Spitters and other Insipid Tomatoes

[MikeInCypress]

For me
1) Catherine Simms
2) Sugary
3) Glory
4) Ceylon
5) Ildi

all insipid wastes of growing space.

MikeInCypress

[Dr_Redwine]

Not really a spitter, but Black Krim was not anything I would brag about.

DrR

[natural]

Wow, several varieties for my 2007 trials have made the list. But I'm growing over 200+ vars. this year, so it's to be expected that a few will 'fall short'.

The only tomato that I've seen universal disgust for (as in No One likes it) is Copia.

My spitters are:

Costuluto Fiorentino - bland (but I had been warned)
Black Prince - no flavor at all
Aunt Gerties Gold - very weird metallic taste. I sampled from 6 different plants in different beds. Same flavor across the board.

[pooklette]

I generally prefer sweet/fruity, mild tomatoes. I can appreciate the rich flavor of BW Sudduth and others but for fresh eating, I generally lean toward the sweet, mellow flavors. That said, the only spitter I've enountered was White Wonder. In my garden, it had a flavor reminiscent of dirty water.

[TomatoDon]

Actually, Carolyn, I am surprised that some of the ones we hear the highest praise for are actually on several people's spitters list. I'm aware that climate, yearly growing conditions, and grower care play a big part, but I am surprised at the variance in taste and quality that I see here.

I'm revising somewhat. Magnum and Ceylon are off the "maybe" list. I was looking forward to trying Kelloggs, but I haven't seen much good about it in this thread. It might be too mild for me, looks like.

I guess Brandywine, Marianna's Peace, and Kellogg's are my biggest surprises. I knew BW was not known for being prolific, or a good producer in hot climates, but I assumed what fruit it did produce was superior. Not always so, I'm seeing here. I was also surprised at the review of Aunt Gertie's Gold. Maybe I will drop that color group altogether (gold, yellow, and anything close). It wasn't a high priority for me anyway. I'm just a red/pink slicer guy, and that's all there is to it.

I think I'll drop a few, and add back some of the old reliable standards that have never been spitters for my area. Can't speak for others in other places, but never heard a complaint here for the plain ole Better Boy, Big Boy, Bonny Best, Southern Star, etc. Not glamorious, but reliable with good taste.

I wasn't too excited about the lighter colors anyway, so I may drop that bed altogether. Looks like they are just going to be too unreliable and mild for me to try, at least this year. So far the darks are still "in" with Paul Robeson, Carbon, and Cherokee Purple, two each.

Stump of the World, Neves Azorean Red, Mortgage Lifter, Earl's Faux, and Aker's West Virginia are still hanging in there as the most promising for me to try!

Thanks!

Don

[amideutch]

I would just like to say one thing. Anybody That doesn't try KB, Brandywine and Marianna's peace at least once is out there. Especially if you go by what a handful of people have said. Everybodys taste is different as is there growing methods. What I'm saying is go by your own taste and experience and not somebody elses. To many varibles. Ami, doin it on the other side of the pond.

[TomatoDon]

Brandywine and Marianna's Peace are still on the list, but not as high. Kellogg's may not be at all. I'm just not big on the yellows/gold's etc., and especially if they are known to be mild as one of their standard characteristics.

I agree, the only way to know is to grow, and I still have quite a list, but I want as many odds as I can get in my favor before I finalize it. :wink:

Thanks!

Don

[Diviya]

I would just like to jump in too, although I'm not sure how clearly I can say it. Let's say I grow three tomatoes, and one was great, one was so-so, and one was a spitter. Then I talk to you, and you say, wow, I'd like to try tomatoes too, I'm obviously going to tell you to try the one I loved. I might mention the other ones, but chances are, you will grow the great one. My point is, we tend to recommend the ones we love, and so more people try them. And if you figure a certain percentage of people will hate any tomato, you will end up with more absolute numbers of people who hate the popular tomatoes. I would have to guess that almost anyone who has grown heirloom tomatoes has grown Brandywine, so I would expect to see more people who hate them. And for the other tomatoes, if you think a tomato is terrible, you will say so if asked, but you wouldn't recommend it, and so fewer people will grow it. And lastly, a tomato that is so-so, generally doesn't elicit strong feelings, so you are less likely to mention it, or try to dissuade people from growing it, (and people are less likely to be swayed by a so-so review if they really want to try a certain tomato) and so you wouldn't see it in spitter threads as often, even if it's not a great tomato.

Just my thoughts, for what that's worth...

Diviya

[feldon30]

And then there's the question of how many have grown the REAL Brandywine vs. one of these messed up vars sometimes vended by major seed catalogs.

Brandywine (Sudduth's) is supposed to be the real deal.

My Stupice (which I found to be insipid) was from HeirloomSeeds.com. I think spudleafwillie is going to send me a different strain.

[Gimme3]

Excellent point there, Feldon...i'm hopin to find out that my whole problem for several years w/Pruden's (Prudence) Purple has been the deficient seed. Due to the kindness of a fellow trader here a TV'ille...lookin forward to an assured fresh Try w/it...)))

[Tormato]

Don,

I'd keep Kellogg's Breakfast on your list. Of all the yellow/orange tomatoes, I think KB and Aunt Gertie's Gold are two that every grower should try. Two vastly different tastes.

Gary

[Noreaster]

Want to punish yourself ?

Grow Green Zebra, I DARE you to take more than one bite !!!

Noreaster

[Andrey_BY]

Won't grow them anymore after last year:

Green Sausage, Cream Sausage and Garden Pearl. And the most spitter was Cherokee Green - was so late and gave me only a few fruits.

[Mantis]

Noreaster you are wicked, and so are Green Zebras LOL.
Kellogs Breakfast is a great tomato. Full flavoured, meaty and yummy.

[bcday]

Early Girl. Well, somebody had to say it!

Moskvich from a commercial seed pack. It was just as crunchy and flavorless as the store-bought stuff from Florida. But a lot of people seem to like it, so maybe I'll collect seeds from a number of other sources and run a mini-trial.

Kellogg's Breakfast, also crunchy and flavorless from a commercial seed pack. Later I found out that a lot of people think KB's flavor is too mild. Aunt Gertie's Gold is much better.

Green Zebra. I would never grow another green variety if I thought they all tasted like that.

Green Grape, ditto.

The worst spitter of all was from a cross that I did myself between a green beefsteak that I liked and a gold heart that I also liked. The result was small gold beefsteaks that tasted like tomato leaves mixed with mud.