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Heirloom Plants & Gardens

My Heirloom Tomatoes

14 years ago

I planted here in North Carolina about 40 Anna Russian Pink Oxheart Heirloom Tomatoes from Plant about 3 weeks ago.. They are not growing tall only about 10 to 15 inches high but all of them have a big bloom at the top of the plant right on the stem like they have finished growing tall.. I dont understand this its my first year growing these heirlooms and its the craziest thing ive seen ... Is something wrong with these plants , its still early enough i can pull em and plant bigboy or betterboy in time for summer.. Does anyone know or why this is..?????

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Comments (6)

annette_2009
14 years ago
I was given some heirloom tomato seeds and pepper seeds. I planted them this morning (May 2,2010)and covered them with plastic until I see some sprouts. I have a garden plot at the church and am hoping to replant sprouts there. Any advice?
roper2008
14 years ago
I hope you haven't pulled them. Give them time. Anna Russian's
are suppose to be really good. I have a bloody butcher about that
tall and it has flowers. It's still early. I have one Anna Russian, it's
smaller than yours. They are suppose to have wispy foliage when
they get larger, so don't confuse that with disease.
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Peggy--that's interesting that you don't usually get fruit set at temperatures above 85. I've seen tomatoes set fruit in West Texas when temperatures were above 90 (and these weren't heat set varieties). I believe this has something to do with humidity and night time temps. West Texas has cool nights and low humidity, which apparently allows tomatoes to set fruit even when daytime highs are above 90. No fruit set seems to occur the high temperature is above 95, however, except for cherries which do well an any condition. I've never paid much attention to night-time lows being to cold--but have heard the cutoff to be around 50 degrees. Lack of wind to shake the blossoms could also be a problem, especially in urban areas. Excessive fertilizer could also be at fault. Jason
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Two seasons with Casey's Yellow problems. Last year it was because the slugs could get at them so easily. (Chickens are not the only critters that recognize something good to eat. :o(. This year, the windstorms and fleabeetles all but wrecked the plants. For all the damage to Casey's, Dagma's Perfection looks worse. A lovely tomato totally hit the skids from all the foliage damage. I shoulda just pulled the plants. Maybe getting these highly desirable fruits further from the grass outside the garden would protect them more from the slugs. Finished with cages ... where's that little smiley going gaaah! and throwing his hands in the air?? Gary O hasn't proved bullet proof and I'll try not to put the plants to that test. Still, you can see that it has vigor ... or, as Churchill would say, "vigour!" Personally, I'm something of a shrinking violet, just wish my garden environment better fit my delicate sensibilities. :) Steve
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Sounds like Blossom End Rot, abbreviated BER. Read about it in the Tomato FAQ http://faq.gardenweb.com/faq/tomato/ Here is a link that might be useful: Tomato FAQ
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Are my Heirloom tomato flowers developing OK?
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Comments (1)
Those are called "megablooms",which are sort of fused flowers. It happens mostly early in the season, when the weather is on the cool side. Also some varieties tend to produce more of those. The fruits tend to have awkward shape called "cat faced". The fruit quality for eating will be quite low. Some people believe it is a waste to let them grow and others like it as fun thing to watch them grow. Sey
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spiced_ham
14 years ago
They are slow to get started because of the wispy foliage, but 15" is not out of the ordinary for a first blossom on tomato plants. The single blossom should be a transitory phase and you should see further top growth soon. Even if it is a developmental screw-up the plant will put out additional stems from the leaf axils.
erlyberd
14 years ago
Of the 17 varieties this year the Anna Russians are the only loser so far. Not inpressed with the plants vigor to say the least. Thought it may be poor seed quality. I won't waste my time on this one next season. Why is this plant worth saving??? Who can we blame? This plant is a cull for sure.
spiced_ham
14 years ago
Well, for most people Anna Russian catches up to other varieties, becomes a large plant (6-8 ft here), and produces fairly early. Like most oxhearts, it starts out as a wimpy sickly looking seedling.
lolak
13 years ago
I had the sweetest and most beautiful Anna Russian last summer. However, the plant was not very productive.

Here is a link that might be useful: http://lolas-garden.blogspot.com/

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