It was really cold and then it was really hot:( Here's the tomatoes I grew:

Coyote-Still here and still producing. Some disease and no problems with insects or worms.

Champagne Cherry-Same as Coyote

Giant Belgium-Made a few very nice large and tasty fruit, had disease problems and struggled in the heat, I pulled it out a while ago.

Hillbilly- Same as Giant Belgium

Cherokee Purple-Same as Giant Belgium except more productive

Black from Tula-Made two nice tomatoes but the plant struggled in the heat. I didn't notice any disease or insect problems though.

Stupice-vigorous and productive. Moderate disease and insect problems. Finally stopped by heat.

Sunsugar-Same as Stupice and the hornworms liked it

Matt's Wild Cherry- never took off for some reason. I'll try again.

I will try Cherokee purple in the fall for the first time.
I want to try Stupice based on your experience!

Big Beef- planted 2 both moderate yield, for the size of the plants which is over 10 feet tall now. The plant is still producing well and is still setting new fruit.

Cabernet-planted 2 They are about 9 feet tall produced well and still setting fruit. I would say the production matched what I expected. The fruit lately has tasted pretty good, the fruit at the start of the season I found rather bland.

Sweet 100-planted 2 one plant is still setting fruit and the yield has been great. The other plant wilted about the time it started to produce well and collapsed. As it turned out it was due to a mole that had created air space under the plant.

Matts Wild Cherry This tom was started under lights after the other tomatoes and peppers were moved outside to harden off so was 6 weeks behind the others. I started 4 plants of this new (to me) variety. I have been very pleasantly surprised by it....I really like the fruits taste and texture and it will be a regular from now on. The plants are just now hitting their stride. I have them in very large 6 foot tall and wide cages but they are almost impossible to keep contained. The plants are about 7 feet tall and growing fast...I have just given up and let them sprawl outside the cages.

I did not mention the diseases or pest problems for each as all varieties have been the same (Except for the Matts). First no worms at all...quite a shock as I always have problems with the horn worms. I have been having trouble with what seems like a plague of stink bugs. As a rule I do not spray the garden with pesticide but I finally gave up and have been doing so to control the stinks with some success. Still have to crunch a few every day though.

Disease problems have been fairly mild with just a bit of blight and a bit of fungus problems. I do not like to spray so only do so when a problem starts. It has not hurt production and the top half of the plants are still vibrant green and productive.

The Matts has had a few stink bugs but has had zero fungus, zero blight, zero worms......they are vibrant green top to bottom, I am impressed. They are a bit of a nuisance to pick due to the dense foliage though and the very small fruit size but well worth the effort.

ana_garden-if you e-mail me your address I can send you some extra seeds of Stupice.

You folks getting tomatoes now are lucky, I am so envious.... all mine succumbed to the white-fly virus, early-on, in spite of a whole shelf-full of sprays... even my Yellow Pear, which in previous years kept chugging along all summer, was beaten down by the virus and I pulled everything out and got rid of it in the dumpster..... don't know if I have the heart to try again this Fall..................sally

Sally, your too close to the water too. When it gets warm the bugs decimate everything regardless of maintenance spraying.... For Zone 10 on the water start 9/15 and 2/15 and you'll do fine. At the first sign of TYLCV pull the plants and get them out of the garden so the virus is not transmitted to your healthy plants.

Tom

Mine were a waste this season - I got them started late anyway, so I was thinking I'd get short production before the heat got them, but it was the stink bugs that turned out to be the real problem. They were absolutely EVERYWHERE, and they seemed impervious to sprays. The tomatoes all went red when they were still immature, I guess from the damage they were taking from being constantly pierced by the bugs - so even though they looked red and ripe on the plant, they were too small and didn't taste right. I'm in the process now of pulling up and bagging everything (slow going in this heat!)

I never had this problem before, I'd have Yellow Pear all summer, until the mealybugs over-ran them... this White fly is something new..... I wonder if it would do any good to get some screening, or some mosquito netting, and wrap it around the tomato plant.... has anyone ever tried it ? sally

I started late so didn't get a huge harvest but the Better Boy VFN and the Sweet 100s did pretty well. The plants are still okay and I'm getting ready to cut back for fall growth.

For the first time ever I managed to grow some totally tasteless tomatoes. I think they were Roma, that shape anyway. They were planted alongside the others, same sun, same water. I didn't know home grown tomatoes could be that bland.

CJC,

I Googled Roma Tomato and it came up with this:

Roma tomatoes are the epitome of a true paste tomato. Their dense, meaty flesh, low moisture content and few seeds (we counted exactly 100 in a 2 oz Roma), make them ideal for processing into sauces, paste, ketchup (catsup) or canning.

Looks like you were growing a paste tomato and not a taste tomato.

Lou

Asude from Early Girl, mine were terrible this year. The Purple Cherokee just started to produce when the heat did them in. Stink bugs galore. Never had worms before either. This is the first year that I actually cleared and grew a garden and not grew in pots on my deck. I am tearing everything out even the cukes and squash that both look exhausted anyhow.

It was a rough year for tomatoes, but there is always next time right?

