Let's see your Maters!

[fire it up]

If you don't have many bees around you can pollinate by hand using something like a small paintbrush, you know the tiny tipped ones, and brush all the flowers spreading the pollen.
You can also take an electric toothbrush and touch it to the side of a plant. The vibrations will act similar to a bees vibration which shake the plant and help to send out pollen. You could also gently shake them by hand.

 

[tender loins]

You don't list a location so I can't tell where you are or your climate or temps.

Blossoms often don't set if temps are over 90 or below 50-55. High humidity hinders pollination too.

If you aren't in those temps, you can increase your chances by shaking the cage or plant to get the pollen to move. Tomatoes are generally self-pollinating, but they can get cross pollinated by bees, insects, wind, etc, especially varieties that are "potato-leaf" types.

 

[tender loins]

I got my plants in late this year but here are some pics of recently picked tomatoes, all use a 9" plate to make size comparison easy. I am also an amateur breeder and will post a few of my own creations too.

4 different cherries (Black Cherry, Cherry Roma, Snow White, my own Cherokee Green Grape)

Kosovo:

 

[tender loins]

One of my projects, Cherokee Bi-Color:

Another project, Cherokee Green Grape:

 

[fire it up]

All of my maters I would shake the plants or lightly flick the blosomed areas to make sure they got pollinated, growing different flowers close to your garden will also help by attracting bees and other insects.

 

[tender loins]

More projects: KB Heart, potato leaf, RED:

KB Heart, regular leaf, PINK:

KB Heart, regular leaf, PINK, completely different plant & shape:

 

[tender loins]

I bought a pollinating wand a few years ago... Brandywine is a pretty fickle tomato, the blossom shape often prohibits complete pollination, but using the wand, I had clusters setting 4 to 5 big fruits!

I still have the wand, just haven't used it much since then, of course I haven't grown Brandywine since then either! It's like a vibrator attached to a thin, long, hard plastic rod about 10-12" long. It works great when hand-pollinating AG pumpkins too.

 

[tender loins]

I'll post more pics of my own but be sure to see the Buffalo-Niagara Tomato TasteFest thread here in THIS forum, and the results in a tomato forum I belong to, Tomatoville, here:

http://www.tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=12314

 

[beer-b-q]

Most of our Tomatoes & Peppers got stolen by a neighbor this year, a couple of our other neighbors saw them but didn't tell us until recently...

Here are some that we did get, I should have started taking pics earlier but never thought about it...


Green Zebra


Mr Stripey


Lemon Boy


Orange Jubilie


Brandywine


Pink Brandywine


Supposed to be Mortgage Lifter


Yellow Pear Cherry


Red Pear Cherry


Roma Cherry (Was Supposed to Be Roma)


Pimento Pepper (1 of 2)

We also grew Black Krim but never took pics of them, BetterBoy & Beefsteak, All Stolen Never Got a Tomato

On Peppers we Grew Hot Hungarian (was leaving to get Red and All Stolen), Jalapeno, California Wonder, & Pimento (1 Plant & it only had 2 Peppers)

 

[flash]

All ya gotta do.

 

[Bearcarver]

I never had much trouble growing 'maters, but they get hard to pick sometimes. That's why I like to plant them next to the porch.



Hint: The wife is 5'9" tall:

Bearcarver

 

[flash]

http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc247/Rockyhammock/Maters2010.jpg[/img]



The Super Beefsteaks are rolling in. More than cover a hamburger bun. Plenty of BLTs, burgers and tomato pies in the future.

 

[smoke farmer]

My Grandson planted some tomatoes in my garden this year Here is his first picking,he was real happy with his Better Boy's...

 

[alelover]

Here are my San Marzanos and Romas.