Almost 700 tomatoes by Mid-August

By August 13th 27 out of 29 plants had set a total of 691 tomatoes, with 402 cherry tomatoes and 287 larger tomatoes. Blush, Isis Candy, and the larger tomatoes seemed to have slowed down or stopped setting fruit altogether, but Sun Gold continued to set like crazy, producing just under 50% more fruit than it had the week before.

More tomatoes on Kimberley and Sun Gold started blushing on August 13th. The first tomato on Kimberley was dark red-orange and about 2" in diameter. The plant also had 24 tomatoes larger than 1 cm. The first Sun Gold plant had 107 tomatoes, and the second Sun Gold plant had 71 tomatoes.

Three tomatoes blushing on Kimberley on August 13th

Three tomatoes on Sun Gold blushing on August 13th

Isis Candy produced larger cherry tomatoes, about 1.5" in diameter, but with only 56 tomatoes by August 13th, it was not as early or as prolific as Sun Gold. The productivity issue could have been because in my garden Isis Candy gets about 1-2 hours less sun than the Sun Golds. 

The largest tomatoes are 1.5" in diameter on Isis Candy

More cherry tomatoes on Isis Candy

Jaune Flammée demonstrated similar productivity as Kimberley, having formed 22 tomatoes, the largest about 2" in diameter, by August 13th. 

Jaune Flammée with 2" tomatoes by August 13th

Indian Stripe continued to be more productive than Cherokee Purple, with 18 versus 13 tomatoes larger than 1 cm while by August 13th. The largest on both plants was about 4" in diameter.

The largest tomatoes on Cherokee Purple are 4" in diameter by August 13th

Indian Stripe with 50% more tomatoes than Cherokee Purple

Spudakee also proved to be more prolific than Cherokee Purple, producing 23 tomatoes larger than 1 cm in diameter by August 13th. The largest of the tomatoes was 3.5" in diameter by August 13th, and the plant continued to set fruit although more slowly, with four new fruit set in the last week.

The largest tomatoes on Spudakee are 3.5" in diameter by August 13th

Spudakee proves more prolific than Cherokee Purple

Like Cherokee Purple Gary'O Sena produced 13 tomatoes by August 13th, and the largest was 3.5" in diameter, slightly smaller than Cherokee Purple.

The largest tomatoes on Gary'O Sena are 3.5" in diameter by August 13th

 Gary'O Sena tomatoes continue to grow about 1/2" per week

Gary'O Sena continues to set fruit

My False Heart

So according to Tania's Tomatobase, Black and Red Boar tomatoes are supposed to be round, but most of my BRB fruit are heart-shaped. I thought it might be because of the cooler conditions when the fruit first formed, but even the smaller, newer fruit that formed during the warmer July weather have a heart shape.

 Heart-shaped fruit on Black and Red Boar 

 More heart-shaped fruit on Black and Red Boar

Even the newer fruit are heart-shaped

It's not just in my garden, though, since there's a whole discussion on the Tomatoville forum on "Pointy tomatoes that shouldn't be pointy!?!" 

First Tomato to Break in 2012: Kimberley!

Kimberley also wins the prize for the first tomato to break color. It beat Sun Gold by two days. The tomato turned a light yellow-green color on August 9th, 67 days after transplant. By the next day the tomato was a golden color with a hint of orange, and two days after that it had turned red-orange.

Kimberley had the first tomato blushing on August 9th, 67 days after transplant

By August 11th the tomato was red-orange

The first Sun Gold plant had fruit blushing by August 11th, 69 days after transplant, about the same as last year when it took 68 days.

Blushing tomatoes on Sun Gold on August 11th, 69 days after transplant

Summer Finally Heats Up

After our heat wave last weekend, the tomatoes have really started taking off. Between July 31st and August 7th, my tomato count went up from 411 to 611. Here's a view of the garden on August 7th.

The two tomato beds each have 8 plants, and the tallest is about 5' tall on August 7th

Four black tomatoes planted at the corner on June 17th are about 4' tall on August 7th

The two New Big Dwarf plants are about 3' tall and beautifully compact on August 7th

Kimberley, a compact plant that produces small red fruit, was one of the earliest to set fruit in my garden. It tied with Sun Gold and set fruit in 37 days. By August 7th the largest fruit on it was about 2.5" in diameter, so in about a month it grew from just over 1 cm to about 2.5".

Kimberley plant on July 10th 

The same tomato on the Kimberly plant grew to be 2.5" by August 7th

The Blush tomatoes continue to produce 1/3-1/2 as many fruit as Sun Gold, but by August 10th, the largest fruit are just over 1.5" long. Also, the foliage on Blush is rather wispy compared to other regular leaf tomato plants.

