I use grow heirlooms for taste NOT production.

Brandywine Sudduth was by far the best tasting tomato I grew last year out of nine varieties.

The best tip I know about increasing production is to minimize the use of fertilizer, especially N.

Too much fertilizer reduces production.

I use Tomato tone and follow directions on the bag as to amounts with good results.

Good luck,

John

I grow both Brandywine and Brandy Boy and BB produces better for me, but the fam likes BW better, for the taste. Do not fert when blooms first set and ensure adequate water, also too much heat and these two just shut down production, and then they exhibit BER. I use expired Tums in the planting hole and Epsom salts for calcium.

Dan

If you are growing cherries, they seem to set more than you need even during adverse conditions. You could try to pinch a few flowers off of them after they open and use the pollen to polinate the BW. I tried it last year and I got a few more fruit that way. Couldn't say whether it was just luck of the draw or not but it is worth a try. Just remember not to save the seeds from those fruits if you want them to come true next year.

jj

jjs

Just wondering...are you saying that the Brandywine will bloom but often not self-pollinate? So you pollinate it from another unrelated tomato blossom to kick-start it? I understand what you're saying but I'd want to be sure that the Brandywine blossoms were not being pollinated before doing that.

I'm also wondering if the Brandywines would produce more if I set out 6 week old plants in the heat of July and let them grow into maturity through the long days and see how they produce in the cooler fall weather.

I'm familiar with Pennsylvania weather and that's the general area where they originated. The summers aren't so long and hot as here in the South, though where I am is relatively elevated and usually cools down at night somewhat. [Usually, but not always.]

Anney -

I "flick" the blooms (index finger and thumb action) anytime I see some just to help the pollen drop down. When I hit a "coolish" day and have open flowers, I flick ever flower a few times that day to help with set. I really have increased set on the Brandywines I help with flicks than those I don't.

Where I am in SC, it gets hot and humid around end of May to the start of June. Last year we even got over 100 for a week straight around that time. You are in zone 8 Georgia, so it is probably even worse.Some varieties do ok where as others do not when it gets too hot. Brandywine seems to set very few during that time. I believe it is mostly due to the weather although it seems to be a stingy bearer in cooler climates as well. I just try to help it along by using a couple of the abundance of flowers that the cherries put out to give it some pollen that seems to withstand the weather a little better. I can't say for sure if it self-pollinated before I give it a helping hand or not, but it isn't that much work to try. Last year I got a few to set when the temp was above 95 and very humid which is very rare, so maybe it worked.

However, the best producion I got out of the Brandywine was when I took 2 cuttings off of a plant the first week of July and set them in the garden about 3 weeks later. By the time the first frost hit, I had gotten about 30 or so tomatoes off of the two plants with more left to ripen on the counter. You could try that as well. Basically a summer and fall crop of them to try and time fruit set during the cooler times.

jj

As I explained elsewhere, toms generally do not set over 95. This is a big reason for lower production.

Dan

I'll be experimenting on my Brandywine and BrandyBoy's by using indoor grown tomato pollenator to see if that helps once the outside BW and BB stop producing pollen due to excessive heat.

George

jjs

You might be surprised, but I'm in a hilly part of Georgia so it is generally cooler than in the coastal plain areas east of us.

As I said, I'm seriously thinking about planting (now four) Brandywines much later in the season so they'll produce in the fall. I don't think the summer heat will bother them so much while they're putting on vegetative growth before they begin to bloom. Sort of the same thing as using a cutting to extend their growth cycle, as you did.

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Reign

Thanks for the reminder that flicking the blossoms might be helpful. I generally don't have to do that with other varieties to get good production but if Brandywine needs that kind of boost, I'll give it to them! There are claims that some tomatoes really DO need bee action to fully pollinate, so if there aren't a lot of bees around who are interested in the tomato blossoms, flicking or shaking them seems to be the next best thing. See http://pollinator.com/self_pollinating_tomato.htm

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Dan

Epsom salts provides sulphur and magnesium to the soil, not calcium. It also helps with the plant uptake of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. I take my own Tums if needed, and add calcitic limestone to my tomato planting holes! I haven't had many problems with BER since I stopped planting Park's Whopper tomato -- it apparently does not do well for anybody in this area. None of the other varieties I've grown here have developed it except on a few of the first fruits.

