First "real" harvest of tomatoes this season! Woot woot! I had spied these sweeties enticing me in the garden this past week, and I knew they needed a few more days of "hang time." That's the time most fruits need after their mature color occurs. They LOOKED ripe, but I was fine with letting the sun do its photosynthesizing "thang" and bring out their full sugary goodness.
When people send me emails asking why their tomatoes don't have any flavor, I usually send them back a list of questions to answer, one of which is, "How soon after they colored up did you pick them?" Sometimes this is the problem. People are so eager to finally eat their home-grown tomatoes, that the first day they look ripe, they pick them. Tomatoes need warmth, light, and vine ripening to bring out their real full flavor.
The tomatoes in the picture I picked July 3. That's kind of early for my area in California. Don't feel bad if you don't have any ripe tomatoes yet. All of these tomatoes were from starts I planted in my gigantic hoophouse on April 4th. Many of you couldn't plant that early, due to late frosts and what not. I didn't put any tomato plants outside the hoophouse until the first part of May. That's because here in the mountains of coastal central California, we will get frosts in April. In fact, our last frost here this year was on April 24. It got down to 27 degrees. If any of my tomatoes had been planted outside on that date, they would have died. So I am not expecting any ripe tomatoes on my outside plants for another few weeks. Don't fret if you don't have any either.
In the meantime, rest assured that the Brad's Black Heart, Virginia Sweets, Grub's Mystery Green, White Cherry, Tommy Toe, and JD's Special C-Tex, all pictured in the photo, will all go to a very good home ---- mine! (except for one gorgeous black oxheart - it went home with my new very loyal volunteer, Hannah).
You can find more information all about tomatoes on the World Tomato Society website.
I followed the tips from your site on prepping the soil for our tomatoes this year and we've got a lot more tomatoes than we did last year - and we had a ton from 2 plants last year. Thanks for the great tips!
Posted by: Nancy | August 20, 2009 at 10:37 PM
We do discuss removing suckers in my Tomato Masters class. Perhaps you forgot my complicated lecture on that topic. I like to have people in front of me and with a tomato plant to discuss the removing suckers idea. Perhaps I'll do a blog post on that. I think I'll also do a blog post on the blossom drop. Short answer to that: it happens...many reasons for that...just wait and they will have their blossoms turn into fruit.
Posted by: Love Apple Farm | June 23, 2009 at 01:39 PM
Cynthia-I've taken your tomato masters class, your tomato seedling class and lastly your tomato cage making class. My plants are looking great and now it's just a waiting game for when my 10 heirloom plants will bring about all those tomatoes! My question is this...recently a friend has told me I MUST clip the "suckers" from the plants in order to get a more productive plant. Is this true, and how would I go about doing this, and doing it correctly? One more thing...my sister has some tomato plants that are having a problem with blossom drop. What contributes to this and what can she do about it? Thanks! - Cindy in Pacific Grove, CA
Posted by: Cindy Hulet | June 22, 2009 at 10:28 PM
Skip: I like both Chocolate Vintage and Hippy Zebra as similar to Vintage Wine.
Posted by: Love Apple Farm | April 05, 2009 at 10:12 PM
I have had WONDERFUL success growing your Vintage Wine variety of tomato. I have just heard (4/5/09) that you will not be having any more this season. Could you recommend another of your tomatoes that would be similar to the Vintae WIne. Last year we got tomatoes from June into the 2nd week of December!!
Thanks
Skip Curtis
Posted by: Skip Curtis | April 05, 2009 at 03:12 PM
Blossom set, meaning that the flower turns into a fruit, is dependent on temps, both night time lows and day time highs. They don't want to set fruit below a night time low of 55 degrees, or above a day time high of 87 or so. We've had some fluctuating temps this season, and some varieties, in your garden, may be more fussy about their fruit set preferred temps. I wouldn't worry about it so much right now, particularly since your other toms are doing ok. If all of them were having problems, I would wonder about that. So just be patient. You'll get fruit off of those eventually.
Another issue can be fertilization of a blossom that is off of a potato leafed tomato plant. Varieties such as Brandywine, Green Giant, Valena Pink, and many others show this distinctive type of foliage. Those potato leafed plants sometimes have blossoms that are misshapen, and need an extra shake or "flick" of the blossom to make the stamen and pistil contact.
Posted by: Love Apple Farm | July 26, 2008 at 09:02 PM
I second that pesky problem. One tomato plant of mine has gotten lots of blossoms, but they don't turn into anything. Sigh. I have tomatoes growing on my other plants, but not this one. Is it not getting enough love? ;(
Posted by: Carolyn Jung | July 26, 2008 at 04:54 PM
Lovely tomatoes! I am having a bit of a problem with mine. Wondering if you had any thoughts. I am getting plenty of blooms but the dry up and break at the knuckle before becoming a tomatoe! I must be doing something not quite right. Any thoughts?
Thanks in advance.
Posted by: Craig | July 22, 2008 at 07:57 PM
Gosh, Vertie, that's awful that squirrels and birds get your tomatoes. I have heard of using statues of owls and flash tape to keep away birds (I don't know if those work). Squirrels, though, are harder. Short of enclosing your tomato patch with some sort of light weight structure (with a top), I don't know what to do about squirrels.
Posted by: Love Apple Farm | July 09, 2008 at 04:42 PM
How do you keep your tomatoes free from squirrel and bird attacks while you let them ripen? If I leave mine to ripen completely on the vine, the squirrels take a big bite out of them before I can pick them.
(I do have a dog, but the squirrels seem to know when she is inside.-)
Posted by: vertie | July 09, 2008 at 01:27 PM
That's really interesting you mention 'hang time' it is so important. Supermarket tomatoes taste of nothing because they pick them too soon. Incidentally the lycopene levels in the tomato raise significantly the longer you leave them on the vine - so they are better for you!
Posted by: Matron | July 07, 2008 at 01:10 AM
Gorgeous! My first ripe tomatoes this year were 4 tigerellas and 1 "Wild Bill", all picked last week of June. I'm still nervous about the "ripe when green" tomatoes but now I know the "feel."
Posted by: Annette | July 06, 2008 at 09:01 PM
They look just beautiful is all. I've been picking wonderful, sweet Sun Golds from your seeds for the past two weeks--and they will fruit copiously for us until frost comes in the fall. Just wish we had more sun on our property to enjoy some of those varieties you have in the picture.
Posted by: Sandy | July 06, 2008 at 09:44 AM
They look beautiful and delicious. Summer begins for me when the tomatoes are fully ripe.
Posted by: Casey | July 05, 2008 at 10:42 PM
Wow, your JD's Special C-Tex is smaller than mine! My first one was picked around the same time you picked yours (plant came from you!). Flavor was astounding.
Read all about my first bite on our blog.
Posted by: Nate & Annie | July 04, 2008 at 11:25 PM