July 18, 2012 - And Then There Were the Tomatoes


The tomato plants are strong and healthy, and quite full of fruits.  Some of them have begun to ripen, and others are really close.  I hope I don't regret planting mostly determinates, and too many cherry tomatoes this year, as I really do want to do a lot of canning.  I thought I had more than enough last year, but I ran out of them mid-winter.  I need to make sauce, diced tomatoes and sweet chili sauce this year.

 (1) Victor, (2) Bloody Butcher, (3) Coastal Pride Orange

 (4) Homestead, (5) Bush Celebrity, (6) Rio Fuego

 (7) Mountain Princess

 (8) Pixie

 (9) Fabulous, (10) Marglobe Supreme, (11) Homestead

  (12) Bush Celebrity, (13) Marion, (14) Bloody Butcher

 (15) Unknown volunteer

 (16) Isis Candy

 (17) Volunteer Cherokee Purple

 (18) Unknown volunteer

 (19) Black Cherry, (20) Una Heartsock, (21) Marglobe Supreme, (22) Una Heartsock, (23) Isis Candy

(24) Black Cherry





30 comments:

  1. langelaJuly 18, 2012 at 9:38 AM

    Such nice looking plants, Granny. Mine are putting on a second bunch of fruit as the first set is winding down. I'll bet you are itching to get into the thick of it.

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    1. Annie*s GrannyJuly 18, 2012 at 9:59 AM

      Langela, My tomato canning gets into high gear in September, but that's usually with indeterminates. These might be a bit earlier.

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  2. donnaJuly 18, 2012 at 9:51 AM

    dang. i will watch to see which tomatoes you like for canning. my romas are a bust this year unless the blossom end rot clears up.

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    1. Annie*s GrannyJuly 18, 2012 at 10:02 AM

      Donna, most of the varieties I'm growing this year are new to my garden. The Rio Fuego are looking promising for sauce. I had BER on the first of the Mountain Princess, but it looks like they will be OK now.

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  3. TexanJuly 18, 2012 at 9:54 AM

    They look great. My tomatoes are done now. I am going to clean them up some, cut off any rag tag limbs and cut them back a dab...and hope for some tomatoes to set for my fall garden!

    Sweet chili sauce? Now that sounds good :O) be sure to post on that when you can it :O).

    I ran out of diced tomatoes also last year. So I canned way more this year.

    I don't think one can plant to many tomatoes :O).

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    1. Annie*s GrannyJuly 18, 2012 at 9:58 AM

      Texan, the recipe for sweet Chili Sauce is at:

      http://annieskitchengarden.blogspot.com/2008/09/september-26-2008-garden-that-keeps-on.html

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    2. TexanJuly 18, 2012 at 11:03 AM

      Thanks!

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    3. CristyJuly 18, 2012 at 11:19 AM

      Thanks for the recipe link. I was wondering about it, too.

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  4. RobinJuly 18, 2012 at 10:26 AM

    Your tomatoes are looking great Granny! I think we will both be up to our ears in tomatoes soon.....and doing the can-can!

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    1. Annie*s GrannyJuly 18, 2012 at 11:18 AM

      I hope so, Robin. I should at least get sauce from all the cherry toms!

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  5. AnywhereEdenJuly 18, 2012 at 10:46 AM

    Your tomato plants are monstrous! They are so big and bushy. I think I need to stop reading other garden blogs, it's depressing how far behind my tomatoes are. Although I know it's most likely because the entire rest of the nation is having a heat wave... while we're having one of the coolest summers I've ever seen. I do finally have some green tomatoes on most of my plants though. Can't wait to see you pulling in bushels of tomatoes soon.

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    1. Annie*s GrannyJuly 18, 2012 at 11:19 AM

      Anywhere, I was afraid that sudden 100+ weather we had might cause blossom drop. I haven't inspected the plants to see if it did or not. At least a few are beginning to ripen, so we have some to eat fresh.

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  6. Jenny RottingerJuly 18, 2012 at 10:53 AM

    awesome! Some of the varieties are new to my ears but can't wait to see your review of them.

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    1. Annie*s GrannyJuly 18, 2012 at 11:22 AM

      Jenny, some are new to me too. I'm familiar with Bloody Butcher (small, but really prolific), Homestead, Coastal Pride Orange (for slicing, not canning) and Black Cherry. I've grown all of those before. Of course the volunteer Cherokee Purple has been grown before. The others are new to me.

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  7. Daphne GouldJuly 18, 2012 at 11:52 AM

    I still have tomato sauce from last year. Now that I can't eat it, it mostly just sits there. I think I'll have to give some of it away. I'll keep a little for making chili and pizza for my husband, but I don't make him anything else with sauce anymore.

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    1. Annie*s GrannyJuly 18, 2012 at 1:41 PM

      Daphne, I always can too much sauce. I never have enough diced or whole tomatoes though.

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  8. Adventures in AgriburbiaJuly 18, 2012 at 3:13 PM

    Your plants all look so lush and disease free! Beautiful.

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  9. dianefaithJuly 18, 2012 at 4:59 PM

    All the tomatoes look picture-perfect, and I love the photo of the morning glories, too!

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  10. EdJuly 18, 2012 at 6:38 PM

    Your tomatoes look great! I'm sure that you will be inundated with them this year.

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    1. Annie*s GrannyJuly 18, 2012 at 7:06 PM

      Ed, I suppose I'll be wondering why on earth I planted so many. That's usually what happens :-)

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  11. DavidJuly 19, 2012 at 8:47 AM

    Lush is the word that comes to mind for those plants! Hopefully the avalanch doesn't swallow you up!

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    1. Annie*s GrannyJuly 19, 2012 at 12:57 PM

      David, I'm afraid the vines will swallow me up! They're getting pretty thick out there.

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  12. VanessaJuly 19, 2012 at 10:59 AM

    Your tomatoes look fantastic! Do you prune out suckers at all or just let them do their own thing? And if you let them do their own thing do you still train the main stem to the stake?

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    1. Annie*s GrannyJuly 19, 2012 at 1:05 PM

      Vanessa, I don't do anything other than removing the lower leaves, up to the first fruit set. I do remove suckers from the indeterminates for the first few weeks, then I give up and ignore them. After that I use rope, string, strips of nylons, strips of plastic bags and zip ties....pretty much anything I can find to try to hold them up! Then, if they fall they fall. I step over them.

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  13. Mrs.PicklesJuly 19, 2012 at 1:46 PM

    I love the new header very pretty. Your tomatoes look great and there are SO MANY!!

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  14. 5ollyJuly 19, 2012 at 11:34 PM

    ONE tomato. I have ONE tomato.

    and so far, it's the size of a pea. The weather here in the UK is just being mental. :-(

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    1. Annie*s GrannyJuly 20, 2012 at 7:44 AM

      Poor 5olly. You have rain, we have sunshine! It's actually so hot, I fear blossom drop on the tomatoes and peppers. Oh well, we can always eat potatoes!

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