Yes, Bonnie. The amount of time the fruit stays on the vine increases the sweetness, it also becomes softer to the touch and deeper in color. The tomato is a fruit that has seeds inside. The plant knows that the ripening seeds are close to maturity, during this time the tomato starts to color. The color intensifies as the fruit ripens. The fruit is ready to pick when you clasp it and it comes freely off of the plant. Tomatoes continue to ripen after being picked. Let a few get more strongly colored before you pick them and see if you notice a flavor difference. I think the taste will be much more palatable. I'm growing several cukes this season but the ones I've already harvested are "Green Fingers" which are picked small--about four inches long. They are AWESOME!!! Here is a link that might be useful: Green Fingers

Had our first two Early Girls on July 1--from seedlings put out first week in April. I try a few plants early every year but it seems to make very little difference in the end. Soil is heavy and wet with clay and we often have mucho marine layer in April and May. Stupice has lots of green turning red. Brandywine is just beginning to set (also planted April 1--go figure). We don't have warm nights so we are not having the same problems regarding pollination as farther south. Most of my tomatoes are planted at a community garden site because I don't have six hours of sun at the home garden. The community garden soil has verm. wilt and fus. wilt and every other tomatoe blight you can think of. Even planting less flavorful "resistant" varieties does not give one a gorgeous tomato plant. So the real trick is the weather. Sunny weather means we get tomatoes before the decline of the plants. Marine layer means the blight takes over and there is a much reduced yield, if any, before plants becomes just a stalk with no leaves. On a postive note, I planted a Juliet, SF Fog, and Marianna's Peace two weeks ago in the home garden at Soltice--and already have green tomatoes on the Juliet. Sun and heat make a big difference in not very sunny Santa Barbara! Wishing you many very red tomatoes in the near future, Kristine

Love the feedback! And yes, the Wall-O-Waters did protect them from the May, Mother's Day, snow. No extra protection needed. Not the first time I've had snow on my W-O-W's. Actually the snow is not as bad as cold. It was around 30 when snowing, but we had a really cold night around the same time, mid to low 20's and the water in the W-O-W's was about half frozen. Kind of fun to tap on the side of a W-O-W and realize it's solid. They still protected fine and the Stupice fruit actually set while protected by the W-O-W.

congratulations! they look beautiful! I've only gotten Sungold cherries to ripen, and one little Early Girl should be ready to try tomorrow, finally.