Harvested Over 2000 Tomatoes For August!

Today's harvest includes 39 Snow White, 26 Black Cherry, 12 Super Snow White, 10 back yard Husky Cherry Red, 9 Red Currant, 6 Jaune Coeur de Pigeon, 6 front yard Husky Cherry Red, 5 Babywine, 4 Sweet 100, 4 Jaune Flamme, 3 White Zebra, 3 front yard Green Grape, 3 Red Grape, 2 back yard Garden Peach(2), 2 Aunt Ruby's German Green, 2 Plum Tigris, 2 White Currant, 2 Green Zebra(1), 2 Italian Ice, 2 SunSugar, Husky Gold, Orange Blossom, Japanese Black Trifele (6 ounces), Green Zebra(2), Turkish Striped Monastery, Oaxacan Jewel(1), Yellow Perfection and a back yard Green Grape for a total of 152 tomatoes.

We've reached over 2000 tomatoes for the month of August (2093). Also, we've reached over 3500 harvested back yard tomatoes for 2009 (3508).

Tomorrow we'll reach over 1000 back yard tomatoes for the month and over 7000 harvested tomatoes for the year.

Several bags of tomatoes were given away yesterday to friends and people who requested some through this blog. As you'll see by clicking on the links we're harvesting a lot of cherry tomatoes.

When I mentioned the two plants pulled out earlier this week, Early Annie was pulled as well.

Harvested Over 1000 Front Yard Tomatoes For August!

And today's harvest includes 32 Snow White, 14 Black Cherry, 12 front yard Husky Cherry Red, 10 back yard Husky Cherry Red, 6 Red Currant, 4 Jaune Coeur de Pigeon, 4 Super Snow White, 4 Red Grape, 3 Plum Tigris, 3 Jaune Flamme, 3 Babywine, 2 Sweet 100, 2 White Currant, 2 Green Zebra(1), 2 back yard Green Grape, Turkish Striped Monastery, a (clean!) back yard Speckled Roman, Yellow Perfection, Japanese Black Trifele, White Zebra, Green Zebra(2), SunSugar, Italian Ice, Husky Gold and Dr. Wyche's Yellow (8.5 ounces) for a total of 113 tomatoes.

On Wednesday my wife completed watering the front yard and the back yard container plants. Yesterday she completed the watering of the back yard tomatoes. Also she pulled Patio and Sweet Olive. Sweet Olive actually had one more tomato to ripen before I told my wife to pull it but that's okay.

Last night my wife and I tried the find the caterpillar(s) causing the damage to the back yard Husky Cherry Red. We couldn't find it. This morning there's droppings underneath Snow White. I did a cursory search but found no life.

Babywine is completely draped over the front yard Husky Cherry Red.

We've now picked over 1000 front yard tomatoes for August.

We've now picked over 800 Snow White tomatoes (805) for the year.

Seeing Signs of Caterpillars

Today's harvest includes 26 Snow White, 16 Black Cherry, 15 Red Currant, 11 back yard Husky Cherry Red, 10 front yard Husky Cherry Red, 6 Jaune Flamme, 5 Super Snow White, 3 front yard Green Grape, 3 Oaxacan Jewel(2), 3 Green Zebra(1), 3 Green Zebra(2), 3 White Zebra, 3 Sweet 100, 3 Japanese Black Trifele, 2 Red Grape, 2 White Currant, 2 Babywine, 2 Jaune Coeur de Pigeon, a front yard Speckled Roman, Mong, a front yard Garden Peach, Italian Ice, a back yard Mexico (20 ounces), a back yard Green Grape, Paul Robeson and Tiger Paw for a total of 126 tomatoes.

The Mexico was a bit of a surprise – it was the most ripe of any back yard Mexico harvested to date.

The front yard Husky Cherry Red reached over 100 tomatoes (101). The back yard Green Grape reached 100 yesterday and is now at 101. White Currant has tied the highest harvest prior to this year at 315 harvested tomatoes.

It's becoming increasingly difficult to harvest the front yard Green Grape and the Jaune Coeur de Pigeon. The Snow White is so big that it completely drapes the Green Grape and is starting to drape Jaune Coeur de Pigeon. Because the tomato plants are old, picking up the branches (to look underneath) causes them to crack. In spite of the numbers it's actually becoming more difficult to harvest Snow White as well. I can't get underneath the plant without causing damage.

I'm also seeing more caterpillar droppings around the plants. The latest pile I saw is on the south end of the back yard Husky Cherry Red plant. I also saw a bit of plant damage as there are a few leaves eaten. However, I have yet to see a caterpillar this year. It's just tangential damage compared to the natural aging of the tomato plants, but still I don't want caterpillars on my tomato plants!

Harvest Numbers Finally Drop

Today's harvest included 32 Snow White, 14 back yard Husky Cherry Red, 11 Black Cherry, 9 Super Snow White, 9 Red Currant, 5 Babywine, 4 front yard Husky Cherry Red, 4 Red Grape, 4 Sweet 100, 4 front yard Green Grape, 3 Plum Tigris, 3 back yard Garden Peach(2), 3 Green Zebra(2), 3 Jaune Coeur de Pigeon, 3 Jaune Flamme, 2 Japanese Black Trifele, 2 back yard Green Grape, Turkish Striped Monastery, Green Zebra(1), White Zebra, White Currant, Dr. Wyche's Yellow, Mong and Oaxacan Jewel(2) for a total of 122 tomatoes.

