which should i grow?

[TightenUp]

need some help making up my mind. tomatoes will be grown in small new jersey garden. also looking for good/bad experiences with these varieties

Pick 1 from this group

cherokee purple
black krim
paul robeson

Pick 2 from this group

brandywine RL-red
brandywine PL-red
brandywine sudduth
brandywine -pink
earls faux
stump of the world

[Worth1]

cherokee purple

brandywine RL-red
stump of the world

Worth

[nctomatoman]

My turn!

Group 1

cherokee purple


Group 2 - see bold, plus my notes

brandywine RL-red
brandywine PL-red (mix up or a mislabel - no such thing)
brandywine sudduth (nice variety, but go with Stump for more reliable yield in an equivalent flavor)
brandywine -pink (which should be the same as BW Sudduth)
earls faux (which is very much like Brandywine)
stump of the world

[TightenUp]

Brandywine (Red) Potato Leaf #3642 (30 seeds) $2.75
This is a version of Brandywine that offers red fruit with luscious old-time, red tomato flavor. Plants have potato-shaped leaves and are extremely productive, bearing long harvests of these 10 to 16 ounce fruit. Heirloom from the late 1800's. Indeterminate. 80 days.

[Worth1]

Common guys 24 views at last glance and only 2 opinions on what Jeff should grow.

Get those rusty fingers to working you can do it, up down up down.

Worth

[carolyn137]

Pick 1 from this group

cherokee purple, yes
black krim
paul robeson

Pick 2 from this group

brandywine RL-red
brandywine PL-red
brandywine sudduth
brandywine -pink
earls faux
stump of the world

And Brandywine Sudduth from above.

You just posted the info from TGS about the Red Brandywine, and note that linda lists TWO REd Brandywines, one PL and one RL and neither is true Red Brandywine. She keeps listing them b'c she says that many folks like them.

This is what Craig was referring to above although you didn't mention the TGS one until after he posted.

If you want Red Brandywine from TGS get the one that says Landis after the name, and although she lists it as a strain it isn't, there are no strains of Red Brandywine, it's just the place where she got the seeds which was the Landis Museum in PA

[nctomatoman]

Jeff, this is just another example of the mess that are the Brandywines in seed catalogs....Red Brandywine as released is regular leaf. Brandywine (which is pink) is potato leaf. My suspicion is that it is just another example of calling pink tomatoes red....going way back in the SSE yearbook there are examples of the pink fruited Brandywine listed as a red.

[TightenUp]

i guess i will revise my list. looks like i am going to stay away from the brandywine name for now. thanks for the info

[camochef]

Originally Posted by ChefJeff

i guess i will revise my list. looks like i am going to stay away from the brandywine name for now. thanks for the info

Don't do that! Brandywines are some of the best tasting tomatoes out there. My favorites are Brandywine-Glicks, and Cowlick's Brandywine, both the original P.L. and Bama's R.L. they outperform those you've listed and taste better too.
The three darks you listed are pretty good but Cherokee Purple is not one of the best producers and taste quality varies greatly.
Black Krim is a tasty tomato with better production but has a tendency to crack 6 out of 7 years.
Paul Robeson is a dark variety that has never done well here for me in South Central Pa. either in germanation or in producing, and I've never been impressed with it's taste, compared to other darks.
My favorite darks here would be:
Dana's Dusky Rose
Bear Creek
Amazon Chocolate
Black Master
Other Pinks to consider:
Barlow Jap
Liz Birt
Dora
and what has become a new favorite of mine,
Purple Dog Creek

Liz Birt, Dora, and Bear Creek are all Brandywine / Cherokee Purple crosses from Keith Mueller and have done extremely well for me here the last three years or so. His other cross, (Gary O'Sena) didn't fair well here this year, although it has performed well in the past.

What has become my favorite red the past few years, replacing both Red Brandywine and Box-car Willie is Tarasenko6, which has produced some fantastic tasting tomatoes and many quite large.

This year, the first tomatoes to ripen were, Cowlick's Brandywine (R.L.);Barlow Jap; Amazon Chocolate; (3) Liz Birt, Mrs Benson, Black Master, Lillian Maciejewski's Poland Pink, and (2) Tarasenko6. All ripened on the same day.
2 days later I was deluged with many more Barlow Jap's, Liz Birt's, Tarasenko6's and my first P.L. Cowlick's Brandywine. Along with many others including Pink Sweet, Dana's Dusky Rose and Big Cheef.
It wasn't till a week later that I saw my first ripe Earl's Faux, and Stump of The World and others like Indian Stripe, Vorlon, and Black Brandywine.

Every year is different and what performs very well one year may not do as well the next. Yet, over time you can determine which varieties do best for you in your location. I plant the best of the best each year and try to include 7-10 new, highly recommended varieties along with them. Of all this years new to me varieties there was one stand-out...Purple Dog Creek, a large-sized pink tomato with outstanding, complex tastes that will now join the list of favorites in my gardens. It's still producing lots of large tomatoes where many others have begun to decline in production.

Whatever you decide to go with, I wish much luck! I started my tomato growing experiences in New Jersey over 50 years ago. I wish we had that rich Jersey soil here in south central Pa. I grew up in Bergen County where soil was dark, black soil and it took me years to believe that this red shale soil here would grow anything. It does with lots of help.
Enjoy!
Camo

[camochef]

I keep trying to edit Keith Partridge's name but it keeps changing it to Partridge, which I never typed in the first place????


Partridge...Partridge...Partridge!


not Partridge

The individual in question is persona non grata here, hence the word filter substitution - M.

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by camochef

I keep trying to edit Keith Partridge's name but it keeps changing it to Partridge, which I never typed in the first place????


Partridge...Partridge...Partridge!


not Partridge

Camo, it's the software that's doing that and it happens to me as well and I just delete the Partidge in this instance b'c in the context of what I'm typing everyone should see the association. But most times I don't look back at what posted so don't even see if a name I posted has been altered.

It happens with several other names as well as I recall, actually those who are no longer with us at Tville for one reason or another, if you get my drift.

[nctomatoman]

I'd go for the Landis "strain" (not really a strain of course, but Landis Valley seems to be most associated with it, as well as Heirloom Seeds) of Red Brandywine - the RL medium fruited one, which is clearly indicated in at least Tomato Growers, Victory and the SSE commercial catalog. It is a fine tomato.

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by nctomatoman

I'd go for the Landis "strain" (not really a strain of course, but Landis Valley seems to be most associated with it, as well as Heirloom Seeds) of Red Brandywine - the RL medium fruited one, which is clearly indicated in at least Tomato Growers, Victory and the SSE commercial catalog. It is a fine tomato.

I agree with Craig.
Whats in a name, it's a good tomato.

Worth

[TightenUp]

i hear ya. thanks for the replies so far and even the extra encouragement for more replies. i guess Cherokee purple will be in the garden. i still havent made up my mind on the others. leaning towards stump of the world

i have a big beef, abe lincoln and boxcar willie growing now so i may save some seeds from my favorite and make that my last variety for next year. i am loving the abe lincoln so far

[mysidx]

Group 1

Cherokee Purple

Group 2

Any Brandywine


Brandywines can be stingy producers
I have not tried Stump, will be growing out next spring.