Mid Season Impressions

[karstopography]

I believe I’ve got 16 varieties going. First ones, most, went into the garden February 29th, last ones around the last week in March.

Cherokee Purple, set out on the 29th was the first slicer to produce, color breaker on May 4th. Sugary grape, also set out the 29th, produced April 27th. My wife isn’t crazy about the Cherokee Purple tomato taste, but I like them. We both like sugary grape. Both still are productive. I’ve got Cherokee Purple that together have produced about 6 pounds so far, but still have several pounds out on the plants. Cherokee Purple doesn’t have a reputation for a big production type. I might grow it again as well as Sugary, but I might not.

Carmello has been the most productive. I’ve gotten over 20 pounds from three plants, but they still have plenty of fruit in them. They’ve all experienced more than their share misfortune, storm damage, mishaps, mishandling, worm attacks, I could have easily gotten another 10 pounds off them by now. We all like the taste and with the reliability, one or more plants will be back next spring season. Might try them in the fall.

Surprise tomato for me is Pineapple. I have one plant. I love how healthy the plant is, it is by far my tallest. Might be 10 feet now if stretched out straight. Very columnar so it doesn’t have a big spreading footprint. Tomatoes it produces are big, beautiful, largely blemish free. My two biggest tomatoes, both well over a pound, have come from it. Not a bad bug attracting plant either. It’s produced about 5 pounds so far, but there’s at least that much still on the plant and the tomatoes aren’t even done filling out. First tomato was 82 days. Makes for an outstanding pico de gallo. Definitely coming back into future plantings.

Mortgage Lifter is another one that is a novel type in this house. My wife’s favorite flavor wise. Pretty tomatoes, no green shoulders, none have gotten sun scald. No monsters, but no dinky ones either. I let my Spaghetti squash climb all over it and yet it was still productive and isn’t quite done yet. It will make a return visit.

Roma, reliable, useful, predictable. Lemon Drop cherry has been good. I put it in later and it still set a lot of tomatoes and seems to be setting still. Amish Paste went in later, but has some very large heart shaped fruit about ready to break and more still growing. Lemon boy, same story, different shape.

Disappointments. Celebrity. Only plants so far stricken with BER. My two plants have not done well, not sure why. Getting some big ones that get past the BER, but it’s been about 50/50. Old German. Set 5 fruit, still none have ripened. Now at 90 days plus. Slow and low production, they had better be wonderful. Hillbilly, sort of a lower production, less attractive Pineapple looking tomato. I admit I haven’t tasted it yet. I accidentally gave the first two away, but I’ve got a couple more ready to eat. Super Fantastic, been fairly productive, but it’s a wide plant, easily twice as wide as Carmello, Pineapple or Mortgage Lifter. If you take up that much room, there had better be a compelling reason for it, I don’t see it.

Jury out on Top Gun. Kind of slow, but set a lot of pretty, blemish free tomatoes. Several Color breakers now, but I yet to taste one. Might have given away a couple that would have been ready to eat. Big wide and short plant, with low set fruit, wants to collapse on itself, might have been better caged than staked.

[EdieJ]

I'm so jealous. We have not one baby coming out yet. Lots of blossoms, dropping like crazy with just swarms and swarms of thrips and aphids. Argh!
We grew Hillbilly a couple of times, not very impressed. Much prefer Big Rainbow. Not the most prolific but large and tasty!

[karstopography]

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I try to keep this bowl looking like this. Earlier, I had three times this much, but gave away many to daughters and sons, nieces, sisters, coworkers...

I had my first Hillbilly tomato at lunch. Really good, less citrusy than Pineapple. More tomato. Both good, but definitely different.

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I’m excited to try these Amish Paste.

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My lemon boy has also been invaded by the single Spaghetti Squash. So that’s 4 tomato plants having this squash grow into their space. The Mortgage Lifter took the brunt, but a Roma and a red grape got enveloped also.

I’ve pulled off 4 mature squash off the plant and now have 4 more immature ones. Downy Mildew is taking a toll on the leaves. Humid weather not helping.

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Pineapple.

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Hillbilly

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Topgun

Plants getting hit pretty hard by THW and other worms. I’m picking them off as I can. Not much fruit set in this humid nights time, although daytime temperatures are pretty low. Still, well over 100 tomatoes on the vines not counting the grape or cherry types. By July, it will be mostly over...until fall.

[MissS]

It sure looks like you are having a great season. Thanks so much for your detailed descriptions of your fruits. Do you know which Mortgage Lifter strain that you are growing?

[karstopography]

[mention]MissS[/mention] Is there a way to tell? I got the 4” set plant from the feed store. How many strains are there? Did I read Estler’s is the original or preferred strain?

What are the differences between the strains?

[MissS]

No there is no way to tell exactly which one it is that you have. According to Tatianna's Tomatobase there are 15 different strains of Mortgage Lifter. Not all of them are related to one another either. Here is a link so that you can see for yourself and perhaps you can guess at which one it is that you have. Most likely it is Mortgage Lifter.

http://tatianastomatobase.com/w/index.p ... M#mw-pages
Mortgage Lifter
Mortgage Lifter Bicolor
Mortgage Lifter, Carter's
Mortgage Lifter, Estler's
Mortgage Lifter, German
Mortgage Lifter, Halladay's
Mortgage Lifter, Mullen's
Mortgage Lifter, O'Driscoll's
Mortgage Lifter, Pesta
Mortgage Lifter, Quisenberry's
Mortgage Lifter, Radiator Charlie's
Mortgage Lifter, Red
Mortgage Lifter, Rieger's
Mortgage Lifter, Watson's
Mortgage Lifter, Yellow

[Bronx]

I've got a lot of green tomatoes just sitting on the plants, taunting me. The hardest part of this time of year for me is waiting for that first blush (didn't Tom Petty write a song about that?).

[karstopography]

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It’s been a good season.

[KathyDC]

Boy those are some nice big tomatoes. Jealous! Still waiting for flowers up here.

[MsCowpea]

Great job. Your tomatoes look wonderful.