That breaks the streak of 6 days of increasing harvest totals.

My wife did more watering in the front yard.

I've added fertilizer to the back yard container plants, Marz Round Green and the volunteer after today's morning harvest. I'm hoping my wife waters it in to the ground later today.

We've reached over 1700 tomatoes for the month (1702) leaving less than 1000 tomatoes over 18 days to reach my estimate of 2700 tomatoes. It looks like the estimate was too conservative but I'll wait a few days before estimating again.

We've now harvested over 1200 Red Currant (1201) and over 500 Black Cherry (504) for 2009.

Harvest Total Increases Again

And today's harvest includes 35 Snow White, 19 Black Cherry, 17 Red Currant, 13 back yard Husky Cherry Red, 11 Super Snow White, 11 front yard Husky Cherry Red, 5 White Currant, 5 Jaune Coeur de Pigeon, 4 Babywine, 3 Jaune Flamme, 3 Red Grape, 3 White Zebra, 2 Green Zebra(1), 2 back yard Paul Robeson, 2 Italian Ice, Oaxacan Jewel(1), Oaxacan Jewel(2), a front yard Green Grape, a back yard Green Grape, Husky Gold, Patio, Sweet 100, Beaverlodge Plum, Yellow Perfection, Plum Tigris, Japanese Black Trifele, Green Zebra(2), Pierce's Pride, a back yard Garden Peach(2) and Turkish Striped Monastery for a total of 150 tomatoes.

The harvest numbers have increased for a sixth straight day, based on the increased numbers coming from Snow White and the two Husky Cherry Red plants.

If you'll notice in the first paragraph, none of the tomatoes reached six ounces. Pierce's Pride was the heaviest tomato in today's harvest, coming in at five ounces. We're harvesting more tomatoes but the weight of the overall harvest is clearly dropping.

We've reached over 1500 tomatoes harvested for the month (1580).

My wife watered most of the front yard tomato plants yesterday.

Harvest Totals Increase For Five Consecutive Days

And today's harvest includes 18 Black Cherry, 17 Super Snow White, 17 Snow White, 16 Red Currant, 9 Jaune Coeur de Pigeon, 9 back yard Husky Cherry Red, 8 front yard Husky Cherry Red, 5 Green Zebra(2), 4 White Currant, 4 Oaxacan Jewel(2), 4 Red Grape, 4 Babywine, 3 Jaune Flamme, 3 front yard Garden Peach, 3 Sweet 100, 3 Japanese Black Trifele, 2 White Zebra, 2 back yard Garden Peach(2), Dr. Wyche's Yellow (14.5 ounces), Silvery Fir Tree, a front yard Green Grape, a back yard Green Grape, Black Krim, a back yard (clean!) Speckled Roman, Yellow Perfection, Berkeley Tie Dye, Plum Tigris, Green Zebra(1), Sweet Olive and Italian Ice for a total of 143 tomatoes.

After having the tomato harvest totals fall dramatically last week, the totals have increased five days in a row. Super Snow White (which I really think is another Snow White tomato plant) is in full harvest mode while several of the other plants have gotten their second wind.

Harvested 3000 Front Yard Tomatoes in 2009!

Today's harvest includes 20 Red Currant, 19 Snow White, 18 Black Cherry, 12 Babywine, 8 Super Snow White, 7 Jaune Coeur de Pigeon, 5 White Currant, 5 back yard Husky Cherry Red, 4 back yard Garden Peach(2), 4 front yard Green Grape, 2 White Zebra, 2 Red Grape, 2 Berkeley Tie Dye (one 7.5 ounces), 2 Plum Tigris, 2 Sweet 100, a tiny Beaverlodge Plum, Yellow Perfection, a back yard Speckled Roman (thin, but zero end rot!), Aunt Ruby's German Green, a back yard Paul Robeson, Japanese Black Trifele, Tiger Paw, a back yard Green Grape, a back yard Mexico (20 ounces) Husky Gold, Italian Ice, SunSugar, Jaune Flamme, Oaxacan Jewel(1) (6 ounces), Oaxacan Jewel(2) and a front yard Husky Cherry Red for a total of 128 tomatoes.

As of today we've now harvested exactly 3000 tomatoes from the front yard!

That also means that I missed the fact that we reached over 6000 harvested tomatoes yesterday.

Another missed item: My wife and I watered most of, if not all of, the back yard on Friday.

One of the things Scott Daigre mentioned at the Loteria Grill tomato tasting was this: How do you tell a green tomato is ripe? It turns yellow at the bottom. It's excellent advice, but White Zebra is an exception. It doesn't get yellow at the bottom. This tomato at maturity is slightly ruddier than the unripe White Zebra. But color is the second test of maturity for this tomato. The first test is touch. If the skin is softer, then check the color for ruddiness. I've never harvested a tomato before in which the first maturity test is feel.

The Oaxacan Jewel from the first plant was a little lucky. The first plant is completely doubled over. I picked it up to look inside. I noticed a couple of unripe tomatoes so there was no need to pull it out. But right in the crease of the fold was a ripe six ounce tomato ready to be harvested.