These were grown from seed. The first of the green zebras of the year are coming in. Given our predatory squirrel population as they have figured out to wait for the tomatoes to turn red, I wanted to try growing green tomatoes. Maybe I'll have some tomatoes to harvest because they stay green when ripe. Hah.
My tomatoes grew into one very large mound. They were planted around 1.5 feet apart. Obviously, this was not far enough apart. Because of the horrific drought we are experiencing here in California, I water judiciously, usually once per week of deep watering. The tomato plants still grew very well. I may cut back the watering even more once I see more fruits developing. We'll see. For comparison, here is a photo I took earlier this month.
First Brandywine developing. I have a shot of the plant in this photo, right side. I generally have noticed the Brandywines in my garden in past years do not produce many tomatoes. However, the fruit that develops tend to be quite large. Due to the predatory squirrel issue, I'm thinking this year I will harvest any tomtatoes earlier than I would like. This is not my preference but if I don't do otherwise, I will not be able to enjoy any tomatoes.
Late start this year to the tomatoes. Today I spied this one hidden in the leaves! We are having the morning fog but the evening temps rarely drop below 60 which makes it fine for tomatoes.
In the interest of space and time and everything else, I will likely pull my Sungold tomato plant soon. While they are still setting fruit and still blooming, I need space for the winter garden, which is actually quite late in the planting.
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!
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.
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.
We have had the warm weather return again, Santa Ana conditions for those who are local, and so I remain on the fence about what to do about the last tomato, still hanging in there.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Black Krim is the first to come up on Day 6, and it is 100% germination at that. Not bad. I saw the seedlings yesterday and didn't take a photo.
For our region, southern California coastal, Black Krim has been hands down one of the easiest to grow, from seed to seedling on. Our foggy summers do not faze them as much as the other types of tomatoes, and they produce fruit steadily. The smoky flavored fruit aren't huge beefsteaky guys in size but are quite nice for salads.
Last few years, they did well and hope they will do well this year.
As the White Rabbit declared he was late, so am I. Last year, I started in late January and now, 'tis early March. As I did last year, I soaked the seeds in water for an hour before placing them in potting soil.
The seeds I chose (and who knows what germination luck I'll get) were: Black Krim, Momotaro (hybrid), Sungold (hybrid), Paul Robeson and Brandywine Sudduth. I personally collected the seeds for all except for the hybrids which came from Kitagawa Seeds.
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.
