Post Punk Kitchen Forum

My early girls are doing great but my cherry tomatoes are splitting their skins. It's almost like they're too juicy and can't contain themselves. Anyone else had this problem or know how to deal with it? Much thanks!

Isa, try this and see if it works: splint it and get some Elmer's glue and apply it to the wound. I've done this and it has worked on a really small scale, but have never done it on a larger plant.

Our indoor tomatoes (and peppers). Malcolm wanted to be in the picture :)

Nice pic, AM!

It's because they are getting too much water too fast. The skin has to grow slow and steady, but the insides like to soak up all the water.

+1

I was sooo excited my 2 tomato plants hadn't gotten any yellow leaves yet. Until this week. Now I see three yellow leaves with brown spots. Boohoo.

15 little green tomatoes and counting!

Only one turning red so far, but that's a start!

I think I started too many tomato threads, but I have a question. I've read lots of differing opinions on watering. So I'd like your opinions on watering. Everyday? Let them dry out? Or what? What about if you're having 100 degree days?

Ripening tomatoes? Jealous! I have probably 100 greenies of all sizes on a dozen plants. Dying with anticipation.

Even in 100-degree heat, I don't water anything until something in the garden starts to get a bit wilt-y.. and then I water everything. When your plants are giant and healthy and sprawling in mid-summer sun as opposed to than fragile tiny seedlings under a grow light, overwatering is always worse than underwatering. Everything I've grown has been able to easily handle high temperatures and extended droughts once it's well-established; when the plant has had enough dry heat, it give me a heads-up by wilting. Then I bring out the hose and water the whole garden, A LOT (a gallon for each fruiting plant, half-gallon each for herbs and flowers), and anything that was wilted is perked right up within a half-hour or so.

I pretty much agree with Stephanie on this. With tomatoes, I'm going to definitely propose consistent watering in the morning, and if needed at dusk. A mature tomato plant will need a gallon of water a day. Inconsistent watering leads to blossom end rot, splitting fruit, and just makes the plant weak.

ps-you can never have too many tomato threads.

I posted this and more tomato shots in my garden thread. I just love how many there are on this... it's making me salivate.

Wait, that is not at all like what Stephanie said!

Haha.

Untitled by veggie_172003, on Flickr

Today's harvest, tonight's dinner!

<-- Jealous of mars' and couroupita's tomatoes!

CAPS LOCK BEAUTIFUL!

You're right, I'm a dipshit. I was not explaining myself well. What I was trying to say was that with the exception of tomatoes, waiting until wilty isn't necessarily a bad thing. Example: hardy greens like kale or chard.

I'm super jealous of these hauls! I cannot wait for tomato season to be in full swing!

Picked my first one today! I think I jumped the gun a bit, because it was still a little green, but I needed a burst of happiness so I picked it anyway. Pic is in the harvest thread!

Finally have two baby green romas amid all the flowers!

I'm growing gold medal, romas, superbush, and striped romas! So excited.

just took this. they've been in the ground since early june. we've got lots of flowers and clusters of little green tomatoes, but nothing ripe yet. but the weather has been really cool, too.

My cherry tomatoes have started to boom, I picked about two EB tubs worth today. My romas are also coming in, but they're small and mealy. Possibly because I put three of them in a (huge, but still) pot.

My other tomatoes have slowly started to ripen, but I haven't gotten many because something is forking EATING THEM ALL. I had to toss more today than I got to take inside! So what hippie organic shiitake can I do to keep bugs offa my maters? All I know about is spraying them with soapy water.

Badmouthypants, try some Bt. It is a bacteria that caterpillars cannot digest. The culprit sounds like a tomato hornworm. When they are caterpillars, they are hard to see because they blend in with the foliage, but when you see one that means there are dozens more in various stages of their life cycle. Check under your leaves. If you see signs of eggs, don't give them a chance to hatch! The caterpillar will decimate your crop, then burrow in the ground to pupate into a moth. The moth will emerge and lay a whole new mess of eggs on your leaves. In a summer you can get 2-3 life cycles of the hornworm.

What is Bt and where do I get it?