Tomatoes - Page 8

PennyG · 08-19-2010, 05:50 AM

Yummy!

The Hollyberry Lady · 08-22-2010, 04:12 PM

Tamarillo is getting huge in my garden...

Has anyone ever tried Tamarillo fruits before? Are they really like tomatoes? I'm sure looking forward to seeing some soon...

Penny, did you end up growing some?

: )

saltydad · 08-22-2010, 04:23 PM

My end-of-August summary of growing 2 varieties (Brandywine and Mortgage Lifter) of tomato in the Topsy Turvy planter- very disappointed to date. While leaf growth is OK, all tomatoes are small in size. I can't blame the planter for substandard fruit set, but my experience with in-ground growth is quite different. If there is no room, and therefore no alternative, I'd do it again. But I plan on digging a new vegetable bed (somewhere?) for next season.

sunfish · 08-22-2010, 04:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by saltydad

My end-of-August summary of growing 2 varieties (Brandywine and Mortgage Lifter) of tomato in the Topsy Turvy planter- very disappointed to date. While leaf growth is OK, all tomatoes are small in size. I can't blame the planter for substandard fruit set, but my experience with in-ground growth is quite different. If there is no room, and therefore no alternative, I'd do it again. But I plan on digging a new vegetable bed (somewhere?) for next season.

I see a lot of Topsy Turvy planters on freecycle and free stuff on Craigslist'.Looks like most people aren't having great success with them.

soundofthemusic1 · 08-23-2010, 02:48 PM

Because of the deer problem, this summer I try growing tomatoes and squash upside-down after watching some youtube videos, not with the Topsy Turvy planter, though. My own experience tells me that it is better to grow vegatables in the ground. At least, I am able to harvest some tomatoes and squash from the in-ground plants.

The Hollyberry Lady · 09-03-2010, 11:51 AM

Yippeeeeeee...I've got blossoms on my indoor "Patio" tomato plant!!!

You guys will be amazed at how wonderfully this type produces, for those looking for an excellent indoor tomato that will set fruit even in the middle of Winter!

This plant will be my winter tomato plant but it'll put on a Fall crop first...

: )

P.S. Yup, that's part of one of my gardens out the window & across the way...

The Hollyberry Lady · 09-04-2010, 02:17 PM

Getting excited because I'm told once I taste Tamarillo fruits, I'll never go back to tomatoes again!!!

: o

That's quite a claim, so I'm very much looking forward to trying them and I'm told flowers will appear on my plant very soon...

Might bring these ground grown "Patio" tomato plants inside over Fall to harvest over Winter continuously from my windows...

: )

soundofthemusic1 · 09-05-2010, 03:05 PM

Sherry, I love how gorgeous your tomato and Tamarillo plants look.

I'm getting a few more green tomaoes, but there are no signs of a ripening tomato anytime soon...

However, not to my surprise, cherry tomatoes ripen much quicker on the vine.

The orange ones are the the cherry tomatoes I harvested in August; they were green and slowly ripened in a paper bag. The red ones were harvested yesterday with less watering and a light fertilization - Tony's suggestion worked.

Before I finish my posting - a very slow writer I am, Sherry had already instructed me on how to help my tomatoes to ripen. I wish to share her comment with you all as some of us find her ways of growing plants to be truly amazing...

"Make sure they're getting good sun exposure and if lots of fruits are already present and you have a good crop, I find cutting the tops of new shoots and discontinuing the plant from growing any further, can help it to concentrate and focus on it's existing fruit and ripen a little quicker."

Thank you, Sherry.

The Hollyberry Lady · 09-05-2010, 10:56 PM

Wow Rae...your tomatoes sure look yummy!

Thank so much for your kind compliments. The truth is I was a little late starting my tomato plants this year bacause I've been so involved with banana plants, flowers, and Hollyberry shrubs.

I have the means to support tomatoes inside though, even in the colder months, so I'm not too worried.

I sure hope you can get yours to ripen really soon...

: )

sunfish · 09-24-2010, 06:52 PM

Still blooming

Patty in Wisc · 09-24-2010, 09:03 PM

I haven't read here till now but just want to share my tomato story. I bought small plants last yr for the garden & WHEN IT GOT COLD, THE OVER RIPE ONES fell & rotted (oops) - my new laptop is hard to get used to...it just posted but I didn't click von it!
Anyway, I had tomato plants growing all over the garden from seed...most I pulled out like weeds. The bigger ones are not ripe yet but been picking ripe cherry & a smaller orange variety. I never even planted them LOL. Surprised the seeds survived winter!

