Johnny's Artisan Tomatoes

[Cole_Robbie]

http://www.johnnyseeds.com/v-2-new-f...wfor2014lander

I guess "hybrid heirloom" is too confusing. Now they're "artisan." Although the trademark claim that Johnny's is attaching to that word is unenforceable, because it is too generic of a term to trademark. (edited below. mark is from Artisan Seeds. My mistake)

I will probably order them just to try. As a market tomato, they might do well.

[Fred Hempel]

Hi Cole Robbie,

I just went to your link. Although they had the "TM" next to "Artisan", which is definitely unenforceable, they have now changed it so that the "TM" refers to "Artisan Tomatoes".

Actually, a "TM" is unenforceable anyway, as only the "R" indicates a registered, and enforceable trademark. The "TM" can be a place-holder until the "R" mark is approved, or it can simply be a way of identifying a unique product.

They aren't really "hybrid heirlooms" though. They are true-breeding, OP, lines. Hybrid, to most people, implies the hybrid F1 generation and all of the currently available cherry tomatoes falling under the "Artisan Tomato" group are OP lines.

[sicily]

I grew some of the Bumblebee's last season, and I can't verbally express how WONDERFUL!!!!! they are. They are gorgeous, delicious, productive, and disease free. You won't be disappointed trying them. I tried to grow some of the tiger varieties but couldn't get seeds any where. I've ordered some from Johnny's, but the one I really want, Lucky Tiger isn't available. These Artisan tomatoes are a thrill, a BIG THANKS to Mark and Fred.

[Cole_Robbie]

Thanks for the comments.

Regional trademark protection comes from use. Registration allows national protection of a mark into areas where it is not yet being used.

I didn't realize until just now it the seed is from Artisan Seeds. Johnny's is not the one claiming the trademark. It is of course enforceable when used as the name of a company.

[Fred Hempel]

Was on the Johnny's website and noticed that Lucky Tiger (their exclusive variety) was back-ordered until next November.

It turns out that the back-order date is not correct. It will be available sometime after the the new year. I guess sometimes that back-order dates are generated by default, and this is evidently the case here.

[MikeInCypress]

Ordered Lucky Tiger when the catalog came out and knew it was going to be back ordered. Received an email yesterday that it had shipped. Since I'll be starting my seeds this week the timing is perfect.

MikeInCypress

[Fred Hempel]

Good to hear that, Mike!

[Patti1957]

I got an email that my Lucky Tiger shipped

[Salsacharley]

ditto here!

[Sun City Linda]

I posted on another thread when I got my Johnnys catalog but will repeat it here. That is a beautiful spread on your "babies" Fred. Not only do they look gorgeous, I continue to hear great things about how they perform!

[Fred Hempel]

Thanks Linda,

I am crossing my fingers that most of them do well for most people this year.

[Pappi]

I can't wait for my collection to ship. Even though it's several months before I'll think of starting them it's just exciting putting them into my garden plan this year. I find myself so excited about this I am doing the sort of, 'If I get rid of this here I can wedge one more Lucky Tiger in and if I do less of this I can fit one more blush over here'. Between Annie B's Green and your collection I can't seem to find watermelon in my garden plan anymore

Pappi

[Fred Hempel]

I can relate, I stopped growing watermelon long ago. Too much space, and I can get a good watermelon from the store...

[Cole_Robbie]

I just noticed that the Vernissage varieties from Double Helix look exactly the same as the 'Bumble Bee' Artisan varieties. I can't tell the pics apart: http://www.doublehelixfarms.com/catalog/26

[Fred Hempel]

The Vernissage tomatoes are a bit bigger. They are also somewhat different in color -- different shades of purple, yellow etc. We have grown them side-by-side with our bumblebees and the taste is also different.

For what it is worth, Baker Creek started selling the Vernissage varieties last year, and they picked up our varieties this year (so one might assume that they did not view them as "redundant")

The Vernissage tomatoes were developed in the Ukraine.

I don't think it is surprising that there are multiple striped varieties that look similar, at first glance. Striped tomatoes have been readily available since the 80s. In fact, I am surprised that striped cherry tomatoes were not available earlier, and I think that there will be a bunch more on the horizon.

This is why we have focused so carefully on flavor, and not just putting our first striped cherry varieties out there. We had a full selection of striped cherry tomatoes a number of years ago, but we continued to back-cross them to elevate the flavor, until they were all excellent.

Of course we are still missing "red bumble bee" and "red tiger" (red with yellow striped cherries). This isn't because we don't have lines that look the part, it is because we are still perfecting the flavor in these lines.