John, when did you plant? Timing is important here. If plants go in too late, the heat can kill (denature) a lot of the pollen. Could that have been part of the problem?

Also, what varieties did you grow last year?

Another possible reason for low fruitset is overfeeding -- epsecially early in the season. Too much nitrogen will tend to cause the plants to grow lots of foliage at the expense of fruit. Excessive N can also contribute to blossom drop.

I primarily grow for flavor, and find most of the following to be at least of average productivity:

Aker's West Virginia
Arkansas Traveler
Aunt Ginny's Purple
Brandy Boy (hybrid)
Eva Purple Ball
Green Giant
Gregori's Altai
Homestead
Indian Stripe (more productive for me than Cherokee Purple)
Kalman's Hungarian Pink
Kosovo
Paul Robeson
Picardy
Rutgers
Sioux

That's just a few off the top of my head that should all be commercially available. No cherry types listed, because you indicated in your post in the tomato forum you weren't looking for cherry suggestions. I'll just say my favorites for flavor are Sungold and Black Cherry.

Btw, you are at the tail end of the time frame to start seeds for spring (target date here for me is the first week of Jan.) I usually do another sowing for last minute additions around mid month. So the sooner you can get started, the better.

Thank you very much for the suggestions.

Last year, I tried Brandywine (do not know which strain), Abe Lincoln, Bloody Butcher (bought this seed locally), and an "unknown". Most of the seed was sent to me by a friend who lives in a far northern state.

I don't believe I over-fertilized, but my soil does need organic matter (which I am adding).

I guess my biggest mistake was getting the plants in the ground too late. For this year, I planted my tomato seeds on January 15th, and thought I was pushing it. Now you say I am at the tail end of the season! March 15th is typically our last freeze date, although for the past few years, who knows?

I am growing for flavor too, because it's sure not for production.

Again, thank you for the names. I will start looking.

John

One thing you might think about is potting up to a gallon size container in late Feb. if growth allows or is needed that way you still get growth but can still bring inside for the last frosts and cold spells that can really set back your tomatoes even with protection. Last average freeze for here is around early to mid March but my actual location has had freezes up to April 15 two of the last five years and five of seven so I can't see planting until this threat is over.

The more you know about your own micro-climate the more you can find ways to push the envelope which is what ya gotta do to get a good crop before the hot weather shows up and shuts you down.
Good Luck and Happy Growing David

I don't know much about varieties. I just get whatever they have in the stores here. I also don't know if this is something you're already doing, but I pinch my plants back. Whenever a new shoot forms in the "V" of the main stem (where the leaf meets the stem), I pinch it out. I also gently shake the plants about once a day (although not really necessary in windy parker county). I did this one year and go so many tomatoes, I couldn't even can them all.
Just my 2 cents worth. Don't know if it helps.
Alison

Brandywine can be rather inconsistent with production at times. Last year, my plants produced just fine because I had a cool spring here, and also got them in by March 7. Brandy Boy (F1) seems to be a fairly good alternative. That's a Burpee exclusive. I'm growing Brandy Boy F5 this year - seeds from a friend. Will have to see how that goes. If I find it to be stable and comparable, I won't bother to buy Brandy Boy hybrid seed again. Another pink "brandy" type I like is Earl's Faux. Tastes a lot like Brandywine, fruits slightly smaller, maybe a little earlier and a little more productive. Another one is Dora (stabilized CP x Brandywine cross).

Bloody Butcher is a very early variety and will (should) do fine here if planted early enough. Also a good container plant. Haven't grown Abe.

If you've already started your seeds, you should be fine. I thought maybe you were asking for suggestions for seeds to purchase for this spring, and maybe hadn't gotten around to starting anything yet. Many of the varieties I've mentioned you can find seeds for at Tomato Growers Supply. Victory Seeds also has a lot of interesting stuff. Both are good companies, and will treat you right.

David makes a good point about potting up. In your general area (I used to live in the metroplex), you can and will occasionally get frosts after March 15. My target plant out date used to be somewhere around the 18-23rd. Even then I would be careful, in terms of either having backups, or having a way to protect them.

I've found it helpful to have large plants to set out and have been known to start seeds as early as the last week of Dec in order to achieve that. But then, I am a little tomato obsessed. Another thing you can do to get an early start on the season is to put some of those early starts in containers. Ten gallon or larger for indets, and mulch. I've been known to have at least some tomato plants out in containers as early as the middle of Feb, and getting fruits from a couple of the early varieties as soon as late April. That way, you can just put them in the garage if a cold night is in the forecast.

Thank you all very much. I had no idea that so much was involved in this. I appreciate the information, and will use it.

I guess I have made just about every mistake possible. I've got nowhere to go but up. Shouldn't even mention the onion seedlings that I bought online (short day onions for this part of the country), and then found the exact same varieties locally for about one-fourth the price (my wife will just NOT let this die).

Thanks again for the help,

John

I got these from a Tomatoe crazed friend!

