My First San Marzano Ripe Enough to Pick!

[Brandywinegirl]

I have never had tomatoes before July - I am in Southeastern Pennsylvania. What a nice surprise. The San Marzano tomato is a little beat up, but should be ready to eat in a day or two. Anyone else in my area have tomatoes yet? No one in my community garden has yet - yippie!!

[jnunez918]

I had to pick mine yellow cause of my squirrel problem

[mattie g]

Cool! This is my first time growing San Marzanos, and I'm probably most excited about them, as I'm not a huge tomatos fan but love making sauces and salsas.

I'm a little south of you and am expecting my first tomatoes (including s truss of SMs) to start turning red in about three weeks or so. I bought seedlings online and planted them (fairly young) in mid-April, so they're about on track.

[Brandywinegirl]

Sorry about that, Jennifer, but its better to ripen them at home on your counter, than have the varmints eat them!

Mattie, that's great. My first one is a little sift from wear & tear I guess (weather), but I will be ready to eat it by the end of the week. Th cluster of new ones is amazing!! This heat coming up scares me - but I am going to water them well for the next two days.

[PunkRotten]

I have gotten a few tomatoes from my dwarf plants. But nothing yet from my main tomatoes. I see some forming now and really hope to get one/some at the end of the month.

[ReptileAddiction]

My tomatoes are still only 8 inches tall and not even in their permanent location but I can grow them year round here so no worries

[ReptileAddiction]

My tomatoes are still only 8 inches tall and not even in their permanent location but I can grow them year round here so no worries

[MaryDel]

No ripe tomatos yet in central delaware, but I got mine in late. I normally get my first tom at the end of June.

I do have about 25 san marzano plants but they are not doing as well as normal. All of my beefstake varieties and my heirlooms are doing great though. It's odd.

[Brandywinegirl]

Mary, this has been a strange season...I went out yesterday & one of my plants died for no reason that I can see - I hope it wasn't vine borer!!

[ReptileAddiction]

This is and odd season. I started 4 plants expecting to end up with 4 and give 3 to neighbors but for some reason 3 died for no reason when they were seedlings. I planted 2 seeds and cut off the weaker seedling and a couple week later they were just dead. The one I still have wwas almos dead but I was able to nurse it back.

[rainbowgardener]

Mary, this has been a strange season...I went out yesterday & one of my plants died for no reason that I can see - I hope it wasn't vine borer!!

I think there is a stalk borer that gets into tomato vines, but I've never seen any (whereas I fight the squash vine borer every year). If it is a borer there should be a small entry hole in the stem with a discolored area around it.

If the plant is dead, be sure to remove and destroy it, not in the compost pile.

[Brandywinegirl]

Will do - this has happened before... I have 13 tomato plants so hopefully the rest of them will survive.