How do I know when to feed my tomatoes?
barmaleyka
3 years ago
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Mokinu
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agoMokinu
3 years agoRelated Discussions
How do I know when my Jenny Lind melons are ripe?
Comments (0)Do they slip easily from the vine like a cantaloupe? I have never grown them before until this year....See MoreHow do you know when its time to harvest tomatoes?
Comments (6)skipphin, I second what John said. Though you need to get to know the variety to go 100% by colour. Some red kinds still have greenish shoulders when they are ripe, for example. Others will be completely red (or whatever colour) when ready to eat. Sungolds may have a bit of green inside even when ripe --- I can't remember (mine'll be a couple of weeks yet, WAH!). A tomato's colour depends on its skin's colour, how translucent the skin is, and the interior colour; often there are greenish seeds inside. If they're bright orange, then they're ripe or nearly so. But the main thing is the texture. As John says, there should be a little "give" when you poke them, but if it's totally soft, then it's overripe. The other criterion is TASTE! Try 'em and see. There are individual preferences --- some people like some tomatoes more on the just ripening side, some like 'em nice and ripe. Of the ones you list, other than Sungold, I have grown Black Cherry (one of my real faves --- a very complex, deep taste, like a much bigger tomato; a good contrast to the ultra-sweet Sungold, which I also love!) and Aunt Ginny's Purple. The former is a deep purple when ripe. It's a large cherry, and fairly resistant to splitting (unlike Sungold), so you can usually safely leave it on the vine even after it's ripe for a bit if you aren't sure or don't need it yet. I like to make a funky-looking salad with this guy and Snow White Cherry (which is really a very pale ivory yellow). Black Cherry is also a great candidate for drying. Aunt Ginny's Purple is really pink when ripe. It's a nice, tasty, mid-sized tomato. (The code for tomato names seems to be that "black" equals dark purple, "purple" equals pink, and often, as you say, "gold" equals orange. I'm happy to say that most tomatoes with "red" in the name are, in fact, red. ;-) ) Enjoy your tomato harvest! Sounds like you have a lovely collection of varieties. If you want some help knowing what the others will look like exactly when ripe, ask on the tomato forum --- there are folks there who have grown EVERYTHING! But if you go by the feel you'll get it about right, and soon learn what you like best. Cheers, Zabby...See Morehow do i know when to repot my zz plant
Comments (11)Thanks for the help. The photo is from my phone camera, so it is not the best. But you can clearly see the lighter, brighter green new leaves (third rhizome from the right) which unfurled from their sheath just in the past 48 hours!!! No kidding. Before that, it looked like the "sheathed" growth of an unopened rubber-tree plant leaf. This is in addition to the other new shoots that have appeared since I got the plant on May 11. This rapid growth ASTONISHED me, as on-line research kept referring to ZZ plants as "very slow growers." (I am joking with my friends that my ZZ plant somehow aspires to be an oak tree, or that atheletes must be sneaking into my home when I am at work and dumping performance enhancing drugs into its pot. LOL.) I watered it on the 18th and watered it again last night, June 1, and am sticking with watering every 2 weeks Should I water more often? The current pot is about 10 inches across. Last night I purchased one that is about twice that size (the largest one I could find with drainage holes) and will re-pot the plant tonight....See More(pic) How do I know when my Jalapenos are hot?
Comments (12)Hi Westcoastj - My pepper crop here in the Seattle area is looking great so far. Much will depend on whether we have a rain-free August or not. A little rain would be nice, but too much will cause disease. I forget what the disease I get in the fall is - I think its Phytophothora. It causes upper leaves and branches to turn black and die back, and then some fruit die also. I've got my fingers crossed that doesn't happen too soon. I have 64 plants of about 38 varieties this year. I'm big on Italian sweet peppers and have 'Corno Di Toro', Giant Marconi', 'Atris', 'Palladio' and Jimmy Nardello'. These are all loaded with fruit this year. Nothing red (or yellow in Palladio's case) yet. I also have about 5-6 Thai or Chinese hot peppers which are all setting fruit. They're fairly long season so I will need at least a month, and better two, for good ripe fruit. I have Kung Pao, Orange Thai, Orange Fogo, Red Demon and Thai Dragon growing. Other than that I have a variety of Jalapenos (3 kinds), Poblano/Anchos (4 kinds), Pasilla, Pimiento (2 types), Paprika Supreme, Spanish Spice, Key West Cubanelle, etc. I'm impressed your habaneros are doing so well. Mine have just barely set fruit. Its barely even visible through the faded flower petals. This is despite starting them in a greenhouse and having a warm summer so far. Good luck with your pepper efforts!...See Moregardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
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3 years agokevin9408
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agobarmaleyka
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3 years agoJay
3 years ago
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