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George

That sounds like an interesting experiment. Do you mean you'll grow Brandywines in a greenhouse AND outside and then pollinate the outside tomatoes with the greenhouse tomato pollen?

Given this:
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Temperature and Humidity. Daytime temperatures above 90°F and night temperatures above 70°F result in reduced flowering and fruit set. There is considerable evidence that night temperature is the critical factor in setting tomato fruit, the optimal range being 59° to 68°F. With night temperatures much below or above this critical range, fruiting is reduced or absent. Low temperatures reduce the production and viability of pollen. High temperature, especially if accompanied by low humidity and moisture, hinders fruit set through failure in pollination and/or fertilization.
http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/envirohort/426-418/426-418.html
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...maybe what we all need is a hi-tech device, say a large cylinder, that encases outside tomato plants, something that automatically closes when the temps/humidity inside the open cylinder are too high, and cool air is pumped into the space to keep the temperature and humidity at optimal levels for pollination/fruit set!

Anney

I'll have growing indoors 2 plants that will be started in April for gathering pollen in July and August in a SWC Self Watering Container. One will be a Brandywine and the other a Cherry. Not only am I looking to assist the outdoor plants but seeing whether or not the Cherry works better than the Brandywine.

George

Anney:

that's what I get for commenting in a hurry after handling Epsom salts. You are correct.

Here in Colo usu. our BER is a result of the single-digit humidity and hi temps in mid-summer. As a reslut everyone has their own strategy - variety, Tums, whatever, but our soils are already alkaline so we have a narrower range of solutions than the folk east of 100º.

Dan

Best method I've discovered: if I'm growing 4 Brandywine plants and I want more production, I'll grow 8 Brandywine plants the next year. Heh.

Sorry that's the only way I've ever heard of. Low productivity is a primary reason Brandywine are so damn good.

I am trying the RL Red Brandywine this year. I didnt have much luck with the PL Brandywine or the Yellow Brandywine last year. I think it just got too hot when they finally started to flower.
I have read that the Reds tend to pruduce a little better and are a little bit earlier. Maybe I can beat the heat :)

Brian

We ate our first homegrown bw last season..hooked..bismal production..grew 20 from organic seen in a small newley built greenhouse this season..in the ground by march 5th.some with morning shade some with afternoon shade..still low production so far here in zone 9..we'll try the flower flicking..I can control the temp. in the greenhouse so I can't think of a reason not to try them there..

Any ideas on that?

Live in inland California zone 9 where the growing season is long, and summers are hot and dry. Tried Pink Brandywines for 2 summers (planted April 15) with disappointing production, but got hooked on the incredible flavor. Last summer I started tomato seedlings much too early and planted outside March 1, 4 weeks BEFORE the last frost date of March 30. I placed Wall of Water (aka Kozy Coats, Early Season plant protectors) around the Brandywine. Could be coincidence, but production was amazing for a Brandywine. It began flowering inside the Wall o Water in late March, began setting tomatoes in April after the plant protectors were removed, and had many ripening fruit in June. It kept setting fruit, slowed a little in late July/early August with the temps in the 90s and 100s, then picked up again until cold weather set in in October.

Decided to try this again to see if it was a fluke. Planted my pink Brandywine and a few other late season indeterminates on March 10, protected by Wall o Water. So far, the plants are all following the same pattern as last year, growing and flowering despite evening temperatures of 41 degrees. I am hopeful I may have finally found a way to grow productive Brandywines in my area with hot dry summers.

Give Cowlicks Brandywine a try. Heard reports that they do better in the heat than Sudduth.

Could just be my seeds but my brandywines produced very well for me the past two seasons despite the hot summer weather. I purchased these plants two summers ago from a local nursury and since they produced well I saved seeds. The next year they also produced well. In the past, brandywines did not produce for me from seeds from other seed sources. So I think I may have a BW strain that produces well. I will definitely keep this line going. For what it's worth, I also got better production out of Suddeth's brandywine too. The problem seems to be that the BW does not pollenate as well. I do go out and give my plants a shake each morning to facilitate pollenation. I read somewhere that brandywines have a mutation that causes a change in the blossoms structure so that they don't pollenate as well. Does anyone else know more about this mutation that can fill us in?

