Results from my garden –unabashed opinions on some varieties

[where_with_all]

Hello everyone,

I just wanted to share the results from my garden this year with everyone on this message board. I owe a lot of thanks to a bunch of you ( suze, korny) for recommending some varieties for me last year. I know some tomatovillans don’t like critical comments because of the variability of environmental factors, but I think it’s important to tell it like it is, especially if others are looking for advice on what to grow.

My season was turning out to be one of my best growing seasons ever. The weather here on long island was great up until mid August. I was ready to put a stand out in front of my house and sell tomatoes. But the ferocious rain storms in mid to late august really damaged my crop. I lost several plants to disease from all the water and I lost a few plants from some hail storms.

So here goes:

Brandywine Sudduth- I used two different seed sources which will remain unnamed. One seed source has been the one I have used for a few years now. Tomatoes were wonderfully balanced sweet/acid taste, but as usual, low yield. I got a total of 8 tomatoes from two plants. The other seed source had much better yield (18 tomatoes from three plants). The taste from the high yield variety was less spectacular, still good, but not AS good. Anyway, I am not making the trade off so I will try a new seed source next year to compare to my standby

Cherokee Purple- Nice tomato- smoky taste. A good addition to my garden.

Sun Gold- Never a disappointment- great cherry tomato.

Rosalie’s Paste- A great yielding paste tomato that tastes like something slightly better than cardboard. Never again.

Joe’s Plum- Nice plum/heart tomato- but not a keeper- ok taste. Meaty

Kalman’s Hungarian Pink- Great variety, sweet heart shaped pink tomato. Good in salsa, good for fresh eating. Ok in Sauce

Wagner Italian- Small pink paste tomatoes- great taste- almost indistinguishable in taste from Kalman’s above. Good in salsa, ok in sauce. I did about ten different taste tests and both of these tomatoes are very close to each other. I will probably grow both again next year if I can’t decide.

Sarnowski Polish Paste- A surprise- some good reviews but I was not expecting to be that good- A great tasting paste tomato. Meaty but good enough to eat fresh- very high yield. Great sauce, great salsa. Not as sweet as kalman and wagner above. Plant was really resistant to mold and rot.


Next year- I will probably replace Joe’s plum and Rosalie’s paste with Martino Roma and Prue. Although after reading piegirls post a few minutes ago- I am having second thoughts about martino's roma- I decided last year that my past tomato absoulutly has to taste good too when eaten fresh because there is no room in my garden for bad tasting tomatoes. I could always just but roma tomatoes to make sauce.

I am also intrigued by San Marzano. If I could just decide between Wagner and Kalman, I might try to squeeze this one in.

Anyway – thats it for my garden this year. Thanks again for everyone’s input. As always any input is appreciated.

Where_with_all

[montanamato]

You probably won't like San Marzano either...
Try Matt D'Imperio or Siciian Plum...

Jeanne

[mdvpc]

Sicilian Plum is the best tasting paste tomato I have ever grown-nice big, great tasting fruit in my garden. I am germinating right now to grow in my greenhouse this fall. Jeanne, am I the source for your seed?

[tjg911]

i can't recall where i heard or read this but i think it was on the food network. the san marzano tomatoes have such special taste due to volcanic soil in the area they are grown. based upon that i decided to not grow them and i really thought they'd be great to try. just my opinion.

tom

[feldon30]

Sarnowski Polish Plum is awesome. Glad it did well for you.

One of my favorite "paste" tomatoes but is one of the least productive is Tony's Italian.

As for Matt D'Imperio, if I had to choose between 2 SPP or 1 SPP and 1 MD'I I'd do 2 SPP. This is based on a limited tasting at Suze's house. SPP and Tony's Italian were the best by far.

[carolyn137]

Next year- I will probably replace Joe’s plum and Rosalie’s paste with Martino Roma and Prue. Although after reading piegirls post a few minutes ago- I am having second thoughts about martino's roma- I decided last year that my past tomato absoulutly has to taste good too when eaten fresh because there is no room in my garden for bad tasting tomatoes. I could always just but roma tomatoes to make sauce.

****

Please read my response to piegirl about Martino's Roma. I've grown it many times and therefore I think I might have a better picture of what it can do.

[montanamato]

Michael...I believe my source came from Australia...I grew them last year for the first time, and was very impressed...Don't have any this year , but I will plant again next year...
I have 3 plants of Ten Fingers nearly ripe and those, plus Wuhib and Akers Pink Plum will be my main cooking/canning choices this year...I would can Matt D'Imperio, but they are the best thing I have to eat fresh as all others are still green...
Jeanne

[where_with_all]

Feldon- Thanks for the comments.

Matt d'Imperio and Sicilian Plum have escaped my scrutiny. I guess I am going to have some tough decisions next spring.

Carolyn- I have been on this board long enough not to be swayed by one opinion- I've had my eye on martino roma for a while now. Although I have to say Piegirl's experiance is pretty common for paste tomatoes in general.

WRT San marzano I heard about the volcanic soil too. But I recently read somewhere that there are lots of strains of san marzano that are less than spectacular. The orginal variety from italy is supposed to be great. SO I don't know maybe I'll pay extra for some authentic italian seeds.

[where_with_all]

Michael Jeanne Tom- thanks for your inputs too!!

[piegirl]

where with all - I am growing one called Hungarian Heart - is that the same as yours? Wonderful flavor. Tried last year but only had 3 set, lots of blossom drop and of the three I had to take one back from the squirrels. Gave her one more chance - again 1st set was only 3 - about 1 1/2 lb each, more flower drop, as wonderful as she is, for 3 fruit wouldn't grow again. THEN one day the darn thing took off like crazy and has at 26 fruits in various stages. All should mature and look like at least 1 lb or better. Next year she will have a double size cage.

My Martino's do really have no taste or texture but the sauce is absolutely the very best, beautiful color, bright flavor and I will grow again - see my post. I will grow at least 6 next year, if not more. Piegirl

[where_with_all]

Hi piegirl,

Nope i grew kalman's hungarian pink. I don't think they are the same.

WWA

[Tormato]

Kalman's Hungarian Pink and Hungarian Heart are different tomatoes. KHP has narrow shoulders, HH has wide shoulders. To me, KHP is more of a plum shape, rather than a heart.

Gary

[strax]

sanmarzano redorte select from franchi seeds, available through growitalian.com

is OUTSTANDING

[dice]

Note that Hungarian Heart does not seem to be verticillium
resistant (could be an issue on Long Island). I grew one this year
that did exceptionally well for the first half of the cold summer
we had. It forked into 2 main branches at about a foot tall,
and both sides grew fast and set numerous fruit. Then in August
one side just shrivelled up, and all of the leaves died, while
the other side remained healthy.

A few plants have had issues with what appeas to be verticillium
wilt this year (symptoms resemble that more than fusarium or
bacterial wilt, and it fits with the cold, wet soil I had up until
about the middle of July), and Hungarian Heart appears to be
one of them.

Good tomatoes, though; I was lucky that it did not kill
the whole plant.

[where_with_all]

what is a good seed source for sicilian plum?