So Texans, Where do you Stand on Tomatoes?

[Wildcat82]

I'm afraid I have to pass on a heads up warning for Texans.

It looks like 2 of my tomatoes (Brandysweet Plum and Lucky Tiger) have some sort of curly top virus. I hadn't heard of anyone here having this problem before so you might want to keep your eyes open for this. Looks just like herbicide damage but I haven't sprayed any herbicides this year. It can't be herbicide drift from some neighbor either since my 2 pots are in the middle of my garden surrounded by other tomatoes, eggplant, strawberries, peppers. etc. Only these two plants were affected. Even the 5 tomatoes (Brandy Boy (2) Black Cherry, and Sun Gold) in the bed literally 2 feet away are unaffected. From what I've read about curly top, only some varieties are affected.

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[MarkAndre]

Oh man, that’s a bummer, I’m sorry. I don’t know much about leaf curl, is it fatal to the plant?

Do the leaves wilt too or just curl? My Jet Star in EB had a wilt during the daytime last year. I can’t remember if the leaves curled. It tried to shrug it off, but the deer got brave and walked all the way up on the deck and chowed down. It still grew back even after that, but didn’t produce tomatoes.

[AlittleSalt]

I chose to not plant anything. There is a climate change (The BS News has no clue).

[worth1]

Great weather here in central Texas.
I have little tomatoes just waiting to turn red.

[MissS]

I chose to not plant anything. There is a climate change (The BS News has no clue).

Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Gardening is what we all do here on this forum. We al have to learn how to cope with changes that's how we learn.

[worth1]

I chose to not plant anything. There is a climate change (The BS News has no clue).

Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Gardening is what we all do here on this forum. We al have to learn how to cope with changes that's how we learn.

One year I had the most beautiful plants growing.
A hail storm came through and beat everything to the ground.
I just stood in the shed and watched it happen.

[karstopography]

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The Fruit is setting pretty well. Some plants are doing better than others. All my dark tomatoes are strong this year. Bear Creek, Black Krim, True Black Brandywine, Carbon, Japanese Black Trifele are all blooming in abundance and decent amount of the blooms are resulting in fruit.

Some of the Pink tomatoes started strong, but seem to be taking a break from putting on any new fruit. Pruden’s Purple and SOTW are in that category. Dester started slow, but is now blooming great and setting some fruit. Polish continues to impress. Domingo is finally getting some vigor.

The cherry tomatoes are all unstoppable monsters at this point.

Picked off 5 tobacco hornworm eggs yesterday. A few tiny leaf footed bugs are showing up. No squirrels yet. I ordered 6 giant realistic looking rubber snakes to scatter about the tomato plants as a squirrel deterrent. Those are getting delivered Tuesday.

I’d rate the tomatoes at this stage a B. Fruit mostly looks good and pretty, very few catfaced, zippered or badly formed fruit. One notable exception is a Brandywine OTV that’s probably 14 ounces now and still green, but with a massive concave blossom scar. The overall number of fruit excepting the cherry types is a little underwhelming at this stage, but there’s still time to make great strides in that area. Some of the heirlooms are mostly fighting off something fungal on lower leaves, I’m pruning affected areas away.

Looks like I’ll have more cherry tomatoes than I know what to do with. I don’t know if I’ll get anything ripe in April, but there’s still a little time left. May looks like a good month for ripe fruit, though. Everything setting forward from now except the cherries are getting into June fruit.

[worth1]

Anybody remember a couple or three years ago I only got one tomato from a plant.
I was grateful for it.
It isn't the results of your labors but the intent of them that matters many if not all times.
One mustn't dwell on past failure but rejoice in future accomplishments.

[Wildcat82]

Oh man, that’s a bummer, I’m sorry. I don’t know much about leaf curl, is it fatal to the plant?

Do the leaves wilt too or just curl? My Jet Star in EB had a wilt during the daytime last year. I can’t remember if the leaves curled. It tried to shrug it off, but the deer got brave and walked all the way up on the deck and chowed down. It still grew back even after that, but didn’t produce tomatoes.

I've never seen this disease before in the 23 years I've been here. Supposedly the plants either die or fail to produce anything. Guess I'll just keep watering them and seen if they do anything.

[Wildcat82]

Anybody remember a couple or three years ago I only got one tomato from a plant.
I was grateful for it.
It isn't the results of your labors but the intent of them that matters many if not all times.
One mustn't dwell on past failure but rejoice in future accomplishments.

That's a very healthy attitude.

I met an old farmer from Iowa at a local nursery last year and he told me (paraphrasing) "The worst gardener in Iowa will probably have a more productive garden than the best gardener here." Perhaps that's true, but I'll guarantee whatever successes I have here mean far more to me than any success the lousy Iowa gardener can have.

The most satisfying things in life are those things which are hardest to attain.

[MissS]

@Wildcat62 your plants may have curly top virus but I see that you have them growing in pots. Your soil might be contaminated with weed killer which would achieve the same result that your plants are showing. I had this happen to me last year from some purchased cow manure.

[karstopography]

Using Cow manure these days is playing Russian roulette.

[Wildcat82]

@Wildcat62 your plants may have curly top virus but I see that you have them growing in pots. Your soil might be contaminated with weed killer which would achieve the same result that your plants are showing. I had this happen to me last year from some purchased cow manure.

These 2 pots only had Miracle Grow Garden soil in them. Still, it looks like you and others have had issues with the composted cow manure so I'll probably avoid it in the future. Do you think composted chicken manure might be a safer alternative?

[MarkAndre]

Anybody remember a couple or three years ago I only got one tomato from a plant.
I was grateful for it.
It isn't the results of your labors but the intent of them that matters many if not all times.
One mustn't dwell on past failure but rejoice in future accomplishments.

Good advice for life!

[karstopography]

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My tomato growing friend in Kemah swears these rubber snakes keep the squirrels away. I just have to remember the snakes are there so I won’t startle, jump and break something every time I see one. I’ve got six out there now and more on the way. He had around twenty rubber snakes so I figure I better have a similar number to provide complete protection.

[Vanman]

Those look real.

[MarkAndre]

I figured that was dripper hose. I was about to make a joke about all the snakes.

[MissS]

@Wildcat62 your plants may have curly top virus but I see that you have them growing in pots. Your soil might be contaminated with weed killer which would achieve the same result that your plants are showing. I had this happen to me last year from some purchased cow manure.

These 2 pots only had Miracle Grow Garden soil in them. Still, it looks like you and others have had issues with the composted cow manure so I'll probably avoid it in the future. Do you think composted chicken manure might be a safer alternative?

Yes, I think it might be safer. It is very potent so be sure to use it sparingly.

[karstopography]

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4 cherry tomatoes, right front starting with Rosella, the Sungold , Black Cherry, and coyote, are outgrowing their stakes so yesterday I added more stakes. I’m at the too tall to get to horizontal stage and it isn’t even May.

One sungold has broken color so I guess that’s the first one of 2023. Pink tiger is the much more diminutive wispy foliage tomato plant in the photo to the left of coyote in the corner. Saved seed Kellogg’s breakfast is in the left foreground.

[Rockporter]

Finally picked my first two blushed cherry tomatoes, the rest of the tomatoes are growing but not turning yet.