Flowers and small Blush fruit on August 2nd

Many of the flowers have become small fruit by August 7th

The same truss on Blush by August 10th

By August 10th the fruit on Blush are just over 1.5" long

Wispy foliage on Blush tomato plants

New Big Dwarf (NBD), which produces pink beefsteaks, is an heirloom tomato that was included in the 1915 Isbell Seed Company catalog, which included a description of its origin as a cross between Dwarf Champion and Ponderosa, the best known dwarf and the largest fruited variety at the time. NBD's origin helped spark the Dwarf Tomato Project, a cross-hemisphere endeavor to breed great-tasting tomatoes on compact plants perfect for containers and small spaces. NBD plants are wonderfully compact with dense foliage and a thick stem, but they still requires staking. NBD was the latest to set fruit in my garden taking over 46 days. (I don't have the exact time because I was out of town when it finally set fruit.)

I planted my two NBD plants on June 10th, a week after most of my plants. By August 7th one NBD had 14 tomatoes larger than 1 cm, and the other plant only had 7. The largest tomatoes on each plant were about 2" in diameter, but the rest were only about an inch or smaller in diameter. So far it's definitely later and not as prolific as the black tomatoes. I also noticed really strange catfacing and fused fruit on my NBD plants.

 The largest fruit on New Big Dwarf was about 2" in diameter on August 7th

The largest fruit on the other New Big Dwarf has a strange appendage

A closeup of the funky looking fruit on New Big Dwarf

Spudakee is a potato leafed version of Cherokee Purple (C.P). In my garden both C.P. and Spudakee took 45 days to set fruit, but Spudakee is proving to be slightly more prolific. I planted the Spudakee about a week after the C.P., and by August 7th the Spudakee had 18 tomatoes bigger than 1 cm whereas C.P. only had 13. However, it does appear to produce a lot more catfacing and really strange fused fruit.

The largest fruit on one of my Spudakee plants was about 2" in diameter on August 7th 

The cooler weather resulted in a lot of fused fruit and catfacing on Spudakee 

The largest tomatoes on the second Spudakee were about 3" in diameter on August 7th

Here's another strange tomato that looks like four tomatoes fused together

An even odder looking tomato has two fused fruit with separate blossom ends

Vorlon, named after an alien race on Babylon 5, is a "stabilized accidental cross between Cherokee Purple and Pruden's Purple". In my garden Vorlon was among the latest plants to set fruit, taking 46 days. Its productivity is between Spudakee and C.P., having produced 15 tomatoes larger than 1 cm by August 7th.

The largest tomato on Vorlon is about 3" in diameter by August 7th 

 Even more small tomatoes have formed on Vorlon by August 7th

Last year my favorite tomato from the farmers' market was Paul Robeson because of its rich, complex flavor. I saved the seed from one tomato and grew one plant to see if I could reproduce that great flavor. So far Paul Robeson is the least productive of the black tomatoes I planted, with only 8 tomatoes larger than 1 cm by August 7th.

The largest tomatoes on Paul Robeson are about 1.5-2" in diameter by August 7th

White Queen produces large white beefsteaks. In my garden White Queen has produced 13 tomatoes larger than 1 cm by August 7th.

The largest tomato on White Queen is about 2" in diameter by August 7th

Porkchop produces flattened yellow beefsteaks. In my garden Porkchop has been the least productive plant, producing only 5 tomatoes by August 7th. 

The largest tomato on Porkchop is about 2" in diameter by August 7th

Fruit, Fruit, and More Fruit

By August 2nd most of the tomato plants have set fruit. I posted photos of Sun Gold and Jaune Flammée last year, so I'll just post photos of the new varieties I'm growing this year.

First, Isis Candy set fruit just two days after Sun Gold (39 days after transplant), but its trusses are much shorter than Sun Gold's. Though not quite as prolific as Sun Gold, it's the second most prolific (in terms of number of fruit) in my garden.

1" in diameter fruit on Isis Candy on August 2nd

Blush, a new cherry by Fred Hempel, has 2" long fruit called "julienne tomatoes". The fruit should have a tropical fruit flavor, similar to pineapple. I can't wait to taste it! Blush took about a week longer to set fruit than Sun Gold—42 days after transplant compared to 37 days for Sun Gold. The foliage on Blush is very wispy, and it's not quite as prolific, only currently producing about 1/3-1/2 as many fruit as Sun Gold.

Fruit and flowers on Blush tomato on August 2nd

 1.5" long julienne tomatoes on Blush on August 2nd

Gogosha is an early large pink beefsteak with meaty, juicy fruit. In my garden Gogosha was one of the latest to set fruit, taking 46 days, and it's not as prolific as the black tomatoes. By August 2nd it only had the four tomatoes shown below.

The largest fruit on Gogosha is about 2" in diameter on August 2nd

Orange Russian 117 produces orange, heart-shaped fruit. In my garden Orange Russian 117 took 40 days to set fruit, and it's not very prolific. By August 2nd it only has these two 1" long fruit and five tiny (<5 mm long) fruit. 

1" long fruit on Orange Russian 117 on August 2nd

Black and Red Boar, which produces silvery green and red striped tomatoes, was discovered by Brad Gates of Wild Boar Farms in Vacaville, California. In my garden Black and Red Boar took 42 days to set fruit, and many of the fruit have pointy tips (like the smallest one of the right) even though the fruit should be round.

