Have you got heaps of them, Mantis?

Not really Grub. About 10 set but lots of new flowers open at the moment. They take an age to form fruit after the petals fall off. Must check out the other TGS seedling that I gave to my sister. Hope she hasn't killed it :-)

It looks nothing like the Faux BCW, that's for sure. Maybe it will set in a big way soon. I'm so late this season. Just planted them all out on the weekend.

Nice looking babies Mantis! You're way ahead of most of us, that's for sure. Maybe Mark is close behind you? He started pretty early too.

Apart from a couple late starters, I finished planting out my tomatoes on the weekend too Grub... turns out to be nearer 180 than 160 :P Darn chillies aren't ready to plant out tho - they're soooo slooow this year.

PP

Aunty P,
I'd like to see a pic of the sea of pots some time when you're not too busy. I'm looking at 60 this year and that seems like a lot of work. But I can't wait for some nice big tommys. I'm craving them already. Just have to hope the fruitfly buzz off this year.

One of the three surviving chillies you kindly sent me last year has hit about 50cm, but no sign of flowers yet. The plant has a pretty upright growth habit. Do you pinch out the middle to encourage a bushier shape or do you do the same thing as tommys and just let them go? Thinking of feeding it some flower promoting solution.

Can't wait to hear how they all do for you, PP.
Best wishes for a great growing season. :)grub.

And Mantis keep up the reports, especially if you get the Mystery Green going this season :)

Grub, I just let the chillies do their own thing, but some do get tallish in pots... you could pinch out some of the new growth and try to get the plant to bush out a bit. I think it would work.

Will take a pic of my containers and garden beds soon :)

PP

PS. BTW, your seeds finally got posted yesterday!

Are there any others apart from me and Grub growing BCW?? I, and I think Grub would really like to get to the bottom of what a true BCW should be.
I have grown the TGS sourced one pictured above, and two others from another seed source, which are completely different. Larger, more ribbed fruit on very spread out trusses.
Cheers Mantis

Mantis, I'm growing one BCW. I got the seeds from Eden Seeds. BCW was one of my last to be planted out. It's between 2-3 feet tall and just developing its first flowers. I'll keep you updated as to what shape fruit develop.

Patrina, I wouldn't say I'm close to Mantis, but things are starting to happen.
Cherokee Green would be my star performer so far...plant it about 5-5.5 ft tall and has at least 40 fruit set.
Next prolific would be my two Jaunne Negib in pots
Following would be Regina's Yellow with 17.
Cherokee Purple has set 14 fruit.
Two Australian Pink have at least 14 fruit each.
My two Little Lucky PL have 11 and 7 fruit respectively. My LL RL has set about 12 fruit. the largest appears oblate and ribbed. It will be interesting to compare the two when ripe.
I'm also happy to report that my Earl's Faux has finally set two fruit. Marianna's Peace has plenty of flowers, but no fruit as yet.
The rest of my plants have flowers and some have set smaller quantities of fruit.

All sounds good.
Is your Cherokee Purple setting fruit on successive trusses or just on the first truss like mine. I have 10 fruit on the first truss and the plant has shut down above that. If I grow one next year I will prune the first truss back to one fruit and see what happens. They are not long from ripening and then the plant will be pulled as I cant see it recovering to set more fruit.

Richard, today I spent two hours tying and bottom pruning my 15 tomato plants at the sister-in-law's.
Every one including BCW has now set at least one fruit (amazing what you can see when laying on your stomach whilst pruning the undergrowth).
Cherokee Purple was my star performer last year and the plant I raised from saved seed looks to be set for a repeat performance.
My CP has set varying numbers of fruit on 6-8 trusses. I'll try and get a photo posted in the next couple of days.

Some photos from home. More tomorrow of the tomatos at work and the sister-in-law's.

