Tomatoes vs. Jam

Today my neighbor threatened on Facebook to come and liberate some of the tomatoes from the porch.  This, clearly, is one of the dangers of urban tomato farming.  Megan, Christie and Stacy had quite the back and forth today about how if Christie stole tomatoes today, there would be no tomato jam in her future.

Luckily the vines were heavy with fruit when I got home.  Very heavy.  It was the kind of harvest I’ve been dreaming of.

A rainbow of small frys

The big harvest

Close-up of the first totem to be harvested

Ceylon, ready for its close-up

Picking the First Tomatoes

I came home today to find the tomatoes ready to pick and in great need of water, but we were running late for dinner with friends.  So the first harvest happened tonight in the dark, nearly entirely by feel and by memory of what should be ripe.  And I know I’m not supposed to water at night, but I did give them a little drink.  Hopefully they will be grateful and not get sick.

Small Fry Tomatoes

Ceylon Tomato

The Ultomato

Well, problems with staking the Ceylons (the only indeterminate variety I’ve planted), have me looking for a new solution.  Today I picked up 2 of the Ultomato re-usable cages at Home Depot.  They are a little big for the containers, but I love that they are adjustable and support the center stalk of the plant so well.

Before

After

And the biggest news of the day is that I finally have some fruit ripening that looks healthy!  Hopefully we will be over-run with cherry tomatoes soon.  I can’t wait to make tomato jam!

Small Fry

Ceylon

Variety 3: Small Fry VFN Hybrid

Huge crops of bright red, 1 inch cherry tomatoes borne in clusters of 7 to 8. Compact vines are ideal for growing in containers or small gardens. Continuous fruiting throughout the season. An ALL-AMERICA SELECTIONS WINNER. Determinate. 65 days.