Zone 4 tomato grower list need to cut down

[Gobig_or_Gohome_toms]

Ok so this what I have strated and cannot grow them all only about 11 or 12 with a few more in bad sun that will not see their potenial. The * is what I think I am growing *? is maybes and the others I am giving away to others or maybe should grow any thoughts???

Brandy Boy *
Black Cherry (TGS) *
Big Beef (TGS)
Sun Gold (TGS)
Tomatoberry F1 (Johnny's Selected Seeds) * (only one of 6 germ.)
Rose (Johnny's Selected Seeds)*
Brandywine Suddiths/Quinsberry (Johnny's Selected Seeds)*
Cherokee Purple (Marianna's)*?
Neves Azorean Red (Marianna's)
Stump of the World (Marianna's)
Arkansas Traveler (Marianna's)*?
Better Bush VFN Hybrid (TGS)
Marglobe (TGS)
Rutgers determinate(TGS)
Indian Stripe (origin Carolyn Male saved seeds last year)*?
Stupice (sandhill)*?
Creole (Sanhill)*?
Lucky Cross (Sandhill)*?
Cowlicks (origin Tomatoville member)*
Bloody Butcher (Sandhill)*?
JD's Special C Tex (Sandhill)
Opalka (Sandhill)
Mule Team (Sandhill)
Crnkovic Yugoslavian (Sandhill)
Earl of Edgecomb (Marianna's)*
Large Red Cherry (Livingston)
Golden Cherokee (Marianna's)

Thanks for any input this will be a day by day change for me I am sure.

Craig

[Sherry_AK]

I really think you oughtta keep a Sun Gold. And I think Stupice and Bloody Butcher are so similar that one of those could be eliminated.

[Gobig_or_Gohome_toms]

I grew sungold last year and was not impressed but everyone I gave plants to loved it. As far as bloody butcher and stupice I was only going to give one a chance maybe and stupice I have heard mixed results on heard stupice from a few had a chlorine taste so was leaning towards bloody butcher for an early.

Craig

[Sherry_AK]

I've grown both Stupice and Bloody Butcher before. Generally, BB was a bit earlier for me, but as to taste and appearance they were nearly indistinguishable.

No matter which way you go, it looks like you'll have lots of great tomatoes this season!

Sherry

[matilda'skid]

You are in zone 4 so I think you need some with a shorter days to maturity. Bloody Butcher and Stupice may fit your climate and give you some early tomatoes even though they may not taste the best.

[Gobig_or_Gohome_toms]

Originally Posted by matilda'skid

You are in zone 4 so I think you need some with a shorter days to maturity. Bloody Butcher and Stupice may fit your climate and give you some early tomatoes even though they may not taste the best.

I am in zone 4 in Minneapolis and have never had problems with getting ripe tomatoes and have never focused on early ripening ones did try early girl 3 years ago and hated it and it had sevier blosom end rot issues in a container. I think Z4 in my area is more due to hard winters then long summers as we get lots of days from last frost to first winter frost. I plant out around May 15th every year in containers.

Craig

[carpenterlady]

Stupice did well last season in Minnetonka. I gave seedlings to some of my friends. They were planted in four different gardens in the Minneapolis area. Stupice was requested for this year from them. Stupice also did well in Moose Lake, Babbit, Duluth and Deerwood. I didn't have time to maintain my garden last year, but Stupice did ripen. I was working in the Twin Cities last summer. I only went home on the weekends. Have you grown Stump of the World, JD's Special Tex and Neves Azorean Red before? How did they do in Minneapolis? I have started seedlings of them. Everyone who got seedlings from me last year requested more Sungold and Black Krim. This is the my first year of starting Black Cherry seedlings, but I grew it last year, I did not get any ripe tomatoes. I will see how they do further south. Thank you.

Becky

[carpenterlady]

Does Brandywine Sudduth's ripen for you?

[recruiterg]

I have grown Stupice, Brandywine Sudduth, Cherokee Purple, and JD's Special C-Tex in Edina.

Stupice was good in that it was early. Production was off the charts. Taste was good. Once the big dogs came in later in the season, I pulled the plant because I felt I had better options.

Brandywine Sudduth was the best tasting tomato in my garden last year. I highly recommend giving this one a try. Production was just ok, though.

Cherokee Purple and JD's were very good tasting tomatoes. With limited space, I would probably just select one of these. I think I liked JD's slightly better, but I felt they were pretty similar in most respects.

