Fruits and veggies?

[camille1585]

Originally Posted by kvet

Another update for the white alpine strawberry bushes: I'm harvesting more than a dozen or so berries at a time every 3-4 days. The texture is meh, while the aroma is quite amazing, I can smell them from a couple feet away. Many are tiny, maybe the size of a pinky nail. They are only mildly sweet, continue to be tropical. I like them with oatmeal for breakfast. When I began growing these, I had this romantic idea to make jam, but there just won't be enough, and also they turn a rather unpleasant brown color with heat.

They smell great, but how do they taste?

Originally Posted by kvet

I am also growing two kinds of tomatoes, Black Krim and Tasmanian Chocolate. Following final potting to containers, the BK began strong but this weekend the tops balled up?? I'm concerned. The TC is very strong and healthy so far. Any ideas?

Do you have a close up of that twisted top? It generally looks like that plant is in an excessively vegatative state (super thick stem, large busy leaves near the top), which can lead to the stem curling back on itself at the top.

[kvet]

Originally Posted by camille1585

They smell great, but how do they taste?

more like a tropical berry than a straw berry

Originally Posted by camille1585

Do you have a close up of that twisted top? It generally looks like that plant is in an excessively vegatative state (super thick stem, large busy leaves near the top), which can lead to the stem curling back on itself at the top.

Interesting. Here is a closeup. All of the black krim are growing like this. I did send an email to the seed company (renee's gardens) as well, curious what they say. Maybe they'll open up like batman wings.. afterall.. they are.. nightshades

[WaterWitchin]

I usually grow Black Krim (not this year though) and have never seen them do that. Interesting.

[camille1585]

Originally Posted by kvet

Interesting. Here is a closeup. All of the black krim are growing like this. I did send an email to the seed company (renee's gardens) as well, curious what they say. Maybe they'll open up like batman wings.. afterall.. they are.. nightshades

I also have some Black Krim (called Noire de Crimée in French) and I've never seen mine do that either!


I'm still thinking that the plant is massively out of balance. How are your conditions? (temp, humidity, watering/rainfall) How are you fertilizing? Lots of water, cool-ish temps, high humidity, low light (so all conditions during a period of stormy overcast weather) and too much N in the fertilizer can cause plants to be very vegetative.

[kvet]

Originally Posted by camille1585

I'm still thinking that the plant is massively out of balance. How are your conditions? (temp, humidity, watering/rainfall) How are you fertilizing? Lots of water, cool-ish temps, high humidity, low light (so all conditions during a period of stormy overcast weather) and too much N in the fertilizer can cause plants to be very vegetative.

You pretty much summed it up!

We've had "june gloom" for last four weeks, which is how long the tomatoes have been in these containers. Temps have been very moderate 62-72F for the most part. I'm less than a mile from the ocean, so consistently humid. DIY self-watering containers. Overcast mornings until noon. Breezy afternoons. It rained this morning (!!). Forecast shows increased temps and full sunshine ahead for a normal southern California summer beginning this weekend.

Each container has a couple tablespoons each of dry organic fertilizer and same amount of worm castings, all added when I mixed up the soil a couple months ago. I've been feeding with a liquid fert with each watering but now after re-reading the label that's a little too much!

I wonder why the other type didn't behave like this? Because it is a determinate variety?

[camille1585]

Originally Posted by kvet

You pretty much summed it up!

We've had "june gloom" for last four weeks, which is how long the tomatoes have been in these containers. Temps have been very moderate 62-72F for the most part. I'm less than a mile from the ocean, so consistently humid. DIY self-watering containers. Overcast mornings until noon. Breezy afternoons. It rained this morning (!!). Forecast shows increased temps and full sunshine ahead for a normal southern California summer beginning this weekend.

Each container has a couple tablespoons each of dry organic fertilizer and same amount of worm castings, all added when I mixed up the soil a couple months ago. I've been feeding with a liquid fert with each watering but now after re-reading the label that's a little too much!

I wonder why the other type didn't behave like this? Because it is a determinate variety?

Sounds like the return of 'normal' weather should improve the plants' growth habits, so I wonder what's going to happen with those curly tops!

As to why other varieties behave like that, it could just be genetic (and maybe linked to being determiate, like you say). At work we're trialing different tomato types in our indoor farming facility, and we do see differences in how different varieties respond to changes in the climate.

[kvet]

I didn't realize June Gloom is specific to southern california: June Gloom - Wikipedia

Just in case no one was familiar with the term

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by kvet

I didn't realize June Gloom is specific to southern california: June Gloom - Wikipedia

Just in case no one was familiar with the term

Cool that it's "a thing" in Wikipedia... I have lived in coastal southern California my whole life, and it has been the standard pattern... when I was a kid, going to the beach when school was out in June was a waste of time... maybe one would get an hour or two of hazy sun in early afternoon but it was cooold. Then the hottest days are in September and October, back in school when the beach was so inviting. Not fair.

[WaterWitchin]

Originally Posted by kvet

...

Each container has a couple tablespoons each of dry organic fertilizer and same amount of worm castings, all added when I mixed up the soil a couple months ago. I've been feeding with a liquid fert with each watering but now after re-reading the label that's a little too much!

I wonder why the other type didn't behave like this? Because it is a determinate variety?

Back off on nitrogen. And Black Krim is an indeterminate.

[kvet]

Originally Posted by WaterWitchin

And Black Krim is an indeterminate.

Yup. I wrote "the other type", meaning Tasmanian Chocolate, that's a determinate

I'm pretty certain you are all right, too much fertilizer, and the black krim has responded like a mutation or something.. it had vegetative growth coming off a flower stem (I plucked it before taking a photo, if I see this again I'll remember to snap a pic). For whatever reasons, whether genetic or otherwise, the TC is not showing any strange signs, just plugging along, looking all healthy and strong.