Tomatoes in 2010

[Lilly Bug]

Just a question to put out to everyone - how was your tomato season this year?

I have heard - bad season and yet from others - more than they have ever grown before.

What's it been like where you live?

Lilly Bug

[Home Chef]

Bad season here in Georgia for us. We have had 3 tiny tomatoes and we usually eat tomatoes all summer and give them away.

[Canice]

Not sure if you're asking about home gardeners or in general? Too cold for tomatoes where I live, but they're gorgeous as usual in the markets. I made a nice batch of Tyler Florence's roasted tomato soup Sunday night, with my farmers' market bounty.

[rjbq]

Summer finally came to Western Washington right on schedule (after Independence Day) and our tomato crop is doing good. We started harvesting cherry tomatoes last week and I noticed today that one of the Early Girl plants has a red tomato. But all of ours are in pseudo greenhouses because of the late blight that always gets them if left uncovered.

Richard

[veschke]

We've had heat wave after heat wave in New England. The tomatoes are loving it.

[donleyk]

My salad tomatoes are crazy. The cherry tomatoes I planted are coming along slowly, unlike my volunteers who have been producing for 6 weeks. The bigger tomatoes ~ I don't like the huge ones so these are around 12ozers ~ are just starting to ripen. Same with my paste tomatoes. This is pretty much standard for us. I finally bought the black plastic so next year I want to work on really warming the soil and I hope to get them a little earlier in the season. And as an aside, my zebra tomatoes are gorgeous! :D

[GayeC]

My tomatoes in SC have been very disappointing. My heirlooms were a total bust (maybe 2 decent tomatoes from 6 plants) and my hybrids aren't much better. I honestly don't know what the problem is - I give them a lot of TLC, they are grown in soil that is 1/3 compost, I water regularly, etc. We have had a very hot summer here, but it's hard to believe that is the problem.

[Chocolate Rose]

Another response from Western WA. Last year was an awesome tomato year and this year, for us, has been a dud. It's been a very cool, overcast summer.
So far, all of our plants have tiny green tomatoes on them, but not anywhere near as many as last year. There is one plant with a small tomato that is on the verge of going from yellow to orange. We're supposed to be in the upper 80s and low 90s over the next several days so I'm hoping it will give the tomatoes a boost.

[avalon]

I'm in Tennessee, where we've had 95+ days for almost every single day this summer. I don't grow tomatoes but the ones at the farmer's markets are really good. Although I have heard that the crop in general in my state has suffered because of high temps. Supposedly tomatoes need cool nights between 60-75 degrees to flourish, and our nights are something like 88 degrees.

[sfarler]

Our tomatoes were the best ever. I just harvested and roasted four large trays of tomatoes. They were beautiful.

We grow our two tomato plants (one Galioth and one Celebrity) in large pots on our deck (away from the deer), cover the plants with netting (to keep squirrels and birds out) and have a watering system that waters the plants for five minutes every day. So the plants don't have an excuse not to produce:D.

[Mpenny1001]

Here in Wisconsin, the tomatoes in my garden are just coming in and they are great. They have loved the hot summer. The tomatoes at the farmers market are all spotty, though, which the vendors attribute to the weather. I'm not sure why mine are fine and theirs are not, but there ya go!

[vbak]

My tomatoes are finally ripening here in NW In. The kids picked 8 large tomatoes and 6 plums. The plums are varying in size from cherry size to the size you can buy at the market. Weird.

[RiverFarm]

We have had currant-type tomatoes for a while, but our larger ones just started to ripen recently. This is very late for us, and I also don't know how prolific the plants are going to be. I am hoping we will get enough for one big vat of tomato sauce so I can put some in the freezer; last year that didn't happen. But we do have plenty for eating fresh. My tomatoes are all French heirloom varieties and they usually do well for me.

[kathyhenn]

Here in NJ as well. I would say the quantity is not great this year but the quality is excellent. I had a few tomatoes rot on the vine and the other plants are not very prolific but those that have produced tomatoes were delicious. Better tasting than last year's crop - even with some of the same varieties.

[RiverFarm]

Kathy, I had a few instances of blossom end rot and also some depredations by marauding turtles, but otherwise I agree that this has been a better year. Were yours late, too?

[kathyhenn]

Yes, later than in years past. I probably have picked less than 7 full-size tomatoes from four plants. The good news is the cherry plants are doing well. My one-year-old loves them.

