So Texans, Where do you Stand on Tomatoes?

[karstopography]

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The tomato situation as of today is slim pickings. Coyote is the only tomato I have that appears to thrive in our August coastal Texas heat. Coyote is said to originate from Vera Cruz, Mexico so that might be why it does alright here in the height of summer with at least part of Vera Cruz state being on the same Gulf of Mexico.

There’s a sungold or two that I get maybe every third day. Same with Black Cherry. The runt slicers are two beefmasters and a Kellogg’s Breakfast. Others, the fruitworms found first.

All but 8 plants remain in the garden. I water them enough to sustain life. I sprinkle a bit of granulated fertilizer once in a while. The fantasy is that these plants will rally come September and set some more fruit. Whatever doesn’t will get put into the burn pile to make room for fall plantings.

[worth1]

I'm eating my vines clean when I water.
Sweetest tomatoes ever.

[Wildcat82]

I'm eating my vines clean when I water.
Sweetest tomatoes ever.

In my growlog, I just posted that hot temperatures seem to induce an enhanced sweetness in tomatoes. To my tastebuds, any fruit I've happened to get from hybrids like Big Beef, Super Sioux and Juliet the past few years seem to taste better the hotter it gets. Curious If you've noticed anything similar.

[worth1]

I'm eating my vines clean when I water.
Sweetest tomatoes ever.

In my growlog, I just posted that hot temperatures seem to induce an enhanced sweetness in tomatoes. To my tastebuds, any fruit I've happened to get from hybrids like Big Beef, Super Sioux and Juliet the past few years seem to taste better the hotter it gets. Curious If you've noticed anything similar.

Yes I have with everyone I've grown.
It's like melons heat and lack of moisture at the right time.

[Wildcat82]

Despite suffering a number of heat related deaths, I still have 1 Abu Rawan, 1 Sun Gold, 2 Super Sioux and 3 Indian Stripe July transplants still alive outside in the heat. I also have both Super Sioux and 1 Porter Improved I planted this spring still hanging on. In addition, I also have a couple Sun Golds growing indoors (and blooming nicely) in my house.

Are there any other Texans trying for Fall Tomatoes?

[karstopography]

Despite suffering a number of heat related deaths, I still have 1 Abu Rawan, 1 Sun Gold, 2 Super Sioux and 3 Indian Stripe July transplants still alive outside in the heat. I also have both Super Sioux and 1 Porter Improved I planted this spring still hanging on. In addition, I also have a couple Sun Golds growing indoors (and blooming nicely) in my house.

Are there any other Texans trying for Fall Tomatoes?

I planted three new rather puny but otherwise healthy looking transplants August 24th. They are Bella Rosa, Heatmaster, and Cherokee Purple. Found these three at the feed store and at $2/plant thought why not?

Coyote has never stopped producing. Lately, I have been getting a handful a day. When there’s nothing else giving fruit, they are great. I especially like the flavor if they aren’t too ripe.

I have let the remaining plants going save eight from spring. Most look alive. If they don’t set any fruit by early in October, they are coming out.

[karstopography]

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Coyote did fine without any attention for a week. No water received or rainfall fell that I can tell. Anyway, coyote is definitely one extreme heat and drought loving tomato. Couple of sungold in there with the coyote.

[MarkAndre]

Wow, managed to log in! In case this is a one time thing, just want to say I didn’t intentionally leave here. I stopped being able to login around the same time I had to change my phone’s SIM card.

I gave up on my tomatoes before they gave up on me. I was having some luck with growbags arranged in kiddie pools after some clues and hints left by members here. But then it just became too hot to go out day after day. Amazed to hear some of you manage to have plants still going! No fall plants here; it’s been too hot and now that it maybe isn’t soon, it’s probably too late.

[Wildcat82]

Wow, managed to log in! In case this is a one time thing, just want to say I didn’t intentionally leave here. I stopped being able to login around the same time I had to change my phone’s SIM card.

I gave up on my tomatoes before they gave up on me. I was having some luck with growbags arranged in kiddie pools after some clues and hints left by members here. But then it just became too hot to go out day after day. Amazed to hear some of you manage to have plants still going! No fall plants here; it’s been too hot and now that it maybe isn’t soon, it’s probably too late.

Good to hear from you. We need as many Texans here as possible.

I've got 4-5 plants blooming now just waiting for the weather to cool off.

[karstopography]

My August 24th transplanted Cherokee Purple looks terrible. Some sort of galloping foliage disease. Bella Rosa and Heatmaster right next to CP look pretty good.

I think transplanting sensitive to diseases heirloom tomatoes in the summer is likely not going to work here.

I took out my Pineapple and Black Krim spring planted tomatoes to make room for bush beans.

Remaining spring slicer tomatoes are two Beefmaster plants, two Kellogg’s Breakfast, one Aussie, Dester, True Black Brandywine, Carbon, Domingo, and Snowball. Japanese Black Trifele, plus coyote, sungold, black cherry, juliet, and rosella round out the small fruited types.

