First Black Krim tomato of 2017

It's early to be harvesting tomatoes in this area, I know. Here's the back story.

This tomato plant overwintered on my balcony because I planted the seeds in 2016 a bit late. So it sat there through our torrential rains of 2016 and did not even try to bear fruit. Did I also say that the balcony in the winter also gets basically zero hours of direct sun? Definitely no incentive to do anything but survive. Nonetheless, I chose to keep it because I had read tomato plants, in its natural environs, could be perennial plants and just maybe I could get a head start on tomatoes in 2017. I got the poor plant into the ground March 16, a month after I started seeds for this year's tomato plants, and it did well, which is why I have a tomato to harvest so much earlier than normal for this garden plot.

Garden in early July 2015

The tomato seedlings have flourished this year. I am happy with their growth. Black Krim is in the back to the left. On the right is the Brandywine. On the front left is the Paul Robeson. There are a few developing tomatoes but they are hidden in this photo. I did plant them around 1.5 feet apart, but this does not appear to be enough room. The Black Krim and Paul Robeson are cooler climate tomatoes, perfect for our coastal region with morning fog in the summer time. I don't have much space so I have only planted one of each so far. They are all from seeds I have harvested in past years.

New year's tomato

It has been cold for southern California, with overnight lows in the low 40s F. I finally picked this today, New Year's day, to ripen at home. This has been the last Black Krim. I still have some Sungold (no photos) but the quality of the fruit drops when it gets chilly. I'll probably pull that one soon as well.

To all, wishing plenty of happy new year thoughts and all the best for a good gardening year!

Still hanging in there

This is a Black Krim and could literally be my last tomato. It continues to hang in there despite the cooler weather and the rain. Here it is from another angle.

So I ate it (the tomato, that is)

Black Krim. This is not the last one. There is still another one hanging in there. But seriously, it is getting cooler. We are getting rain. Definitely it is time to think about next season. I will probably start the tomatoes February or March, indoors, of course, in a few months.

Autumn tomatoes

We having a very warm September. Still have a few Black Krim tomatoes hanging in there. I pick these early because I still haven't figured out the critter problem which continues to plague my plot. They ripen on the counter top at home.

The first of the season: Purple Cherokee and Black Krim

Here we go: the first tomatoes of 2014 and um sorry but I forgot which is which. I think Purple Cherokee is on the left and Black Krim is on the right. I harvested the one on the right early because the squirrel problem continues. Squirrels run rampant in our community gardens.

Tomatoes: all in a row

Yesterday's harvest all lined up. The largest is the Sudduth's Brandywine, the first of this year. The next two are Paul Robeson and the last are Black Krim, both Russian heirlooms.

Black Krim: the first

Another Russian heirloom. While this is the first one that will be eaten, I had ones ripening earlier which dropped to the ground and got moldy. Such is life. I'm sure there will be more tomatoes soon.

Paul Robeson: the first one

The first Paul Robeson of the season peaks out behind the leaves. They have been doing well in our coastal climate. We get morning fog here in the summer by the beach, even with the heat wave more inland.

2012 Tomato Post-morten

Pineapple Tomato

Momotaro Tomato

The tomato plants have been pulled up and composted, to come back next year as soil.

To recap, this year, in my limited space, I grew several Black Krim, several Momotaro, several Pineapple and two Sungold cherry tomato, one in the garden and one on the balcony.

Overall, it was a very good tomato year in that we did not get the usual coastal fog in the summer, not a even a hint. This means, tomatoes, plant and fruits, were happy.

The SunGold on the balcony was a bust, however. It only gets a few hours of sun every day, at the most four hours a day, not enough to produce a health plant. I did get some cherry tomatoes but not enough to warrant the space, as I had it in a 15 gallon pot. I'm not doing this again for 2013.

For next year, I would have fewer Pineapple, perhaps just one plant rather than three. They produce very large fruits that are 'okay' in flavor and not great. I would prefer to use my limited space for another beefsteak, maybe a Sudduth's Brandywine, if the weather holds true to 2012. Also on my wishlist would be a Paul Robeson. So I would keep one plant but add a Sudduth's Brandywine and a Paul Robeson for next year.

The Black Krim were fantastic. They started early and ended late. It stays for next year. The SunGold is always a monster overachiever. It stays for next year. Momotaro is a faithful heavy producer of gorgeous sweet tomatoes. This also is a 'go' for next year. The only negative, and this goes for the SunGold as well, is that it is a hybrid. That means, I don't save seeds as the next generation is unstable.

I'll start seeds in February and March 2013.