The Hollyberry Lady · 09-25-2010, 07:16 PM

The first of my indoor "Patio" fruits...

This same plant will produce tomatoes all Fall & Winter long...

: )

soundofthemusic1 · 09-25-2010, 09:27 PM

Sherry,

That is really one great-looking tomatoe plant. It is amazing how nice and round your tomatoes are. Great job!!!

Rae

bananarama2 · 09-26-2010, 02:07 PM

In my experience, volunteers of any plant tend to be the biggest, most vigorous producers. It's part of the whole natural selection process I think. The fact that the seed has survived a Wisconsin winter is impressive, considering tomatoes evolved as semi-tropical perennials. Whenever possible, these volunteers get special attention in my garden, just to see how they perform over the summer.

bananarama2 · 09-26-2010, 02:13 PM

Having a bright, sunny window is always key to wintering over plants such as Patio tomatoes. I've successfully grown many types of cherry tomatoes, and even some Roma types as well as a few types of peppers in southern Alberta, where it can be -25C. It's always neat to put out a couple tomatoes and a pepper or two at Christmas, homegrown, when it's snowy and freezing outside! Horticultural adventures abound! You've got me enthused about trying some again this winter Sherry!

Blake09 · 09-26-2010, 06:55 PM

HBL, update on the Tamarillo plant?

The Hollyberry Lady · 09-26-2010, 07:29 PM

Thanks, Rae!

So glad you are inspired, Rik!

A couple Winters ago, my south windows were filled with ripening red fruits in the middle of January/February!!! Tenants were asking me if they were fake! I decided to do it again this Winter. It really is impressive to people who think tomatoes will only grow outdoors in Summer...seeing them red and beautiful in a Winter window.

Blake, I'll show a better shot in a few days but you can see the Tamarillo in this pic I took a couple days ago, just to the right of my pink daisy mums...

It doesn't have any fruits on it yet, nor even blossoms, but Beth tells me that that it can be uprooted before frost and brought inside to produce over the Winter. It's growing beautifully for me.

Amazingly, she says that uprooting it even when fruits are present will not make them drop...which I was concerned about.

It's a very big plant though so I may bring it in long enough to harvest a fruit or two and then put it to bed...haven't decided just yet...

Apparently the root system will be shallow but wide.

: )

The Hollyberry Lady · 09-28-2010, 01:41 PM

Rik said it was ok to post the pm he sent me the other night, because I thought it contained some very interesting information that I didn't know...

Quote:

Quote:
Originally Posted by bananarama2
In Reply to your Post Re: Tomatoes:
Hi Sherry, Rik here.......I didn't want to throw this out before the membership just now, before I could clarify what it is you are anticipating from the tomatillo plant you have. It's a wonderfully healthy looking plant, but what I saw on Wikipedia suggested that it fruits in it's second year, originally from New Zealand and the south Pacific, so you'll have to bring it in to survive the winter in Ontario I'm thinking. Fruit eaten much like a kiwi fruit (skin is tougher and bitter), tastes like a cross between a passion fruit and a sweet cherry tomato. I'm presently growing some tomatillo's, also known as husk tomatoes, often used in salsas and Mexican cooking. They're very productive, taste like a mild tomato and what I can only describe as a mild citrus taste. At first I thought we were talking about the same thing until I saw the picture you posted. So, one's a tropical shrub, the other a semi-tropical perennial (although I doubt it will survive overwinter here). One other thing, the bees absolutely love the tomatillo flowers, and I'm a big advocate of supporting bee populations. Love your input to the site lady, a nice, fresh and lively woman's energy sort of thing. Thanks a bunch! Rik

I can't wait to see pics of yours too Rik, that you were mentioning today. So Tamarillo and Tamatillo are two different plants?

Thanks for the great information in your pms. I knew there was a reason why my plant wasn't flowering and producing yet. I will definitley take it inside before frost and will show another shot soon...

: )

The Hollyberry Lady · 09-29-2010, 01:09 PM

Ok Bananarama2 and others:

Here's some shots I took this afternoon of my thriving Tamarillo plant that I am told will not produce fruits until the second season...

It really is an attractive sort of plant and I hope Rik posts more information like he's been sending me in pm's because it's extremely interesting. I also saw your shots today of your very different Tamatillo plant and hope you'll post it here so the difference between the two can be seen as well...

I really enjoy the purplish center where the leaves sprout from...

