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The Kitchen Table

Where are all the tomatoes this year?

16 years ago

I'm anxiously waiting for the Roma tomatoes to come in to the stores, but they're not here yet.

Around this time, a couple of our stores sell them by the bushel, and I buy one or two.

I made some bruschetta today out of some field tomatoes, and I want my bushel to make more as well as the other stuff I like to do. I thought they would have been in the stores by now. :-(

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Comments (15)

sheilajoyce_gw
16 years ago
We have had a bad year for tomatoes here in California.
susanjf_gw
16 years ago
we must not have had enough sun as i got one lonely tomato on my upside down fancy planter, sigh...
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As I was digging through my garden getting the beds ready for the summer, I was constantly digging up roots from the bushes that were recently removed and wondered what kind of compost roots make. I usually leave them in the ground, but I don't know what good it does, if any. As for planting in the same spot every year, as long as you have no bad stuff in your soil and you can replinish the nutrients, you should be fine. The recommendation is based on soil-born diseases and pests that can still be in the soil from last year. As long as you don't have any of those, you should be fine. The only other reason I can think of is if local wildlife has a good memory and can remember to return to that spot where good tomatoes were last year. Although, I don't think moving a plant over 5 feet would foil the birds in my neighborhood. What may be a good example is what I found the other day. As I was preparing the beds, I dug up what looked like an albino horn worm. Horn worms were all over the daturas (angel trumpets) I had in my bed last year and wouldn't be surprised if some larvae, eggs or whatever was in the soil close to where those were planted. Hopefully, they are a variety that is limits itself to the daturas and will leave my tomatoes alone as they did last year. I'll have the BT on standby just in case.
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Comments (13)
My season was good in Chillicothe - when spring looked like it was going to continue to July I potted 100+ tomato plabnts in 20+ gal containers - made my own mix - used a product to inocculate the soil with a variety of micro - endo & ecto micro organisms - fertilized - all organic and had really good success - planted other seedlings when the ground dried up - had to really work the heavy "clay" soil and then planted my tomatoes, peppers & other veggies - I was going to sell plants also but was too busy with the business "About Cooking" so I gave away plants and tested others with new propduct I have been studying for 3 years. (now available retail in Omri & non Omri versions) I grow mostly heirlooms - don't like the big seed companies etc - I have seeds for over 350 varieties so I was trying how several worked back here - wife is from here and we moved back in Aug/July 2010 - will try more varieties this year - gave away a bunch - black krim (12 other blacks & bunch of purples), cherokee purple, green & chocolate - greendoctors - aunt rubys , Evegreen (Ohio tomato & other gree varities) - Snow white & super SW - kelloggs - kbx -sungold select OP - several wild boar farms varieties - black green & bi's - several french, russian and old usa tomatoes plus new ones - NO HYBRIDS
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Aleksey, since I lived and gardened in most parts of the country, I know a thing or two.:) Your zone 10 is a little different than mine 9b, I have been growing tomatoes for a long, long time and in my experience the heat tolerant varieties are no better than the others, Yes, I can grow the currant and cherry tomatoes in the heat but at the cost of having them diseased and full of bugs, talking about stinkbugs and others? With this heat and rains, I am cleaning the veggie garden and yes! I can grow edibles year round just not the same ones. They are in rotation in my garden and the fruits are taking center stage now. This morning loads of figs and avocados, mangoes and bananas are ripening, later is sugar apples, guavas, persimmons and soon will the next season for starting tomatoes and other veggies for the fall.... Silvia
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I suppose that we should think of honey bees as "domestic livestock." If there isn't a beekeeper nearby ... how wide of an area will a colony from a more distant hive cover? I remember that it is about this time of year when they do show up in considerable numbers but there are usually some on dandelions. Weren't very noticeable if they were. The dandelion season has mostly drifted off in the spring breeze, at least, that yellow carpet just about everywhere has passed. I'm curious when a new generation of workers emerge from the hive. Wikipedia says that the raising of broods begins in "early spring" and that from egg to bee takes 21 days. Of course, there has to be time for daycare, k-12 and vocational training .... yeah, it might be that there are 2018 bees out there about now. A honey bee was in the backyard this morning but I only saw one. Certainly, they have plenty of flowers to choose from even if the dandelion blooms are fewer and farther between. Steve
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jel48
16 years ago
We finally DO have tomatoes! This is my third summer in Northern Michigan and I'm surprised I didn't give up before now. The first summer, they didn't get ready in time. Last summer, we had tons of tomatoes on the vine, nearly ready, and were gone for a weekend when we got an early frost! This year we've been eating cherry and grape tomatoes for about 3 weeks now and the big ones are starting to ripen too. Finally! What a treat! And it only took us three years :-)
ruthieg__tx
16 years ago
I don't buy tomatoes this time of year because mine are giving me way more than I can use but I saw huge bins today at Walmart of the Romas........
Marilyn Sue
16 years ago
Lots of Romas around here. Red Gold is busy picking and packing them now. I didn't plant a garden and about all Amber planted were Roma and the cherry ones. I need to get some from her, maybe tomorrow.

Sue
monica_pa Grieves
16 years ago
Bought local Jersey tomatoes for dinner tonight.
Big, ripe and delicious. Looks like a good crop this year.

Neighbor's tomatoes are also doing fine.
azzalea
16 years ago
Oh, my--drop over. I'm picking a huge mixing bowl full of romas, and almost as many cherry tomatoes about every other day. I've giving them away by the bagful. I've got my oven running almost constantly, roasting them so I can freeze the excess for next winter. We're enjoying them every way you can think of. South Jersey had amazing tomato weather this year. I'm really having a very tough time keeping up with the harvest
heather_on
16 years ago
Lots of tomatoes here. My neighbours plants are overloaded!
clairdo2
16 years ago
Talking about tomatoes, am i the only one who finds tomatoes don't taste the way they used to like 20 yrs ago. DH and i think all tomatoes taste like plywwod , even the ones i grow myself...
clairdo2
16 years ago
Talking about tomatoes, am i the only one who finds tomatoes don't taste the way they used to like 20 yrs ago. DH and i think all tomatoes taste like plywwod , even the ones i grow myself...
susan_on
16 years ago
My tomatoes are ready, Romas and all. I did a little canning last weekend, and I hope to do more soon.
Jasdip
Original Author
16 years ago
Wow, with Clairdo, Susan and Heather all chiming in...there's hope for me getting some yet!!
lydia1959
16 years ago
My parents who have been selling tomatoes all summer for $1.00 a lb are just now running out. They are in their late 70's... so I think they are ready to sit back and relax for awhile.
cynic
16 years ago
Although I haven't paid any attention to tomatoes in the stores (I usually go with canned - so sue me) it's interesting that you mention Romas. Roma tomatoes are about the only fresh tomato I really like. You can have those other stringy, watery, tasteless seed-filled things AFAIC.
joann23456
16 years ago
My tomatoes are doing well now, after losing almost the entire early season to blossom end rot. But Clairdo2 is right, as far as I'm concerned - even the ones I grow myself don't taste great these days.

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