Help choosing a grape tomato for next season?

indigosand · May 9, 2013

I'm a little picky about these.

What I'm looking for:

A salad tomato, not a plum.
Small 1" fruits or smaller in true "grape" slender shape
Prefer red, or pink color
Low seed/juice
firm bite
Full tomato flavor, but not fruit-sweet.
* To clarify, I would say "chocolate cherry" comes pretty close to what I would like balance-wise but is generally too big on the fork, and I find "sweet 100" far TOO sweet for anything other than raw snacking, same goes for yellow type cherry toms.

FarmerShawn · May 9, 2013

Of the several grape types I have grown, I always like Tami G , which is small, sweet, and real tasty, and Juliet, which is larger (two-bite size), less sweet, (more tomatoey) and unbelievably reliable and productive in my garden. Both are hybrids, but if they give me good tomatoes, I don't hold that against 'em.

nancyruhl · May 9, 2013

Val's Red Nibbler. We are never without them.

**carolyn137** · May 9, 2013

http://www.google.com/#hl=en&sclient...w=1042&bih=376

Google search above.

I nominate Smarty F1, a red grape bred by Dr. Randy Gardner, now retired but still active, who has bred so many wonderful well known varieties.

Smarty is available at Johnny's and Harris Seeds, that I know, but I didn't bother to see what others sources from that Google link.

A few years ago he sent me lots of seeds of Smarty F1 and Mountain Magic F1 as well as Plum Regal F1 and I distributed seeds for all of them in a seed offer here at Tville.

Speaking personally I'm not wed to a particular shape in the cherry tomato size, such as a grape, more important to me is primarily taste along with good production.

Carolyn

Qweniden · May 10, 2013

It sounds like you want Juliet. Some people don't like it but it does very well in my area. Good assertive tomato flavor without being to sweet and very productive. The only downside is that it has somewhat thick skin.

AZRuss · May 10, 2013

Growing Tami G hybrid for the first time this year. Seems to be very productive. First few to ripen were very, very delicious. Can't wait for more.

Irv Wiseguy · May 10, 2013

A couple years ago I grew Fond Red Mini. It has an intense tomato flavor; not sweet. I really liked it and will grow it again.

Good luck

Irv

kath · May 11, 2013

Quote:

Originally Posted by Irv Wiseguy

A couple years ago I grew Fond Red Mini. It has an intense tomato flavor; not sweet. I really liked it and will grow it again.

Good luck

Irv

http://www.raingardens.com/seedpage/tomato.htm

Mlm1 · May 11, 2013

I would highly recommend Elfin. Strong delicious flavor but not overly sweet (I think sun gold can be too sweet). Pleasantly firm skin (not tough skin), not a lot of seed 1/2 to 1 inch long slender shape. It would be great for salads if I could ever get them into the house but I usually eat them all while I'm working in the garden.
Marla

indigosand · May 12, 2013

Thanks for all the great suggestions! After doing a lot of reading I think Smarty and Elfin sound the closest to what I'm looking for. Marla, Elfin is listed as a determinate, would you say that is true?

Mlm1 · May 12, 2013

Quote:

Originally Posted by indigosand

Thanks for all the great suggestions! After doing a lot of reading I think Smarty and Elfin sound the closest to what I'm looking for. Marla, Elfin is listed as a determinate, would you say that is true?

I have grown Elfin from 3 different sources (one seed company and 2 SSE members) over the last 10 years. The reason I kept trying other sources is because it never seemed to grow like a determinate so I thought I had the wrong seed. For all intents and purposes you would think it was an indeterminate but it has just 2 leaf nodes between the flower clusters as per the definition of determinate but the main branch keeps growing and producing like an indeterminate. I still am not sure there isn't a shorter bushier selection of Elfin out there but all of mine could have been mistaken for indeterminates it you didn't check the leaf nodes. Over the years I have had a few other "determinate varieties" with fruit every other node but main stem continues growing so I don't know exactly what to make of this. Did the variety get crossed or mutate or does it grow differently in different growing conditions? Maybe someone else will chime in with information on this. But I will say the fruit was always delicious no matter what we call its growing habit.
Marla

Douglas14 · May 12, 2013

Cherry Roma may be another one to consider. I grew it last year. It was nice and firm, meaty, and had a very good flavor IMO. It's the only grape-type I've tried in the last several years, so I don't have much to compare it to.

Worth1 · May 12, 2013

Quote:

Originally Posted by Douglas14

Cherry Roma may be another one to consider. I grew it last year. It was nice and firm, meaty, and had a very good flavor IMO. It's the only grape-type I've tried in the last several years, so I don't have much to compare it to.

I read on SSE it was introduced in 1999 and another site said it was an heirloom.

Is this critter open pollinated or not?

**carolyn137** · May 12, 2013

Quote:

Originally Posted by Worth1

I read on SSE it was introduced in 1999 and another site said it was an heirloom.

Is this critter open pollinated or not?

Looks OP to me:

http://www.google.com/#hl=en&gs_rn=1...w=1031&bih=378

Maybe one of the links above in the Google search will say if it's an heirloom, or not.