Kevinitis, what is your other BW (not the Sudduth, but the one you're simply calling "BW")? There are a zillion BWs out there, and they all have some additional part to their name besides "BW."

Try grafting it too a rootstock which is not overly vigorous (so you don't get just vigorous foliage).

I have posted this information here many times so here it is again:
I was fortunate to discover Brandywine Pink through the old Seed Savers catalogue when this variety was first introduced. Back then there was only one Brandywine Pink (Sudduth or Quisenberry strain). Today many seed companies offer inferior strains of Brandywine Pink so the first thing you have to make sure is to get the true Sudduth (also called Quisenberry) strain, e.g. from Johnny's of Maine Seed Company. Of course there are other Brandywine varieties but Brandywine Pink is what is usually referred to "a low yielding variety".
As experienced Brandywine Pink growers know, this variety does not set fruits in hot weather (possibly due to defective blossoms or split calyces as was pointed out on this forum by Carolyn and I think Craig), even here in Southern CTâs zone 5. As VP International I had to travel and live in different parts of North America and Europe. I grew Brandywine in Northern Germany, Dublin/Ireland and Northern Italy. As Brandywine is a late season variety, starting the plants early and getting them into the ground early was absolutely necessary in Germany and Ireland and is also important here in CT. I use efficient Metal Halide grow lights and cool basement conditions which gives me sturdy stocky plants. It allows me to start Brandywine 9 weeks before setting them into the ground. I plant well established, hardened, stocky plants out in early /mid May depending on the weather conditions and go out of my way to protect them against cold temperatures. I noticed that Brandywine did really well in the lower sun intensity countries so while my other tomatoes are planted in full sun, Brandywine does best in an area where high trees block the summer sun around lunchtime. However, you will also get good yield if you follow these rules:
Most gardeners are growing tomatoes in far too rich soil or over-fertilized soil and often use too much fresh compost. Carolyn Male, author of â100 Heirloom Tomatoes for the American Gardenâ said it best, quote:
The result of using compost in the planting hole and added to the soil and using too much fertilizer and too many amendments is that plants are stressed by growing too fast and the stress helps induce blossom end rot and also makes the plants far more susceptible to various diseases (end of quote).
Over-fertilized soil prevents early fruit set. Add to that the fact that Brandywine does not set fruit in hot weather and what do you get: Disappointing yields.
By observing the above mentioned suggestions:
1. Start early
2. Grow the plants in soil that has been fertilized the year before
3. Try to provide some shade during hot summer month in order to increase yields.
I foliar feed with a marine brown algae extract and water once with a stinging nettle manure tea after first fruit set. This procedure is repeated when the first fruits start to turn pink and after the first significant harvest. After fruit set while tomatoes are ripening I will side dress sparingly with a high potash natural fertilizer blend.
Thatâs it. Follow these instructions and you will be astonished about the yield increase of Brandywine Sudduth strain. And if you have never grown Brandywine, get ready for a treat.

missingtheobvious, these were purchased as simply brandywine pink. When I grew brandywine pink from another source they did not set fruit as well. I don't think they are a different variety per se, they just seem to set fruit better. And because it has only done so for two seasons does not mean that the third season won't be a poor fruit set. Who knows it may be that this year they don't set as well. There are enough Brandywines out there as is, so I don't want people to think this one is different than what is widely available and start some new BW type. But I don't rule out that there may be some minor differences between Brandywine seed sources. I also don't rule out the possibility that the label was brandywine pink and Suddeth's seeds were used.

I have also grown brandywine OTV, Suddeth's, Platfoot, Brandywine Red RL. And this year I will be trying Cowlicks and some brandywine crosses. I find OTV to be a very good tomato that sets fruit well in hot weather. In fact, I have found that many of the varieties that Carolyn Male has introduced/stabilized and recommended on this site are great. For what it's worth, I think that we should drop the Brandywine from Brandywine OTV and just call it OTV. That way it would reduce confusion.