Applestar's 2014 Tomato Gardens

[applestar]

More update photos

Patio Side Tomato Garden

Vegetable Garden Raised Beds

VGA and VGB

VGD-VGE-VGB Sunflower barrier fence row

SFH

SFHX (watermelon patch)

[pow wow]

Your tomato garden looks great Applestar! I read that a garlic oil spray will get rid of those Russet Mites.

[applestar]

Thanks! I might try that.

[applestar]

First tomatoes to be harvested this season

ANMORE Treasures

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(I have better handwriting than that -- I really do -- but the pentip kept on snagging on the papertowel )

[applestar]

ZLUTA Kytice in VGB doing its Multi-flora thing....

Zluta Kytice

[lakngulf]

First tomatoes to be harvested this season

Congratulations! Enjoy

[digitS']

Yay!!

You worked too hard writing that name, AppleStar. One "n" can be dropped.

In a recent blog post, Tatiana noted that there is never any "heat" in that little British Columbia community's days. She is growing and commenting on cold-resistant tomatoes this year .

Steve

[applestar]

Haha you are right, Steve! I keep wanting to write Annemore because of my friends name and thought I did well dropping the "e" .... (I'll fix that now)

I'll have to go look at her blog, thanks for the heads up.

Lakngulf -- thanks so much! Lots of little green ones and blossoms on mist of the plants now, so there will many many more before we know it. (I should start getting things ready for the avalanche )

[VeggieGardenGal]

Great Garden !

[applestar]

Thank you

Here are some update photos of the raised bed VG garden:

Overall view from same direction as before

Neves Azorian Red, Terhune, and Grandma Oliver's Chocolate.
Flathead Monster Orange and Tidwell German on the other side.
Pole and runner beans reached the top of the bamboo poles
so I added cross beams.

Sunflowers have reached the top of the fence. I hung nylon netting trellises on the picket fence for the pole/runner beans and cucumbers:

Sunflowers' lower leaves keep getting spotty or yellowing,
but I think the beans and cucumbers will fill in to supply the
barrier.

[ReptileAddiction]

Everything looks great!

[Juliuskitty]

ZLUTA Kytice in VGB doing its Multi-flora thing....

image.jpg

Now that I like!

[applestar]

I practiced removing sepals, petals, and anther cones from all pre-yellow petal flower buds from about 1/2 of a Zluta Kytice floral truss. Removed yellow petaled and immature buds. If all goes well, I will collect pollen from a likely cross prospect (am thinking Terhune) tomorrow or day after tomorrow and attempt my first cross of the season. Also practiced with a couple of a Neves Azorian Red and a Terhune (Broke a mega bloom Grandma Oliver's Chocolate blossom ), and managed a couple of tiny Coyote blossoms (I want to try crossing this one with Terhune too for the clear epi).

I have yet to succeed with getting a cross to "take" so you may be hearing about many more tries.

Here are update photos of the Raised Veg garden beds again. They just keep growing!

Crisscrossed top with overhead bamboo support for the
exuberant beans. I wonder if they would make too much
shade?

View from the VGA corner

Close up of the runner bean flowers

Scarlet Emperor

Sunset

I hope I do have Purple Podded Pole beans growing here somewhere. Their magenta blossoms will be gorgeous added to the mix, along with other pole beans which should have white blossoms.

[JohnnyB60]

Wow! It sure is nice. I wish I could have a garden like that in the desert.

[Juliuskitty]

Oh my, good luck with the cross! Very very cool
Runner bean flowers are beautiful.

[applestar]

Thanks! You'll like this, juliuskitty -- Amethyst Cream is first pictured

SFH TOMATO GARDEN -- starting from the left of the arch trellis


Amethyst Cream (I didn't know it was going to be so
hairy. Is it related to Seattle's Blue Wooly Mammoth?)


