Mr. Stripey

[hornstrider]

Has anyone grown Mr. Stripey before?..I am growing one this year because I thought I would give it a try. I have read that they are a good tasting yellow striped tomato, but fruit set is sparse. I have read that they taste similar to a Brandywine. My lone Mr. Stripey has been setting fruit like crazy. It is a very large plant, and has been very productive for me thus far. What can I expect as to the flavor of Mr. Stripey?

I'm looking forward to any answers you get concerning Mr. Stripey. My OP varieties grown from seed were killed in a late frost and I had to scramble around looking for other OP varieties from commercial greenhouses. I located most of what I grew plus a few I didn't grow. Mr. Stripey was one of the not grown varieties supplied by Baby's Greenhouse somewhere in Texas. Most of the info I found on the net was not very complimentary for the variety but I am anxious to see how accurate those comments are. Most people seem to report the fruit to be multicolored instead of striped with a rather bland flavor. It's fun to look at varieties new to me.

Ted

[hornstrider]

Ted........Everything I read was not complimentary also. Most of the complaints seemed to be lack of fruit set. That has not been a problem w/ this Mr. Stripey. Most of the people I found on my google search said they had good flavor, but there were not many fruits to sample.

[OneoftheEarls]

Found this late in a raised bed...one fruit, but the best sandwich tomato all summer.

[hornstrider]

Earl.........WOW that is a big mater.....Is that a Mr. Stripey?........I thought they were yellow striped.

[Lunacy]

I grew Mr. stripey last season which was my first season, I knew nothing about OP vs. f1s. My Stripey was the best tomato I grew! It was the most prolific and the best tasting. This year I'm growing a lot more heirlooms, and you know I'm growing another Mr. Stripey. Sorry, I have no idea how to describe the the taste but I grew celebrity, Better boy, and Early girl (basically what I could find at the big box, and the Stripey is the only one I can recommend.

[hornstrider]

Lunacy..........WOW........I can't wait. I am also growing Cherokee Purple, Rutgers, Big Beef, Early Girl bush, Black Krim, Sungold, and Stupice. I always try a new variety each year, and this year is Mr. Stripey.

[organichris]

I grew Mr. Stripey, the bi-color, the one pictured above. I wouldn't grow it again. It was better than store bought tomatoes, but that's about the only positive thing I can say about it.

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by organichris

I grew Mr. Stripey, the bi-color, the one pictured above. I wouldn't grow it again. It was better than store bought tomatoes, but that's about the only positive thing I can say about it.

And I just did a longg post about this variety and lost it b'c there's some key I accidentally hit at the lower left which deletes what I'm writing.

I'll be back b'c ths history behind this one is interesting, to a point, but it's not a gold/red bicolor that I'd suggest to someone else.

I'll be back with the link to Google IMAGES which shows some pictures but not even all the pictures shown are correct for the variety.

Stuff happens.

I'm looking forward to your information Carolyn. I find the history of many varieties as interesting as the tomato itself.

Ted

[hornstrider]

Thanks Carolyn............I also look forward to your info.

[camochef]

There are two Mr. Stripey's. One is a small English variety, also known as Tigerella, that I don't have any familiarity with.
The larger Mr. Stripey is a beefsteak type that I had my first taste of quite a few years back when a friend brought me over some tomatoes to try. It was close to a lb in size, but I didn't weigh it. It was the best tasting of the half dozen or so that he had brought over. It had good texture and a well balanced taste. Although it was yellow and red it didn't taste any different than any other red or pink tomato that was average or above.
I planted 8 of them the following year. The plants grew well. Very full, lush green and tall. Very healthy looking. I couldn't wait till the large green fruits began to ripen.
Finally they began to set color and my anticipation increased with their enlargeing size. You can't imagine my disappointment when I finally got to taste my first one. It was bland and watery, the texture was mushy. Nothing like what I remembered from the year before.
Then I discovered that my friend never waters his garden...ever! What ever mother nature delivers in rain is it. I cut back on watering those plants and began to see an improvement in both taste and texture. All 8 plants were soon producing much better tasting tomatoes and the texture improved drasticly.
I grew them again the following year but they soon fell from favor for their were many better tasting tomatoes to take their place. I haven't grown them in years now, but they do produce very well and are of good size...just don't overwater them or give them as much water as other varieties. The only other tomato I've grown that seems to do better with less water is Kellogg's Breakfast, which also has a mushiness if watered too much.
I hope yours do well for you and that you have a great season before you!
Camo

[carolyn137]

Sorry, I couldn't get back earlier but I've been watching TV tennis from Monte Carlo and I do have my priorities.

Camo has spoken partially to the issue but I'll go back to the beginning.

Wayne Hilton used to own TT, Shumways, Seymours Seeds, then took over Vermont Bean, etc. and then sold all of them to Jung's several years ago. it was Wayne who picked up this typical gold/red bicolor in GA, of which there are now close to 200 named varieties, not counting the one that a neigbor of my brother's in NC grows which my brother generously offered to me and I declined.

Hilton for many years had been a major customer of Seeds by Design in Ca who are seed wholesalers and also do subcontract growing. He gave them the seeds. At the time they knew little about anything heirloom and didn't know about the variety Tigerella that had been bred in England years ago which had an AKA of Mr. Stripey.

So they named it Mr Stripey. But it doesn''t have any stripes. Tigerella is a small red with distinct gold/orange stripes which has an agreesive taste I don't like at all and splits with the AM dew or if you look at it sidewise and is not a bicolor at all. The other two that came out of the same cross I do like and those are Tangella and Craigella.

I was going to link to the Google IMAGES pictures of this variety but any of you can do it as well as me and what you'll see are some that are definitely correct and some that aren't.

The reputation for Mr. Stripey has not been good as to plant vigor, yield and taste and I wouldn't even put it on a list of gold/red bicolors that I'd grow. But I will tell you that when most of them are great tasting one year that in my experience the same variety grown the next season can be bland and mushy; they are very much influenced by weather as are the fuzzy ones such as Nectarine, Peach Blow Sutton and the like.

And I can't tell you how many times I've posted about the difference between the two Mr,. Stripeys and there's still some catalogs that have to two confused.

Hope that helps.

Carolyn

[hornstrider]

Camo........Thank you very much. I will watch my watering.

[hornstrider]

Thank you Carolyn....much appreciated!!........Sounds like a finakee variety. I suppose I will just have to wait, and see for myself.