So Texans, Where do you Stand on Tomatoes?

[SpookyShoe]

Blushing "Sugary" grape tomatoes:

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[karstopography]

Nice! Sugary is listed at 60 days. What’s it been since transplant? @SpookyShoe 70-75 days, something like that? Strange shape, though, for sugary as I believe it is more of an elongated grape tomato.

I figure I’m a minimum of 20 days away from color break on anything I have out there.

Whatever it is it is a good feeling getting some color in a garden tomato.

[SpookyShoe]

My tomato crop this year was from purchased 4" potted plants. I put them in the ground on March 1. I recall buying the plants around the middle of February. The "Sugary" tomato is actually elongated but I took the picture from looking down at the plant so you can't see the length of the fruits.

Here's a better photo where you can actually see that the shape is elongated.

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[karstopography]

Oh, right, my math is off by a month. 45 days since transplanting. Very nice!

[karstopography]

Pulled off three hornworm eggs, plus killing one new hatchling. Killed by blunt force trauma several small armyworms on the foliage. I knew the caterpillar free spring would not last. No sign of leaf footed bugs yet.

[karstopography]

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Found a couple more tobacco hornworms on Cleota Pink. Cleota pink looks like it will make sizeable tomatoes.

[worth1]

Cought that puppy right off it's Mama's teat.
Good show.

[karstopography]

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More hornworm and other caterpillar eggs on the tomatoes. Not sure what the three brown ones are. They look familiar, but cannot remember which butterfly or moth produces them.

[karstopography]

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Trouble in paradise. A squirrel left this very munched on and what I think is a Pruden’s Purple tomato at the base of the water oak for later enjoyment.

Meanwhile, I added reinforcing green bamboo stakes to each tomato plant. Tied those new stakes to the old stakes for additional support. Experience tells me the dry bamboo will fail in a gale, which are routine in May, and my tomato plants will be damaged in the fall. The green bamboo is stronger and able to bend and withstand strong winds much better.

[karstopography]

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So after I added the new green bamboo reinforcement stakes to the tomatoes, I had the tops of the bamboo left over with a lot of bamboo leaves and small branches. Instead of burning this like I normally do, I looked into what bamboo leaves might be good for.

Turns out quite a lot. The species of bamboo that grows on my plot is Bambusa Textilis Gracilis, which according to several sources I came across makes a choice tea, the leaves anyway. But, bamboo leaves like these also have rather strong anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties and are known to suppress soil pathogens. They also are high in organic silica and protein and a number of antioxidants.

So, I cut the side branches of bamboo leaves from the main stems and in the leaves went into my tomato raised bed.

[karstopography]

After all the bamboo chopping, I went inside to take a nap, succeeded with that and went back outside to take a look at my handy work.

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This is what greeted me. Same tree, different tomato, definitely Pruden’s Purple this one and one tomato I had my eye on for being a week or two away from color break. The lake, from which I have seen squirrels drink from, is literally 40’ if even from this tree.

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I put some of my Tennessee Red peanuts there next to the tomato which I left in place. I’ve yet to see this squirrel. He/she struck first when I was cutting the bamboo, the second time during my nap time.

This is not a peace offering, the peanuts, or appeasement on my part. It is an inducement to come to the table where I will be ready to serve this particular squirrel with pewter or lead, right in the heart or head.

Two tomatoes in three hours, war.

[SpookyShoe]

"Sugary" grape tomato.

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[karstopography]

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First color break of 2025 in my garden is Vorlon. Did not expect this to happen in April.

Not a particular impressive looking tomato, but the first flowering truss tomatoes like this Vorlon are often on the runty side.

[karstopography]

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In other news, this tobacco hornworm was in the process of devouring my Brandywine C. Plant. Also found 15 hornworm eggs, a cluster of tiny army worms eating on Dester, a couple of fruitworms. I then performed my first spinosad treatment of 2025. Hate to spray anything, but the worms were starting to get the upper hand.