Here is a link that might be useful: Tomatos At Home

Nice, Mark! Healthy plants with plenty of fruit. :)

Yeh, they look superb, Mark. Very green with envy over here. And great fruitset. I'm months behind all of you. :(

They are looking really good Mark.
BCW has about 16 fruit on now. Jeez it is slow to set, but it may just be a stayer.
Still waiting on fruit on Earls Faux, Gioia Della Mensa, Lucky Cross, Golden Ponderosa and a couple of unknown volunteers.
Still only 3 of 5 of Grubs green (D's seed) up, but they are looking strong.
Fruit on Faux Box Car Willie is getting very large, cant wait.

Zogola has 20 fruit on, I love the smell of this plant. I stick my head into it and breath deeply every morning LOL

Cant believe the fruit set on Anna Russian Wow. The grafted one outside in a cage, is growing up the entire cage with fruit setting all over it.

Three Sioux plants are setting lots of fruit.

Approx fruit on others:
Arkansas Travellor 35
Soldaki 20
Gregoris Altai X 2 45
Dr Lyle 10
Red Brandywine 25
Delicious x 2 15
Polish Dwarf 35
Momataro x 2 25
Brandywine suddeth x 2 25
Nepal X Tommy Toe x 2 10
College Challenger 10
Nepal 12
Prudens Purple x 2 8
Marianas Peace (Volvos seed) 5
Carbon X 3 15
Paul Robeson 10
Russian Reds X4 60+
Unknown Cross (Volvo) 10
Striped Turkish Monestry 25
Fritsch 1
Wes 2
Kellogs Breakfast 1
Father Tom 10
Eckert Polish 2
Mortgage Lifter 4
Grafted Grosse Lisse 20+
Maremanno 5

Mantis

I hope you get really sick from eating them :)

I am going to have to try Zogola next year from your saved seeds.

So many things to talk about there, not least being the top set of Ark. Trav. which I have put in the most sun-exposed place to see if it copes, as reportedly it does, with high heat.

Two seasons growing and never seen a Prudens Purple fruit. So do report back on that one.

Polish Dwarf is the other impressive one there in terms of numbers. Have you grown it before? What size fruit?

All I can report is: dah-dah, flowers on Kimberly.

First year with Polish Dwarf. I recieved the seeds from Michael Volk in the US. Some fruit are getting dark green shoulders so I guess they are soon to ripen. The size is about the same as Russian Reds maybe a tad larger.
Zogola is as good as Brandywine Sudduths (notice the spelling :-), and probably more productive.
Mantis

Well, then, I really will have to try Zogola. I'm not sure if Finbar thought it was that good up here. I do remember him talking about taking an age to ripen.

Polish Dwarf sounds interesting. Dwarfies are go. New Big Dwarf and Mountain Princess look great. Russian Reds are coming up the rear. The little tree types are just so sturdy. Sophie's Choice is doing well for me. I think I will always grow some of these types in pots. Low maintenance.

I read that backhander about the spelling from the angry chook whose opinions I don't usually consider these days. Sadly, I suspect some others don't like the tone he or she or it injects.

Richard, here are the photos of tommies at work and my sister-in-law's
Spatz & Grub, thank you both for your kind words.
I'll do a fruit count a la Mantis in a day or two.

Here is a link that might be useful: Tommies at work & sil's

You are quite a bit ahead of me, Mark and Oz! Fruit count? I could do a flower count, maybe. If I can find the plants amongst the weeds. What a disgrace! Just you wait, 1 more week and I can concentrate on the garden again. :)

Mark, another great patch you've got there. Wow!

Tomatoes at work. Now that's devotion. They all look great. Wish I could grow some at this tiny office. Alas, no dirt and hardly any sun. But there is a sun-drenched communal rooftop...

Great looking tommys Mark.
Your Cherokee Purples are completely different to mine. More ribbed by far. Have you grown them before?
Your Cherokee Greens look the goods as they should. Mine are little boat shaped nothings.
Might have to hit you for some seeds 'Cherokee' at the end of the season eh.