I just got back into tomatoes a few months ago. I'm just trying to nurse a few plants thru the heat and disease. I figure if I can pull them thru the summer, I should do well when the weather cools off. The few blooms I get simply burn up. I am in Miami.

I used Serenede and Spinosid and had good growing this year
Cherokee purple Good Production they were the first to quit setting fruit But my favorite for taste
Brandywine productive Still setting fruit occasionaly seem prone to splittng good flavor
Roma vfn Very productive seem to have the most pest problems small leaf cats and stink bugs not much flavor
Chocolate Cherry Did better in pots than in the ground very few problems heat finally got them
Everglade (same as Matts?) By far the easiest Tomato to grow
still going strong and my neighbors tortoise loves them.

My tomatoes were a major dissapointment this year. Next year I am going to stake better and probably grow them in pots and use more preventative measures for pest. This year I apparently mostly grew the tomatoes for the stinkin stinkbugs, so just to spite them, I threw to maters to the chickens. I am debating if I want to bother grow any for fall or not...
The ones that did the best were Early Girl, Betterboy, Cherokee Purple, and Big Rainbow. The black cherry and the sungold did the best out of the cherry T.

My peppers are doing awesome (as usual) but of course the stinkbugs don't like them.

amberroses: that's what I like about Florida! When my tomatoes get bad by June, I don't try to save them and think about my fall planting. amberroses, I sent you an email!

rednofl: my Roma VFN were productive and compact plans but as yours had the most pest problems and needed spinosad after every rain.

I never tried growing heirlooms because of their lack of disease resistance. But I changed my mind since everybody loves Cherokee purple and I will try it this fall.

ana_garden- I didn't get your e-mail. Sometimes that happens to me with Gardenweb. I didn't see yours listed on here so try and send it to me again. Try copying the address into your regular e-mail program.

Tom : When you say " For zone 10 on the water start 9/15 and 2/15 ", does that mean starting seeds indoors then, or planting the 3 " tall plants in ground outside ? I just lost all 6 of my tomato plants ( 3 in pots on lanai, 3 in ground outside ), dumped all in the compost bin. I admit I didn't spray much, which I will do more of in the fall planting, but still expected better results. Biggest shock was when I saw a fat, 3 " long caterpillar chomping away on my biggest green tomato.
Am new to planting here on the SW Florida coast, so must ask, - what is TYLCV and how do I recognize it ?

I haven't seen a hornworm eating the actual fruit yet, but I would probably start screaming if I did. I mean you don't put in all that effort to grow a nice tomato for a hornworm right?

I have a spinosad product which works well on the worms, but where do you all buy this Serenade you speak of?

The best tomato I have ever grown in Florida is Bella Rosa. I dont spray for anything, so I do have hornworms, which the chickens adore, when I get brave enough to pick them off....they are just so icky! But they are the most disease resistance care free tasty tomato Ive grown down here.

Fruitworm problems on romas and cherry tomatos, and major stinkbug problems on the cherries. Not sure what variety they were - just bought them from Ace Hardware as transplants - first real time gardening :) I wish I had known what the stinkbug nymphs looked like so I could have killed them immediately... I had to do some research and by that time they had grown up and were harder to get. We tried some DIY organic sprays (oil, soap, water mix type stuff) which worked pretty well for the fruitworms if applied consistently.

To Sally & all tomato lovers,

As you know I grow my veggies in my screen-greenhouse and do not have any bug problems, I got to thinking about what Sally asked about wrapping screens around the tomato plant and wondered if a mosquito tent would be an easier way for her to solve the problem with all the bugs. I typed mosquito tent in the eBay search box and was surprised to see good sized mosquito tents(10'by10')at very reasonable prices(around $50 bucks)that I think would work great at keeping bugs away from your tomatoes, peppers, etc. I'm not sure if they also sell them locally at Lowes, Home Depot, or Walmart but might be worthwhile for you to check it out. It looks like it would be easy to set up (just like a pup tent). Anyhow just sending this idea out to everyone to evaluate for your own purposes. Tomatoes & peppers do not need bees to set fruits and will work well in a tent type setup.

I hope this idea will help you enjoy your home grown tomatoes like I do.

Lou

On closer observation they appear to be only the mosquito sidewall netting to fit around an existing tent canopy or gazebo canopy and not the full setup. BUMMER!

But, maybe someone could adapt this idea for their use.

Lou

amberroses: I gave up on this email system! I can't see your email so I can't copy it and you don't receive it if I use the link. The only thing I was able to do is to make my email link showing in my profile!

I'm torn about floating row covers and mosquito netting and stuff like that. On the plus side, it would absolutely help with the bugs in a completely organic, safe way. That's a big consideration. On the minus side, it would be kind of a pain getting in and out of that stuff to weed and water and harvest or whatever - and in MY garden, I have to worry about what it looks like, because it's right in my front yard. And I barely have the skill to hammer a nail, much less rent tools and buy supplies and try to construct frames and supports for things like that. Man, I wish I had some construction skills or some tools - I hear so many great ideas for raised beds and mini greenhouses and bug-cover doohickies- and I can't do a bit of it! Rats!

