Bumping back up to the first page. I am still hoping someone can help id this. I've been trying to research the problem all weekend. Nothing I have seen seems to exactly match the appearance of these leaves. I have posted the pictures in the "Tomato Pests & Diseases" forum, but have not received any responses there either. I know I should be patient, but if there is something I can do to improve the situation, I want to do it as soon as possible. Also, if it is some sort of disease, I want to remove these plants before it spreads to my others. In case it is a nutrition deficiency, today I used a 15-30-15 liquid fertilizer mixed per the package directions as both a foliar spray and a bit to drink at the roots. Can anyone help me? Rachel GrafixMuse's Garden Spot

Keary, if somebody's handwriting was real bad somewhere along the chain -- and these are the most likely I've found (all open-pollinated) 1. Ventmarin (a French database with nearly 14,000 varieties) has a Genovese (aka Genevese) which they describe as "Flattened round red fruit. 3 cells. Acid flavor. 65-70 days. Italy." It was listed in an Italian catalog in 1931, which would qualify it as an heirloom in most people's minds. (Fruit rouge rond aplati. 3 loges. Saveur acide. 65 à 70 jours. Variété originaire d'Italie.) http://ventmarin.free.fr/passion_tomates/tomates_g/tomate_g.htm [Warning: the G's are not in alphabetical order or I might have told you this yesterday; if you don't see it, try your browser's Find option.] 2. An American database which can't be named or linked on GW lists a Genovese Fiorentino, which is described as a medium-to-large red beefsteak on an indeterminate 6-8' plant; ripens mid- to late-season; used for slicing or salad. A very experienced US gardener who also posts here described it as "a large flat Italian beefsteak." 3. Now, if "Grovarese" is in fact "Genovese" and someone didn't keep good records about the name, another possibility is a much more well-known variety, Costoluto Genovese, here described by Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, a major seed catalog with nice descriptions and even a photo: http://rareseeds.com/costoluto-genovese-tomato.html But they don't tell you, so I have to add that it's indeterminate and 78 days. "Costoluto" is supposed to mean "ribbed" in Italian. There are several varieties that begin with "Costoluto" and apparently come from different regions of Italy.

Kenzo, Sorry your having problems with the containers not draining. Couple ideas that might help with what you have going on now. If you could lift the pots and add absorbent wicking in a few of the drain holes, and extend it down to the earth, that should allow the ground to wick the excess water down. Though with the rocks in the way, I'm not sure how well that's going to work. Or... have you ever held a flower pot after a soaking out in front of you ? When it seems to be finished draining, if you tip the pot at an angle, it drains more. So with the bigger container you have, drilling some drain holes on the front bottom edge, then adding a length of something like a 2 X4 on the back edge it should drain more than if it's setting flat. Tricky with the tomato support so that would need to be tied off to something behind it to prevent the whole business falling over. Neither are ideal, but it seems worth a trial, since as is, the current set up is not going to work and you are asking before it looks fatal. I've never really understood the popularity of vermiculite. I assume in some places with some sorts of plants, for some gardeners it works fine. It's only been since the guy wrote the book on square foot gardening that the popularity of vermiculite increased to the point where so many new gardeners buy the stuff and big box stores stock it. Potting mix companies add it becasue folks want to see it on the label and maybe because it is a real, one use product, with the used once potting mix being so compressed due to the vermiculite, it's best tossed far away and never reused even as a part of the next years potting medium. I obviously don't know for sure how manufactures think, but why buy the stuff when there are so many other choices ? Take a piece of vermiculite between your fingers and squeeze. Flat blob results. Do the same with a piece of perlite. Still usable. Pumice is even better and my main choice when I have enough stock piled. . It's really to bad too, because using it is often not right for their plants or region or maybe their watering habits. Resulting in failures and people that falsely think they just have a brown thumb, and give up, not learning the true lifetime pleasure of time in the garden. I too learned my lessons about all these soiless potting mediums way back in the beginning. Rotted some perfectly nice plants to death because of vermiculite. I think you will benefit from some reading over in the container forum. Al has a long , ongoing thread with the basics so I'll link to that, though it is not a quick read. It's a bookmark and work through it thread, over time. Here is a link that might be useful: Container Soils - Water Movement and Retention XIX

Hi folks, I'd say that if you can afford it, just pick a few varieties that look interesting to you and try them out. At worst, you'll have some foliage and maybe a little fruit, and at best you'll have yummy tomatoes to enjoy! From what I've been reading, the dwarf varieties are the latest and greatest for containers. There's a large variety of fruit to be had, and there is a new breeding project going on that I just read about and of course can't remember the name now. A lot of the cherry tomato varieties are also fairly good for containers, and determinate types are probably going to fare better than indeterminates, which tend to grow huge. Make sure you have a good trellis or cage system that will fit in or around the containers, and that the area you intend to plant is not terribly windy--if a container's bottom is narrow and the cage tall, you'll be picking it up an awful lot! I'm just discovering this process myself, and at one point just decided to buy a bunch of seeds and test them out. I've turned on to heirloom varieties because they look interesting, have fun histories to read about, and by nature have to be pretty sturdy if they've stood the test of time. I'm still waiting for the plants to mature, but I'll keep you posted on any results! If you'd like, I'd be up to trade so you can test out a variety of seeds. Please let me know if there are any that are of specific interest to you--the odds are pretty good I'll either have it or know where to get it. :-) Happy gardening!