Definitely bringing it inside this season and putting it back outdoors in Spring...

: )

sunfish · 09-29-2010, 03:44 PM

Tamarillo - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

08-19-2010, 05:50 AM	#141 (permalink)
PennyG Location: Ontario, Canada...zone 5b Zone: 5b Name: Penny Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 301 BananaBucks : 8,821 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 379 Times Was Thanked 306 Times in 201 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 3 Times	Re: Tomatoes Yummy!

08-22-2010, 04:12 PM	#142 (permalink)
The Hollyberry Lady The Hollyberry Lady's Photo Gallery Find me on the map! Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 15,161 BananaBucks : 1,456,759 Feedback: 1 / 100% Said "Thanks" 12,042 Times Was Thanked 11,326 Times in 5,311 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 102 Times	Re: Tomatoes Tamarillo is getting huge in my garden... Has anyone ever tried Tamarillo fruits before? Are they really like tomatoes? I'm sure looking forward to seeing some soon... Penny, did you end up growing some? : )

08-22-2010, 04:23 PM	#143 (permalink)
saltydad saltydad's Photo Gallery Location: Silver Spring, Maryland USA Find me on the map! Zone: 7a Name: Howard Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 4,552 BananaBucks : 306,802 Feedback: 2 / 100% Said "Thanks" 14,712 Times Was Thanked 4,662 Times in 1,778 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 824 Times	Re: Tomatoes My end-of-August summary of growing 2 varieties (Brandywine and Mortgage Lifter) of tomato in the Topsy Turvy planter- very disappointed to date. While leaf growth is OK, all tomatoes are small in size. I can't blame the planter for substandard fruit set, but my experience with in-ground growth is quite different. If there is no room, and therefore no alternative, I'd do it again. But I plan on digging a new vegetable bed (somewhere?) for next season. __________________ Men In Nursing- "A Few Good Men" "Gardening is the purest of human pleasures." - Francis Bacon "If by a liberal, they mean someone who looks ahead and not behind; someone who welcomes new ideas without rigid reactions; someone who cares about the welfare of the people, their health, their housing, their schools, their jobs, their civil rights, their civil liberties; someone who believes we can break through the stalemate and suspicion that grips us; that is what they meant by a liberal, I am proud to be a liberal." John F. Kennedy, September, 1960 http://flickr.com/photos/saltydad/ and http://community.webshots.com/user/saltydad http://s751.photobucket.com/albums/xx151/saltydad/

08-23-2010, 02:48 PM	#145 (permalink)
soundofthemusic1 soundofthemusic1's Photo Gallery Find me on the map! Zone: 7B Name: Rae Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 1,170 BananaBucks : 12,066 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 2,597 Times Was Thanked 349 Times in 166 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 68 Times	Re: Tomatoes Because of the deer problem, this summer I try growing tomatoes and squash upside-down after watching some youtube videos, not with the Topsy Turvy planter, though. My own experience tells me that it is better to grow vegatables in the ground. At least, I am able to harvest some tomatoes and squash from the in-ground plants. __________________ Rae Georgia 7B

09-03-2010, 11:51 AM	#146 (permalink)
The Hollyberry Lady The Hollyberry Lady's Photo Gallery Find me on the map! Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 15,161 BananaBucks : 1,456,759 Feedback: 1 / 100% Said "Thanks" 12,042 Times Was Thanked 11,326 Times in 5,311 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 102 Times	Re: Tomatoes Yippeeeeeee...I've got blossoms on my indoor "Patio" tomato plant!!! You guys will be amazed at how wonderfully this type produces, for those looking for an excellent indoor tomato that will set fruit even in the middle of Winter! This plant will be my winter tomato plant but it'll put on a Fall crop first... : ) P.S. Yup, that's part of one of my gardens out the window & across the way...

