Best tomato ever..... No need to try other varieties....

Tomatovator · January 31, 2007

Has any home gardener out there found a tomato variety that they liked so much they just keep growing it exclusively every year? This question would probably only apply to the home gardener who puts in a relatively small number of plants. I will only put in 12 plants or so this year. Several of my neighbors only put in 1 or 2 plants. I had some good tomatoes last season but I'm still looking for a variety that I am impressed with enough that I quit looking for something better.

blatanna · January 31, 2007

Well, i personally think its like looking for the holy grail.
Each year after tasting all the toms i come up with one and decide, wow, thats a great tasting tom, am going to make sure to grow that next season.
Well, next season another "great" tom turns up and again i think, wow,
and so it goes, each season i think i've found THE perfect one only to find a better one the following year,
perhaps this is what keeps us growing another and another year after year, in search of the perfect one!!!

jwr6404 · January 31, 2007

in my short gardening life I've always planted different tomatos every year,never the same one twice. That will change this year because last year I grew the Pale Perfect Purple. It was delicious,very productive and disease free. I had many problems with my Black Varieties but the PPP stood tall and proud. If I could only plant 3-5 tomatos they would all be Pale Perfect Purple.

Rena · January 31, 2007

It sounds so unlike me but If I could only grow one .............Ughh the thought makes me shudder lol
I would grow Black plum. CRAZY I know but it would not be for taste -alone, it would be for drought tolerance and for production. Black Plum is a survivor. Good small slicer, salsa and good dark sauce.
My husband would grow Lucky Cross.

I am the practical one in the family.

PaulF · January 31, 2007

I have 4 or 5 I grow every year no matter how many I plant. That leaves me room for 8 or 10 or 12 new varieties every year and a few regrows from other years. I think at best I have another 20 years to find the holy grail......wait a minute, isn't that one of the varieties listed in SSE back in '86 by that guy in New Hampshire?

montanamato · January 31, 2007

Growing and being satisfied with one great tomato would so go against everything in my being...And besides what would I do with the seeds for the 438 other varieties I have....?
I like to have lots of types growing, from mild to strong, crunchy to creamy, and in all shapes, sizes and colors...
Variety guarantees survival...and I do not grow in a very hospitble or predictable area...If I always plant many types, in any given year a few will really shine...and they would not be the same varieties each year.

Jeanne

Sorellina · January 31, 2007

Ciao Rena-

I know what you mean about Black Plum. I really love that tomato too. I use it mainly for drying. It makes FABULOUS dried tomatoes.

But for my all around preferences, this shouldn't be a huge, ginormous surprise for those of you who know me. Opalka. I plant an entire row of this one and I baby those plants because I count on it for sauce that lasts the entire year. Sauce, salsa, V-8 juice, puree, paste, the list goes on.

bluelytes · February 1, 2007

PAUL,
" isn't that one of the varieties listed in SSE back in '86 by that guy in New Hampshire?", I think his name was Monte Piethon, or close to that,

, odd name, wot?

JWR, DO NOT mention the PPP words around here, PURPLEACRES is lible to SEE it!!

Regards;
bluelytes

purpleacres · February 1, 2007

Did some one say pale perfect purple???

hu? did ya hu? hu?

PurpleAcres .... The lady that drives a purple truck and lives in a purple house... ummm and yeah I love pale perfect purple tomatoes and not because the name

michael johnson · February 1, 2007

which actual variety-is black plum, and where do you get it from,

Rena · February 1, 2007

http://www.seedsofchange.com/garden_...tem_no=PS15462
In the greenhouse I have a seedling (the last seed in the pack) It escapes me why I DO NOT HAVE saved seed?? I guess I just kept eating them thinking Oh there will be more and then I forget. It is so faithful that it WAS not on my Oh I need to save seed for that list and ugh. I do have seed from another source but this was the orginal deal and I am going to stick with it. I can send you seed next year. FYI for anyone thinking Black plum is DeBareo Black, it isnt.

Rena · February 1, 2007

sorry double post

Andrey_BY · February 1, 2007

De Barao Chyornyi (~De Barao Black (Rus.>Eng.) has much taller vines (2-3 m at least).

Black Plum can be Chyrnyi Mavr (~Black Mavr (Rus.>Eng.) with the same oval/egg 40-50 g fruits and 1-1.5 m tall plant, but I grew only CM not BP...

tjg911 · February 1, 2007

I started out to find THE BEST tasting tomatoes to grow and once I found those 4 or 7 or X I would just grow them. Know what? There is no such thing and I keep trying old and new ones each year.

