Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Tomato



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I’ll be on vacation and away from a computer for a couple of weeks. Before I go I want to give you an update on ‘Dan’s Favorite’ Tomato. I bought the plant on a whim in May.

I wrote about ‘Dan’s Favorite’ in a June 9 blog. The tomato is called ‘Dan’s Favorite’. . . It was labeled “mid-season slicing tomato”. I really don’t know what that means. I’ll have to wait for a taste test to see if ‘Dan’s Favorite’ is also mine.





OK it’s the beginning of August. I guess that’s mid-season. It’s definitely a slicing tomato – just the right size for a sandwich. The bush is large and sturdy and full of huge tomatoes.


The ripe tomatoes have green or yellow spots on the outside and hard pink spots on the inside. The blotchy ripening could be the result of a mineral deficiency or uneven watering. It could be both. ‘Dan’s Favorite’ may or may not be more susceptible to this condition.



The tomato was planted in a space occupied by squash and peppers last year, fertilized with fish emulsion. Compost was added last fall and a layer of mulch added this spring after planting.

The month of July was very dry. Usually I’m careful to water regularly. I have a soaker hose laid out in a concentric circle around the plant. How hard can it be? But this was not the year to be able to spend a lot of time in the garden.

The tomato has a good taste. The size is excellent and the yield is bountiful. I should do a soil test. I may have to try ‘Dan’s Favorite’ again next year to see if I can grow them without blotchy ripening.


A list of non-pathogenic things that can go wrong with your tomatoes from Penn State listed here.

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6 comments:

Joyce said...

Yum, Dan's Favorite sounds yummy. I will put this on my list of Mators to try. There's nothing like a great tomatoes.
And your right bad year to be outside for any length of time-ugh

maría cecilia said...

Hola Marie, your garden is such a beauty at your summer time, lots of wonderful flowers, soooo very beautiful!!!!
And great tomatoes!!!
cariños and have a great time at your holidays.
Maria cecilia

Marie said...

Peeoknee,
I love when one tomato slice covers the bread. There are a lot of these large tomatoes on the bush. I picked 3 yesterday. Now if I can figure out the blotchy ripening . . .

Marie said...

Thank you Maria Cecilia.
I hate to leave the garden but it will be good to get away. Maybe I will see some intresting gardens on my trip. Now, back to packing :-).

Morning Glories in Round Rock said...

Any tomato in the garden looks good to me. It is too hot here for tomatoes to produce--we are getting ready for our second Fall crop, which I prefer. They always seem to do so much better for the second planting.

Hope you are having a nice time away, and come back refreshed and renewed.

Marie said...

Hi MG,
Tomato production is in full swing here! I haven't had trouble with blotchy ripening with the subsequent pickings of tomatoes. They are all LARGE and tasty. I will definitely plant 'Dan's Favorite' next year.

Thank you, we had a wonderful time on vacation.