I think I wanna try Porter.

[CamuMahubah]

I've got Mat-Su Express seeds(Thanks Cole!).

I've got Break O'Day and Kosovo courtesy of Victory.

Got some Dirty Girls(Thanks 2mnyrzs).

I've got landracers I bought via silver dimes from Joseph.

I've got the cross of probably Cherokee Purple and Rose De Berne(Thanks Marc).

Now I don't have a cherry. Usually I grow Sunsugar but since I won't have any other commercial hybrids I want to keep that theme going.

What say ye'all to Porter?

I get obsessed and I am obsessed with having Porter.

So...is Charles Herring Strain the way to go with Porter?

You folks here have been absolutely wonderful in sending me seeds and full of knowledge. I bow and doff my hat to good peeps!

And I wanna pick y'all's brains one last time!

I'm all set to buy Porter from Tatiana. That Charles Herring Strain is the right Porter ain't it?

Apologizing in advance for being such an heirloom noob.

[CamuMahubah]

I guess the Matervillian I need to talk to is "AlittleSalt".

Seems he grows Porter every year.

I cain't remember if Worth eats Porter or not...but yah y'all two texans will be here shortly I assume and tell me where y'all get the seed for the egg shaped Porter.

I'm sort of a lurker rarely posting and I've been reading about Porter for a couple years now and I never saw the allure until recently. And since I'm not gonna do Sun Sugar this year I figure the only cherry or small tomato I would want would have to be a full flavored mass producer that is bigger than the teeny tiny cherries.

I'm willing to bet Porter has that old time flavor I so desire...one I've been seeking...since I was a kid eating mom's tomatoes in Florida.

My main crop is gonna be landracers from Joseph and I'm gonna surround that garden with Kosovo and Mat-Su and Dirty Girls in case of promiscuous pollination should that occur. And Break O'Day will be there too, almost forgot. Bought that one because I've read so many of Carolyn's posts and I just have to try it. I mean who wouldn't want an heirloom that rivals modern hybrids in production and beats them all day in flavor. Porter seems to be along those lines of flavor and production with heat tolerance.

Not trying to make crosses but if Porter happens to wade into the gene pool I surely wouldn't mind. We get hot here. Really hot. I know AlittleSalt says Porter sorta stops at 98F but I think that is higher temp than most can handle so that kind of robustness will be appreciated.

[OzoneNY]

2 years ago I grew Porter, CHearing Porter and Porter Pride. Honestly I could not tell you the difference in flavor between any of them. Between the Porter and CHPorter the plants were the same egg size and shape, pink fruit with a ref flesh. CHporter germination rate was much lower. Perhaps the seeds were older? Dunno. Porter pride is a little smaller than a tennis ball and red not pink. All 3 taste about the same. All three are quite productive but the porter pride was slightly less so. All 3 did produce up to high 90's but slow down considerably. Over 105 it produce nothing, but in the fall when things cool a bit, new blossoms emerge Also noticed they do better with a little less watering than the other varieties I have grown. Its a good tomato. Good flavor.

[carolyn137]

If you do a search here at Tville you'll find much more info about the herring one and he actually came here to talk it up, how he got it, and it was all in the family and was the "original" Porter,his words,not mine..

http://www.tomatoville.com/search.php?searchid=2901432

and

http://tatianastomatobase.com/wiki/P...Herring_Strain

Carolyn

[CamuMahubah]

Originally Posted by carolyn137

If you do a search here at Tville you'll find much more info about the herring one and he actually came here to talk it up, how he got it, and it was all in the family and was the "original" Porter,his words,not mine..

http://www.tomatoville.com/search.php?searchid=2901432

and

http://tatianastomatobase.com/wiki/P...Herring_Strain

Carolyn

Oh believe you me have I searched this site. Carolyn I have followed many of your links from the past and one of those links led me to the CH strain.

In fact Carolyn I have read billions of your posts and recommendations over the years and that's how Break O'Day got the nod this year. I usually grow Big Beef or some other hybrid but the theme this year is basically Tomatoville favorites. I'm looking for an older flavor I haven't had since I was a kid.