Seven folks list in it the 2013 SSE Yearbook and give different seed sources and one says France, another says Italy, two more say the SSE Public catalog, which says introduced to SSE by a lady from MD in 1999.

And that usually speaks of heirloom to me but doesn't speak to the two listers who say Italy or France. And if the latter I would expect the name to be in French or Italian, but they're in English.

I'll vote OP, probably heirloom.

Carolyn

Carolyn

Worth1 · May 12, 2013

Quote:

Originally Posted by carolyn137

Looks OP to me:

http://www.google.com/#hl=en&gs_rn=1...w=1031&bih=378

Maybe one of the links above in the Google search will say if it's an heirloom, or not.

Seven folks list in it the 2013 SSE Yearbook and give different seed sources and one says France, another says Italy, two more say the SSE Public catalog, which says introduced to SSE by a lady from MD in 1999.

And that usually speaks of heirloom to me but doesn't speak to the two listers who say Italy or France. And if the latter I would expect the name to be in French or Italian, but they're in English.

I'll vote OP, probably heirloom.

Carolyn

Carolyn

Thanks Carolyn.
I can normally un-stump myself but this one had me looking everywhere.

It is one of a few that has many origins and seed companies hardly ever say OP if they are.

I'm always looking for a new grape tomato.

I spent hours last night looking up the dreaded brown recluse spider with all kinds of misinformation.

Worth

May 9, 2013	#1
indigosand Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: california Posts: 99	Help choosing a grape tomato for next season? I'm a little picky about these. What I'm looking for: A salad tomato, not a plum. Small 1" fruits or smaller in true "grape" slender shape Prefer red, or pink color Low seed/juice firm bite Full tomato flavor, but not fruit-sweet. * To clarify, I would say "chocolate cherry" comes pretty close to what I would like balance-wise but is generally too big on the fork, and I find "sweet 100" far TOO sweet for anything other than raw snacking, same goes for yellow type cherry toms. __________________ Elizabeth

May 9, 2013	#2
FarmerShawn Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Vermont Posts: 1,001	Of the several grape types I have grown, I always like Tami G , which is small, sweet, and real tasty, and Juliet, which is larger (two-bite size), less sweet, (more tomatoey) and unbelievably reliable and productive in my garden. Both are hybrids, but if they give me good tomatoes, I don't hold that against 'em. __________________ "Red meat is NOT bad for you. Now blue-green meat, THAT'S bad for you!" -- Tommy Smothers

May 9, 2013	#4
carolyn137 Moderator Emeritus Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Upstate NY, zone 4b/5a Posts: 21,169	http://www.google.com/#hl=en&sclient...w=1042&bih=376 Google search above. I nominate Smarty F1, a red grape bred by Dr. Randy Gardner, now retired but still active, who has bred so many wonderful well known varieties. Smarty is available at Johnny's and Harris Seeds, that I know, but I didn't bother to see what others sources from that Google link. A few years ago he sent me lots of seeds of Smarty F1 and Mountain Magic F1 as well as Plum Regal F1 and I distributed seeds for all of them in a seed offer here at Tville. Speaking personally I'm not wed to a particular shape in the cherry tomato size, such as a grape, more important to me is primarily taste along with good production. Carolyn __________________ Carolyn

May 12, 2013	#10
indigosand Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: california Posts: 99	Thanks for all the great suggestions! After doing a lot of reading I think Smarty and Elfin sound the closest to what I'm looking for. Marla, Elfin is listed as a determinate, would you say that is true? __________________ Elizabeth

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May 9, 2013	#3
nancyruhl Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Metro Detroit, Michigan Posts: 1,051	Val's Red Nibbler. We are never without them.

May 10, 2013	#5
Qweniden Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Sacramento, California Posts: 267	It sounds like you want Juliet. Some people don't like it but it does very well in my area. Good assertive tomato flavor without being to sweet and very productive. The only downside is that it has somewhat thick skin.

May 10, 2013	#6
AZRuss Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Tucson, AZ Posts: 171	Growing Tami G hybrid for the first time this year. Seems to be very productive. First few to ripen were very, very delicious. Can't wait for more.

May 10, 2013	#7
Irv Wiseguy Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Thousand Oaks, CA Posts: 281	A couple years ago I grew Fond Red Mini. It has an intense tomato flavor; not sweet. I really liked it and will grow it again. Good luck Irv

May 11, 2013	#9
Mlm1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Northern California Posts: 208	I would highly recommend Elfin. Strong delicious flavor but not overly sweet (I think sun gold can be too sweet). Pleasantly firm skin (not tough skin), not a lot of seed 1/2 to 1 inch long slender shape. It would be great for salads if I could ever get them into the house but I usually eat them all while I'm working in the garden. Marla

May 12, 2013	#12
Douglas14 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2007 Location: Minnesota Posts: 602	Cherry Roma may be another one to consider. I grew it last year. It was nice and firm, meaty, and had a very good flavor IMO. It's the only grape-type I've tried in the last several years, so I don't have much to compare it to.