Between tomato horn worms, blossom end rot, mocking birds poking holes in my ripening tomatoes, blight, and all the rain making every tomato I’ve got split. I’m about to pull all these sumbitches up so i can quit feeding everything except me. Out of 5 plants, I’ve picked 3 Cherokee purple tomatoes that were somewhat edible and about 20 out of 500 or so cherry tomatoes that haven’t split.

Same here, I pulled mine up a few days ago. I got a lot of tomatoes this year but the last few weeks have been a war I was losing for all the reasons you mentioned.

If you can find the plants, or want to root suckers off yours, plant more of them now for a good fall crop. I can about guarantee we won't be getting tomato splitting rain in the fall.

I may try that. What would be the best part to try to root?

Suckers. They are the limbs that grow out of the crotch of a "real" limb juntion. Break some off closer to the top that are 6"-8" long. You can root them in moist soil, or water. If you root them in water, place them in a window seal and keep the water refilled as needed. Once the roots get 3" long or so, move them outside but in a shady spot. Introduce them to the sun slowly. If you root them in moist soil, I'd use some sort of potting mix but you have to keep it consistently damp.

I found out the "introduce them to the sun slowly" the hard way. I rooted some this year and planted them about 2 weeks ago. They were dead in 3 days. Sun burned them up and the roots weren't developed enough. I had let these root for about 2 weeks.

Thanks

A mockingbird made a nest in one of my tomato cages. That hooker will raise cain and drive bomb me every time I get near it. My family's been enjoying watching the bird of terror attack daddy.

About twice a year I go to war with them. They get to be so numerous in my neck of the woods that they constantly bicker and pester each other and more importantly my bluebirds. After the war they are much more civil to others...

I planted nine mater plants yesterday, may root some suckers for later on

One of your kids have a pellet rifle?

lol I have 3 little girls. plenty of barbie dolls but no pellet guns.

I planted 5 more this afternoon. This is the last planting I will do. These should start producing around the first of September. I say this every year, but next year I'm going to try and remember to plant some seeds around June 1st to transplant mid July for fall tomatoes.

The ones I planted today are some that I scrounged up after driving to 4 different places. I got 3 Big Boys one Heirloom Beefsteak and one souped up hybrid determinate. They were all 2' tall. I cut all the limbs off except the top 2 and planted them in a trench. Got about 3" of plant sticking out of the ground. I put some Epsom salt and time released fertilizer in the holes and piled up about 6" of straw around each plant. I'll put cages on them in a couple of weeks.

Yep, I have planted two different times in the last couple of weeks; first planting was eight plants and the last was just three. The ones I put in the raised beds already have blooms on them but the ones I put in the ground are not as far along. I have pulled up a dozen early plants so far. Can't say this year has been stellar on quantity. I made some bad choces on those plants I ordered from Burpee...that won't happen again. Likely, I will pull up several more of the originals planted this weekend.

Those mocking birds are fierce. We have a pair that nests in our oak tree by the deck every year and they don't care who they attack...they have gone after humans, dogs and cats!!

Man those mocking birds sound vicious. Glad I don't have any by my house..........