Having a small garden pushes me to be extra choosy.

Now I have Porter, Break O Day, Kosovo, Mat-Su, Dirty Girl, 4 varieties from Joseph, and a cross of Cherokee Purple and Rose De Berne.

Wow! I'm really set like a jet!

Thanks ALittleSalt for the Porter seeds.

I don't deserve you nice peeps here!

[CamuMahubah]

Originally Posted by OzoneNY

2 years ago I grew Porter, CHearing Porter and Porter Pride. Honestly I could not tell you the difference in flavor between any of them. Between the Porter and CHPorter the plants were the same egg size and shape, pink fruit with a ref flesh. CHporter germination rate was much lower. Perhaps the seeds were older? Dunno. Porter pride is a little smaller than a tennis ball and red not pink. All 3 taste about the same. All three are quite productive but the porter pride was slightly less so. All 3 did produce up to high 90's but slow down considerably. Over 105 it produce nothing, but in the fall when things cool a bit, new blossoms emerge Also noticed they do better with a little less watering than the other varieties I have grown. Its a good tomato. Good flavor.

Thank you for writing your experience. It generally gets in the high 90's to low 100's here in Julyish but I don't expect much from any plant in that kind of heat except from cactus maybe.

Since I got you here tee hee! I would like to ask you if the flavor beats most other cherries?

I like a twangy tomato but the key for me is a tomato that has a wide taste going from sweet to salty to acidy to fruity. Best way I know how to describe it. The salty part could be imagined but tomatoes don't taste like the ones my mother grew in that deep dark dirt in Lakeland FL.

I'm growing in hard as a rock clay here that I am slowly fortifying.

Of course mom always threw a catfish head in the hole before planting too. Maybe I oughta get some fish emulsion.

Basically I've had some good cherries I'm betting on Porter being more well rounded than the sweet hybrids out today.

I'm excited to grow Porter.

[Groundhog]

Originally Posted by CamuMahubah

I like a twangy tomato but the key for me is a tomato that has a wide taste going from sweet to salty to acidy to fruity. .

This may not be the tomato you're looking for. I too, like a tomato with somewhat of a bite but this one, at least to me, tastes a little bland. I grow them every year for canning because I like to can whole tomatoes and I can get anywhere from 20-25 in a pint jar. With the lemon juice and salt added at canning they make a fantastic canned tomato.

Last year I had two plants and canned 36 pints (well over 700 tomatoes). Next year I believe I'll try the Porter's Pride if I can remember to order the seeds.

[CamuMahubah]

Originally Posted by Groundhog

This may not be the tomato you're looking for. I too, like a tomato with somewhat of a bite but this one, at least to me, tastes a little bland. I grow them every year for canning because I like to can whole tomatoes and I can get anywhere from 20-25 in a pint jar. With the lemon juice and salt added at canning they make a fantastic canned tomato.

Last year I had two plants and canned 36 pints (well over 700 tomatoes). Next year I believe I'll try the Porter's Pride if I can remember to order the seeds.

Do you maybe over water your plants?

I'm growing in an arid climate watering as little as possible.

Quite sure a variety that has lasted this many years is not gonna be bland. I mean if I can make Early Girl taste good in my garden quite sure any heirloom that many love and call their favorite is gonna have fighting chance at my place.

And you might be completely right and it turns out horrible and I come on here to word duel the Porteristos!

All Porter has to do at my place is beat the grocery store cardboard tree ornaments. Once we get to that point I can work on amending the soil and growing techniques until I have mastered the art of Porterism.

From seed to soil to sun to water to plate I will give Porter her chance to shine.

[MarlynnMarcks]

I like a twangy tomato but the key for me is a tomato that has a wide taste going from sweet to salty to acidy to fruity. Best way I know how to describe it. The salty part could be imagined but tomatoes don't taste like the ones my mother grew in that deep dark dirt in Lakeland FL.

