Japanese tomatoes

[svalli]

My husband just returned from Kuyshu in Japan and brought me tomato seeds. I used google translator to figure out names for them. I found information of two of them here in TV, those are Momotaro and Aiko. The other ones translated as Carol Passion, Ama-tsuko and Red Fruit. All of them may be hybrids and since I could not find anything about plant type I assume that they are indeterminants.

I have already sown my varieties for this year, but I wonder if I should try at least Momotaro and maybe one of the cherry type or Aiko, which is a small plum.



Sari

[PhilaGardener]

They look interesting; I'd encourage you to try at least a few! Please let us know how they do for you.

[matilda'skid]

I bought some Momotaro from Kitazawa Company. They were the first seeds to germinate along with Sun Gold.

I would try them this year and drop something else. They are supposed to be sweet I think. This is the first year trying them for me and I ordered them after reading recommendations.

[peebee]

Svalli, I have grown several Japanese hybrids; the correct reading of the Ama-tsuko is Amakko (the tsu is silent when it is a smaller font). I grow it every year as it is my favorite cherry but for some reason it has been very hard to germinate compared to others. I would get maybe 50% germination. I like it because it has a weird meaty texture and flavor, not fruity or even very sweet but I like it. The name can loosely mean Sweet Child.
I grew Carol Rose last year, don't know if this is a sport of Carol Passion, or vice versa. Not growing it this time, it was just alright for me.
The Momotaro you have is Momotaro Home. There are at least 8 different Momotaros out there. If I'm not mistaken, this Home one is more for growing in a greenhouse environment (hence, "home").
I have never tried this Fruit Red, as its called, but they usually use the word fruit to indicate exactly it has a fruity sweet taste which is popular these days.
Hope this helps a bit.

[svalli]

Thank you peebee!

I have a greenhouse, so Momotaro Home will be grown there. Do you know, if all of these are indeterminate or how would the vine type be described on the package? I can read only the numbers on the package and there seems to be nothing, which could be the height of the plant. I grow all taller varieties in the greenhouse and shorter ones will get moved outside in their pots, when the weather gets warm enough.

I wish I could try all of these this year, but I have already 21 varieties growing and most of them are new to me. Luckily quite many are dwarfs and determinate, which can go outside, if we get good summer.

Sari

[peebee]

Hi Svalli, I just checked my Amakko & Momotaro Fight (another Momotaro) packets and was surprised that neither had any numbers on the back about height or anything. Of course, my packets were not from the same vendors as yours, but still, it did not say how big they would get. From my personal experience, I'd say the Amakko was the same height as say, a Sungold. The Momotaro was a smaller plant, perhaps about 4 ft? Both were indeterminates.

By the way, I love Moomin, your avatar! I have a collection of Moomin cups. Used to watch the animation videos with my kids when they were little.

[Hermitian]

Originally Posted by peebee

... The Momotaro was a smaller plant, perhaps about 4 ft? Both were indeterminates.

Yes, that's my experience. The Momotaro fruit is very sweet and the plant is a prolific producer.

[Fusion_power]

The Momotaro I have grown is a compact indeterminate and tops out between 4 and 5 feet tall.

[feldon30]

Momotaro is just a great tomato.

[zipcode]

Aiko is the most popular cherry/grape in Japan from what I can see on their blogs (there's also a yellow version).
Momotaro is also available in USA, possibly Europe.
Shame you didn't get some Pinky, praised as the cherry to have for thin skin and it's productive too. I've been looking everywhere for it, seems it's only available in Japan.
http://shirouri360.blog.fc2.com/blog-entry-138.html

[svalli]

Yesterday I put two seeds of both Momotaro Home and Aiko to germinate in the moler DE. I do not know where I will put all of my plants, but I do not have to solve that problem until beginning of June.

My husband may visit Japan again in business and then I will have a list for him. I also want seeds for Japanese cucumbers.
My friends want their husbands bringing chocolate and perfumes from overseas trips and I am always asking for seeds.


Sari

[zipcode]

In addition to Pinky, you may be interested in tomatoes by Pioneer Ecoscience which has a whole range of tomatoes in different colours with mostly italian names. They seem fairly popular over there.

http://sicilian-rouge.com/tomato_all.html

[peebee]

When all is said and done, I still think in general, that the heirloom varieties found here and elsewhere in the world taste the best. Momotaro and Amakko are keepers for me, but the other varieties I've tasted in Japan cannot hold a candle to heirlooms in terms of taste. And that is an opinion shared by several Japanese growers I know.
I grow hybrids to supplement in quantity what I cannot get from heirlooms. Another outstanding hybrid is Sungold, so popular everywhere now, also created in Japan. If you ever visit a nursery there you won't believe your eyes, everything is just gorgeous and lush. I visited Sakata nursery, they are a major seed co. also and their tomatoes are covered in fruit, and foliage is lush and green. Of course, these have been grown in greenhouse-controlled conditions, so they cannot be compared to the home-grown ones. Their looks may be out of this world but the taste is usually "ok", though certainly the taste is superior to any store-bought tomato here in the USA.
Still, it is exciting to get new seeds from different places in the chance you might find a favorite. Keep us posted of your tomatoes Sari, and give us your opinions of what you liked or didn't like!