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ditnc

PINK Brandywine not producing fruit

ditnc
13 years ago

All my other tomatoes have greenies, including my red brandywine. But my Pink BW is still just growing foliage and flowers. I planted it out into a raised bed (from a potted up container) in mid-May). It's really nice and tall and leafy, just not producing greenies yet. This is a first time for me to grow Pink BW - is this normal since I believe it's a "late season" variety? Thanks.

Comments (11)

  • jwr6404
    13 years ago

    Mt Pink Brandywine is the same as yours. Healthy tall plant with flowers but it had a hundred day DTM if I recall correctly.

  • joellenh
    13 years ago

    My Brandywine is doing the same thing and I am THIS close to pulling it and planting something else. Big and healthy, lots of flowers that just drop off with no fruit set. I planted 18 variaties of tomatoes this year, and the Brandywine is the only one that hasn't even started to fruit.

  • junktruck
    13 years ago

    yes brandywines are late season / come aug or so u will have loads of big juicy maters / its worth the wait

  • buzzsaw8
    13 years ago

    I went through the same thing last year. I posted a few times here "I'm never growing this variety again!!!". Once it set fruit though (July/Aug), I got buckets of fruit and it was the best tasting tomato I've ever had. Just gotta be patient.

  • lori_holder
    13 years ago

    I grew pink brandywines last year and had a fantastic looking bush, and ZERO tomatoes on it until mid-August. It's a colder zone than yours, but my mom in Portland (OR) said she'd had the same problem. The fruit also takes bloody forever to ripen once it starts...but it IS soooo tasty! And I had to harvest a bunch of them in the face of a frost, and they ripened up beautifully on the kitchen counter. Even then they still tasted good.

  • sunsi
    13 years ago

    There's other tomatoes to grow that won't make you walk the floor wringing your hands (been there) and they rival Brandywine in taste but are have a much more reliable production. There have been threads here where the pro's have listed their favorite tomatoes (Carolyn, digdirt, hoosiercherokee, Darrel Jones, to name a few) and interestingly I don't remember one of them having Brandywine listed.

    I use to swear by Belgium Giant but the last couple years after growing some from "the list" I've been finding some great ones that are costing Giant Belgium a place in my garden--there's only so much room. I'll always keep Mortgage Lifter though 'cause I really like the taste I can see why Radiator Charlie sold so many and for that outrageous price back in those days.

  • ditnc
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Good to know it's a late producer and I still have time :=)
    I have my other plants producing fruit so at least I won't go tomato-less while waiting for the pink BW.

    My Kellogg's Breakfast and Amish Paste are tied for first, both have lots of green fruit; Purple cherokees are in 2nd, Arkansas Traveler is 3rd; Romas are coming in from the back stretch followed by Red Brandywine which has a few babies. Then there's PINK BW who will be last.

  • homegardenpa
    13 years ago

    Brandywine is definitly a late season tomato, though I don't think I've ever seen a 100 day DTM on it. I already have a dozen fruits on my Brandywines ranging from pea-sized to palm sized, but most of that fruit set came on earlier in the season.

    In my experience, Pink Brandywines like cooler temps and lower humidity for good fruit set. When we had our most recent heat-wave, I saw a good few blossoms stagnate and then drop. When the heat and humidity lifted for a little while, I saw tomatoes setting once again.

    If it's really hot and humid, hope for a few cooler days and go shake some flowers to help things along :)

  • jeremyjs
    13 years ago

    Yep. The pink brandywine is definitely late to produce. They're also quite fickle if it's too hot or humid they won't set fruit, but if the weather is right even for a few days they produce tones of fruit and are in my opinion the best tasting tomato out there. Some places they produce a bumper crop others get nothing. It all depends on your climate.

  • ditnc
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Ya hoo! I have my first greenie on the pink BW. It's about 1" in diameter. I love being surprised by finding greenies. The plant is about 6' tall, mayber higher with lots of blossoms!

  • edweather USDA 9a, HZ 9, Sunset 28
    13 years ago

    Sounds like I'm reading my autobiography. Happy to report that my Brandywine is finally setting fruit. I figured it would. Just had to wait as usual.