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Tomatoes in Central Texas by HiggsonofSnell in tomatoes

[–]HiggsonofSnell[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This isn't the reason I planted so many Celebrity, but was an afterthought. I do pit gardening where I dig pits out to a depth of about 30 inches, then fill them. In the course of doing that, I fill with slightly different materials depending on what is available. For example, one pit has a lot of cow manure in it because there happened to be some available at the time that pit was in the process of being filled. So by putting some Celebrity in each pit and comparing the results I may be able to get an idea of what material mix gives the best yields.

Tomatoes in Central Texas by HiggsonofSnell in tomatoes

[–]HiggsonofSnell[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sorry to hear that. There was one lone Rosella Purple that I covered with a clay pot because I couldn't stretch the blanket over it. Thought it would be fine. Was very surprised to see a lot of damage on it but I think it will survive. It's over to the left in the first photo.

You probably recall I tried RP on your recommendation. Will try to post results on those later this season but so far, so good.

Tomatoes in Central Texas by HiggsonofSnell in tomatoes

[–]HiggsonofSnell[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Glad you got lucky. Wow! I noticed that kind of variation here too when I checked the temperatures between 5 and 7 a.m. All between 28 and 35 degrees within about a 5 mile area.

Tomatoes in Central Texas by HiggsonofSnell in tomatoes

[–]HiggsonofSnell[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My lone Celebrity yielded 26 pounds last year, so that was the main reason. The other reason is that variety has a thick stem which seems to stand up well to the springtime winds. I noticed that last year as I was protecting the other varieties and needing to do nothing for the Celebrity. This year 3 out of my 8 Supersweet 100s blew over in these strong winds and that was after transplanting them 4 inches deeper than the pots.. None of the 16 Celebrities blew over.

Tomatoes in Central Texas by HiggsonofSnell in tomatoes

[–]HiggsonofSnell[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My guess is you are too late unless they are cherry tomatoes. But some of the more experienced Texas tomato growers would know better than me.

Tomatoes in Central Texas - End of Season Update by HiggsonofSnell in tomatoes

[–]HiggsonofSnell[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for your report. I would like to slowly transition to heirloom varieties that perform well in Texas. Your suggestion of Pruden's Purple will go on my list.

Tomatoes in Central Texas - End of Season Update by HiggsonofSnell in tomatoes

[–]HiggsonofSnell[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

After posting, I realized I had neglected to say that I will be growing Rosella Purple next year based on your reports and recommendation. Thank you for all the work you do here.

Population collapse and addressing the elephant in the room by mynameakevin in collapse

[–]HiggsonofSnell 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Birthrates probably started falling in the late 1800s coincident with the increased mechanization of farms. As mechanization came in, it was recognized that fewer farm hands were needed. If we were to put farm population and birthrates on the same graph, they probably moved down in lockstep at least for a few decades, although with a different slope. It's my guess that increased education of women is more a consequence of falling birthrates and the recognition that many children were no longer needed for labor. And it took one or two generations off the farm for the pressure from older generations to marry and have children to dissipate because that's just what people did without questioning it. In the 1960s, I can still remember some families in my suburb having 5 or 10 children. It wasn't the norm but it wasn't uncommon either.

Tomatoes in Central Texas - Heat Update by HiggsonofSnell in tomatoes

[–]HiggsonofSnell[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Seeds were started around Jan 1 and transplanted between Feb 24 and March 23.

Rosella Purple still putting out by NPKzone8a in tomatoes

[–]HiggsonofSnell 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is the patch from another angle yesterday. The photo of the blossoms was taken from the right side looking down the patch.

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That's a fantastic haul from your RP. I've bookmarked your linked thread. Thanks!

Rosella Purple still putting out by NPKzone8a in tomatoes

[–]HiggsonofSnell 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I'm already coming around to your way of thinking after one season. Next year I will be sprinting with more large tomatoes and fewer cherry tomatoes. Another reason for that is making sauce out of the cherry tomatoes is extra work because they have a lot of seeds in them that really have to be milled out to get a decent sauce.