Rutgers Open pollinated. (one of my best 07 producers)
Brandywine--Indet. Open-pollinated. Dusty-red, fairly tangy, large fruits.

Garden Peach--Indet. Open-pollinated. AKA Elberta Peach (will not make it through Texas summer, but good for early season)

Jubilee--Indet. Open-pollinated.
Homestead. Open pollinated. Tolerates hot weather.

Stupice--Indet. Open-pollinated. (very early - hold on through summer and start back up in fall)

Arkansas Traveler Open Pollinated
Marglobe Open pollinated.
Mortgage Lifter. Open pollinated.
Yellow Pear--Indet. Open-pollinated. (good luck killing these....just try it)
Red Pear. Open pollinated. (just like the yellow - good luck killing them...)

Others I haven't tried but I have heard do well here:
Abraham Lincoln. Open pollinated.

Ace 55 VF. Open pollinated.
Delicious. Open pollinated.
Good Luck! PJ

I had really good luck with Homestead last year. It was also a cooler than normal and rainy summer... They produced lots of really pretty fruits. I garden in raised beds and am northwest of Austin. In the past I've tried and failed with Brandywine and Old German. Pretty much any cherry tom I try does well.

John....don't fret. I am not great with getting seeds going. Every year I try and eh, they are ok...I just don't have a big set up, just a small heating mat etc. So I usually buy transplants. The key there is to find the small independent store ( not chain stores or big box) that carry heirlooms. For example I drive about 20-25 miles to go to a place called Another Place in Time. They have every heirloom I could dream of. Then there is a feed store near them that carries more heirlooms. So I go on a buying spree come Feb 18th, presidents day cause I am off! And I do this every weekend till about mid March. I like to grow tomatoes to watch them and observe them as much as I like eating them.

Just a thank you for all the great suggestions.
Got over to Dallas, and found a garden nursery with an impressive amount of open-pollinated seed.
Yummykaz is right. I need a better setup for germinating seeds. Got Dixie cups everywhere, and suspect a stronger light source is needed.
Thanks for all the advice.

John

Ok--I've been bitten by the heirloom/OP bug and will be starting my new garden in the spring (raised bed prep underway now). Silly me, I didn't read these forums before I got my seeds from Seed Savers Exchange, and picked two varieties that probably won't do well in the heat. I'm already deciding on better varieties for my area (North Richardson), but if I want to try the others as well ( and not devote too much of my space to them), would it be better to do very early spring or late fall? The seeds I bought are Brandywine(Suddeths Strain) and Amish paste.

suze9-is Indian stripe similar to Cherokee Purple in flavor? I have the same problem with production. By the time 90 degree temps. start I've usually only gotten 3 or 4 tomatoes per plant, and by the time fall comes around the plants are pretty fried, so they go in the compost to make room for other things.

rangerbubba, Amish Paste and BW Sudduth may very well do just fine for you if you start seeds and plant out on a timely basis (on time, to me, means you've got to be willing to protect if necessary for the best results). Many people start too late here in Texas. For you, this means start seeds before Jan 15 and plant out no later than March 15 in the metroplex.

It certainly never hurts to talk "area specific" variety selection, but what I've found is timing of planting is usually much more important in Texas. Just about any variety can usually be grown successfully here. This is my personal experience anyway, from growing tomatoes for several yrs in central and south central Texas.

Of course, what constitutes "successful" is somewhat individual. Some folks will feel if a plant doesn't give them massive production, then there wasn't success. Others will that a productive var wasn't a success if the taste did not meet their standards, etc. And so on.

Anyway - in general, it pays to mix things up a bit when trying to determine what works for you with tomatoes. Grow a mix of heirlooms/OP and hybrids, throw in some cherry types, some earlies, some mid or even late season ones. Take care of the plants, get them in in time, take detailed notes on what did well for you and why, then review your observations in deciding what to plant for the next season. Also pay attention and take notes on what others are recommending and why, etc. Rinse and repeat. :)

vwtx, CP and Indian Stripe are pretty much identical in flavor, and IS is thought to be another "strain" of CP.

Suggestion: go to the tomato forum here, and type indian stripe in for a search if you want to read more about it, and what others besides me think of about the variety.

And, see link below for a description and history.

Also, same advice I made to bubba above applies, be sure to get your plants in on time. Late March or April plantings don't always work too well here in terms of getting a good crop, if that is what you are perhaps doing (?) While my general experience has been that Indian Stripe tends to do *very* well here, I can also usually make the same observation about CP most years.

Hope this helps. :-)

Here is a link that might be useful: Indian Stripe information

Thanks for the advice suze. I see you're from Bastrop--my husband & I just had our honeymoon there. Very beautiful. We actually brought some passiflora vine cuttings back with us that I'm trying to keep alive on the windowsill:).

I'm thinking about trying Cherokee Purple as well now, after hearing everyone rave about it, and Stupice seems like a good bet too. I'm glad the bug has bitten me now while there's still a little time to mull it over. I want to try a lot in limited space. I was trying to be conservative by only buying two types of seeds--so much for that!!!