None of the big fruited types have any tomatoes on them that I see.

[MarkAndre]

Wow, managed to log in! In case this is a one time thing, just want to say I didn’t intentionally leave here. I stopped being able to login around the same time I had to change my phone’s SIM card.

I gave up on my tomatoes before they gave up on me. I was having some luck with growbags arranged in kiddie pools after some clues and hints left by members here. But then it just became too hot to go out day after day. Amazed to hear some of you manage to have plants still going! No fall plants here; it’s been too hot and now that it maybe isn’t soon, it’s probably too late.

Good to hear from you. We need as many Texans here as possible.

I've got 4-5 plants blooming now just waiting for the weather to cool off.

Thanks! Good to see you all still here fighting the good fight.

I look forward to seeing how your fall planting progresses and what you think of tomatoes in cooler weather, Wildcat.

[MissS]

@MarkAndre if you can't log in you can always use the "Contact Us" at the bottom of the screen. You can reach us whether you are logged in or not.

[MarkAndre]

@MarkAndre if you can't log in you can always use the "Contact Us" at the bottom of the screen. You can reach us whether you are logged in or not.

Thank you. I did try that, but I suspect whatever was happening with my SIM card may have also been interfering with that?

[karstopography]

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Dug up Aussie, one of the Kellogg’s Breakfast, one of the Beefmaster, True Black Brandywine, Dester, and Carbon. Only True Black Brandywine had any sign of RKN on the roots, mostly rather minor sign. It was in a 3.5” X 6.5” bed with Carbon and Dester. That bed had some french marigolds in it also, but the marigolds have been dead for a time and TBB was most distant from the flowers.

Aussie and Kellogg’s Breakfast were not near any marigolds.

That leaves one Kellogg’s Breakfast, one Beefmaster, one Domingo, Snowball and Japanese Black Trifele, plus a few cherry tomatoes, then the three fall plantings, Bella Rosa, Heatmster, and Cherokee Purple. Cherokee Purple isn’t long for this world, predictably, hot and humid weather isn’t very friendly to susceptible transplants. Thought it was worth a shot, but I’ll never try another late summer planted fall season OP type tomato. Anything planted for a fall season henceforth will have a hybrid designation with as many letters following its name as possible.

[MarkAndre]

karstopography, my beds don’t look that nice at the beginning of the season. Hats off!

I don’t know if I can give up on the idea of fall heirloom tomatoes. Entirely possible, but I have to make it to the point of failure first. My season wasn’t nearly long enough this year, so I’ve got to figure out some way to extend the season one way or the other. Since it’s far too hot for exertion in the summer, dedication to prep in the cool season will definitely be key for me.

[karstopography]

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Coyote seeds drying off. Plan is to bag them up in 5+seeds/bag and send them off to Westfield with the rest of the seeds in October. Got to be at least 25 bags of seeds in the bowl.

Sea Island Red and Star of David Okra are the last of the saved seeds I’m planning on sending along to the swap. Whenever those now fully grown pods start to split, should be any day now, and dry out on the plant, I’ll separate the seeds from the pods and continue to air dry the seeds until they are ready and send everything off.

Coyote became much more appreciated when nothing else tomatowise was producing. Coyote is actually a very tasty tomato for fresh snacking and the hotter the weather, the better it tastes. This is not a tomato with much counter holding time in it. Coyote is best picked and consumed almost immediately at the ripeness level one likes the best as the flavor changes considerably in a short time period and coyote does not continue to ripen very well off the vine.

[karstopography]

I’m probably going to pull up all my February transplanted tomatoes soon. Other than Coyote, they look so ragged and pitiful. Coyote is messy too, but looks better overall. There are some blossoms on Beefmaster, Japanese Black Trifele and Kellogg’s Breakfast, but with the extra warmth this September no tomatoes appear to have yet set. The thing is I could leave them way into October and maybe have a few tomatoes set once things inevitably cool off a little, but then I’m tired of looking at the very ugly, sprawling , mostly defoliated and messy plants.

If and when I get rid of the spring tomatoes, that will leave only my one fall planted Bella Rosa. I might yank that one out too if it doesn’t perk up soon.

I’ll leave Coyote until at least October 1st just to say I had some ripe garden tomatoes inside the house every consecutive month starting in April. Then if Bella Rosa perks up soon it can keep the streak going into November.

[karstopography]

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Weighed a few ripe Coyote tomatoes today. Yes, they run between 1 and 2 grams each. Seems to be the standard size coyote tomato.

[karstopography]

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I might still be in the tomato game for 2023 with my one remaining plant, Bella Rosa. Transplanted last week in August, tiny plant, maybe 2 or 3 weeks old, but it has finally decided to set some fruit.

[PlainJane]

That’s amazing @karstopography!