[carpenterlady]

Thanks, I have started all of the varieties you listed. My friends in the Twin Cities and Moose Lake give me tomatoes. I have a shady yard in probably one of the worst microclimates in the state. If I have ripe tomatoes at the end of the season I consider that variety a success. I start seedlings for my friends, give most away, try to sell some. I use nctomatoman's seedling starting method. My TC friends wanted more beefsteak varieties this year, so I tried to find the best tasting and successful varieties under 85 days of maturity. The only criticism my seedlings received was low production. This was from one or two gardeners used to tasteless hybrids.

[Gobig_or_Gohome_toms]

Becky I am in the Minnetonka area as well closer to Mound and basically smack dab in the middle of lake Minnetonka just off of Highway 15 so I have a little micro climate working with all of the water around me and usually get everything out by May 15th.

I have not grown most of these on my list yet but have grown other 80-90 day dtm varities and had good success. I really liked Black Cherry last year.

Pat JD's was a last minuite decision to add since I had plenty of seeds that were going to be a couple of years old now I have to decide on which one to grow.

I did not mention that 4 of the plants I will be growing will be on my upper level deck where it gets very warm and that is why I started the Creole and Arkansas Traveler as those have been said to produce well in the heat.

I do not think my list will be done until they are planted I wish I could grow them all.

Craig

[rxkeith]

from the list i grew black cherry, brandywine (not sudduths), neves ar, indian stripe, crnkovic yugoslavian, cherokee purple when i lived in calumet, mi. winter wonderland for 6 months of the year. all produced to a degree. black cherry was late to ripen and just didn't seem worth it. taste was affected by cool weather. indian stripe gave me a few ripe ones, had a lot of green ones picked that did not hold up well downstairs. taste was good though on the ones ok to eat. brandywine has done ok for several years, and is the only full size tomato to produce from a volunteer that came up in a row of potatoes one year when we had a warm month of may. sungold i grow every year, and is always the first or second tomato to ripen before or after matina which has been compared to stupice. i grew little lucky one year, a sister to lucky cross, and had one ripe fruit. didn't grow it again. too late for there. your mileage may vary.


keith

[PNW_D]

Perhaps if you break it down this way ……. this gives you a nice variety of each (bolded). I’ve kept most of those marked with * but it seems you have a few too many cherry/saladette types (unless that is your preference)

No, I have not grown all of those recommended, but do a lot of browsing on the web. Lucky Cross was a hard one not to include, and if you are looking only for taste, go for it, but production has never been great for me. Indian Stripe I grew last summer and it was a real winner,

you did say 12 max right J

CHERRY/SALADETTE
Black Cherry (TGS) *
Sun Gold (TGS)
Tomatoberry F1 (Johnny's Selected Seeds) * (only one of 6 germ.)
Large Red Cherry (Livingston)
Bloody Butcher (Sandhill)*?
Stupice (sandhill)*?

PINK
Rose (Johnny's Selected Seeds)*
Brandywine Suddiths/Quinsberry (Johnny's Selected Seeds)*
Stump of the World (Marianna's)
Crnkovic Yugoslavian (Sandhill)
Arkansas Traveler (Marianna's)*?
Cowlicks (origin Tomatoville member)*
Brandy Boy *

RED
Neves Azorean Red (Marianna's)
Big Beef (TGS)
Mule Team (Sandhill)
Better Bush VFN Hybrid (TGS)
Creole (Sanhill)*?
Marglobe (TGS)
Rutgers determinate(TGS)

BLACK
Indian Stripe (origin Carolyn Male saved seeds last year)*?
JD's Special C Tex (Sandhill)
Cherokee Purple (Marianna's)*?

GOLD/BICOLOUR/ORANGE
Golden Cherokee (Marianna's)
Lucky Cross (Sandhill)*?
Earl of Edgecomb (Marianna's)*

PASTE
Opalka (Sandhill)

[recruiterg]

Also, Black Cherry was an unbelievable machine for me last year. You turn around for 10 seconds and you have another handfull of ripe fruit to chose from. Love Black Cherry.

I have read that JD's, CP, and Indian Stripe do well in hot climes.

[carolyn137]

Just to note that those Indian Stripe seeds from me were from either 2003 or 4 and I know they're still viable b'c I sent my dear brother in NC some of the same this Spring and he got some to germinate. But if you do use them please soak them in water o/n and sow ALL the seeds I sent b'c I know I sent lots of seeds of the older varieties on my seed offer list and on the pack said to sow at least_______ or to double sow and now I'm suggesting soaking o/n.

I have a good friend who gardens in St. Paul and over the years have sent him many varieties and as far as I know he hasn't had trouble with ANY of them in terms of getting them to mature.

And I just sent out seeds for a SSE request sent to me by another friend in MN, I forget the place name, but he is able to mature anything he wants to as well. Actually he's the person who sent me seeds for what became Todd County Amish and Amish Potato Leaf, both late season varieties.