Isn't that always the way?
Mine started out that way this year. I had loads of seedlings, and I couldn't bear to throw them out so gave them away. My seedlings were struggling and yellowing and everyone else's were huge and green!!
Then I figured out the perfect feeding and watering and mine are now 8 foot monsters producing tons. I grow mine in containers, so its a lot trickier. But I don't think anyone has had bigger tomatoes than me this year. So it all ended up OK in the end. But man was I bummed when everyone else's were doing great and my prize plants were yellowing (from me accidentally spraying with too much aspirin water). I'd chosen the perfect soil, mixed in my pearlite, saved up eggshells and crushed them and added them to the soil, had my fish emulsion. I was sooooooooooooooooooo upset. But then I got a great suggestion for fertilser and used it with my fish emulsion weekly and BOOM, off they grew. Had fantastic tomato weather this year too, so very lucky.
KitchenGardener wrote:So exciting to try some of yours! I have to share an ironic gardening story with you. I am an avid gardener and love it. I know I need to have my soil tested but other than that, I think I do it right: I add amendments and tons of compost, plant them the right distance from each other and orientation to the sun. I fuss over them and only deep water them, avoiding the leaves, etc. I prune and stake and fertilize...you get the picture.
My ex lives right up the street, and, having done everything I could at the time to my garden, and having leftover seedlings from what I grew, I decided to go plunk a few in his front yard. I went up with bags of compost and good soil amendments, mixed organic fertillizers into each hole before planting the tomatoes - in other words, lots of TLC. But still, I doubted they'd survive because they didn't have my loving touch and I actually thought he'd ignore them.
I have gotten one tomato so far - I have a bunch more that are soon to ripen. But I went up to his house (hadn't been there in a long time) and his plants are the healthiest tomato plants I've ever seen!!! The fruits are HUGE, each one about a pound plus and so many of them are ripe! They are beautiful! He generously offered me some as he has "too many," lol, and I took some. The comparison to my smaller fruits is stunning. Yep, they are the same as I planted them all from seed and watched those little seedlings grow, but I guess his soil is just perfect as well as his microclimate. Maybe I should fuss over my tomatoes less?
So long way of saying the Cherokee purples can be, apparently, well over a pound (though around here in farmers markets they are not usually that big), I think of them as thin skinned, they can cat face (one of mine has but only one and none of his), and they are tomato-ey in flavor with that great sweet tart balance - plus they are a lovely color. I am happy to send you some of each of the seeds, but I have no idea how to contact? Are there any challenges to send things to Canada?
So excited to try your Feuerwerks!!
I have Brandywine (I could send you the ones that grew really well in a container), Red Robin (really nice little dwarf; good for baskets and small containers), and Rutgers (not too impressed, but might have been operator error; too much high-N fertilizer).
Maybe we can update later on and have another exchange.