BTW my double fused Delicious is now 6 inches wide and still green. I have a sling holding it up so it doesn't break off the vine :-) Another one growing on the same truss must be nearly a pound by now. Probably taste like crap but they are a bit of fun.
Mantis

Something over 3lb or whatver it is to silence your feathered friend, I hope.

Once I photoshop it. it could make 4lb easy. It certainly looks the part LOL

Put some snapper sinkers inside it. Anything to silence the gruff git.

Spatz, thanks again, although I'm sure it wont be too long before you're sharing pics of your bounty ;-)

Grub, since I spend anywhere from 7-15 hours a day at work, I gotta have something to keep my sanity! Only wish I could grow tommies all year round!

Mantis, no worries about sharing some of the CP and CG seeds. I'm sure we can arrange a trade as I'm interested in some you are growing out this year. I'm really set on attending Marysville in March, but pretty sure my tomatos will be finished by then. However, I'll bring all my seeds to trade/share.

Marysville sounds good Mark. We can swap a few around then.

Grub
The snapper leads sound good. I have a bucket of them in the boat. Muuuunhhhahha

Mantis, here is my approximate fruit count as of today:

EarlÂs Faux: 4
Cherokee Purple: 24
Cherokee Green: 62+
MariannaÂs Peace: 3
Jaune Negib x2: 90+
Little Lucky PLx2: 33
Little Lucky RL: 25
Eckert Polish: 3
Fritsche: 16
Paragon: 3 (bad blight Âpruning and/or pulling soon)
Lucky Cross: still at seedling stage  to be planted out next week
ReginaÂs Yellow: 35+
Turkey Chomp: 2
Hawaiian Pineapple: 2
Hillbilly: 12
Australian Pink x2: 20+
BurrackerÂs Favourite x2: 3
Brandywine SudduthÂs PLx2: 4
Brandywine SudduthÂs RL: 0 Â seems reluctant to produce flowers
Amana Orange: 2
Black Krim: 13
LivingstoneÂs Stone: 17
Lime Green Salad x2: 30+
Black From Tula: 8
Aunt RubyÂs German Green x2: 4
Box Car Willie: 3 I think this may be a faux  fruit are tiny but seemed ribbed  know better in a week or so when they get some size
Anna Russian: 19
Green Giant: 0  still small  setting first flowers

Turkish: Turns out the seedlings are in fact Romas. Bloke says the seeds are correct, so will have to wait till next season.

Looks like its a good year so far for fruit set Mark.

My Box Car Willie is flowering its head off at the moment, so I may get a good crop yet.

Red Brandywine is a real winner in the greenhouse. I am training it along the ropes that are six foot high already. It was a runt of a seedling. The little mouse that roared eh.

Sounds good Mantis. I'll be interested to hear what you think of RBW taste wise compared to BWSS.

Mark,
I can't find Box Car Willie at Eden Seed's online catalogue. Is it in the printed version? And if not how did you come to discover they had it?
Curious Grub :)

My apologies Grub, I meant to write that I got the BCW tommie seeds from Kings Seeds not Eden Seeds.
Sorry for the confusion ;-)

Mark *head hung in shame*

No probs. Mark. Hope they ripen soon. I'm at the emerging flower stage. Lol.

http://www.kingsseeds.com.au/

Doesn't work for me. Anyone else having trouble with this website?

Nice thunderstorm here. Take care :)Grub.

Have you sown the TGS BCW's that I sent you Grub??

No. They missed the boat. I have Rosco's BCW. And my Faux BCW from last year. I sowed some from Carolyn but no show. I'll have to soak the remainder. Can't find a spot now. So it looks like 2007 for the real BCW unless Rossy's rings true. But I do have yours closely guarded, thanks for sendint hem Mantis, and theya re on my next list :)

I don't think Roscos are the real deal. I have mentioned this before and he hasn't answered my emails since :-)
That being said, the Rosco BCW's are my favourite plant so far this year. Huge perfectly formed fruit and soldiering on when others are starting to shut down.

