Brandywine Tomatoes

[meg_gordon]

I have had a disappointing time with brandywine tomatoes - I know they are later than most tomatoes, but it looks like I am going to lose most of them.  Most of the tomatoes look like 4 or 5 small tomatoes all mixed and joined up, and I noticed today that more than half have started to turn dark on their bottom half.  I dont think it is BER, as the tomatoes are still very firm, but I am just not sure.  Any ideas ?

Meg

 

[cleo]

First I should say that some of the large `heritage ` types  can and often do grow irregular fruit and Brandywine in no exception.

Having said that I think you might have had some pollination problems

[chriscross1966]

THat looks like king fruit.... the flower is an irregular multiple.... really, unless you're growing something bizarre like Kirschklumpen then king flowers should be removed, you normally only get a few per plant, the rest will be normal singles. Heritage beefsteaks seem prone to it, Black Krim for instance can be bad for it,

chrisc

[lottiedolly]

I have to say all my black seaman that i have grown outdoors like just like that, i thought that was how they normally are as i have never grown them before.....oops     

[chriscross1966]

I have to say all my black seaman that i have grown outdoors like just like that, i thought that was how they normally are as i have never grown them before.....oops     

Ditto, and who exactly thought it was a good idea to call a tomato black seaman?

chrisc

[cleo]

And what about `Eva purple Ball`?

Who was Eva, did she leave her  gardener out naked on a cold night and why is it pink?

[meg_gordon]

THat looks like king fruit.... the flower is an irregular multiple.... really, unless you're growing something bizarre like Kirschklumpen then king flowers should be removed, you normally only get a few per plant, the rest will be normal singles. Heritage beefsteaks seem prone to it, Black Krim for instance can be bad for it,

chrisc

Thanks Chris - will attack the greenhouse with scissors this afternoon.  Would fruit from the king flowers also be discoloured on their bottom half?

Meg

[chriscross1966]

THat looks like king fruit.... the flower is an irregular multiple.... really, unless you're growing something bizarre like Kirschklumpen then king flowers should be removed, you normally only get a few per plant, the rest will be normal singles. Heritage beefsteaks seem prone to it, Black Krim for instance can be bad for it,

chrisc

Thanks Chris - will attack the greenhouse with scissors this afternoon.  Would fruit from the king flowers also be discoloured on their bottom half?

Meg

From experience with a fair few beefsteaks and the aforementioned Black Seaman, king fruit seem to be more prone to just about every other tomato fruit fault going than any normal one... blossom end rot, greenback, uneven ripening... you name it.....

I'll be cutting my tomato list down next year a lot, I'll only be growing:
Sungold, Black Cherry, Kirschklumpen and Garden Pearl for cherries, Tigerella for a standard, Black Krim, Costoluto Fiorentina and Korol Gigantov for beefsteaks and San Marzano, Heinz and Mortgage Lifter for cookers..... I'll grow Brain if I can track down some seeds and I might give Princepe Borghese another chance... I grew over 20 varieties this year, if nothing else it taught me that a lot of heirlooms are either over-regarded or else don't like my soil much.....of that list I grew all of them this year apart from Mortgage Lifter, Sungold and Brain..

chrisc

[GrannieAnnie]

Crisscross,  that's still quite a list of tomatoes! I'm narrowing ours down to: Burpee's Better Boy, Black Krim, Tigerella and some un-named cooking tom.  Maybe one Pruden's Purple if I weaken.   

Not planting again:  Anna Russian, Cherokee Purple, Brandywine or cherry toms unless a cherry does well in solar cold frame house.

Of course the seed catalogues haven't arrived yet........

[Vinlander]

What's a 'solar cold frame house' ? sounds  like a double-barrelled contradiction to me!

If you can grow Tigerella in one you can probably grow Gardeners' Delight which is very slightly smaller but better (in a UK climate anyway).

Or is size all that matters?

Cheers.

[GrannieAnnie]

What's a 'solar cold frame house' ? sounds  like a double-barrelled contradiction to me!

