Tomatoes in August?

[Meadowlark]

Not here, not in East Texas....if you garden long enough like I have anything is possible.

In comes @Martin Mikulcik with a special Roma he wanted me to try. Ok, sure. Said it may have heat staying power.

To evaluate, I purchased a few WalMart Romas to plant at the same time late spring when it is dicey here to get fruit before the big heat.

Both did produce fruit, but Martin's Romas were larger and more numerous than the WalMart brand.

Now enter August. The WalMart Romas are gone, fried. What about Martin's...look below and see for yourself.

Still blooming (but I can't believe fruit set) but look carefully and see small green tomatoes. Not loaded, but any tomato in August here is to be celebrated. I'm declaring Martin's Romas a winner.

Now I'm going to try my best to nurse them through until cool weather comes and expect to see them take off again.


WTG Martin.

 

[Martin Mikulcik]

This is a tomato that's been in my family about two decades and to be honest i didn't know it was anything special until i moved a few years ago and didn't have as many seeds as I'd normally so i thought I'd buy a few packs at the store to supplement, a San marzano and some other roma, vf maybe. It was a drier year and the other two... it wasn't even close. The other two had me thinking I'd forgotten how to grow tomatoes but I'd look at that back row and think, no, other tomatoes just aren't bred for here. I don't live in Italy or wherever.

I thought maybe it was adapted to dry poor soil because we're notorious at underfertilizing and not watering so the next year i fertilized heavy and i was inundated with so many, crack free, large, pastey, tomatoes hardly any rot growing right on the ground. I don't stake these. These are a workhorse, we might can a couple hundred quarts in a year

My brother did all the original breeding, if you're ever in Murray Kentucky he's got a really cool nursery there, Mikulciks Nursery.

I think a lot of people overcomplicate gardening with their heat pads and their grow lights and whatever else and i start these tomatoes in the ground outside as seed. My brother has a greenhouse so he gets a jump start but i let them germinate in a clean bed in the ground and then transplant them into the field. I've done flats outside too but i forget to water sometimes. This method takes longer to the first fruit but usually they last later into the season and you still get a great harvest

Anyway, i was interested to see how they would do in Texas, I've never noticed heat being detrimental and ky gets pretty hot but not like Texas. I'm thrilled to see they can take it

If i could only grow one tomato it would be this one and some years that's literally the case. I think paste tomatoes are overlooked as generic but i see them as a do everything tomato. They are kind of generic. Nothing flashy but they do the job really really well.

 

[Meadowlark]

You need to give that tomato a fitting name. It deserves it.

 

[Martin Mikulcik]

You need to give that tomato a fitting name. It deserves it.

We never were good at marketing

 

[Meadowlark]

We never were good at marketing

Maybe open the naming up to the Forum? Some clever folks here. I could offer a 6-in-1 tester as a prize

 

[Xraycer]

Maybe open the naming up to the Forum? Some clever folks here. I could offer a 6-in-1 tester as a prize

Helio Roma

 

[smitty55]

Larry it's really too bad that those Greeks didn't take to your local climate I was a bit later planting mine this season so it will be at least a couple of weeks yet before I get to harvest any. Plants are doing well with a normal amount of fungal issues on the bottom two feet. This pic was taken yesterday. Cheers

 

[Meadowlark]

Larry it's really too bad that those Greeks didn't take to your local climate I was a bit later planting mine this season so it will be at least a couple of weeks yet before I get to harvest any.

Those are beautiful plants @smitty55 that look to be loaded with fruit. Well done.

 

[smitty55]

Those are beautiful plants @smitty55 that look to be loaded with fruit. Well done.

Tks, hopefully I'll be eating them daily until well into October along with more tomato sauce and salsa. The flavour of these is incredible.

 

[Xraycer]

Tks, hopefully I'll be eating them daily until well into October along with more tomato sauce and salsa. The flavour of these is incredible.

What variety of tomatoes is it?

 

[smitty55]

What variety of tomatoes is it?

Heirloom Greek tomatoes that I've been saving seeds for over 30 years. I initially got them from Greek immigrants. Nothing else I've ever tried can compare. Andrew Rahart were about the closest but couldn't match the flavour. They are excellent for canning as well, super meaty.

 

[Martin Mikulcik]

Heirloom Greek tomatoes that I've been saving seeds for over 30 years. I initially got them from Greek immigrants. Nothing else I've ever tried can compare. Andrew Rahart were about the closest but couldn't match the flavour. They are excellent for canning as well, super meaty.

Care to share?

 

[smitty55]

Last year I got talked into selling some seeds to an Organic Seed retailer in Ottawa for the first time ever. Here's the link. Get back to me when you get some and I'll give you a rundown on the best growing method. Basically it's vertical growing a single vine and removing all suckers. Fruit are commonly over a pound with the odd 2lb monster in the mix.
https://gaiaorganics.ca/product/michaels-greek-tomato/. Cheers

 

[Martin Mikulcik]

Last year I got talked into selling some seeds to an Organic Seed retailer in Ottawa for the first time ever. Here's the link. Get back to me when you get some and I'll give you a rundown on the best growing method. Basically it's vertical growing a single vine and removing all suckers. Fruit are commonly over a pound with the odd 2lb monster in the mix.
https://gaiaorganics.ca/product/michaels-greek-tomato/. Cheers

Canada only

 

[smitty55]

Canada only

No prob, send me a sase and I'll mail you some. Pm me and I'll give you my address. Be aware that they wouldn't grow in hot Texas climate