A hybrid heirloom tomato

[Sheal]

If only @Oliver Buckle. At midnight we'll have had 36 hours of rain. I predict we're going to have a late summer here, probably too late for the tomatoes though.

I'm back on their home ground in August, perhaps I should take them with me.

 

[Sheal]

The Manx Marvel's are producing tomatoes, but whether there's time for them to grow and ripen I'll have to wait and see. I may have to strip the branches in a few weeks.

 

[Sheal]

Pruned some of the branches off the Manx Marvels to allow more sunlight through to the fruit. The leaf curl is caused by fluctuating temperatures but otherwise the plants are healthy. The largest tomato is currently about 2 inches in diameter. There's about 3 weeks left before temperatures start to drop with Autumn starting to show itself. I'm hoping some will start to ripen in the time left.

 

[Meadowlark]

Oh yeah, three weeks should ripen them...of course stated through Texas eyes.

 

[Sheal]

There are times when I wish I had your sunshine and heat. Getting these tomatoes to ripen in the time left will be a close thing.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

There's about 3 weeks left before temperatures start to drop with Autumn starting to show itself.

So glad I don't live in Scotland, lovely place, but I kept us in home grown tomatoes until mid October last year, though they probably got picked from the greenhouse end of Sept.

 

[yardiron]

I think that holds true for most of the U.S. right now?
We've been in the high 80's to 105° for the last 6 weeks even in the North East. Now we've been getting a ton of wind and rain separated by high temps. Today we only hit 91°F here, (About 33°C) with about 80% humidity. We're supposed to be in for more rain and thunderstorms tonight, last night we got 3.5" of rain.

Its got the whole garden far too wet, waking through the rows I sink up to my ankles even in the dry places. The rows of plants are planted slightly higher but with rain like we've had those mounds erode away fast. I spent most of this afternoon rebuilding them with some fresh top soil with some fertilizer mixed in.

The weeds have gone out of control, I try to clear a row a day and its a never ending fight to pull up the sedge grass that tries to take over. I may start letting it grown between the rows to try and keep down the mud.

With all the rain we've had they still tell us we're in a drought and can't wash are cars or water the grass. The water ways and ponds are so full some are at the road's edge but we're in a drought? 12 times so far this summer I've had rain water so deep in the yard that it ran in around the basement window frames, I had water squirting in between the gaskets and even around the window cranks and half way up the glass, in a yard that's not on low ground. Yet we're in a drought.

The grass is bright green, and needs to be cut twice a week, trees, weeds, and shrubs are growing like wildfire yet somehow there's a lack of water. We've had more rain than we've had in a summer these last two years than in any two years over the past 80 years. The last two summers were also shorter temperature wise than any in my recent memory. I never remember needing a jacket on an August night here yet last year we had 50°F nights in mid August and I was pulling up my garden by mid Sept. where as usually I'm still growing up to early Nov.

 

[Sheal]

So glad I don't live in Scotland, lovely place, but I kept us in home grown tomatoes until mid October last year, though they probably got picked from the greenhouse end of Sept.

I had a late start with these tomatoes @Oliver Buckle as the first amount didn't germinate. Also the seeds were/are 11 years old. The weather hasn't helped either with a wet spring and early summer, so it follows there was no sun or heat.

 

[Meadowlark]

I love the story myself...against all odds those seeds will find a way.

Even if for some reason the pictured tomatoes don't fully ripen, the new seeds inside them should be viable. Once past the "mature green" stage, the seeds are viable as I understand.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

Even if for some reason the pictured tomatoes don't fully ripen, the new seeds inside them should be viable. Once past the "mature green" stage, the seeds are viable as I understand.

When they reach that stage late in the year I find they ripen well on a windowsill, even without much sun. I think all they really need is the warmth of indoors, though a ripe tomato amongst them also helps.

 

[dirty hands]

When i want to ripen a lot of tomatoes together I put them in brown bags in a cool dark spot. They all ripen at the same time.

 

[dirty hands]

I think that holds true for most of the U.S. right now?
We've been in the high 80's to 105° for the last 6 weeks even in the North East. Now we've been getting a ton of wind and rain separated by high temps. Today we only hit 91°F here, (About 33°C) with about 80% humidity. We're supposed to be in for more rain and thunderstorms tonight, last night we got 3.5" of rain.

Its got the whole garden far too wet, waking through the rows I sink up to my ankles even in the dry places. The rows of plants are planted slightly higher but with rain like we've had those mounds erode away fast. I spent most of this afternoon rebuilding them with some fresh top soil with some fertilizer mixed in.

The weeds have gone out of control, I try to clear a row a day and its a never ending fight to pull up the sedge grass that tries to take over. I may start letting it grown between the rows to try and keep down the mud.

With all the rain we've had they still tell us we're in a drought and can't wash are cars or water the grass. The water ways and ponds are so full some are at the road's edge but we're in a drought? 12 times so far this summer I've had rain water so deep in the yard that it ran in around the basement window frames, I had water squirting in between the gaskets and even around the window cranks and half way up the glass, in a yard that's not on low ground. Yet we're in a drought.

The grass is bright green, and needs to be cut twice a week, trees, weeds, and shrubs are growing like wildfire yet somehow there's a lack of water. We've had more rain than we've had in a summer these last two years than in any two years over the past 80 years. The last two summers were also shorter temperature wise than any in my recent memory. I never remember needing a jacket on an August night here yet last year we had 50°F nights in mid August and I was pulling up my garden by mid Sept. where as usually I'm still growing up to early Nov.

Man made climate change?

In a few years they will be using the drought of 2026 as evidence.

 

[Gemma]

Oh yeah, three weeks should ripen them...of course stated through Texas eyes.

I periodically take some of mine in while still green, so that the plant can concentrate on growing the rest.
The ones I take in mature faster then if I would to leave them on the plant.
Some people say putting them in a brown paper bag speeds up ripening, personally I have never tried that

 

[Meadowlark]

I periodically take some of mine in while still green, so that the plant can concentrate on growing the rest.

Mocking birds love red tomatoes...hence I pick all my tomatoes at the "breaker" stage which is when they first show color change from dark green.

Picked at the "breaker" stage, they will ripen naturally and taste just as good as vine ripe. Once they reach that stage, there is no benefit to vine ripening them I'm aware of. They are mature at the breaker stage.

I have tested this out with Brix meter and found it to be true....no benefit to vine ripening if picked at breaker stage.

 

[DiggersJo]

Even in Scotland I think those lovely toms will ripen.