2019 Tomatoes photos and review

[maxjohnson]

Anasazi

This one have a curious name, but it seems to be a plum shaped purple Russian saladette tomato, around 3oz each. Yield is very average especially if you don't force prune for more steams. Flavor is good and very smokey, classic purple variety taste. I would say it is good enough to pass as Kumato for me, but of course not round and uniform. Will crack with too much rain.

Rating: Might grow again for novelty, but will prune for more stems.

[maxjohnson]

Piennolo del Vesuvio

It's a tall and thin vines plant. Need pruning to force more stems for better production. Tastes like tomato. Nothing that makes me desire it.

Rating: Won't grow again.

[maxjohnson]

Orange Roussollini

Very prolific short bushy determinate plant. Grape shaped 1.25" fruits. Sturdy main stem. Zero flavor, taste like unflavored paper.

Rating: Left all the fruits on the plant for the squirrels and birds to eat.

[maxjohnson]

Blush

A yearly stable. Drooping wispy branches. Low acid, sweet, juicy, meaty, sometimes crunchy. It taste best if you let them ripe until red stripes appears. It's a decent yield, but not great, so you'll need multiple plants as you'll eat them fast.

Rating: A+

[maxjohnson]

Brandywine - Sudduth's

It got diseased and produces only a couple fruits. Even with poor growing condition and under fertilized it's one of the best beefsteak I ever tasted. Sweet, meaty, lots of gel, little seeds.

Rating: Grow it for the taste, but expect few fruits. Keep fungicides at the ready.

I also grew Stump of the World, I think the two plants are very similar. Sudduth's have the edge on flavor, but Stump of the World might have better yield.

[maxjohnson]

Silvery Fir Tree

This one deserves a mention because it's the most acidic tomato I ever tasted. Love the flavor, but if you don't have a strong stomach acid it will end with heartburn.

Rating: Acidic and good.

[maxjohnson]

Lemon Drop

My yearly stable since 2016. Now is my favorite cherry variety. I don't know what I did this year, maybe the Ohio climate, but it produced a lot better than before even only in containers.

Fruits are 1", sweet with a tiny lemony hint. Fruits need to be ripen until fully yellow with no green tint left for most sweetness. Also give full sun and not over water to develop higher brix. I don't see the need to spend money on Sungold seeds when I have these, although it is a different sort of flavor. Doesn't crack from rain also.

Rating: A+

[maxjohnson]

Ambrosia Orange UBX

This plant have a very unique spicy aroma, much stronger than Sungold. The fruit size is similar to Sungold, but it's much less prolific. Important to not over water and let the fruit ripen to pinkish red to develop higher brix, which can sometime surpass Sungold. Picking it while still orange won't be ready. Cracks from too much rain.

Rating: Your mileage may vary.

[MrBig46]

Originally Posted by maxjohnson

Silvery Fir Tree

This one deserves a mention because it's the most acidic tomato I ever tasted. Love the flavor, but if you don't have a strong stomach acid it will end with heartburn.

Rating: Acidic and good.

I want to grow Silvery Fir Tree next year. I was quite surprised that you evaluate this variety as the most sour tomato. On Tatiana TOMATObase is the rating- very good taste, excellent taste. I don't like sour tomatoes. I'll have to reconsider.
Vladimír

[maxjohnson]

It's worth a try. The plant is small and only need 2 gallon of soil to produce, it doesn't take up much space or resource to grow.

[NicolasGarcia]

Originally Posted by maxjohnson

Brandywine - Sudduth's

It got diseased and produces only a couple fruits. Even with poor growing condition and under fertilized it's one of the best beefsteak I ever tasted. Sweet, meaty, lots of gel, little seeds.

Rating: Grow it for the taste, but expect few fruits. Keep fungicides at the ready.

I also grew Stump of the World, I think the two plants are very similar. Sudduth's have the edge on flavor, but Stump of the World might have better yield.

Maxjohnson thank you very much for the reports and photos, I have also cultivated this year for the first time brandywine sudduth´s strain and stump of the world, and for me it has been two plants with a lot of production, bss it has been the plant with the largest leaves and stem that I have never seen, of very large tomatoes of great weight and of very good flavor, and super production, the only fault that the fungus attacked (mildew).
Stump also had a very large produccoin but less than bss, both have very good flavor tomatoes that are worth planting them year after year.
A tomato that has surprised me in everything has been "chapman"
Greetings and thanks again.
Nico

[maxjohnson]

Great White Blue

I only grew this single stem in a 3gallon reusable grocery bag, but from previous experiences I do know this is a prolific variety and can put out good amount of beefsteaks, sizes can be between 10 to 16oz+.

The taste is very refreshing. Meaty and juicy with lots of gel and not runny. Low amount of seeds that are small. The flavor is a fruity, pineappley, but very low acid and not sour, and can be a little sweet. A little bit of aroma too.

I think because of single stemming and a lot of water the skin cracks on this one, but generally they don't crack much. The plant leaves are naturally curly, in both Florida and Ohio climate.

Rating: A very good tasting white/blue variety with good yield.

Last photo is from last year growing in 7gallon container.

[Whwoz]

Fabulous reports maxjohnson, love the detail and the photos. One or two of those I have been considering growing, must do so this year thanks.

[svalli]

Great photos and reporting of the varieties.

Piennolo del Vesuvio is one of the so called winter tomatoes, which can be hanged on a string and stored for the winter. I grew Giallo Piennolo last year and since our season is short, I had to pick a lot of them when they were not fully ripe. I stored those in room temperature and we ate last ones in December. Now I have Kenneth's Piennolo growing, but do not yet know how they taste, since first one is just blushing.

Sari

[Notostraca]

Great pics and info, thanks for sharing! I've had silvery Fir Tree seeds for ages but haven't germinated them yet as some people don't rate the taste well, happy to see that this varies or at least depends on your taste.


After reading what you wrote about Lemon Drop I'll probably try that instead of Sungold next summer too.