The more sun tomatoes get, the quicker they turn red. That is one reason some tomato books say prune for sunlight and airflow. Your plants looks rather crowded. Most years I use a dedicated tomato fertilizer, it does make a difference. Lacking that I will use flower fertilizer rather than any nitrogen rich fertilizer. Up here in Minn. he had a cool wet spring which caused tomatoes to just pretty much sit there, not really growing, and look green through June. Of my tomatoes this year, the one that is the furthest along is one I planted a month after all the rest- go figure.

Thanks Suzie for the link! Very interesting! Are you sure my grapes would not do well for you in CA? I believe they are good to zone 9 atleast. I ordered them from a place out that way I believe. I should have plenty left if you want to try some. I had an idea. Since my fridge is in a cut out type cabinet, I cannot really get the cuttings up there. However, I do have a heat mat that I use to germinate tomato seeds. It is a very low heat. Do you think they would be good on the heat mat? I remember when I was rooting figs for the first time (figs, my first love!), someone had suggested using a heat mat. How do you feel about this? Well, they are all wrapped in their garbage bags. Hopefully a few will make it! I did use rooting hormone on some of them. I had so many, I figured I could experiment. Well, all 3 vines are in the ground. I planted them yesterday. Hopefully they will take. I also dug up a rose bush that was at the house that my mom planted when I was a baby. I do not know how that will do. I did re-plant it here at my house, but the leaves were already limp. I wonder if roses can survive that. I also took a few cuttings from the branches, only about 4. I read to stick it in rooting hormone then into dirt with a soda bottle on top of it. They said to keep a few leaves on them, but the leaves are already pretty limp. I do not know much about roses, so I do not know if they will survive or not. That would be a shame. Although this bush is over 30 years old, it was cut way back, almost to the ground a year or so ago, so it was not as big as you would think it should be. It did have this huge, deep, long main root that I had to cut at one point since it was down so deep. Well, I will update on the grapes, and also the rose bush. thanks again for all the info! Christy

Actually, I suspect it's powdery mildew or downy mildew. Black rot is just that, the entire fruit rots, dies, and shrivels away, often falling off. With the mildews, the skin is affected, but continues to live, with large gray-brown patches -- it can cover the entire grape, or only one side or part of it. The fruit under the skin continues to develop normally, but obviously, not good to eat like that. Any of the fungicides mentioned above will work. Another good one is Bayleton. I don't know if it's technically labeled from grapes. I bought 3 quarts of it in ready to spray, hose end type sprayers on clearance at Lowe's last year in the spring for $1.25 a bottle. It was sold and labeled as "Lawn Disease Control," but I used it on summer and winter squash, tomatoes, grapes, peaches, and also on my lilacs, phlox, and monarada, and it did an absolutely fantastic job of keeping them clean and green all summer, no disease problems at all. If I ever found more of it at that price, I'd snatch it up in a minute.

nice looking vine! I'm as clueless as you say you are about grapes, but, I know the old, fruiting canes don't re-fruit the following year. Heck if I know what the old canes look like, so, I just cut back a little of everything. This way, the new growth from last year will fruit. If you cut back the new growth from last year too much, nothing will fruit. If the canes are long enough from last year's growth, they will fruit. It might take another season for your young canes to bear fruit. Sorry if this is confusing. I just cut back a little every year and let it grow on and not worry too much. I'll let the "vintners" out in Calif. worry when they're making my wine. :-)