

BTW, Brandywine Cowlick’s was superb. Wife and I shared a 14 ounce one for lunch. The wife, by design, didn’t know what tomato I had sliced, but said “wow, this is a really great tomato” I agree.

[karstopography]

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Second batch of dehydrated tomatoes are underway.

[TomatoNut95]

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Tah-dah! German Queen

[karstopography]

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Latest Severe Thunderstorm that just blew through proved to be too much for these 5 tomato plants.

Going to have to cut sturdier bamboo.

[TomatoNut95]

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Tah-dah!! So proud yet disappointed that it's no candidate for the contest. Appox 4 in across and only 12.6 oz.

[karstopography]

@TomatoNut95 pretty tomato. I’d let that tomato ripen more before cutting.

[karstopography]

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Funny how fast nature takes over to reclaim what’s hers. I went out about 1pm to fix what I could and put back into place my blown down tomato plants. From 7am to 1pm, in that brief amount of time, a rabbit moved in (it ran out when I lifted up the tomato plants and fire ants built a bed all into 3 of the plants.

I got them back as best I could. Red Barn is a goner. Both main stems a hopelessly shattered. Good thing I already saved seed. Red Barn had given up about 4.9 kilograms of ripe fruit so far and with a dozen plus still remaining I believe it would have topped 9 kilograms or 20 pounds.

MPLA lost a lot of fruit shaken free by the violent fall and thrashing. Still, a lot remains and I believe the stem is intact.

Must use stronger bamboo poles in 2025.

[karstopography]

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Finished up drying the tomatoes.

[karstopography]

Impressions of 2024 concerning the varieties I planted.

Pruden’s Purple: Early, seed started January 6th, first pick 4/29, outstanding flavor, lean and tall plant, but not a lot of foliage for a potato leaf. Foliage a shade lighter than other potato leafed tomatoes. Has a strong early crop, not much mid season, then a second strong late crop. Been like that both years I’ve grown Pruden’s Purple. Tomatoes are not giants, right now averaging 290 grams, but tend to be well formed, reasonably small blossom scars, fairly deep top to bottom. I think the average size will tick up a notch based on the remaining fruit. 3.4 kilograms harvested so far and I think there is at least another two plus kilograms out on the vine. Last season I got about ten pounds with an average size of 274 grams and with the plant being in a slightly worse spot and with some losses to vermin. No significant BER either season. A great earlier tomato with a reliable ten pounds or more production potential and a healthy plant. Totally a keeper.

Sart Roloise: earlier than even Pruden’s Purple, seed started January 6th, first pick, 4/24. Harvested 2.8 kilograms, don’t know how much more I’ll get, best guess is no more than a kilogram, probably half that. Seems like a cooler weather lover type. Mild flavor, beautiful fruit. Popular with people that like low acid tomatoes. Fruit averaging 186 grams. Might grow again, but will probably try Alice’s Dream or some other blue tomato next season.

Black Krim: as early as Pruden’s Purple, 4/29 first pick. Most productive tomato last season at 8.5 kilograms, but very limited production this year. About 2 kilograms. Maybe I’ll get another kilo off the plant. No good explanation other than last year the plant had tons of room, two tomato plants in 32 square feet, in the best spot in the garden and this season it was in a more shaded area and more cramped, 8 plants in 40 square feet. Plant is tiny this year as compared to last year. Average size of fruit is up this year over last 241 grams vs. 193. Outstanding flavor, love this tomato. Will likely grow again in spite of the low production. I’ll put it in a better spot with ample space.

More reviews to come at a later time.

[karstopography]

Black from Tula: 4/29 first pick. Unreal fruit setting ability. Like nothing I’ve experienced. Unreal levels of BER. Like the vast majority of the fruit ruined. 115 gram average for fruit. Just over 2 kilograms of fruit have survived BER to completion. BER strikes the fruit at nickel or quarter size. Still a lot of fruit setting, but maybe with the recent 1.7” of rain the BER will stop. I don’t know if this the real deal Black from Tula or an imposter. Commercial seed source ordered directly from the famous name on package vendor. Can’t say I’ve eaten much fruit as this is one I tend to give away. Feedback has been positive. Not sure if I’ll grow it in 2025.

Hoy: 4/30 first pick. Major disappointment for 2024. Saved seed from unbagged fruit I saved in 2022. Tomato looked exactly as grown previously, but another catastrophic victim of BER. 6 fruit of survived to come inside. Average size 423 grams. Big, blocky, fruit with some open space in the seed cavities. Not an overly juicy tomato in this dry year(yes, we’ve missed out on most of the rain plaguing most of the rest of Texas)

Dr. Wyche’s Yellow: Disappointed in this one. Commercial seed. Inferior in every respect to Kellogg’s Breakfast. Wish I was growing Kellogg’s Breakfast this season as a direct comparison. Weaker plant, less attractive or large fruit, poorer flavor, lower production. Going to pass on growing in future seasons.

[PlainJane]

@karstopography, I will be very curious to see how my Hoy turn out compared to yours. A few but massive fruits on the vine just verging on color break. No ber, thankfully.

[karstopography]

Red Barn: Excellent tomato, first pick 05/03, as it stands June 2nd, red Barn is my most productive plant at just under 5 kilograms. There’s numerous fruit remaining even after the recent storm knocked over, broke one main stem and otherwise ravaged the plant. The tomatoes have averaged 445 grams. Capable of producing perfect, blemish free very large fruit pound plus tomatoes that have a balanced flavor with a couple of catfaced monster fruit, pound and a half types in the mix. Plant is compact for an indeterminate and regular foliage has a slight tilt into the blue light spectrum. Certain to return in 2025.

Brandywine Cowlick’s 05/03 first pick. This is a late tomato, that first pick was an early setting runt of a fruit. What an amazing tomato for flavor! We’ve only gotten four of them, but they are beyond delicious. My wife, whom I consider a super taster type, without having any foreknowledge of which tomato she was served, noticed right away how delicious and noticeably distinctive this Brandywine was on flavor. I purposely withheld any mention of what tomato I had given her so as to not prejudice her opinion.

The good news is that the plant is healthy and eventually blooms in profusion and sets fruit well, it is just very slow to ramp up some steam. The bad news is it was one of my plants plagued with BER. Pruden’s Purple right next to it, zero BER. Sart Roloise on the other side, zero BER.

I have some ideas about tackling BER for next year, but I look at the spotty nature of BER in my garden this season as a fluke of weather with some correctable user errors in the mix.

Brandywine Cowlick’s is a large, healthy plant that eventually blooms and sets fruit well, the fruit is beyond delicious. Average size is 335 grams with that early runt in the mix. The standard looks to be a perfect 14 ounce deeply pink deeply delightful tomato. There are still fruit on the vine that have grown to a size beyond where BER has previously struck so I hold out hope for more delicious tomatoes. Certain to return in 2025.