Dancing with Smurfs


Scarlet Knight


Royal Hillbilly


Coyote


Dixiewine (suffering from Russet Mites -- lost the first truss )


Brazilian Beauty (No mention of antho in BB write ups.... )


Not Purple Strawberry (Can't wait to try this one)


Grandma Oliver's Chocolate (...and this one )


Rebel Yell (deteriorating/slow growth due to Russet Mite
infestation )


Captain Lucky (This is another highly recommended variety)


Indian Zebra Burson's (Looking very productive )


Primrose Gage (not to worry, there's an unblemished fruit
on the other side of the stem)


Girl Girl's Weird Thing (seems to be later maturing)


Malkhitovaya Shkatulka (showing signs of Russet Mites)


Liz Birt {purple} (Just requested a sister line seeds to this for next year.)


Terhune (Our taste trial reigning champion -- tough competition this year )
...turns out the little one on the bottom-left is Terhune. Others are GO'sC.


Wes (Seed from last year's triple mega)


Ananas Noire (Can't wait!)


Variegated PL x Big Cheef Stripes (Lots of gorgeous and unfading
variegated foliage so far)


Faelan's First Snow {CP type fruits == Variegated Cherokee Purple}
(Variegation fades with heat and returns with cooler temperature.)


Coyote Not (seed from a Jaune Flammée like bicolor/possible cross
Winter Indoor Tomato growout of Coyote. Unfortunately suffering from
Russet Mites)

[Juliuskitty]

Mine didn't seem to be so hairy. I wonder if there is an environmental aspect to that? I grew Captain Lucky last year, it was gorgeous and so scrumptious, not overwhelmingly productive though.
Is Indian Zebra Burson a different tomato than Indian Stripe? Indian Stripe was found by Mr. Burson, and introduced by Bill Jeffers. He (Jeffers)crossed it with Daniels, it was PL. He stabilized the cross recently, named it Daniel Burson. I am CRAZY about that one, so let us know how you like your IZB, and I can send you seeds for DB.( its got that pretty CP color, very productive, PL)

[ReptileAddiction]

Do you save seed from the varieties that you do not know the variety of? Are they varieties that cross pollinated or are they just varieties that got mislabeled?

[applestar]

Are you referring to "Coyote Not"? That one was grown from saved seeds.

I saved seeds from fruits that grew true to type in the summer and planted them to grow in winter.

When that one finally fruited, it ripened to something NOT true to type (presumably although the fruits in the summer were true to type, I managed to save seeds from one that got bee-crossed. Jaune Flammée was growing right next to it and the fruit characteristic was similar so I'm making the assumption that JF is the pollen source)

I saved those seeds and grew them again to see what would happen.


...the other one "Not Purple Strawberry" is an established variety name of an unexpected result that has been stabilized over time. It grows and produces according to a specific true type, but the whimsical name was kept by the grower who discovered it.

[applestar]

Mine didn't seem to be so hairy. I wonder if there is an environmental aspect to that? I grew Captain Lucky last year, it was gorgeous and so scrumptious, not overwhelmingly productive though.
Is Indian Zebra Burson a different tomato than Indian Stripe? Indian Stripe was found by Mr. Burson, and introduced by Bill Jeffers. He (Jeffers)crossed it with Daniels, it was PL. He stabilized the cross recently, named it Daniel Burson. I am CRAZY about that one, so let us know how you like your IZB, and I can send you seeds for DB.( its got that pretty CP color, very productive, PL)

Daniel Burson sounds great! I would appreciate that.
I see the Indian Zebra Burson's color breaking, I think, but still waiting for that blush. I'm suspecting this IS the same as Indian Stripe introduced by Bill Jeffers. I'll keep both names on the variety for now.

42 Days was the winner of non-cherries to ripen first

42 Days

Here is a cluster of Coyote:

Coyote in 3 gal square

Shadowboxing Dwarf is suffering from Russet Mites but has two very interesting looking fruits

Shadowboxing Dwarf

[applestar]

Blush is starting to blush. It has russet mites as you can tell by the stem color. I hope it out paces the russet mites!