Vinlander, I haven't known quite what to call that thing I built.
It is like a cold frame in that it isn't heated except with tubs of sun-heated water.
And it is like a greenhouse in that I can walk into it. Hence the hybrid name. If you come up with a better name I'm all ears.

[Vinlander]

What's a 'solar cold frame house' ? sounds  like a double-barrelled contradiction to me!

Vinlander, I haven't known quite what to call that thing I built.
It is like a cold frame in that it isn't heated except with tubs of sun-heated water.
And it is like a greenhouse in that I can walk into it. Hence the hybrid name. If you come up with a better name I'm all ears.

Well as far as I know it's a US invention from way back, so I'd defer to you on naming it (I've been trying to promote it in the UK as a greener, cheaper, more reliable alternative to a greenhouse heater for nearly-hardy plants).

However I think including the phrase "heatsink" or more helpfully "heat reservoir" might make it more understandable to newbies.

Also in a country like the UK (where the problem is long periods of overcast, sunless, damp cold hovering either side of zero) the solar effect is sadly minor and the primary benefit of pure(ish) water is its 'sacrificial' ability to prevent (impure) sap from freezing - the latent heat of freezing water is immense and will keep frost out more reliably than mere heaters...

This is why circulating air through a solid heatsink just won't cut it (apologies to Dick Strawbridge - full marks for execution but only 4/10 for theory).

But congrats. to the US for inventing it and/or promoting it - here's to more power to your gardening elbow.

Cheers.

[chriscross1966]

I'll probably not have it in place for next year but hopefully the year after.... I'm planning on sticking a 5 cubic metre (5000 litre, shade over a thousand gallon) tank underneath my greenhouse (20ftx10ft) and lining the back wall with some solar capture panels (and also plumbing in a log-burning boiler..... the theory will be to use solar (and if needed, fire) to heat the water and then use the water to stabilise temperature....... It'll need to be split into two sections, cos I want a 3/4-1/4 split in the GH, don't want to heat the whole thing in the winter....

[saddad]

And what about `Eva purple Ball`?

Who was Eva, did she leave her  gardener out naked on a cold night and why is it pink?

I have no Idea... but mine are very pink too! 

[GrannieAnnie]

What's a 'solar cold frame house' ? sounds  like a double-barrelled contradiction to me!

Vinlander, I haven't known quite what to call that thing I built.
It is like a cold frame in that it isn't heated except with tubs of sun-heated water.
And it is like a greenhouse in that I can walk into it. Hence the hybrid name. If you come up with a better name I'm all ears.

Well as far as I know it's a US invention from way back, so I'd defer to you on naming it (I've been trying to promote it in the UK as a greener, cheaper, more reliable alternative to a greenhouse heater for nearly-hardy plants).

However I think including the phrase "heatsink" or more helpfully "heat reservoir" might make it more understandable to newbies.

Also in a country like the UK (where the problem is long periods of overcast, sunless, damp cold hovering either side of zero) the solar effect is sadly minor and the primary benefit of pure(ish) water is its 'sacrificial' ability to prevent (impure) sap from freezing - the latent heat of freezing water is immense and will keep frost out more reliably than mere heaters...

This is why circulating air through a solid heatsink just won't cut it (apologies to Dick Strawbridge - full marks for execution but only 4/10 for theory).

But congrats. to the US for inventing it and/or promoting it - here's to more power to your gardening elbow.

Cheers.

Vinlander, thank you for the idea. I can imagine there will be blank looks from most people if I say heat sink, but I'll give it a whirl. The water heat sink works for growing lettuce through the winter which was my limited goal though half of the space has a cherry tom growing because I'm hoping to see how long it will produce frost free. It appears we've strayed from the topic of Brandywines, so I'll add they grew way too tall and wide to make them practical for me.

[meg_gordon]

Back to brandywine toms - at last, picking the ones that didn't end up looking like they were beamed down from Mars and wow, what a flavour.  This is the first time I have grown/tasted these toms and dont think it will be the last.   

Meg