Purple Haze F3

[habitat_gardener]

I've finally gotten a few ripe tomatoes from my healthiest PH F3 plant, and they're juicy with a pretty good flavor, medium size, more or less round and a bit flattened. All of my F3 seedlings were RL. Overall, this has not been a good year for black tomatoes -- even Black Cherry did not develop good flavor this year -- but this plant is in a different part of the garden and still has healthy green foliage and green tomatoes.

I'm wondering what everyone else who's grown PH F3 seeds has discovered this year.

[rnewste]

habitat,

I have one Purple Haze F3 now growing for my Fall crop. Only about 20 inches tall at the moment. Have 26 other tomato plants currently growing, and I'll post some pics this weekend. Absolutely beautiful weather now in N. California for our Fall.

Ray

[icelord]

Originally Posted by habitat_gardener

I've finally gotten a few ripe tomatoes from my healthiest PH F3 plant, and they're juicy with a pretty good flavor, medium size, more or less round and a bit flattened. All of my F3 seedlings were RL. Overall, this has not been a good year for black tomatoes -- even Black Cherry did not develop good flavor this year -- but this plant is in a different part of the garden and still has healthy green foliage and green tomatoes.

I'm wondering what everyone else who's grown PH F3 seeds has discovered this year.

Hey guys, even though we had a cold summer, my blacks pulled out preety good at the end, Black cherry was one of the sweetest, Black From Tula will always be grown here, A super tomato Black Prince very numerous, this was my first year growing Black cherry, nobody told me they were monster plants! I had about 5 other Blacks that did decent.
No Blight here in Northern Mich.......This Year

Dean

[travis]

Originally Posted by habitat_gardener

I'm wondering what everyone else who's grown PH F3 seeds has discovered this year.

Grew two PH F3 vines this summer. One RL and one PL. Both gave large, flat, pink tomatoes similar in appearance to Royal Hillbilly but generally larger and flatter. The RL vine was the earlier and better producer with tomatoes ranging from 6 to 14 ounces with most of them in the 10 or 12 ounce niche.

[icelord]

Originally Posted by travis

Grew two PH F3 vines this summer. One RL and one PL. Both gave large, flat, pink tomatoes similar in appearance to Royal Hillbilly but generally larger and flatter. The RL vine was the earlier and better producer with tomatoes ranging from 6 to 14 ounces with most of them in the 10 or 12 ounce niche.

Hey Travis, What do you think happened to the color? I have some F2 and F4 That some nice members donated to me, I am going to work with both this next spring and want all the info I can get. Thanks

Dean

[travis]

Originally Posted by icelord

Hey Travis, What do you think happened to the color?

Dean

Purple Haze has a pink Brandywine parent as well as purple Cherokee Purple and Black Cherry parents.

The F2 tomato I took the F3 seeds from for this year's vines was deep purple and about 6 ounces in size and came from an RL vine. That doesn't necessarily mean the genes are fixed for those expressions so early in the game.

Since I got one PL vine and one RL vine from seed out of the purple F2 tomato, that rules out accidentally crossed seed causing the pink rather than purple color because the leaf type would be uniform if the seeds were F1.

So my best guess is that in the F3 the recombination of genes continued to express some fruit color where the genes governing chlorophyll retention are masked.

Not surprising since the same F3 seed continued to show segregation RL and PL and are only 75% homozygotous with 25% wild cards.

By the way, it wouldn't surprise me to get a yellow tomato from F3 or F4 PH seeds. Just haven't heard of one yet.

[RJ_Hythloday]

Originally Posted by travis

Grew two PH F3 vines this summer. One RL and one PL. Both gave large, flat, pink tomatoes similar in appearance to Royal Hillbilly but generally larger and flatter. The RL vine was the earlier and better producer with tomatoes ranging from 6 to 14 ounces with most of them in the 10 or 12 ounce niche.

How was the taste? I requested some PH F3 or higher from the seed trade, curious if I'll get any and what gen, esp what I'll get for fruit next year.

[rnewste]

RJ,

I have some Purple Haze F4 seed I can send you.

Ray

[travis]

Originally Posted by RJ_Hythloday

How was the taste?

The taste got progressively better as the weather got hotter. It never got as good as Cherokee Purple or Black Cherry.

[RJ_Hythloday]

Originally Posted by travis

The taste got progressively better as the weather got hotter. It never got as good as Cherokee Purple or Black Cherry.

Have you had PH F1? I haven't so I've nothing to compare it too, especially since I haven't had CP or BC either. I was super impressed w/ Black from Tula and Morado this year though. First year growing blacks, won't be the last.

[frogsleap farm]

I also had F3 PH segregating for fruit size and PL/RL. I'm saving two PL lines with size and flavor similar to the Black Cherry parent. I didn't have PH F1 to compare to this year ... and it was an odd year.

[travis]

Originally Posted by RJ_Hythloday

Have you had PH F1? I haven't so I've nothing to compare it too, especially since I haven't had CP or BC either. I was super impressed w/ Black from Tula and Morado this year though. First year growing blacks, won't be the last.

Blacks and purples are great in general. Nothing compares to a really well grown Cherokee Purple, in my opinion. But it has drawbacks.

I think Indian Stripe grows better in wider ranges of conditions but does not quite develop the same degree of rich, sweet, deep flavor profile as Cherokee Purple. Close enough when you consider the wider adaptability and heat tolerance of Indian Stripe.

Black Cherry is among the best open pollinated cherry types. Period.

No, I only had five old PH F1 seeds from the originator and only germinated one of the five. That vine didn't grow strongly or produce fruit. Don't know what happened. I guess it was weak on account of the age of the seeds. The F3 seeds came from a friend in SoCal who grew the F1 and F2 out there.

I'm confident there will be new PH F1 seeds soon. In a year or two for sure.


GGG