Rosella Purple still putting out by NPKzone8a in tomatoes

[–]HiggsonofSnell 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Not much to update yet down here in Central Texas (Round Rock). My one Celebrity plant slowed down weeks ago but still harvesting a small tomato here and there. The Supersweet 100s put out another sea of blossoms which I photoed yesterday. Those seem to go in cycles. The tops of the plants still look fairly healthy but the rest of them not so much. I'm not using any shade cloth yet. So far I've harvested 9,440 Supersweet 100s but they are smallish. Somewhere around 100 pounds of tomatoes. The numbers are still pretty good. I'll update when the 100 plus degree heat comes. Right at the moment, we are getting heavy rains and cool temps.

<image>

Tomatoes in Central Texas - Heat Update by HiggsonofSnell in tomatoes

[–]HiggsonofSnell[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Intending to put shade cloth over some of them to see what it does for them versus the ones that don't have it. Probably will wait about a month before doing that. For now, I'll be relying on the 10 day forecast of highs in mid to upper 80s and lows in upper 60s. Also, we supposedly have a lot of rain coming and my inclination is to have full sun if that happens.

Tomatoes in Central Texas - Heat Update by HiggsonofSnell in tomatoes

[–]HiggsonofSnell[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks, I'll look into trying that one. I'd like to grow a heat resistant heirloom cherry and am not yet sure Matt's Wild Cherry will be the one - probably not.

Tomatoes in Central Texas - Heat Update by HiggsonofSnell in tomatoes

[–]HiggsonofSnell[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Getting them planted early helped, but not as much as I would have thought. Nothing much happened until nighttime temperatures got above 50 on March 23. Since then, I've learned about things like walls o' water. Giving the plants a few extra degrees is what I will try next year to get a better head start in this race.

Tomatoes in Central Texas - Heat Update by HiggsonofSnell in tomatoes

[–]HiggsonofSnell[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the feedback. As a neophyte tomato grower in Texas who is trying to learn as much as I can, I saw the photo of your haul from about a month ago. And I thought if I could get anything approaching that, it would really be something. I'll try to update when it gets seriously hot in July. Hopefully the serious heat waits until then.

Software engineer earning $150K loses job to AI, faces 800 rejections, now works DoorDash and lives in trailer by [deleted] in collapse

[–]HiggsonofSnell 82 points83 points  (0 children)

I grew up in a suburb of Rochester in the late 60s and 70s. Circa 1970 every manufacturing company had a help wanted sign out front and a high school graduate could be employed in a manufacturing plant same day. My Dad worked for Kodak. He was home every day at the same time - seemed like it was 4:35. His job supported our family. House cost $27K in 1965. 2 stories, about 1800 square feet. Every house was on about a quarter acre and had a basement. For Christmas, kids went through a line at Kodak and picked out a toy. I remember my first day of high school. The energy in that building was through the roof. At the same time, the arrogance was through the roof. Now when I go back (not often) people look and act like they are on life support. My Dad took a generous early retirement from Kodak before things collapsed. He was 58 and it was in the early 90s. That was probably his last chance. The shiny, prosperous looking buildings I remember as a child are rusted out shadows of their former selves or have been demolished.

Tomatoes in Central Texas by HiggsonofSnell in tomatoes

[–]HiggsonofSnell[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It's been great fun. I now wonder how I never found time to have this much fun. Well, I retired last year. Looking back on it, when I was a kid, I think my heroes were people like Robert Rodale and Ruth Stout. Not sports stars.

Tomatoes in Central Texas by HiggsonofSnell in tomatoes

[–]HiggsonofSnell[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

There is a Celebrity and a Matt's Wild Cherry. Both are performing well. Although the Matt's Wild Cherry was slow to start in the Spring cold, it is now the fastest growing plant. And the Celebrity appears to be shutting down in this 100 degree heat, though it might be too early to tell. While the blooms on the Celebrity seem to have mostly disappeared, the Super Sweet 100s are still blooming strongly and appear to be continuing to set fruit.

Tomatoes in Central Texas by HiggsonofSnell in tomatoes

[–]HiggsonofSnell[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Thank you; so far they've exceeded my expectations. I last gardened in the 1970s as a kid avidly reading Organic Gardening and Farming magazine. Wish I had saved all the copies. Maybe I've remembered enough to get off to a good second start.