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Last night a gusty storm blew through and knocked over some of the container tomatoes including San Marzano Nano. It knocked into Maglia Rosa. I found a green elongated fruit on the patio bricks and *think* it's a MR, but it could be a SMN. Blush was knocked over, too, where it was isolated among the citruses which were all lying down as well. I straightened them out last night after the storm had passed (around 1:30AM) but it was dark there and I forgot to check with the flashlight whether the fruits are still on.... I guess I'll find out.

[ReptileAddiction]

Thats to bad.

Citruses? Do you shuffle them inside and out every year?

[applestar]

Yep, citruses, avocados, mangos, bananas, pineapples, tender figs... All part of my "tropicals" that vacation out for the summer and come inside before frost in fall.

Here's a new collage of the Sunflower House Tomato Garden:

...not sure if that is REALLY Brazilian Beauty...

[ReptileAddiction]

I knew you had other tropicals that you had in the house in the winter but I did not know about the citrus.

Those look phenomenal!

[applestar]

Ha. I t looks as though I just recently posted the SFH tomato photos... Well, I took more pictures today....
(Captions are clockwise from top right frame)

SUNFLOWER HOUSE TOMATO GARDEN

Amethyst Cream, Amethyst Cream, Dancing
with Smurfs, Scarlet Knight, Royal Hillbilly

Variegated PL x Big Cheef Stripes, Faelan's First Snow,
(may/may not be) Brazilian Beauty, Dixiewine (foliage),
Ananas Noire

Not Purple Strawberry, Grandma Oliver's Chocolate,
Grandma Oliver's Chocolate, Captain Lucky, Indian
Zebra/Stripes

Primrose Gage, Malakhitovaya Shkatulka,
Liz Birt (Purple), Wes, Wes, Terhune,

VGC/VGD TOMATO GARDEN

Tidwell German, Grandma Oliver's Chocolate,
Terhune, Neves Azorian Red, Flathead Orange

[applestar]

Sunflower House Tomato Garden

Clockwise from top left:
(Maybe not) Brazillian Beauty
Scarlet Knight
Scarlet Knight harvested with some Coyote
and a Chibikko... Plus a couple of blackberries,
a Japanese cucumber and a smallish Lemon
cucumber.

Raised Bed Vegetable Garden

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The broken pre-germinated seedling grew what looks like a Kakai squash. Keeping an eye on it but it seems OK so far.

The other squash seedling under the cloche was an Uncle David's Dakota Dessert and became infested with SVB's. Harvested a tiny racket ball sized immature fruit which baked up into summer squash like but firm, -- sweet and nutty and delicious.

Baked, sliced racket ball sized immature Uncle David's squash

Another unknown volunteer was also SVB ridden and disposed.

[gixxerific]

Looking good, I wonder what you will get with your Grandma Oliver Chocolate, I have a red from one of my plants.

[applestar]

GOC fruits are getting huge on multiple vines.

(I forgot to take pictures -- these caught my attention today)

Mystery almost black with antho fruited variety
and Amethyst Cream

Indian Zebra/Stripe, Ananas. Noire,
Malachite Box/Liz Birt (Purple), Captain Lucky

My one successful cross Coyote x Terhune
(Developing tiny green fruit at upper right
with no sepals)

[lakngulf]

Beautiful. I love your arrangement of colors.

[JayPoc]

Amazing stuff Apple!....I couldn't keep up with all those varieties....everything looks great. I saw your reference to russet mites...gonna have to look that up...

[applestar]

EXCITEMENT

First of the big'uns were harvested yesterday -- a couple days to full ripe.

I kept looking at that big Indian Zebra/Stripe in the truss and there was a smaller one quietly ripening behind it!

And I almost didn't realize this Ananas Noire was ready. I held it in my hand it to see how it was doing and felt the faint softness (not quite give). I had to touch others to make sure I wasn't imagining it. But when I turned it over, it looked like this, This one should look REALLY interesting when cut open.

