Better Boy vs. Big Beef - Best Tasting/Performing VFN+ Tomato Contest
nighthawk0911
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
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nighthawk0911
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agofireduck
7 years agoRelated Discussions
Big healthy plants for great tasting tomatoes?
Comments (7)I appreciate the comments. What I'm really trying to figure out is why my largest tomato plants always produce bland tomatoes, while my smaller plants produce flavorful tomatoes. I have several theories, which I'm going to explore this year. In my garden (picture below), my tomatoes are planted along the back, and beets, onions, squash, etc., are planted along the front. I turn off the irrigation lines to the tomatoes once they start setting fruit, but the front side of the garden still gets watered. Theory #1: My largest tomatoes also have the largest root system, and they're running over to the front side of the garden where ample water is available, thus producing watery tomatoes. To test this theory, I plan on running a spade down the middle of my garden a few times this summer to prune any roots that are running across. Theory #2: The roots of my largest tomatoes also run deeper, to the bottom of my raised bed where there is a layer of hard packed clay. Perhaps rainwater is collecting there, and the bigger tomato plants draw up more of this water. To test this theory, I plan on putting my tomatoes out later this year, without the help of season extenders, so the plants don't have as much time to develop deep roots. Theory #3: (could apply to anyone's garden) Larger tomato plants have more self-shading than smaller plants, meaning there's less sugar available per tomato. I'm going to prune my tomatoes this year to 2 or 3 stems, to open things up and get more sun on the leaves. Theory #4: Some other stress factor is responsible for the smaller tomato plants being smaller, and those stressful conditions produce better tasting tomatoes. I'm going to try watering a couple times this summer with diluted seawater. I bought some Sea-90 from seaagri.com, to see if a little sea salt on the roots will stress the plants just enough to slow their growth and produce more concentrated, flavorful tomatoes. This picture of my garden was taken the first week of July. The 2 right-most tomatoes were started under a cold frame, and turned into monsters with bland tomatoes. The two staked tomatoes in the middle were put out later, grew comparatively smaller, but had much better flavor....See MoreLooking for tomatoes that look good and taste better
Comments (31)There are a lot of good suggestions above re good to grow varieties. Here are a few I would add. Lyuda's Mom's Red Ukrainian, Druzba, and Burgundy Traveller. Eva Purple Ball is excellent as mentioned above. Re tomatoes growing in the heat, higher temps improve tomato flavor in every way you can imagine. But STRESS reduces flavor much faster. Most complaints about heat should really be talking about stress. In high temps with full sunlight, the plant has maximum photosynthetic ability and produces the highest level of plant sugars and other flavor compounds. If the plant is stressed by lack of water, disease pressure, pests, nematodes, etc. there will be a significant reduction of flavor potential. So my rule of thumb is to keep plants healthy and un-stressed to get the best flavored tomatoes possible. Heat is not a problem for a healthy plant. DarJones...See MoreBrandy Boy Contest -2015 (2)
Comments (151)Antmary - 10 flowers - that is impressive - that is what I would expect from my experience with Brandy Boy - you should have a prolific plant! Interesting observation about the leaves! I noticed Yolo's plant leaves are more similar to your plant (nice tomato Yolo!). I went back and looked at our plants when they were even younger than yours - and the leaves are very large. It must be a function of my soil and fertilizer? Which plant will produce bigger/better tomatoes? Perhaps your plant - as much of my plant's energy appears to be going to the leaves? It may not be a function of pruning as the photo shows my plant before I prune suckers? It may be a GH affect? I am sure Carolyn would have an answer !...See MoreBrandy Boy Contest -2015 (4)
Comments (157)I'm a little disappointed in Brandy Boy. It is heavily infected with early blight, and the only tomatoes on the plant are the ones that formed back in late May, when I first put them in the ground. My other tomatoes are resisting EB much better, and they are continually setting new fruit. 'Beefsteak' has already given me ripe tomatoes. 'KBX' should follow suit in a day or two. Brandy Boys look just as green as ever. In Brandy Boy's defense, it has the largest tomatoes out of all my plants, and it also has the most fruit setting on one truss. Hopefully, in a few more days I will have some ripened fruit to show everyone. However, unless the taste is absolutely out-of-this-world, I probably won't grow Brandy Boy again....See MoreHumsi
7 years agoSeysonn_ 8a-NC/HZ-7
7 years agodigdirt2
7 years agonighthawk0911
7 years agonighthawk0911
7 years agonighthawk0911
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agoSeysonn_ 8a-NC/HZ-7
7 years agonighthawk0911
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agoSeysonn_ 8a-NC/HZ-7
7 years agodigdirt2
7 years agoncrealestateguy
7 years agoplmrtd
7 years ago
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