I would not just grow 1 variety but this year I am cutting it back to just 6 plants. That's a tough choice cuz 2 are new to me so I really am regrowing just 4.

If I had to or could grow just 1 variety and have multiple plants of that 1 it would be Prue because it is my favorite and I have grown it for many years (skipping some seasons) so there's a history between us. But if I could only grow Wes I would be totally happy. Same for Earl's Faux and Dr. Lyle and Aunt Gertie's Gold and several others. I even grew Sun Gold one year (not exclusively) and used it for sandwiches because I love the taste so much and cherries really are not sandwich tomatoes!

No offense but this is really a question that has NO real answer as I discovered over the years. Ask 100 people here and you may get 89 different answers. No one tomato is the best and even the best perform differently sometimes from year to year. Your use of the tomato influences that too whether you want a canning, drying or fresh eating tomato. While Prue is consistently excellent for me each season there was 1 year it was a bit off but that was a dreadful year for all tomatoes!

Tom

**carolyn137** · February 1, 2007

Black Plum seeds are also available from TGS.

Andrey, Black Plum and Black Mavr are listed separately in the SSE Yearbook. I haven't taken the time to research either one as to when and how they appeared and from where and how similar they might be based on the results of folks who grew them.

Just a wee note here, but I absolutely could not stand the taste of Black Pear so am thinking that Black Plum might be similar. With the reduced number of plants I can now grow there's no way I'm giving a spot to any so called black variety other than Black Cherry.

My one BEST variety that I'd grow every year?

No such beast.

I agree with Tom completely when he says that there are no real answers to that question that are meaningful, ahem, b'c we all have such diffrerent perceptions of what we as individuals prefer.

Sure I like some varieties over others, but not to the point of growing them each and every year.

if I'd done that I never would have been able to grow the 2000 varieties that I have grown.

January 31, 2007	#1
Tomatovator Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Pennsylvania Zone 6 Posts: 461	Best tomato ever..... No need to try other varieties.... Has any home gardener out there found a tomato variety that they liked so much they just keep growing it exclusively every year? This question would probably only apply to the home gardener who puts in a relatively small number of plants. I will only put in 12 plants or so this year. Several of my neighbors only put in 1 or 2 plants. I had some good tomatoes last season but I'm still looking for a variety that I am impressed with enough that I quit looking for something better.

January 31, 2007	#2
blatanna Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Ireland Posts: 150	Lookinf for the perfect tomato. Well, i personally think its like looking for the holy grail. Each year after tasting all the toms i come up with one and decide, wow, thats a great tasting tom, am going to make sure to grow that next season. Well, next season another "great" tom turns up and again i think, wow, and so it goes, each season i think i've found THE perfect one only to find a better one the following year, perhaps this is what keeps us growing another and another year after year, in search of the perfect one!!! __________________ Blatanna

January 31, 2007	#3
jwr6404 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: University Place, WA Posts: 481	in my short gardening life I've always planted different tomatos every year,never the same one twice. That will change this year because last year I grew the Pale Perfect Purple. It was delicious,very productive and disease free. I had many problems with my Black Varieties but the PPP stood tall and proud. If I could only plant 3-5 tomatos they would all be Pale Perfect Purple. __________________ Jim

January 31, 2007	#7
Sorellina Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Victoria, BC Posts: 300	Ciao Rena- I know what you mean about Black Plum. I really love that tomato too. I use it mainly for drying. It makes FABULOUS dried tomatoes. But for my all around preferences, this shouldn't be a huge, ginormous surprise for those of you who know me. Opalka. I plant an entire row of this one and I baby those plants because I count on it for sauce that lasts the entire year. Sauce, salsa, V-8 juice, puree, paste, the list goes on. __________________ Grazie a tutti, Julianna

February 1, 2007	#9
purpleacres Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: upper northern California Posts: 7	purple everything Did some one say pale perfect purple??? hu? did ya hu? hu? PurpleAcres .... The lady that drives a purple truck and lives in a purple house... ummm and yeah I love pale perfect purple tomatoes and not because the name

January 31, 2007	#4
Rena Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Warm Springs, GA Posts: 1,421	It sounds so unlike me but If I could only grow one .............Ughh the thought makes me shudder lol I would grow Black plum. CRAZY I know but it would not be for taste -alone, it would be for drought tolerance and for production. Black Plum is a survivor. Good small slicer, salsa and good dark sauce. My husband would grow Lucky Cross. I am the practical one in the family.