Pulled my Lucky Cross out today. I let it grow to form three flowers trusses, but all of them were tiny little things growing no more than 10mm off the stems. A dud me thinks.
Well that makes room for a Druzba. I grew Druzbas and generously gave away lots of seedlings. After giving a Druzba seedling to my mechanic (among others), I thought, I should go home and plant out one of these. Got home and searched through the seedlings but not a D to be found. I had given them all away :-(
Went out to my sisters today to check how hers (my seedlings) were going and luckily I had given a D to her. So home I came with a cutting. I wonder if I can get a ripe one by March :-)

Funny you should say that. My Lucky X. is in the patch a real runta bout to be overshadowed by those around it. And it's in a prime possie. So I too was thinking about replacements.

Need to find good spots for the GMG's anyway eh. I have amended the potting mix with homemade compost and sheep poo that I get from a local shedded sheep company. The sheep poo from there does not have any weed seeds in it.
Druzba cutting is looking strong.

Thanks Mantis.

Flowers on Sophies Choice, Kimberly, New Big Dwarf, German Red Strawberry and, even thou' it doesn't coun,t been picking Sweet 100s off the two six-foot plants. Sweet but not much tomato flavour there.

I think I have an iron-deficiency problem in one of my beds due to liberal use of dolomite. Will need some iron chelate or whatever it is tht corrects that.

Everything else but the eight in that bed and takin off.

Heres a pic of my first Faux BCW. It is on the left and went 500 grams. Next to it is a Delicious 450 g and a puny 180 g Big Beef. I have never before grown a tomato over a pound (454g) and this year I have 4 already and more to come. Sure is going to make peeling tomatoes for relish a lot easier :-)

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I reckon that's the Faux BCW alright. If that one doesn't hit the spot the other's surely will. Is it productive? Though size tapered off, it went from 500g to 300g-400g. So it's still b-i-g.

All I can boast is: fruit set on Kimberly. Yahoooooo!

I think you picked that yellow-green thing a bit too early.
:)

Still no BCW's ripe, jeez they are slow. They are not even to size yet.
Pulled my Cherokee Purple in the greenhouse. One truss of 10 and it was spent. Next year I might prune the first truss severely.
Arkansas Travellor is loaded but no ripe ones yet.
Got a Sioux ripening outside.
Nepal X Tommy Toes are about walnut size and slighly flattened in shape. Funny shape considering its parents are both round.
Still no fruit on Earls Faux but it is growing well.
Red Brandywine is nearly dead from foliage desease but should ripen a few. Dr Lyle is the same.
Will pick a ripe Zogola this weekend YUM. These babies are fantastic.
Golden Ponderosa is loading up with fruit. Ribbed, flattened looking things.
Volvos mystery cross is pumping out heart shaped fruit. Very interesting.
Picked a couple of Momotaros yesterday and will taste test them tonight.
Picked one of my miget Cherokee Greens the other day. It weighed in at 45 grams. A bit smaller than it should be me thinks. Taste was amazing and even DW commented in the affirmative.
My two Italians , Maremanno and Gioia Della Mensa are pumping out lots of fruit.
Only two Grubs mystery greens left due to massive damping off. Dodgy potting mix me thinks. Both from D's seeds and PL.
Mantis

Nice report. Are you going to start another crop or wait till after the height of summer? And, please, stop sending your hot, dry weather this way ;)

I plan on gradually cleaning out the greenhouse then starting some dwarfs in Autumn to see if I can get tommys into winter.
We must have sent the hot dry weather your way because we haven't had any here as yet. I haven't even put the shade sail up yet, but probably will this weekend.

Jeez, I thought ours were slow up here. Because of the cold, tommies sem to grow short and fatter, but mine are covered in fruit. We get cool or cold nights followed by blistering hot days. The UV Factor is very high. Seems to make for huge flower and fruit set. Hope So.

Breaking news. Momotaro is YUMMY. Very tomatoey with a lingering sweet aftertaste. Someone made a very good hybrid.

Here is the Faux BCW
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