What are your favorite Tomatoes? 2 questions.

[decherdt]

Somebody says they have ML VFN
http://www.southernexposure.com/mort...-g-p-1223.html

Some favorites;
Black Cherry, Carbon Copy, Paul Robeson, Anna Russian, Fish Lake Oxheart, Gregori's Altai, and Black Altai

[AlittleSalt]

Originally Posted by b54red

I think you should start learning to graft and then you can grow your favorite heirlooms. It is a bit of work and a lot of trouble but it is well worth the effort if you have real soil born disease problems like nematodes or fusarium.

Bill

Bill, my doctor agrees with you. He told me and my wife today that I need to find more things to take my mind off of anxieties. So in a way, yes, he agrees that I need to learn how to graft.

However, relieving anxiety symptoms isn't what the OP started this thread about .
I am wanting to learn how to graft.

[schill93]

Originally Posted by b54red

I have had nematodes in my garden for over 40 years and they are worse some years than others. If the hybrid is resistant it makes a huge difference. I grew Big Beef for years and rarely had any knots on the roots. I'm beginning to think the one they are selling now is not the same as the one from years ago. All of my heirlooms had very little nematode resistance but some were better than others. I had better luck with Neves Azorean Red, Indian Stripe, Spudakee, JD's Special C Tex and Limbaugh's Legacy. Of course it might have just been luck.

I now use very resistant root stock and graft all my plants. Even so I still occasionally have a plant affected some by nematodes but it is rare. It still amazes me after years of grafting when I pull up a plant and don't see nematode knots. I guess after over 30 years of seeing them every time I pulled a plant up it is hard to change my perception of what the roots will look like.

I think you should start learning to graft and then you can grow your favorite heirlooms. It is a bit of work and a lot of trouble but it is well worth the effort if you have real soil born disease problems like nematodes or fusarium.Bill

Bill, if you don't mind my asking, where do you get your root stock from. I am interested in learning this eventually.

[ilex]

I agree on grafting. Tomatoes are easy to graft

[Father'sDaughter]

Originally Posted by ilex

I agree on grafting. Tomatoes are easy to graft

I'm getting ready to find out if this is really true! I was gifted some rootstock seeds and bought a second variety of rootstock from Johnny's, humidity domes, razor blades, and a razor blade holder. All ready to go once it's time to start seeds.

[jtjmartin]

I'm joining the grafting club this next season too. I read all the threads on my beach vacation this summer and have all the stuff ready to go!

[Gardeneer]

Originally Posted by jtjmartin

I'm joining the grafting club this next season too. I read all the threads on my beach vacation this summer and have all the stuff ready to go!

Same here.
I wanted to practice it this past season but somehow did not happen. Bu I will do it for 2017 grow out.

[b54red]

Originally Posted by schill93

Bill, if you don't mind my asking, where do you get your root stock from. I am interested in learning this eventually.

This is a link to where I get my favorite root stock. It is the one that gives me the best production overall and the earliest fruit. There are others that produce bigger more vigorous plants and even larger fruit but rarely with but a few varieties do they do as well as this one.
http://www.neseed.com/Tomato-Rootsto...-T-p/34002.htm

Bill

[b54red]

Originally Posted by ilex

I agree on grafting. Tomatoes are easy to graft

Sometimes they are and sometimes they aren't. I have had near 100% success rates and near 0% success rates with different batches. A lot has to do with climate and temperatures along with air born damping off disease which is common here. I have now become quite proficient by adopting methods to reduce the incidence of damping off, but it makes grafting more time consuming and more costly. Still it is worth every penny to me.

I would caution anyone to start their seeds much earlier than normal in order to have the grafts completely healed and hardened off by the normal plant out dates you are aiming for. I try to start about a month earlier.

Bill

Bill

My favorite open-pollinated tomatoes so far include these:
* Matina
* Thessaloniki
* Creole
* Aussie
* Chapman
* Sweet Ozark Orange
* Pink Cheeks (Great production, and good taste; reasonably large; midseason, but ripens fast after fruit set)
* Galapagos Island (Solanum cheesmanii: the fall 2014 wintersown.org version; it's probably part regular tomato, but I like how early, small, and hardy it is; the taste is decent, but I'd grow it for earliness and hardiness more than taste; it does produce all season and in heat and drought, but it's kind of small and low to the ground; so I worry my neighbor's cats might spray it; I might grow it in a container to keep the cats less interested in its ground; that's one reason I like tomato jungles: the cats have much difficulty penetrating them)
* Cuostralee

After further acclimatization, if productivity increases, I'd like to add McGee, Ron's Carbon Copy, Medovaya Kaplya, Green Giant, Pruden's Purple, Chocolate Pear, Tlacalula Ribbed, Gardener's Delight, Missouri Pink Love Apple, and Yellow Trifele to the list, as they taste great and are reported to be productive elsewhere. I do hope the last two I listed (especially Yellow Trifele) are less mealy in future years, however. I'm not sure on the productivity of Creole and Aussie, but they were early, considering their size, and doing perfectly fine before Tim's Black Ruffles smothered them. Same for Mountain Princess. Creole did still produce some after being smothered.

