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I'm looking for a tomatoe for this year that gives a lot of mid size fruit, keeps producing until frost. In the past I have tried all of them at one time or another (beefsteak etc). I usually plant around 15 plants, 5 ea. of different varieties. Last season I had terrible luck with stunted plants that produced just enough for eating but no extra.(I reported this earlier under "Stunted Tomatoes") Anyway I'm considering the variety Celebrity but would like to know if anyone has a better variety they think would be better....
bbbbbbbbb Mike J Bernard
From: Spencer, Ma. | Registered: Jan 2003
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Well I have always used Burpee's Big Boy Hybrid. You can get them at Wal-mart. I already have 6 plants going. They are pretty tough to kill as well.
bbbbbbbbb Love my flowers, Stephanie
From: Monroe, Va. | Registered: Feb 2003
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Mike I really enjoy Better Boy tomatoes. They are firm, meaty, and the skin is not so thick as other types. I live in CA. and they produce for a very long time. In fact I just came back from the nursery with 12 plants ready to go in the ground. Can't wait for that first mouth full of tomatoes. I have been hooked on Better Boy's for many, many years now and have found no others I like better. Hope you find what you are looking for this year and good eating. Karen
bbbbbbbbb
From: California | Registered: Mar 2003
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I am an expert tomato grower and in response to your small fruit, it could be that you are lacking nutrients that tomatoes need. I always use extra lime and iron in the soil and have good luck. Some of my friends who also grow good crops, use dolomite which is similar, but the granular releases a little more slowly over time. Also, do you spray regularly for fungus and pests. I find my plants do much better if I spray on a weekly basis. You may just have had a bad bunch of seeds or seedlings. I live in SW Fl,I also water every two days,(unless it has rained) they need a lot of moisture. I plants in the ground instead of container boxes. I find they do much better right in the ground. Are your plants getting adequate sunlight. They need full sun all of the time. I have tried to grow tomatoes on my screened pool enclosure and just the little loss of sunlight from the screen keeps my plants from being big producers. Hope this helps. Patricia
From: Palmetto,Florida | Registered: Apr 2003
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Have you tried any of the tomatoes made to be late keepers? I am trying one of those this year. I haven't had problems in the past with tomatoes bearing until frost but was intrigued with these late keepers. Check the burpee site for info. Of course all the ideas in the previous post may help although I haven't needed to try any of the additions to my soil. The tomatoes I am referring to are called winter storage and include Burpees Long Keeper, Red October Hybrid and Winter Red Hybrid. I will start the seeds of the Long Keeper about 2.5 weeks after my other tomatoes. They are said to stay on the vine longer without softening and can last 6-12 weeks in storage. Don't take this as experience. I am trying these for the first time this year. I haven't had any problems with my toms yet but liked the idea of keeping some into the winter on the shelf. Good luck. The ones I mentioned are all burpee seeds.
From: roseville, mi | Registered: Apr 2003
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My tomatoes grow like weeds around here. Try the Celebrity....They are a very nice tomato..They were never in my pickings for tomatoes until my neighbor gave me a 6pk of them one time. (She had bought two of the same type on mistake and she knew I gardened extensively, I already grew at least 6 other different varieties... but I tried them) Well I now have them in my must buy catagory. In fact that neighbor has since moved away and my mom bought her house and now we made raised beds for my mother and we combined some our gardens together(she's 70)and we both had to downsize our amounts for gardening to split the garden (she used to like, Early Girl, Better Boy Etc.) and we each do 3 now and my one is the Celebrity. (I like the Beef Master, Beef Steak, Sweet 100's, Lemon Boy and Roma's and my mom liked Jet Star.) We have sooooooooo many tomatoes we give them away to the meals on wheels people she delivers to and the volunteers that do the delivering. And the neighbors... They see us coming, the smiles are worth every bit of the work. They are also one of the first to ripen... Of the flavors I grow. I also compost and throw in the tomotoes and the seeds over winter in my compost bins and have had hundreds of them in our flower pots and around all the plants that I throw a layer of compost over, when I use the compost in the pots or garden. I give the plants away. They are tough seeds to compost. But I love the "extra plants" I get and the pot luck suprise to see what flavor the tomato is when it comes into the fruit.....WEEZIE
bbbbbbbbb Weezie
Don't forget to be kind to strangers. For some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it. - Bible - Hebrews 13:2
Celebrating 10 years of helping your gardens grow!
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