The largest fruit on Black and Red Boar is about 1.5" in diameter on August 2nd

Cherokee Purple was my favorite large tomato that I grew last year. Cherokee Purple was one of the latest plants to set fruit in my garden, taking 45 days from transplant. With only 13 fruit on August 2nd, it's not quite as prolific as Indian Stripe, which had 20 fruit set.

The largest fruit on Cherokee Purple is 3" in diameter on August 2nd

Indian Stripe is a strain of Cherokee Purple that's more prolific but produces smaller fruit. I planted the Cherokee Purple and Indian Stripe next to each other in my garden, and by August 2nd Indian Stripe has produced about 50% more fruit than Cherokee Purple. However, the largest fruits on both plants are about 3" in diameter, so I don't currently note any difference in size.

The largest fruit on Indian Stripe is 3" in diameter on August 2nd

Lastly, Gary'O Sena produces large, black beefsteaks and matures faster than most red and pink beefsteaks. In my garden, Gary'O Sena was among the latest to set fruit, taking 46 days. By August 2nd it has the same number of fruit as Cherokee Purple, but they're smaller, the largest fruit being only about 2" in diameter. The tomatoes also have a more ruffled appearance. 

2" fruit on Gary'O Sena on August 2nd

More 2" fruit on Gary'O Sena on August 2nd

 One fused fruit on Gary'O Sena on August 2nd

First Tomato in 2012: Kimberley!

Last year my favorite tomatoes were the Sungold and the Cherokee Purple, but I wasn't that impressed by Black Krim or Black Prince. This year I planted a few other black/purple varieties similar to C.P. to see if any are earlier and/or more productive or taste similar/better than C.P.

I got a late start this year and didn't start my seeds until April 22nd, so my plants weren't ready to transplant until early June. I started 17 varieties from seed, including Sungold, Cherokee Purple, and Jaune Flammé which I grew using saved seed from open-pollinated (OP) plants from last season.

Tomato seedlings on May 9th

Tomato seedlings on May 15th

I prepared my two raised planting beds by adding a few inches of compost last fall, then I added another few inches of compost in April. I put black plastic over the beds in May and kept the plastic on until I planted the seedlings in early June. I started hardening off my seedlings on Memorial Day, and on June 3rd I transplanted 6-9" tall seedlings into the beds, adding Hendrikus Organics Start Right in the planting holes and spreading Dr. Earth fertilizer around each plant. I planted 7 plants in the first 4'x8' bed and 8 plants in the second 4'x8' bed, all about 2' apart since I was planning to stake them and prune to 3-4 stems. Because our springs have been so cool, I used PVC and white plastic to form a hoop house over the beds. I left a small opening on each end of hoop house to allow air flow, and I kept the plastic on until early July.

On June 10th I also planted two New Big Dwarf plants less than a foot away from a south-facing concrete wall. A week after that I planted the other black/purple varieties (C.P. Spudakee, Vorlon, and Paul Robeson) against a south-facing wall. I didn't use hoop houses with the NBD or these black tomatoes.

By July 10th a Kimberley and two Sungolds had several fruit set, and by July 12th Isis Candy and Jaune Flammé also had fruit set. The other tomatoes had lots of open blooms that would set fruit in the following week or two.

First fruit on Kimberley on July 10th

I even had one fruit set on a 15" tall Kimberley seedling in a 2" cell because I had about 20 seedlings left in my trays on the back porch, and I couldn't bring myself to throw them away as long as they still look healthy. I had already given away dozens of plants, even forcing some friends to take more New Big Dwarf (NBD) and Vorlon plants. I still ended up squeezing in the last three Kimberleys in a few sunny spots in the yard on July 11th, and I planted another Gogosha, White Queen, and Porkchop on July 12th before the rest of the plants declined and got added to the compost bin.

Extra seedlings on June 19th

2012 Grow List of Early Tomatoes

For the 2012 growing season I grew the following varieties from seed:

Cherry

• Sungold F1 (from Trade Winds Fruit)
• Blush (from Seeds of Change)
• Isis Candy (from WinterSown.org)

Black Tomatoes:

• Cherokee Purple (using saved seed from OP 2011 plant)
• Paul Robeson (using saved seed from farmers' market tomato)
• Cherokee Purple Spudakee (from WinterSown.org)
• Indian Stripe (from Gleckler Seedmen)
• Vorlon (from Gleckler Seedmen)
• Gary'O Sena (from Gleckler Seedmen)

Pink/Red Tomatoes:

• Kimberley (from Gleckler Seedmen)
• New Big Dwarf (from Gleckler Seedmen)
• Gogosha (from Knapp's Fresh Vegies)

White/Yellow/Orange Tomatoes

• Jaune Flamme (using saved seed from OP 2011 plant)
• Porkchop (from Knapp's Fresh Vegies)
• White Queen (from Trade Winds Fruit)
• Orange Russian 117 (from Trade Winds Fruit)

Red & Green Tomatoes

• Black and Red Boar (from WinterSown.org)