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09-04-2010, 02:17 PM	#147 (permalink)
The Hollyberry Lady The Hollyberry Lady's Photo Gallery Find me on the map! Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 15,161 BananaBucks : 1,456,759 Feedback: 1 / 100% Said "Thanks" 12,042 Times Was Thanked 11,326 Times in 5,311 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 102 Times	Re: Tomatoes Getting excited because I'm told once I taste Tamarillo fruits, I'll never go back to tomatoes again!!! : o That's quite a claim, so I'm very much looking forward to trying them and I'm told flowers will appear on my plant very soon... Might bring these ground grown "Patio" tomato plants inside over Fall to harvest over Winter continuously from my windows... : )

09-05-2010, 03:05 PM	#148 (permalink)
soundofthemusic1 soundofthemusic1's Photo Gallery Find me on the map! Zone: 7B Name: Rae Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 1,170 BananaBucks : 12,066 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 2,597 Times Was Thanked 349 Times in 166 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 68 Times	Re: Tomatoes Sherry, I love how gorgeous your tomato and Tamarillo plants look. I'm getting a few more green tomaoes, but there are no signs of a ripening tomato anytime soon... However, not to my surprise, cherry tomatoes ripen much quicker on the vine. The orange ones are the the cherry tomatoes I harvested in August; they were green and slowly ripened in a paper bag. The red ones were harvested yesterday with less watering and a light fertilization - Tony's suggestion worked. Before I finish my posting - a very slow writer I am, Sherry had already instructed me on how to help my tomatoes to ripen. I wish to share her comment with you all as some of us find her ways of growing plants to be truly amazing... "Make sure they're getting good sun exposure and if lots of fruits are already present and you have a good crop, I find cutting the tops of new shoots and discontinuing the plant from growing any further, can help it to concentrate and focus on it's existing fruit and ripen a little quicker." Thank you, Sherry. __________________ Rae Georgia 7B

09-05-2010, 10:56 PM	#149 (permalink)
The Hollyberry Lady The Hollyberry Lady's Photo Gallery Find me on the map! Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 15,161 BananaBucks : 1,456,759 Feedback: 1 / 100% Said "Thanks" 12,042 Times Was Thanked 11,326 Times in 5,311 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 102 Times	Re: Tomatoes Wow Rae...your tomatoes sure look yummy! Thank so much for your kind compliments. The truth is I was a little late starting my tomato plants this year bacause I've been so involved with banana plants, flowers, and Hollyberry shrubs. I have the means to support tomatoes inside though, even in the colder months, so I'm not too worried. I sure hope you can get yours to ripen really soon... : )

09-24-2010, 06:52 PM	#150 (permalink)
sunfish Banned sunfish's Photo Gallery Location: San Diego Find me on the map! Zone: 9-11 Name: Tony Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 18,429 BananaBucks : 1,639,558 Feedback: 8 / 100% Said "Thanks" 3,210 Times Was Thanked 20,594 Times in 7,760 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 2,716 Times	Re: Tomatoes Still blooming Last edited by sunfish : 09-24-2010 at 11:33 PM.

09-24-2010, 09:03 PM	#151 (permalink)
Patty in Wisc tropical nut Patty in Wisc's Photo Gallery Zone: 5 Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 3,115 BananaBucks : 432,052 Feedback: 1 / 100% Said "Thanks" 2,946 Times Was Thanked 2,510 Times in 1,203 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 69 Times	Re: Tomatoes I haven't read here till now but just want to share my tomato story. I bought small plants last yr for the garden & WHEN IT GOT COLD, THE OVER RIPE ONES fell & rotted (oops) - my new laptop is hard to get used to...it just posted but I didn't click von it! Anyway, I had tomato plants growing all over the garden from seed...most I pulled out like weeds. The bigger ones are not ripe yet but been picking ripe cherry & a smaller orange variety. I never even planted them LOL. Surprised the seeds survived winter! __________________ Got a lite? Patty ____ Patty in Wisc has sadly passed away 9/05/11. We will miss you Patty. Last edited by Patty in Wisc : 09-24-2010 at 09:08 PM.

09-25-2010, 07:16 PM	#152 (permalink)
The Hollyberry Lady The Hollyberry Lady's Photo Gallery Find me on the map! Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 15,161 BananaBucks : 1,456,759 Feedback: 1 / 100% Said "Thanks" 12,042 Times Was Thanked 11,326 Times in 5,311 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 102 Times	Re: Tomatoes The first of my indoor "Patio" fruits... This same plant will produce tomatoes all Fall & Winter long... : )

09-25-2010, 09:27 PM	#153 (permalink)
soundofthemusic1 soundofthemusic1's Photo Gallery Find me on the map! Zone: 7B Name: Rae Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 1,170 BananaBucks : 12,066 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 2,597 Times Was Thanked 349 Times in 166 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 68 Times	Re: Tomatoes Sherry, That is really one great-looking tomatoe plant. It is amazing how nice and round your tomatoes are. Great job!!! Rae __________________ Rae Georgia 7B

09-26-2010, 02:07 PM	#154 (permalink)
bananarama2 bananarama2's Photo Gallery Location: The drier, sunny East Coast of the West Coast, on Vancouver Island Find me on the map! Zone: 8a to 8b (?) Name: Rik Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 165 BananaBucks : 15,502 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 102 Times Was Thanked 221 Times in 96 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 25 Times	Re: Tomatoes In my experience, volunteers of any plant tend to be the biggest, most vigorous producers. It's part of the whole natural selection process I think. The fact that the seed has survived a Wisconsin winter is impressive, considering tomatoes evolved as semi-tropical perennials. Whenever possible, these volunteers get special attention in my garden, just to see how they perform over the summer. __________________ If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem.