Also, first two of the Amethyst Cream cherry -- this was another one I had to feel around. I was really pleased to see the color and put some Coyote next to them for comparison -- almost a perfect match.

[applestar]

I was feeling sluggish today, so I was just "going out to take a look." I didn't even take a harvesting bucket/basket.... Then I found... all this

Today's harvest. Close ups of harvested fruits before
picking including Maglia Rosa as well as Liz Birt and
Neves Azorian Red that look like they will be next.

Malkhitvaya Shkatulka (Malachite Box) is a GWR (Green When Ripe) variety and I couldn't tell by looking if any of ALL these fruits in the clusters was ripe -- the bottom-most one was

Malkhitvaya Shkatulka (Malachite Box) is super productive.

Captain Lucky was looking a little constrained, so I felt it to see how it was doing -- I thought it would be impossible to remove from it's cradle once soft. Well, it turned out that the pressure from the three stalks had cause it to burst and crack, plus it was JUST slightly soft to the touch. It's so hard to tell with these unusually colored fruits! Captain Lucky, like Ananas Noire, is supposed to be a tricolor.

Captain Lucky

Mini crate of the Big 'uns. Hopefully the green NPS will ripen.
Also harvested today were San Marzano Nano, Not Purple Strawberry.

I was appalled to find two of the Not Purple Strawberry fruits just lying on the ground. But closer inspection showed that they tore themselves off the vine because I'd failed to tie these two up for support. One had started to blush, but the other one looks a bit green. Luckily, the other part of the same cluster with three green fruits were still tied up with a strip of an old T-shirt.

[ReptileAddiction]

I wish I had so many tomatoes as you do! I get at most 2 a day and that is not even everyday. Next year I am probably going too rip out a border and make it a tomato bed. My container garden just does not get enough sun for tomatoes to do well. Everything else does great but tomatoes do not like it.

[applestar]

that's how it starts
...but really, why NOT grow something you can eat? If they are going to take up valuable, premium sunny real estate, they should give back something in return, *I say*.

You can see how much fun it is to grow different varieties, and tomatoes are so versatile in the kitchen.

[applestar]

Today's exciting finds

[applestar]

The beans are growing wild in the Raised Bed
Vegetable Garden.

Granny's Heart are starting to produce kind of
high up on the vine.

I picked the Neves Azorian Red tomato in the photo --a few more shades darker than the pictured-- yesterday evening because there were heavy rains predicted last night and I didn't want it to split. (We actually had nearly 1 inch of rain) I think I'll take a picture of it tomorrow.

Here are the beans I harvested today

4 kinds of Beans Purple Podded Pole,
Scarlet Runner, Sunset Runner,
Kentucky Wonder, plus Roma II from
the a Spiral Garden.

That mystery variety (that does not appear to be Brazilian Beauty) is starting to blush

[DDMcKenna]

I am constantly amazed at the volume of product your gardening supplies.

[applestar]

Yeah, as I've mentioned before, this not a big property and I have several small to medium garden beds that are divided and built in different areas surrounding the house, but if you plant even just one of them and make plans to keep the beds productive through different times of the growing season with appropriate crops, you can harvest something practically every day.

Growing same crops in different microclimates of your garden can also extend the crops' productive period.

I didn't always have extras, but once you get the hang of it, expanding your garden -either bigger bed or multiple beds- can help to grow more than you and your family can eat fresh. The you can store for future in the freezer, or make extra cooked food, or make preserved food -- It's a lot of fun.

[applestar]

I had the feeling all these were going to be ready to harvest around the same time.
Expecting some rain tonight and over the weekend so nearly all fully blushed tomatoes were picked today

...including the tomatoes, the rest of harvest today looked like this

(...yeah, I forgot to check the Coyote and had to take
a separate picture later)

[lakngulf]

Beautiful produce you have there. Good job