McGee was once very popular in Texas. Hopefully it would do well for you. You might try it. It's one of my favorites for taste, but it is above average in acidity.

[Father'sDaughter]

Originally Posted by b54red

I would caution anyone to start their seeds much earlier than normal in order to have the grafts completely healed and hardened off by the normal plant out dates you are aiming for. I try to start about a month earlier.



Bill



Bill

I've been wondering when I should start them, so thanks for the caution! My season is shorter so timing is a bit more critical.

Now that I have all my supplies, I'll probably do a few test runs this winter. I've read that some people found they need to give there root stock a head start. Is that you're experience?

Salt -- sorry for the hijack. But true to T'ville form, we'll do just about anything to keep growing OP and heirloom tomatoes despite diseases and pests. I hope you find a growing method that works for you!

[b54red]

Originally Posted by Father'sDaughter

I've been wondering when I should start them, so thanks for the caution! My season is shorter so timing is a bit more critical.

Now that I have all my supplies, I'll probably do a few test runs this winter. I've read that some people found they need to give there root stock a head start. Is that you're experience?

Salt -- sorry for the hijack. But true to T'ville form, we'll do just about anything to keep growing OP and heirloom tomatoes despite diseases and pests. I hope you find a growing method that works for you!

I have a question for you about why you are grafting? I don't have much choice because of rampant fusarium wilt and nematodes. Are you having a soil born disease problem way up there?

I prefer them to be a bout the same size but it is easier to work with a larger scion than a rootstock that is too big. It all depends on how fast each grows. I have had root stock that just took off and out grew the scions and the reverse also. It is easier to deal with using the tip of the scion higher up on the seedling than it is to graft far too high on the rootstock. I usually err on the side of letting the scion seedling get a bit of a head start because once the rootstock gets too tall I can't graft to it and fit it into my healing chambers. I only go up to 3mm clips and after that you just have to keep going further up the stem of the root stock to make the cut so it is far easier to deal with a larger scion.

Bill

[AlittleSalt]

Originally Posted by Father'sDaughter

Salt -- sorry for the hijack. But true to T'ville form, we'll do just about anything to keep growing OP and heirloom tomatoes despite diseases and pests. I hope you find a growing method that works for you!

You haven't hijacked anything. In fact you're adding to my interest in grafting.

[Father'sDaughter]

Originally Posted by b54red

I have a question for you about why you are grafting? I don't have much choice because of rampant fusarium wilt and nematodes. Are you having a soil born disease problem way up there?



I prefer them to be a bout the same size but it is easier to work with a larger scion than a rootstock that is too big. It all depends on how fast each grows. I have had root stock that just took off and out grew the scions and the reverse also. It is easier to deal with using the tip of the scion higher up on the seedling than it is to graft far too high on the rootstock. I usually err on the side of letting the scion seedling get a bit of a head start because once the rootstock gets too tall I can't graft to it and fit it into my healing chambers. I only go up to 3mm clips and after that you just have to keep going further up the stem of the root stock to make the cut so it is far easier to deal with a larger scion.



Bill

Thanks Bill. And yes, if you recall from my other thread where I peppered you endlessly with questions (&#128516 I'm dealing most definitely dealing with Fusarium, and possibly Verticulum. After three years of pitiful production and an early death of all my in ground plants, I'm going to see what I get with grafted plants.

I'm going to do some side-by-side comparisons with a few varieties using both RST-04-106-T (with F resistance) and DRO141TX (with both F and V resistance).

[b54red]

Originally Posted by Father'sDaughter

Thanks Bill. And yes, if you recall from my other thread where I peppered you endlessly with questions (&#128516 I'm dealing most definitely dealing with Fusarium, and possibly Verticulum. After three years of pitiful production and an early death of all my in ground plants, I'm going to see what I get with grafted plants.

I'm going to do some side-by-side comparisons with a few varieties using both RST-04-106-T (with F resistance) and DRO141TX (with both F and V resistance).

I would think that with your cold winters fusarium would not be a problem; but verticulum is more partial to the north from what I have heard. I think Estamino is resistant to both but it seems to make first fruit set later than normal and the plants can get really big. It does seem to produce more vigorous grafts and is especially good for grafting Delicious. I prefer the RST-04-106-T because of the smaller plant size and increased production but both have been good for me the past couple of years. One other that I really liked also was Multifort but when I went to the Paramount website they no longer listed it. It did tend to cause over vegetative growth which required a lot of pruning to keep the plants under control. I had quite a few vines grafted to it that exceeded 25 feet in length the past few years.

Bill