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I think it’s common knowledge by now that I’m a tomato girl. Beefsteaks, Big Boys, Bull’s Hearts—I love them all.
Well, almost all. Even though they’re delicious, I can’t seem to wrap my head around the purple or blackish ones. They may taste good, but to me, they’re unappetizing. Tomatoes should be red. OK, maybe orange or yellow, I’ll allow that. But black? I just can’t do it. If you disagree, feel free to make your case in the comments. I do love a good game of Change My Mind.
This year, I’m having the worst time with my tomatoes. Limited on space this year because I planted a bunch of potatoes (good harvest!) and zucchini (a bust!), I only planted two plants, a Big Boy and a 2023 trial variety called Sun Dipper (an orange-red elongated cocktail tomato shaped like a peanut so it can be held between your fingers and dunked into the dip in a crudité platter.)
The Sun Dippers are yummy and fun to eat, but I’ve only gotten a couple of handfuls. I can’t blame the plant because I haven’t harvested a single Big Boy yet — and there are currently more than 40 hard, green tomatoes on the plant, no riper than they were two weeks ago.
So what’s going on? Although drought is a widespread problem this year (and truth be told, I haven’t exactly been on top of watering), my plants are doing fine. They’re healthy and growing. Insufficient water wouldn’t necessarily affect ripening, anyway, nor would fertilizer.
Temperature, on the other hand, plays a significant role: Tomatoes ripen best when temperatures are between the mid-70s and mid-80s. Ripening slows significantly when it’s cooler than 75 or warmer than 85 degrees. Mine have come to a grinding halt (yes, tomatoes can be grown in the Deep South, but the varieties sold at local nurseries there are heat-tolerant types—plus southernmost gardeners know not to grow tomatoes during the height of summer).
When tomatoes have begun ripening and show some red, harvesting them is OK because they’ll ripen indoors. But if picked when fully green, they’ll remain green forever. I’ve got about another month to play with here on Long Island in southern New York, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed.
How many fried green tomatoes can a girl eat?
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📬 Ask Jessica
DEAR JESSICA: My tomato plants’ leaves are curling up. Any advice? — Joe Kaplan, Georgia
DEAR JOE: Lack of sufficient water or too much heat can lead to curled leaves, in which case increasing water and providing a bit of shade will reverse the problem. Other times, leaves will roll when exposed to herbicides, which can kill plants or too much nitrogen fertilizer. If your plants’ leaves curl shortly after planting, it’s likely due to transplant shock from root damage, and this usually resolves on its own in a week or two.
If none of those seem to be the case, then a virus could be responsible. Tomato leaf curl is spread by insects and causes downward (versus your reported upward) curled foliage. Tomato mosaic virus is another; its telltale signs are mottled foliage that often becomes cupped or curled upwards. Neither is curable. If you suspect a virus, remove plants immediately to prevent its spread to other plants. Good luck!
💡 If you do one thing this week…
Take pictures of your garden, so you know where to place new plants in spring.
🔥50 % OFF FIRE SALE!
Grab one of the remaining copies of my 2022 Day-by-Day Gardening Calendar at half price — just $12.50—while they last! That’s less than 25 cents a week for 365 garden tips and chores.
If you’re unfamiliar, hanging one of these babies on your wall is like having a complete gardening course in a wall calendar! I’ve included 365 tips and chores to ensure your garden stays on track every day of the year. You’ll never miss a sowing, planting, fertilizing, pest-control or other important gardening date again!
By the end of the year, I promise, you’ll have earned a green thumb! Plus, your wall will be adorned with award-winning photography provided by The Weekly Dirt readers.
Grab one today while it’s on your mind because when they’re gone, they’re gone (and I’m not going to publish a wall calendar for 2023). Take a look:
👏 Sunday shoutout
Jerry Schwanke of Vancouver, Wash., shares this photo of a sitting area in his raised bed garden, “a lovely spot for the evening cocktail or coffee with the morning newspaper.” Well done, Jerry! Enjoy it!
Send in your photo, and you could be featured next!
📰This week in my Associated Press gardening column
I write a weekly gardening column for the AP, so you might have seen my byline in your local paper (or news website) — wherever in the world you happen to be. In case you miss it, though, I’ll post the most recent here every week.
This week, I wrote about turning a strip of no-man’s land into a curb appeal.
You know that boring strip of grass — or weeds — between the street and the sidewalk that technically belongs to your city or town, but whose care ultimately falls to you?
That slice of no-man’s land is typically plagued by compacted soil, tree roots, exhaust fumes from passing cars, and “gifts” from neighborhood dogs. But with a little effort, the “hell strip” can become a heavenly garden addition that adds to your home’s curb appeal.
Before that, I wrote about dealing with stressed lawns, how to take your garden back from mosquitoes, when and how to harvest potatoes, attracting birds to your garden, saving Monarch butterflies, troubleshooting vegetable gardens and a lot more.
You can read all my AP gardening columns here.
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Why won't my tomatoes ripen?
I always like the Brandywyne, this year I tried a yellow version. However, my issue this year with my tomatoes was the blooms not setting the fruit. Plants looked, and still look good, but with 12 plants, I'll be lucky to get 12-18 tomatoes this season (not counting the 3 or 4 taken by chipmunks or catbirds). If anyone has thoughts on that, I'd love to hear.
I grow 40 tomato plants. This year my favorite was the Japanese black truffle. It will change your mindset regarding “black” tomatoes!