Red & Orange Perhaps

I was in the garden one day and had a play with two flowers, adding pollen from the plant growing alongside after emasculating them. I took pollen from Sweet Ozark Orange crossing it to Nicoleta. I never really expected anything, but tagged the two flowers and bagged them. A week or so later, one flower dropped off, leaving just the one. A few weeks passed and the embryo started to get some size, so you just never know what will happen.

As it happened, the plant got attacked badly by Russett Mite and it was a toss up if the fruit would ripen enough to get viable seeds, but it was touch and go but managed to extract a few seeds.

Last photo is the Nicoleta with what I hope carries the pollen of Sweet Ozark Orange.

Sweet Ozark Orange - Not For Us

I picked a few Sweet Ozark Orange tomatoes today before they changed to orange as they were soft at the yellow stage and would be too ripe if left any longer. We weren’t overwhelmed with the sweet taste of this variety and not sure what they could be used for, certainly not on a sandwich.

They were of a nice big size, but not good keepers like others we’ve grown over the years. None of what I picked were from bagged blossoms, so no great loss here, sorry Sam, we gave them a go

These tomatoes were quite soft when at the yellow stage and would be too soft for us if left to get the orange colour they were named as. Maybe it was the season, but they won’t make the grow list next season as I’ll be growing less plants.

Tomato Season 2019/20 - The Season That Wasn't

In reality, the tomato Season for 2019/20 was a disaster here and our fruit load was almost zero. 

Prolonged thick bushfire smoke made our days long and dark, blocking the sun for weeks. Blossom drop was really bad too, so I ended up with almost no saved seed, so I’ll have to fall back on previous seed supplies.

Some of our favourite tomatoes, UK2000 ready to be eaten.

Wandocka Passing The Test

The sport from a large fruited red tomato which I called Wandocka has passed the test again this season producing some tasty tomatoes. Considering a very poor season, we got to at least get a taste test of this one.

Our season was what you’d call pathetic, with most varieties failing badly, with heaps being pulled after losing so many blossoms in the thick acrid bushfire smoke we had lingering for a couple of months, the plants just weren’t worth keeping going.

Here’s a look at a truss that managed to find its way inside.