OK I'm trying to figure out if this is a German Johnson thing only or if it is just typical of growing heirlooms. I barely get them off the vine and they are already beginning to rot. like one side of the tomato is ripe and the other side isn't yet so the side that is ripe gets over ripe and gets soft mushy spots. by the time the other part is ripe the other side of the tomato is pretty much done for.
is it typical of most herilooms to have a short shelf life in general? or is it just the german johnsons?
The ones that I manage to get in that are fully ripe go bad in just a couple of days...
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gixxerific
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Been there done that, good question.
Bad problem.
But I am pretty sure as THZ said recently here that the hybrids are bred to be resistant to disease and pest problems. But they are also bred for longevity.
Do you ever watch the Simpson's? One of the few things I watch on TV.
There was a show were they were going to eat better and went to an organic store for grocery's. Sorry I can't remember exactly but there was talk about how long they would last and the person at the register said they won't last long. They were shriveled and brown before they made it in the bag in at the check out.
Bad problem.
But I am pretty sure as THZ said recently here that the hybrids are bred to be resistant to disease and pest problems. But they are also bred for longevity.
Do you ever watch the Simpson's? One of the few things I watch on TV.
There was a show were they were going to eat better and went to an organic store for grocery's. Sorry I can't remember exactly but there was talk about how long they would last and the person at the register said they won't last long. They were shriveled and brown before they made it in the bag in at the check out.
Yup, the hybrids will tend to ripen evenly and sit around for a long time. There is so much diversity in non hybrids that it is hard to make a generalization, but what it sounds like is the top is not ripening. I am having a big problem with some of my big pink beefsteaks and bicolors growing in convertd clay soil and it is a variety of symptoms related to the same thing, soil potassium.
You can have yellow shoulder disorder, big cores, uneven ripening, and greywall, all of which are some form of soft ripe bottom, not soft ripe top.
The easy thing is to say that potassium is too low or nitrogen is too high, but the potassium can be high enough and nitrogen, calcium and magnesium can be out of whack.
Here is the techy farmer info
https://www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/tomato/managingcolor.htm#color disorders of tomato.
https://www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/tomato/HartzRatioCalculator.htm
The stab in the dark approach would be to sprinkle some Potash (potasium chloride or similar) on the garden.
You can have yellow shoulder disorder, big cores, uneven ripening, and greywall, all of which are some form of soft ripe bottom, not soft ripe top.
The easy thing is to say that potassium is too low or nitrogen is too high, but the potassium can be high enough and nitrogen, calcium and magnesium can be out of whack.
Here is the techy farmer info
https://www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/tomato/managingcolor.htm#color disorders of tomato.
https://www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/tomato/HartzRatioCalculator.htm
The stab in the dark approach would be to sprinkle some Potash (potasium chloride or similar) on the garden.
egads! so it sounds like that is the problem then. but only in my pink tomatoes. the yellow and the purple are fine and aren't doing that. but the pink german johnsons are. I thought maybe it was a size thing since the purple and the yellow are little tomatoes. so you think its a deficiency etc. how do I know how to fix this for next year?
I think that it might be a size thing too. I have some big red ones that are messed up too, while small round things tend to do better.
You could do a soil test, which is around $20 I think. Call your county extension agent for advice/info about labs. County extension is there to help gardners and farmers both so don't feel weird about calling them. They are the guys who run the Master Gardener programs.
Last year I sprinkled a bag of muriate of potash fertilizer from a local nursery (Lowes didn't have it) on one plot. I followed recomended diossage on the package and the problem is not as bad this year in that area. Your fruits do not sound as bad as mine so that would be the easiest thing to try, although a soil test would be better.
The other day I was someplace that sold big bags of salt for water softeners and one of the bags was potassium chloride (aka muriate of potash) so if you have a water softener you could kill two birds with one stone and save some money.
You could do a soil test, which is around $20 I think. Call your county extension agent for advice/info about labs. County extension is there to help gardners and farmers both so don't feel weird about calling them. They are the guys who run the Master Gardener programs.
Last year I sprinkled a bag of muriate of potash fertilizer from a local nursery (Lowes didn't have it) on one plot. I followed recomended diossage on the package and the problem is not as bad this year in that area. Your fruits do not sound as bad as mine so that would be the easiest thing to try, although a soil test would be better.
The other day I was someplace that sold big bags of salt for water softeners and one of the bags was potassium chloride (aka muriate of potash) so if you have a water softener you could kill two birds with one stone and save some money.
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applestar
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I like giving the tomatoes kelp meal or kelp meal tea as well as AACT to give them a boost 
Also, it's easy to cut out the parts you don't want, especially with the big ones because there are so much of the fruit still to enjoy. The big tasty heirlooms are quite tasty even when not fully ripe. Still beats the insipid store tomatoes by far.
Also, it's easy to cut out the parts you don't want, especially with the big ones because there are so much of the fruit still to enjoy. The big tasty heirlooms are quite tasty even when not fully ripe. Still beats the insipid store tomatoes by far.
I have never grown German Johnson because I have never seen anyone who grows lots of varieties give it great reviews. It was one of the parents of Mortgage Lifter, which tells me that someone wanted to improve it. And I'm not a big fan of Mortgage Lifter, which I have grown twice. This year Soldacki is a flavor standout from the other big pinks in the garden as are Brandywine Sudduths and Brandywine Cowlicks. Soldacki is super sweet while the Brandywines have a balanced tanginess.
Prudens Purple might be a good one to grow in Maine because it is very early for a big pink. Soldacki is from Cleveland so it might have better flavor up north too.
Prudens Purple might be a good one to grow in Maine because it is very early for a big pink. Soldacki is from Cleveland so it might have better flavor up north too.
https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=134100#134100I consider the other colors as just other unrelated tomatoes. The Brandywine name doesn't mean that they are any better than others of the same color.
For the real brandywine (Pink Potatoleaf), Brandywine Sudduths strain is the "Name Brand" guaranteed for top notch flavor. Generic Brandywine off the local seed rack may or may not be as good.
Brandywine Cowlick's strain isn't available commercialy yet AFAIK, but alot of people have it from trades. It produces better for most people, and the flavor is similar but not exactly the same. It was grown out from a Brandywine plant bought from Cowlick's Nursery who didn't keep records of where they got the seeds so it could be a cross or a true improved selection.
For the real brandywine (Pink Potatoleaf), Brandywine Sudduths strain is the "Name Brand" guaranteed for top notch flavor. Generic Brandywine off the local seed rack may or may not be as good.
Brandywine Cowlick's strain isn't available commercialy yet AFAIK, but alot of people have it from trades. It produces better for most people, and the flavor is similar but not exactly the same. It was grown out from a Brandywine plant bought from Cowlick's Nursery who didn't keep records of where they got the seeds so it could be a cross or a true improved selection.