Thanx Lou, the pics of your scree-room really got me wondering if something like that would work to keep out the whitefly... not a big project like you have but something moveable and lightweight, maybe with PVC pipe, etc. and use screening wrapped around, with an area that can be folded back for access.... but I wonder if whitefly could still get thru' the screen........ maybe Tom can chime in, or someone with actual knowledge of the size of the little bugger..... I could go to HD and get some lengths of PVC and corners and maybe just gom it together myself, if it could actually work.... I'd make it big enough for 4 or 6 mater plants, period....... alternately, just get some mosquito-netting and wrap it around each plant ! after all, necessity is the mother of invention !..........sally

Karen, Sally,

This is the picture they had on eBay of the mosquito netting siding that goes around the outside of a canopied tent top. Unfortunately they are selling only the side panels and not the complete setup. This picture may give you some ideas of how you could set up your tomato & pepper fortress.

Lou

Tom : When you say " For zone 10 on the water start 9/15 and 2/15 ", does that mean starting seeds indoors then, or planting the 3 " tall plants in ground outside?

...what is TYLCV and how do I recognize it ?

Sorry for the late response jofus. I start them indoors under lights in 3oz cups for two weeks, then outside in 16oz cups with morning sun and afternoon shade for four weeks, then into the garden at about 8-10" on 9/15 and 2/15. Thus, seeds are started 8/1 and 12/1 (peppers two weeks earlier since I like to set them at eight weeks instead of six weeks)

TYLCV = Tomato yellow leaf curl virus, top leaves come out smaller and smaller with a curling variegated look. Transmitted by the white fly, usually first attracted to pole beans....Once the plants have the virus they won't set any more fruit and stand to infect adjacent and surrounding plants.

Tom

Hi Tom - now that you are back-on, maybe you could chime in on the screening for the 'maters..... do you think it might work ? how big are those whiteflys, would they still get thru' the screening do you think? My Calvin had suggested it and we might get over to HD and pick up some PVC, lightweight so I could move it around, he would put it together and wrap screening around it... big enough for several plants.... and leave one end so it could be raised to reach inside.... also the screening could be sprayed instead of the plants themselves, to repel the whiteflys.... what do you think ? ......sally

Thanks for posting the link for TYLCV, Tom.... also thanks Lou for the 'tent' pic, I think it just might work.... and on Tom's link it shows a 'tent' made of a 60 weight green screening, and states it is designed to keep out the whitefly, in use on trays of small plants..... this looks like the solution...put that mesh around the 'tent' that Lou shows.......... now, where does one obtain that 60 wt. green mesh screening ? Tom, do you know ? where I can get it ? what do you folks who are decimated by the whitefly think ? after all, 'necessity is the mother of invention'! thanks,......sally

Hi Sally, I have my doubts but if the folks with greenhouses don't have a problem who knows. Sorry, I know that's not much help...others will have to chime in about the materials too.

Tom

Lou and Sally- check out this guy's garden on youtube. He seems to be using that screening method you are interested in.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGY3FmIgGZU&feature=player_embedded#!

This is a product I just found while searching the web for something to control the white fly. Their write up sounds great as I hate using any poisons. I know the product is fairly new but has anybody used this before and can give a report on on how effective it is?

TIA,
Lou

Here is a link that might be useful: White Fly Guard

Thanks amberroses, I tried the link and couldn't get it, but would sure love to see it... is there a better way ? Thanks Lou, the Dust looks good, but I wonder where this Co. is located? also, it bothers me that the spelling is incorrect, I'm always a suspicious sort anyway... wish there was somebody who had done business with this supplier...especially since they only want a Credit Card number, what if I wanted to send a check ? Guess I'm just an old fuddy-duddy..... Thanx anyway, sally

Sally: Here is the guy's blog. He build these screen boxes over all his raised beds. I think he is in Orlando.

Here is a link that might be useful: blog

Thanx amberroses, for the blog link... I've gone all over it and can't find the screened bed, so I sent the author an E-mail asking him, he's outside Orlando from his blog, and it sounds like he's also on GW... his pics remind me of Sylvia and her garden, really gorgeous.... I'm thinking I'll get some mosquito-netting and drape it over each tomato plant, I use the cylinder wire- planter from HD and the netting would just drape down and cover the whole thing.... unless I can nag my son into making me a screen-room type thingy with PVC pipe like he suggested.... and finding the netting is another problem, I Googled it and only came up with 3 places and it was pricey and shipping would be expensive also. sally

Sally: here is a page with a link to the video of his screened bed. There are also some photos he posted around the same time. Looks like he made it out of a wood frame box. You could probably use a large tomato cage too and wrap the screen around it.

Here is a link that might be useful: blog

Sally,

Click here.

Tom

Ok, I bought the White fly dust from that website using my PayPal account. I also bought the hand pump duster they were selling on the site. I just recently started getting some white fly on my pepper plants, I'm not sure if my screen holes are too large or if they are getting in when I go in and out the screen house door. I'm using sticky paper in the meantime to control the white fly. I will let everybody know how well the dust works when I get it in and use it. The company is located in Austin, TX.

Lou