How did your mother grow tomatoes in Florida dirt? It's full of nematodes which kill of all tomatoes I try to grow in the dirt in Port St Lucie Florida. And secondly, what kind were they???

[CamuMahubah]

Originally Posted by MarlynnMarcks

I like a twangy tomato but the key for me is a tomato that has a wide taste going from sweet to salty to acidy to fruity. Best way I know how to describe it. The salty part could be imagined but tomatoes don't taste like the ones my mother grew in that deep dark dirt in Lakeland FL.

How did your mother grow tomatoes in Florida dirt? It's full of nematodes which kill of all tomatoes I try to grow in the dirt in Port St Lucie Florida. And secondly, what kind were they???

She grew all kinds. Previously I mentioned the ones I remember most were hybrids. Big Boy, Early Girl, and Beefmaster were the ones I remember picking. There was also Rutgers.

I don't remember anythang being said about nematodes. Maybe the dirt in her garden had less nematodes? I don't know. I was very young. Like 8 years old.

I remember the Big Boys were very good. I still have vivid memories of supper one night.

Hamburgers were served with mayo and onion and ketchup and BIG BOY SLICES! I remember sprinkling salt on the left over tomato slices and savoring them.

We sat on outside on the screened in porch.

If you want I will PM you the address of where this all went down and you can see the porch on google earth and perhaps where the garden would have been.

This all happened approximately 1988ish...

Mom lives in Lake Wales Florida now and still has a garden every year. Biggest problem she had last year was BER on a few fruits. I cannot recall ever hearing her say anythang about nematodes.

I'll have to ask her about that.

I grow in mostly grey clay soil now. It's not that bad but it gets as hard as a rock and I think that slows my plants down. It does seem to hold moisture well though.

I am gradually fortifying the soil and each year my fruits get better.

[GaryStPaul]

I grow the Porter Ch. Herring strain every year, if so no other reason than it pumps out tomatoes throughout the season. Very reliable for me up here in MN.

[MarlynnMarcks]

Originally Posted by CamuMahubah

She grew all kinds. Previously I mentioned the ones I remember most were hybrids. Big Boy, Early Girl, and Beefmaster were the ones I remember picking. There was also Rutgers.

I don't remember anythang being said about nematodes. Maybe the dirt in her garden had less nematodes? I don't know. I was very young. Like 8 years old.

I remember the Big Boys were very good. I still have vivid memories of supper one night.

Hamburgers were served with mayo and onion and ketchup and BIG BOY SLICES! I remember sprinkling salt on the left over tomato slices and savoring them.

We sat on outside on the screened in porch.

If you want I will PM you the address of where this all went down and you can see the porch on google earth and perhaps where the garden would have been.
[B]I'D LOVE TO SEE THIS.[/B]
This all happened approximately 1988ish...

Mom lives in Lake Wales Florida now and still has a garden every year. Biggest problem she had last year was BER on a few fruits. I cannot recall ever hearing her say anythang about nematodes. I LIKE LAKE WALES. GO THROUGH THERE ON MY WAY TO TAMPA AND ALWAYS STOP FOR LUNCH OR BREAKFAST
[/SIZE]
I'll have to ask her about that.

I grow in mostly grey clay soil now. It's not that bad but it gets as hard as a rock and I think that slows my plants down. It does seem to hold moisture well though.

I am gradually fortifying the soil and each year my fruits get better.

[AlittleSalt]

Porter is the tomato that my wife and I first fell in love with

It does have that old fashion taste. As OzoneNY wrote - don't overwater it. As for where to get seeds - My Porter seeds come from transplants bought back in 2014. I save seeds from them each year. What I have is just plain "Porter". Not CH Strain, Improved, Select, Porter's Pride, etc.

If you would like some Porter seeds, PM me your mailing info and I'll send you some. No SASE needed.

[AlittleSalt]

I found some Porter's Pride seeds I saved in 2015. I put some in the envelope for you too.

[OzoneNY]

Porter Pride, Porter, CHPorter, chicken egg