January 31, 2007	#5
PaulF Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Brownville, Ne Posts: 3,296	I have 4 or 5 I grow every year no matter how many I plant. That leaves me room for 8 or 10 or 12 new varieties every year and a few regrows from other years. I think at best I have another 20 years to find the holy grail......wait a minute, isn't that one of the varieties listed in SSE back in '86 by that guy in New Hampshire?

January 31, 2007	#6
montanamato Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Montana Posts: 1,038	Growing and being satisfied with one great tomato would so go against everything in my being...And besides what would I do with the seeds for the 438 other varieties I have....? I like to have lots of types growing, from mild to strong, crunchy to creamy, and in all shapes, sizes and colors... Variety guarantees survival...and I do not grow in a very hospitble or predictable area...If I always plant many types, in any given year a few will really shine...and they would not be the same varieties each year. Jeanne

February 1, 2007	#8
bluelytes Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Pacific Northwest Posts: 250	PAUL, " isn't that one of the varieties listed in SSE back in '86 by that guy in New Hampshire?", I think his name was Monte Piethon, or close to that, , odd name, wot? JWR, DO NOT mention the PPP words around here, PURPLEACRES is lible to SEE it!! Regards; bluelytes

February 1, 2007	#10
michael johnson Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: UK. Posts: 960	which actual variety-is black plum, and where do you get it from,

February 1, 2007	#13
Andrey_BY Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Minsk, Belarus, Eastern Europe (Zone 4a) Posts: 2,278	De Barao Chyornyi (~De Barao Black (Rus.>Eng.) has much taller vines (2-3 m at least). Black Plum can be Chyrnyi Mavr (~Black Mavr (Rus.>Eng.) with the same oval/egg 40-50 g fruits and 1-1.5 m tall plant, but I grew only CM not BP... __________________ 1 kg=2.2 lb , 1 m=39,37 in , 1 oz=28.35 g , 1 ft=30.48 cm , 1 lb= 0,4536 kg , 1 in=2.54 cm , 1 l = 0.26 gallon , 0 C=32 F Andrey a.k.a. TOMATODOR

February 1, 2007	#14
tjg911 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: zone 5b northwest connecticut Posts: 2,570	I started out to find THE BEST tasting tomatoes to grow and once I found those 4 or 7 or X I would just grow them. Know what? There is no such thing and I keep trying old and new ones each year. I would not just grow 1 variety but this year I am cutting it back to just 6 plants. That's a tough choice cuz 2 are new to me so I really am regrowing just 4. If I had to or could grow just 1 variety and have multiple plants of that 1 it would be Prue because it is my favorite and I have grown it for many years (skipping some seasons) so there's a history between us. But if I could only grow Wes I would be totally happy. Same for Earl's Faux and Dr. Lyle and Aunt Gertie's Gold and several others. I even grew Sun Gold one year (not exclusively) and used it for sandwiches because I love the taste so much and cherries really are not sandwich tomatoes! No offense but this is really a question that has NO real answer as I discovered over the years. Ask 100 people here and you may get 89 different answers. No one tomato is the best and even the best perform differently sometimes from year to year. Your use of the tomato influences that too whether you want a canning, drying or fresh eating tomato. While Prue is consistently excellent for me each season there was 1 year it was a bit off but that was a dreadful year for all tomatoes! Tom

February 1, 2007	#15
carolyn137 Moderator Emeritus Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Upstate NY, zone 4b/5a Posts: 21,169	Black Plum seeds are also available from TGS. Andrey, Black Plum and Black Mavr are listed separately in the SSE Yearbook. I haven't taken the time to research either one as to when and how they appeared and from where and how similar they might be based on the results of folks who grew them. Just a wee note here, but I absolutely could not stand the taste of Black Pear so am thinking that Black Plum might be similar. With the reduced number of plants I can now grow there's no way I'm giving a spot to any so called black variety other than Black Cherry. My one BEST variety that I'd grow every year? No such beast. I agree with Tom completely when he says that there are no real answers to that question that are meaningful, ahem, b'c we all have such diffrerent perceptions of what we as individuals prefer. Sure I like some varieties over others, but not to the point of growing them each and every year. if I'd done that I never would have been able to grow the 2000 varieties that I have grown. __________________ Carolyn

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