[PattiA]

I didn't get my plants in until June 15, then went away for 2 weeks. They are very late and I don't expect much of a crop. All of the plants have some tomatoes, but not very many and none of the green tomatoes are showing any signs of ripening. We've had lots of sunny hot weather, so I'm hoping that one day I'll go out to check on them and they will be turning red.

Tomatoes at the farm stands and farmers markets were a few weeks later than normal, but they are now abundant.

[Leonard]

Most of the produce here in Florida is terrible compared to Phila. The tomatoes are either very unripe or totally over ripe. A huge disappointment. :(

[RiverFarm]

Hee hee - there's nothing like Jersey tomatoes!

[LakeMartinGal]

The tomatoes around here seem pretty good at the farmer's market, but my "tomato man" has stopped delivering!:(

[Canice]

Hee hee - there's nothing like Jersey tomatoes!

That's what I've always heard! And now that the one and only jarred tomato sauce I'll use lists New Jersey tomatoes in its ingredients list, I'm willing to buy in.

[heavy hedonist]

my farmer's market farmers have been mostly bringing in tomatoes from CANADA! therefore, i haven't had tomatoes lately...

but my own little plant has had six 'matoes, so far. extra small.

[Anne]

I'm actually getting tomatoes this year - which I think qualifies as a minor miracle up here. I simply have to try every year based on principle and obstinance. This may be the year that makes it worthwhile.

[heavy hedonist]

I'm actually getting tomatoes this year - which I think qualifies as a minor miracle up here. I simply have to try every year based on principle and obstinance. This may be the year that makes it worthwhile.

i like a woman with principles.

Update: i got tons of real, fresh locally grown tomatoes. so far, i've made sauce, ratatouille and fresh salsa with them. now i'm thinking about that upside down tomato bread, as we're having a rare not-hellish day with lots of breeze--- but i'd have to go steal some of my sister's fresh basil.

[IndigoBaby]

Up here in the North East, I have a huge salad bowl filled to the brim with cherry and grape tomatoes. So we are doing ok up here.

[sparrowgrass]

My tomatoes are doing well--I have about half a bushel in the house right now, waiting for me to have a minute to do something with them.

I also have ten kajillion jalapenos.

[karen w]

Tasted the first of our Tiger Stripe tomatoes tonight. YUM! Very mild and tasty(of course!). Also have the Chelseas coming in now and a plum tomato variety. Others are still green. . .well, we do have one variety that is going to stay green when fully ripe so that one doesn't count!:D

Karen

[Tutalady]

We couldn't get the Santiago tomatoes that we really like this year so settled for Rutgers..........they are okay but the Celebrity have really been awful. Our cherry tomatoes weren't as prolific as they usually are but the Porters have been champs.......great grilled for breakfast.
That's TX for you ............some years good, some not so good.

[donleyk]

I'm amazed at how long it is taking my big tomatoes (I planted ones that would only be 12oz or so) to ripen. I've been enjoying the zebras although they're small. I've gotten a few red tomatoes so far but only one gold (which is really more orange.) My salad tomatoes (about 3 times the size of cherry) are done. My yellow cherries are doing well. I picked easily 6 pints Saturday.

[jem927]

My tomatoes have done horribly this year. And it wasn't the tomato plant's fault - it has just been way too hot down here. They have been literally cooking on the vine before ever ripening.

IF the weather is as bad next year, I will have to figure out a way to grow them inside, while still getting the sunlight they need.

Wishing for cooler weather in central Florida...

Jamie

[Tangerine]

I've been having the same New England heat waves as Veschke, on the other side of the state, and my two tomato plants out on my deck are doing fabulously. The cherry tomatoes are ripening like crazy every day, and the slicers plant has already produced six luscious tomatoes, and 11 green ones are growing and ripening now, with tomato buds still forming in lots more blossoms. I love it!

[dcollier]

We planted 20 tomato plants and have had less than two dozen tomatoes all season. But it was a bad season for us. We have a very big garden, about 1/3 acre, and our squash, zuchinni, tomatoes, potatoes, onions, corn, and butter beans did not make. After all that trouble and religious watering. We had a good purple hull pea season, and our peppers are doing okay. The only things thriving are our herbs. I've made pesto three times already this summer. This is a first for us. We usually have prolific vegetables.

Denise

[Fidgety Hen]

Lsst year our tomatoes were done for with potato blight. This year, it didn't affect them, but lack of sun this month isn't helping them ripen. Some are, though. We saw some beginning to turn. We have a great many plants, mostly Alicante but also some hefty beef toms looking really good. Just needing to ripen, though. :rolleyes: