Probably the best way to tell when a tomato is ripe is to gently apply pressure to the tomato. As long as you know what a ripe tomato feels like, you're good to go. Of all the different color tomatoes I've grown, this seems to work the best for me.

The best way to tell when a green when ripe (or other than red if you are unsure of when it is ripe) tomato is ready to eat, is to get touchy-feely with it. When you give it a gentle squeeze, it will give some when it is ripe. You might have to experiment a bit to find the amount of "give" that has the best flavor for you. I grew Lime Green Salad a few years agao and should have an amber cast to it when it is ripe, and the interior will be a bright green or "chartreuse" color. If all else fails, eat one. Betsy

Green Grape. I had good(in fact, great) late production, but I couldn't stand the taste. Mine seemed to be determinate, but put on another impressive spurt of growth towards the end of the season. Mine were from Pinetree Gardens. If there is an indeterminate, is the taste better? JMO, Tom ***** Tom, the problem with Green Grape for some of us is that the indet goes to det all by itself. And Tom Wagner, the breeder of GG, knows all about it. I've had it happem three times now from indet to det. And I do agree that the taste of the indet, as shown in my book, is better than the det. I don't know what's going on and nor does Tom, from whom I got two indet plants when I was in Pasadena for an heirloom event and he drove down to Pasadena from Bakersfield where he was then living to the same event and also brought those plants which I coddled on the plane back East. But I still say that Green Doctors is much more tasty than any GG I've ever grown. For me Green Zebra doesn't do it.....too agressive, shall I say, taste-wise, but I do know that for many it's sweet and lucious, but not for me. Carolyn

" there isn't much space between them (I can make a photo if you want)." I remember them from the prior thread about the epsom salt damage, and know they must have grown since then, I just didn't realize how many plants you had! You've done such a good job on them too, so far! "securing the vines" This I just mean being proactive like you've tied with string as the plants have grown. Get ahead of the growth before you leave so no additional stems end up on the ground, especially those supporting tomatoes that will soon get heavier and bend down to the ground level where they have increased chances of getting foliar diseases from the splashing of dirt, or even breaking under the weight. Mulch also helps. "spraying anti-fungal" Foliar fungicide is a preventative action to avoid infection. I know toxic copper sprays are banned for use in the Netherlands even though it is the most common fungicide in the US where regulators ignore the risks and it is sold over the counter in every garden store. You need to call the local garden products center and ask what the most effective option they recommend that is widely available there is. Perhaps its chlorothalonil, which we use in the US; so is Serenade, a fungicide that uses a live ingredient to produce the anti-fungal & anti-bacterial effect ... I'm pretty sure you can get this one in Holland for the home, since it is made by Bayer. There are other fungicide options. Spraying leaves is a common topic of conversation in this forum there are many posts about it, just say the word and someone will probably help with the links. Just one caution, be careful walking around those garden centers as people track all kinds of plant disease into them. If your tomatoes are doing well, I would hate for you to go to a garden center with lots of spores floating around. I'm paranoid - but I feel for good reason. Mulching can help. "Mulching" Yes you can see what people prefer in your area. Straw is popular in some places (I use a version actually made from sun bleached pine leaves we call "pine straw" here) but like everything in tomatoes, people have strong opinions about different products. (I hope this link is clean, but it looks like a good explanation from some crazy Drenthe farmboys :-)) The important thing is disease-free mulch of any kind is better than no mulch. The mulch serves at least three purposes. It prevents splashing of soil which may contain pathogens (though many pathogens are airborne and we have little control over rains and winds that carry them). It keeps the ground from drying out quickly which can help with irrigation smoothing, and it helps regulate temperatures, being cooler in the heat of day. I'm really glad to hear you have an expert joining the Dutch tomato team. Your Aunt sounds like a perfect choice to add to the team. I bet she's got a normal Dutch girl with an expert flair for gardens and bicycles in her, too ;-) If the tomatoes get some love and care, we can start taking bets on how many you'll get ! Cheers! PC