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Do you see what I see? Could it be? That tomato isn't as green as it used to be. The photo doesn't really show it very well, but that tomato is definitely starting to ripen! A ripe tomato in July will be a first since I moved to this area. It sure beats picking the first tomatoes at the end of August or beginning of September.
That tomato is Gigantesque, a cool weather adapted variety from Ukraine. It was the first tomato to set this year. This variety ripens to an orangey-red on the outside with deep pink dense nearly seedless flesh. Here's a photo from October 12 last year of 17 pounds of Gigantesque tomatoes, the peak of the harvest, all from one plant.
Last year I posted my first photo of a ripening tomato (Black Sea Man) on August 7 . That post also shows the first Gigantesque tomato sizing up but nowhere near starting to ripen. Black Sea Man was early, prolific, and healthy, but I found its flavor to be disappointing. Gigantesque was a bit later to set, but still early, prolific, and healthy, and it was delicious.
So, I've got good homemade bread, lettuce from the garden, applewood smoked bacon, and . . .
Very nice! Lots of twiddling thumbs going on over here for red tomatoes too...
ReplyDeleteOh wow! You harvested all those tomatos last year from one plant? How many were there in total? that is so amazing! Do you do anything special to your soil?
ReplyDeleteZeke, is a beautiful cat. Looks like our Yaffa kitty.
I really have to try that tomato. Cool weather tomatoes grow so well here. I need to try more of them. This year though is the paste tomato trial. I'm not sure if I should be sad that the weather isn't like normal or not. Usually it is much cooler here over the summer. It doesn't make for a perfect trial, but does make for good tomatoes.
ReplyDeleteYUM! I can't wait for my tomatoes to ripen. I am very jealous of your tomato goodies. :) Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteGigantesque is a tomato I am going to try in my garden. I wish I had it this year as our summer is very slow getting here.
ReplyDeleteYou're in California zone 9? I am too but tomatoes are usually ripe by mid June. This year I'm a bit behind but look to be canning the 1st part of July.
ReplyDeleteYour produce looks lovely. Nice chronicalling.
Oh, how exciting! There's definitely a difference in colour between those last two photos. A good choice of variety for early tomatoes.
ReplyDeleteHow big does this plant get when it can grow so many fruit at the same time? Is it determinate variety?
ReplyDeleteThis year’s tomatoes will be ready for harvest in a few weeks. The difference in color is noticeable.
Whoa tomato in July, Gigantesque live up to its name, those are big nice tomatoes, congratulations.
ReplyDeleteYou mean tomatoes don't start to ripen this early every year??? I feel like I've been really lucky since I started gardening last August. We had a great fall and spring, and now it looks like we'll have a great summer. I would hate to not be able to experience this every year.
ReplyDeleteWow! It could be a great summer in your garden! Deliciously looking tomato!
ReplyDeleteYum! i am coming for lunch...
ReplyDeleteThat tomato is definitely breaking color and I predict a ripe tomato in your near future! That looks like a great variety - filing it away in the mental note file as one that might be worth a try in my area.
ReplyDeleteActually, I'm amazed your toms don't usually ripen until August ... in your climate ? Congrats on your promising July harvest !
ReplyDeleteWill definitely keep this variety in mind as earlies are most welcome in my garden.
Momma_S, waiting is so difficult, that's "watched pot" thing . . .
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meemsync, I wasn't keeping very good records of the harvest last year so I don't know how much, but it was a lot.
All my beds get pretty much the same amendments - crab meal, sulfate of potash (sounds chemical but it just finely ground rock), humic acid, a slow release granulated turkey poop fertilizer, and a top dressing of compost. The tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant also get either finely ground eggshells or bonemeal for calcium.
Yaffa must be a good looking kitty too. :)
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Daphne, funny, you are having warmer than usual weather and it's been cooler than usual here. I guess that's a good test for the cool weather tomatoes this year. I'm trying one other cool weather variety this year, a Russian variety named Katja, it has set a lot of tomatoes already. I hope Katja tastes good.
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A Girl..., I think I've still got a fair amount of waiting before I get to taste that first tomato . . . nothing to be jealous of yet. :)
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keewee, it seems that the whole west coast is getting a cool start to summer this year. The fog has been really persistant around here.
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Maybelline, You must be further from the coast than I am. Our nighttime temps are still getting down to the low 50's and high 40's and it hasn't gotten warmer than the low 70's for the last couple of weeks. And lots of fog, fog, fog - the valley is socked in even now.... I hope it retreats to the coast today.
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chaiselongue, I am really excited about that tomato, that variety is likely to become a mainstay in my garden.
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vrtlarica, That variety is indeterminate. Last year it grew to the top of my 5 foot (1.5 meter) tall tomato cage and then grew down the sides a couple of feet.
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mac, It's supposed to be able to produce fruits 2 pounds and bigger, but my plant last year had smaller fruits, perhaps because I don't do any pruning. I haven't had July tomatoes since I moved away from the SF Bay Area, I didn't think it was possible here.
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Thomas, not here, or so I thought, they certainly ripen earlier in warmer places. My microclimate here is quite cool in the early summer, we get lots of evening and morning, and occasionally all day fog that keep things on the chilly side. When I lived in the SF Bay Area in a warmer microclimate I always got ripe tomatoes in July.
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Tatyana, It could be, I hope so!
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Julie, I hope you're not too hungry, we might starve waiting for that tomato to get fully ripe. :D
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kitsapFG, I think you should definitely give that variety a try, it's the best cool weather variety I've tried yet. I hope it tastes as good this year as it did last year.
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miss m, Yes I live in California, but most people don't realize how cool our summers can be near the coast. Folks around here like a quote wrongly attributed to Mark Twain - "The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco". You can always spot the tourists in the summer, they're the folks shivering in shorts and t-shirts. Our warmest weather starts in late summer and we have our best weather in September and October.
I don't know if you're in southern or northern CA, but the climate sounds very similar to where I grew up in west Torrance (southern CA). Every time I visit my mom, I'm always amazed at how cool the ocean breeze is even in the summer time. I also used to live in San Francisco, and it gets downright cold there in the summertime!
ReplyDeletethyme2garden, I'm on the central coast in Monterey county, I guess most would consider that to be northern CA. You know to pack a few layers when visiting the CA coast. :)
ReplyDelete"Central coast" sounds accurate, although I might go one extra step and call it northern central coast, just to distinguish it from the San Luis Obispo area. But for the rest of the country, I guess northern CA works. :) And I second you on the layers suggestion!
ReplyDeleteI hear ya! Some of our tomatoes are ripening too. It would be the first time I've ever had ripe tomatoes at the beginning of July too. Nice.
ReplyDeleteI'm right there with you! I've got homemade bread, homemade gouda, basil and a greenish-yellow tomato...
ReplyDeleteJackie, you make your own cheese! I'm on my way . . .
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