Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus is an awful affliction for tomatoes. It is a disease that is spread by thrips - tiny little devils they are, and enthusiastic for a munch on the yellow tomato flowers. Yesterday I was in the middle of the first tomato update of the year when I noted that my lovely Yellow Ponderosa - a variety I started from seed saved in 1995 (it is a historic variety I plucked from the USDA in 1994) was suffering. It came on all of a sudden; the telltale signs are a heavily rusted, purple brown mottling on the upper foliage. There is no cure - from my experience, it doesn't spread to neighboring plants, but still, there is no need to keep a TSWV infected plant in the garden, since anything that it produces is pitiful. So it was discarded, and a Yellow Ponderosa replacement is now in its spot. Alas and alack.
No specific details in this tomato update - just wanted to share some data on what is budding/flowering/fruiting.
Indeterminate tomatoes planted on May 3/4 (75 plants total). 10 have set fruit, 34 have open flowers, 36 have buds, leaving 5 with no buds yet.
Dwarf tomatoes planted on May 4: (41 plants). 1 set fruit, 30 have open flowers, 10 have buds.
Dwarf tomatoes planted on May 15 (65 plants). 13 have open flowers, 19 have buds, and 33 have yet to show buds.
The later planted indeterminates and dwarfs of course have no buds yet.
So - of all of my tomatoes, 11 set fruit, 77 have open flowers, and 65 have buds showing. That leaves about 50 plants that are not showing buds yet. Considering that we are only at most a bit over 3 weeks into the season, this is an excellent start!
Hoping that all of your plants are thriving!
No specific details in this tomato update - just wanted to share some data on what is budding/flowering/fruiting.
Indeterminate tomatoes planted on May 3/4 (75 plants total). 10 have set fruit, 34 have open flowers, 36 have buds, leaving 5 with no buds yet.
Dwarf tomatoes planted on May 4: (41 plants). 1 set fruit, 30 have open flowers, 10 have buds.
Dwarf tomatoes planted on May 15 (65 plants). 13 have open flowers, 19 have buds, and 33 have yet to show buds.
The later planted indeterminates and dwarfs of course have no buds yet.
So - of all of my tomatoes, 11 set fruit, 77 have open flowers, and 65 have buds showing. That leaves about 50 plants that are not showing buds yet. Considering that we are only at most a bit over 3 weeks into the season, this is an excellent start!
Hoping that all of your plants are thriving!
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