09-26-2010, 02:13 PM	#155 (permalink)
bananarama2 bananarama2's Photo Gallery Location: The drier, sunny East Coast of the West Coast, on Vancouver Island Find me on the map! Zone: 8a to 8b (?) Name: Rik Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 165 BananaBucks : 15,502 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 102 Times Was Thanked 221 Times in 96 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 25 Times	Re: Tomatoes Having a bright, sunny window is always key to wintering over plants such as Patio tomatoes. I've successfully grown many types of cherry tomatoes, and even some Roma types as well as a few types of peppers in southern Alberta, where it can be -25C. It's always neat to put out a couple tomatoes and a pepper or two at Christmas, homegrown, when it's snowy and freezing outside! Horticultural adventures abound! You've got me enthused about trying some again this winter Sherry! __________________ If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem.

09-26-2010, 06:55 PM	#156 (permalink)
Blake09 Blake09's Photo Gallery Find me on the map! Zone: Zone 7B Name: Blake Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 1,237 BananaBucks : 164,553 Feedback: 2 / 100% Said "Thanks" 1,424 Times Was Thanked 1,105 Times in 448 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 328 Times	Re: Tomatoes HBL, update on the Tamarillo plant? __________________ A banana plant in the autumn gale - I listen to the dripping of rain Into a basin at night. ~ Basho Matsuo (1644- 1694)

09-26-2010, 07:29 PM	#157 (permalink)
The Hollyberry Lady The Hollyberry Lady's Photo Gallery Find me on the map! Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 15,161 BananaBucks : 1,456,759 Feedback: 1 / 100% Said "Thanks" 12,042 Times Was Thanked 11,326 Times in 5,311 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 102 Times	Re: Tomatoes Thanks, Rae! So glad you are inspired, Rik! A couple Winters ago, my south windows were filled with ripening red fruits in the middle of January/February!!! Tenants were asking me if they were fake! I decided to do it again this Winter. It really is impressive to people who think tomatoes will only grow outdoors in Summer...seeing them red and beautiful in a Winter window. Blake, I'll show a better shot in a few days but you can see the Tamarillo in this pic I took a couple days ago, just to the right of my pink daisy mums... It doesn't have any fruits on it yet, nor even blossoms, but Beth tells me that that it can be uprooted before frost and brought inside to produce over the Winter. It's growing beautifully for me. Amazingly, she says that uprooting it even when fruits are present will not make them drop...which I was concerned about. It's a very big plant though so I may bring it in long enough to harvest a fruit or two and then put it to bed...haven't decided just yet... Apparently the root system will be shallow but wide. : )

09-29-2010, 01:09 PM	#159 (permalink)
The Hollyberry Lady The Hollyberry Lady's Photo Gallery Find me on the map! Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 15,161 BananaBucks : 1,456,759 Feedback: 1 / 100% Said "Thanks" 12,042 Times Was Thanked 11,326 Times in 5,311 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 102 Times	Re: Tomatoes Ok Bananarama2 and others: Here's some shots I took this afternoon of my thriving Tamarillo plant that I am told will not produce fruits until the second season... It really is an attractive sort of plant and I hope Rik posts more information like he's been sending me in pm's because it's extremely interesting. I also saw your shots today of your very different Tamatillo plant and hope you'll post it here so the difference between the two can be seen as well... I really enjoy the purplish center where the leaves sprout from... Definitely bringing it inside this season and putting it back outdoors in Spring... : )

09-29-2010, 03:44 PM	#160 (permalink)
sunfish Banned sunfish's Photo Gallery Location: San Diego Find me on the map! Zone: 9-11 Name: Tony Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 18,429 BananaBucks : 1,639,558 Feedback: 8 / 100% Said "Thanks" 3,210 Times Was Thanked 20,594 Times in 7,760 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 2,716 Times	Re: Tomatoes Tamarillo - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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