Sungold ripening one block from the beach

I have good news and bad news about Sungold cherry tomato. The good news about Sungold is that the Sungold is a major overachiever. They produce large clusters of tomatoes, and this they continue from the beginning of summer to the end. Sungold does well here, one block from the beach. And the bad news about Sungold is simply that I can not save their seed since it is a hybrid.

first pineapple tomato ripens one block from the beach

My first Pineapple tomato begins to ripen, one block from the beach. I harvested it today because it hovers too close to the ground for my comfort. And now that it is almost perfectly ripe, I did not want it snagged by the opposum (yes, you!) who visits our garden plots at night. I'm thrilled with the progress of this tomato because it simply does not do well in our cool coastal climate. After three years, this tomato is the first I have grown. It seems Pineapple develops later than the others I am growing, and there are definitely fewer tomatoes per plant.

At home, it continues to darken with orange tints. The seeds will be carefully saved for next year.

tomatoes one block from the beach

Selected tomatoes from my harvest today. This Momotaro looks simply gorgeous. This year, I have only planted four varieties: Black Krim, Momotaro, Sungold, and Pineapple. I planted seeds the end of January this season. I nurtured them inside on a east facing window and then later I acclimated them on my balcony throughout our colder months.

Momotaro, a hybrid, and Black Krim, a Russian heirloom, do well here one block from the beach. However, Black Krim has peaked. I only have a few left while Momotaro is probably close to its peak. Looking below, the center one is Black Krim. Notes to me for next year: plant more Black Krim. I crave Black Krim's smoky and slight salty taste. These I can eat as is, like an apple. They are best, in my opinion, sliced, drizzled with a good extra virgin olive oil and sprinkled with a good salt.

The Pineapple Tomato comes from a tomato I bought at the local Farmers' Market a few years ago. I saved the seeds. The last two years, they did not do well at all. They are not well-adapted to growing next to the beach. This year, we have had sunnier and warmer days. This will be the first year I have tomatoes.This one is just beginning to show its true color, which is yellow with orange mottling throughout.

The Sungold is a hybrid. I have only one plant, as it tends to be an overachiever.

First Sungold

The first Sungold cherry tomatoes. Just a few today but looking forward to a deluge in the future.

First Momotaro

The first Momotaro.

First Black Krim

It fell off early as it is still not completely ripe so it'll go on the kitchen window ledge to ripen.

Tomato update

Let's see. I have green Momotaro.

These Momotaros grew in a bunch.

I have green Sungold.

I have green Black Krim.

I finally have Pineapple tomato blooms. These are blooming later than all others. Very photogenic, I might add.

I spied a small Pineapple tomato. The first!

Lastly, the Sungold on the balcony in a pot seem to be ripening already. We have had a few, and they are delicious.

Green tomatoes

I've got tomatoes developing on nearly every tomato plant. The one exception is Pineapple, which seems to be just flowering now. This one is most definitely NOT a cooler climate tolerant tomato and represents my little experiment for trying to grow a regular tomato in a cooler climate. To help them, I did plant them in the sunniest warmest parts of my plot. We'll see if we get any fruit at all because in a month or two, we will get the coastal fog flowing in around noon time. And, of course, this doesn't make for optimum tomato growing.

Sungold

Black Krim

More Black Krim

Momotaro

Sungold on my balcony (in a pot)

Starting Tomatoes for 2012

This year, I started my tomatoes from seed on 1/23/2012 and 1/24/2012. I chose these dates taking into consideration that last year, I had started in March, which was simply too late. The year before, I started in December, and that was way too early.
I also chose the tomatoes very carefully, taking into consideration our cool temperature climate; this year, they are Black Krim, Momotaro, SunGold and Pineapple. No others because I find I have too many seedlings each year and not enough space. The Black Krim, a cooler climate tolerant tomato, should be perfect for our one block from the beach climate. As for the Pineapple, I think it won't do that well since it seems to prefer sunnier and warmer places so this is my challenge for the year. SunGold does well, since it is a cherry. The Momotaro does okay but I like this tomato and don't want to give up on it.
I harvested the Black Krim and Pineapple seeds directly from the tomato. The Momotaro and Sungold are hybrids and came from the Kitagawa seed company.
This year, I decided to soak the seeds in water for an hour, a new step but I don't know if it made a difference.
 
Germination rate was 100% except for the Pineapple seeds (50%).


I plant the seeds into small containers.
 As the seedlings grow, I transplant into larger containers. Since I grow the seedlings indoors in my window, I find I need to cold-acclimitize the seedlings before taking them outdoors else they do not grow well. Our outdoor overnight temps drop to 50 F, which I think is pushing the comfort boundaries. The Black Krim have been slowly acclimitized outdoors overnight over a two week period.
Of the six Black Krim seedlings, one has already been given away, one will be given away to a local group, and the rest will be planted in my garden.
This Black Krim has already been planted into the ground.
 
I follow the instructions from here for the most part.