I pinch off the first ones to let the plant gain momentum.

I do the same although sometimes I don't want to.

I know!

How many roma plants do you need to put up 10 cases of tomato sauce quarts? .120 qt jars

A lot!

I must have an heirloom or two in my list of tomatoes that I just planted.

Szarny tzetzl (or something Russian sounding)
Kelloggs Breakfast
Virginia Sweets

Well, I broke down and bought two heirloom plants today. One called Hillbilly that I have never had before but sure did look great. And then I bought Brandywine again. Don't know what came over me. Have tried Brandywine so many times before and it never comes to anything.

After sowing and transplanting 72 heirloom tomatoes into bigger and bigger pots, then into the ground, I ended up with 8 surviving. So I went and bought a mortgage lifter, and a beefsteak tomato plant. Mine are 18" bigger, and have blossoms already. I didn't think so many wound die during ttransplanting. 10 is what I wanted though.

That is a lot of work for so many lost!

Must have black thumbs

Newyorkrita said:Well, I broke down and bought two heirloom plants today. One called Hillbilly that I have never had before but sure did look great. And then I bought Brandywine again. Don't know what came over me. Have tried Brandywine so many times before and it never comes to anything.

Hillbilly can be fickle too but for the ultimate BLT few are as fine. Very fruity flavor. Most prolific of the heirlooms I've grown is Black Krim. Very tasty too.

The way things are going here I don't foresee planting until the holiday. I've got an awful Johnson grass infestation and eventually will need to build raised beds. I'll get a good harvest anyway, it's just horrible to watch the veggies being consumed by the grass. Oh, I fight it but it's an impossible battle in my rural locale.

Oh my, texaskitty111, how depressing to lose so many tomatoes. And just from transplanting? No frost?

Wes, we have a small area 4' x 4' of Johnson grass we are trying to get a handle on without pesticides. What a chore!

Yes, from transplanting. I kept breaking off the spindly tops. As many times as they were transplanted, and dropped deeper into the soil, you would think the trunks would thicken up. But, they didn't till I planted them outside.

I always brush my hand over the tops of my plants, as if I am petting them, to stimulate the stem to thicken. It's kinda like them being in the wind. Maybe next year you can try that? Did you pot up the tops? When I break a plant the broken part gets potted up. Only takes a couple days to make new roots.

I did pot them, both halves died. I didn't need 72 tomatoes, but wish Iwwasn't so clumsy

Removing 2 or 3 of the lower leaves will cause the tomato stems to thicken and make a sturdier plant. Try to do it before they become too leggy. Claud

Another note on Hillbilly, it tends to be later maturing for me here in SW Ohio. As well in SE central Ohio where I first grew it. Not that it's a faulty trait, enjoy with your late blooming daylilies.

I lean towards heirlooms over hybrids just for the variety of flavors and textures. I might have missed Green Zebra on the posted lists? It's a killer! If you can get one, do! Size and shape compares to a small Roma in my experience. I've tried other ripened greens that were enjoyable but not as memorable/desirable per my taste. Very seedy but my last saved seeds were ravaged by mice with no outdoor/garage cats. Red Zebra is tasty as well but I see no comparison other than small size and pretty skin. I find the similarity ends visually but I'm a smoker and my taste buds certainly reflect that.

My Mom has trouble with the harvest, you watch them like anything else in the garden. They get a hint of yellow and soften. Picked early they're firm like a Roma, picked late they get a bit squishy. Delicious either way, late works good with vanilla ice cream. I tend to let them go just for that. Ugly? Yeah but...I'll post a picture or youtube a video. They are that sweet at peak ripeness. I'm 7 or 8 years in with these, great in salad too but they hide. Omelettes though, ahhhh. And they show. Decent counter life plucked early.

If you want to serve a burger to impress friends with an open toasted bun, Green Zebra provides excellent shock value and wonderful fruit flavor. Every year, beyond all the gifted peak season freebies, it is the tomato friends and family call and ask for. I freeze them mixed for chili. They turn to mud in the soup but I can taste the add. I eat more in the garden than anywhere else.

It's a "must try" at the very least.

I noticed the mention of Johnson grass, which was new for me. It is a sorghum? It looks like what I have growing by my feeder. Should I zap it?

Gleni said:I noticed the mention of Johnson grass, which was new for me. It is a sorghum? It looks like what I have growing by my feeder. Should I zap it?

Gleni I can't be sure without some web searches. What we refer to as "Johnson Grass" is a zombie of plants. It is literally the living dead, cutting a root creates two new. It is Sorghum halepense or similar. We have many similar varieties all combined as "devil grass". I'd need to consult my books but they're all focused on N. American grasses and weeds. I'd nuke it but with the feeders I'm not sure what would be safe?

You want to stick to feeding friends, not killing them.

This is a risk of using bird feeders anywhere on earth. Weed seed is of value for the critters. Containment would be best left to more experienced people but you don't want to open too much window of opportunity with weed grasses. If I were to kill off my entire turf area to kill similar grasses would be an exercise in futility as my turf is surrounded by farmland where they've thrived forever. At least hundreds of years if not thousands. You can manage enough to enjoy your garden but these old grasses exist for good reason. They provide, not what we desire but they do provide.

When I cut it in my garden I'm insured new growth, X2 or 3. Dandelions and thistles can be dug or sprayed. Bad grasses are something else entirely. Short opinion on bad grasses near anything valued would be to try to kill it and kill it good. Unless you enjoy coarse grasses in your salad. Weedy grass roots win. Grasses grow almost everywhere.

Hope you can consult someone nearby? All my books are US based but worth a look.