Green Giant- which is correct leaf type.

[michael johnson]

I have sown a few green giant seeds this year from a reliable scource, which I believe originaly came from an SSE scource.

all seeds germinated fine- but my problem is, some of them came potato leafed, and one or two of them came standard leafed. and I am confused as to which ones to save, can someone inform me of the correct leaf type for this Variety.


Many thanks.

[nctomatoman]

Potato Leaf is the proper leaf shape. Any seedlings that are regular leaf are likely F1 crosses - and all bets are off as to what you will get!

[carolyn137]

Neil Lockhart was the SSE member who first offered Green Giant seeds last year, seeds from Reinhard Kraft in Germany, who does not sell them.

If you look at your Yearbook you'll see that those who listed it for 2006 also got PL leaves from Neil's seed.

A friend of Craig's in MI also listed it and he got his seeds from Craig, who also got it from Reinhard in Germany and also lists it as PL.

So any source last year, Neil alone, or this year, several listers, got PL foliage.

it's entirely possible that your seed source sent you saved crossed seeds from his or her growout from seeds obtained originally last Spring from Neil while others got the expected PL foliage as you see listed in your SSE Yearbook.

In your Yearbook, as you can see, all are listing it as PL, which is correct. I also grew it last summer as PL.

[PNW_D]

Perhaps this one has both leaf types, similar to Grub's - here is what Craig wrote back on Feb. 6th:


Can't wait to grow it out this year - am also going to go back to my original Green Giant seeds from Reinhard and hope to get a RL seedlings to grow out to compare (I had one each of the last two years but...gasp!! - tossed them!)

Looks like original seed resulted in both PL and RG.

[carolyn137]

D,

I have to hand it to you, b'c your'e the one I rely on to go back and fetch this and that, whether it's Jeff Nekola's former website or other things.

I think we should put you and Craig to the test, for he also has a photographic memory.

As for me, no photographic memory here and all my seeds that I sowed last Spring, I'm pretty sure from Craig, grew PL seedlings, and I think I sowed maybe 5 seeds and got 100% germination.

I kept one here at the house and distributed the others locally and all gave what Green Giant should be. But I must admit, I still prefer Cherokee Green for taste when it comes to the green when ripes that I've grown in the past

.

[michael johnson]

many thanks all, I think I will plump for the potato leaf type as it seems to be right one for the job and seed saving for future use.

But the curiosity in me makes me want to save just one of the regular leaf type just to see what develops.

Its my first time of trying green giant- which was said by many last season to be very good taste- so I am hopefull.

[nctomatoman]

Here's the scoop. Reinhard Kraft got what now Green Giant from a friend, as a named regular leaf green when ripe. He got one poitato leaf seedling with green fruit, stabilized it, and named it Green Giant. For me, it is at least 95% potato leaf when I grow it out from saved seed. (whether that 5% is reg. leaf left over from its origin, or from a recent cross in my garden, cannot be determined unless I grow it out, which I am not going to do). So, Reinhard gave the name Green Giant to a potato leaf green when ripe.

The reason I went back to Reinhard's seed to find a reg leaf is to get a look at the fruit shape and color, and flavor, of the green when ripe variety that Green Giant originated from. He sent me a pic of it, and it has more pink on the exterior of any green I've yet seen. I want to see it for myself!

[PNW_D]

No photographic memory here Carolyn - just vague bells, then the Search button

Anyhoo, you must really try a Grub's Mystery PL Green, if you like Cherokee Green, this one is even richer. Too bad I'm in Canada or I'd mail you one come September . I'm growing Green Giant, Grub's and Green Pineapple (very tomatoey smelling foliage) for taste tests this year .....

Craig, thank you for the additional information on Green Giant.

[carolyn137]

D, Grub sent me seeds for both the PL and RL versions but it didn't make the cut this year b'c Martha had already offered to raise some plants and ship them up to me from Virginia the week before surgery so I could direct where I wanted each variety planted, and I had already chosen Cherokee Green as my one green when ripe for this summer.

Also, since you are Canadian, let me add that Reinhard told me he got the seeds for what he named Green Giant from someone in Canada, so I don't know if it's a pre-existing variety and obviously I guess Reinhard doesn't either or he would have mentioned something in that e-mail when I asked him about it re the lack of amber color that Craig said he was getting with it.

So those of you growing Green Giant take a look and see how it compares to Aunt Ruby's German Green, for instance, as another large fruited green when ripe or any other large green when ripe.

I grew Green Giant last summer and did not see some of the features I often see with ARGG, however that's in my climate with the conditions that prevailed here last summer.

I have mixed feelings about saying that two leaf versions exist from saved seed. Fine if blossoms aren't bagged, b'c that might be expected. Have all of you who say you get both RL and PL from saved seed been bagging blossoms? Did Grub?

I only know of one variety that did that for me, as in save seed from PL version and get both RL and PL, and save seed from RL and get both PL and RL, and I referred to it as flip flopping. The variety is Taps. But Craig said he got it to come true. And I wasn't bagging blossoms but in this case that really wasn't the point.

[Mireille]

I have the same problem this year with Hugh's tomato. 2 seeds: one with potato leaf and the other one with regular leaf. Which one is the good one ?

[nctomatoman]

Hugh's is regular leaf. I've been growing it for years and have never seen a potato leaf seedling - it is either a cross or a mix up....or, a very, very rare shift of leaf type (but I mean rare!).

[Mireille]

Thank you, I will keep the regular leaf one and throw away the other.

[Tomstrees]

Funny I had the same prob.
with Limbaugh’s Potato Top -

One PL the other RL ~ I'm going to
isolate them ; grow-out both ;
and see whats doin ...
I'll only send back
the seeds from the PL one ...

~ Tom

[Mireille]

Good idea to grow out both of them and see the difference.

[Little_Rhody]

I received some green giants seeds from a gardenweb member. Only two germinated, one RL and one PL. I plan to grow them both out this year.