Looking to grow some Hearts..

Rena · July 8, 2006

Each year I tend to go in one direction with the tomatoes last year it was Dwarves this year it was cherries and a green theme one year it was hybrids and so on. Next year I am doing an ALL stars LOL and I promised not to grow over 300 plants

but I think my direction will be in Hearts as well. I am just new to even thinking about hearts as I did not think they would grow well here in GA. This year I grew a few and they did fine. Thanks!
EDIT: THIS IS NOT A REQUEST

lumierefrere · July 8, 2006

I love my Mazarini (see avatar for mature fruit). Here's the adorable baby Mazarini I discovered this afternoon.

Also growing Little Lucky Heart but just flowers on that.

montanamato · July 8, 2006

I am growing a variety called Monomakh's Hat (from Andrey). It will be one of my first ripe tomatoes from the main garden. I have only grown 3 or 4 hearts in past years, but this variety looks to be far superior in terms of tolerating rain, wind , and heat. The plant looks to be very productive and is a bit sturdier than most heart types.
I will be fermemting seeds later and can send you some if you like.

Jeanne

Dunkel · July 8, 2006

You are more than welcome to some Pink Pointed seeds in the fall. I am growing it to compare with WV Pink Slicer but WVPS is being stingy with her fruits. Here's a picture of Pink Pointed.

[picture resized to fit screen width using IrfanView -- Suze]

http://www.irfanview.com/ (free download)

**carolyn137** · July 8, 2006

Rena,

Don't you think your thread belongs in the Varieties Wanted Forum?

I gave some thought to moving it, but wanted to mention it first.

If you're looking for seeds of various heart shaped varieties it seems to me that the Varieties Wanted Forum is where this thread should go.

Yes, I do realize that you may not be in a postition to list all the varieties you want b'c you don't know all of the possibilities, but surely you could say that in the beginning of such a post.

What do you think? Shall I move it?

Or am I just having a bad day?

montanamato · July 9, 2006

Seems to me more of a post for info on what hearts people are growing and perhaps which ones sound inviting.
I should have offered her seeds in a pm so as not to turn it into a seed offer. My mistake.
I say why don't you leave it here so people can talk hearts.

Jeanne

ddsack · July 9, 2006

I have seeds from a Latvian heart that my parents grew starting in the 1970's.

This was the most perfect specimen last year, and I saved seeds from it.

It will be interesting to see if more of the fruit this year are this symmetrical. I've noticed that the wispy leaves have gotten a little larger and hardier in successive generations. Seedlings still are very puny and prone to CRUD when small, but seem more wider and robust in leaf after a month in the garden than I remember them from years past. But it could just be that my tomato management is better than it used to be? Can't wait to see what I get this year!

Carolyn, -- I did not realize there was a Varieties Wanted section. Thanks for pointing that out. There usually are only 2 or 3 section forums that I regularily check on. Just not enough time to read everything.

annietomatomad · July 9, 2006

ddsack--wow! What a gorgeous looking tomato that is!

I am growing a number of hearts this year too. My only experience prior to this year was with Orange Strawberry which was a really pretty tomato but taste-wise, decent only. This year I'm growing: Kosovo, Anna Russian, Wes, Orange Russian 117, and Heart of Compassion. I'm excited to see what I get from them. So far, Kosovo is going like gangbusters. OR117 just started to fruit and the rest I'm still waiting on for fruit set. I'll have more to report later.

I thought I was also growing German Red Strawberry but it turns out I accidently gave away these plants and didn't save one for myself. Sigh...

And my neighbor is growing Japanese Oxheart for me and it's fruiting but the plant is looking very dwarf-like (it's only about 2 feet tall). So that's a puzzle to me.

I know this is not much help yet since I can't tell you how they taste but I wanted to get in on this conversation since my fascination for heart-shaped tomatoes started in earnest this year.

Annie

Glenn 50 · July 9, 2006

Kosovo
Well worth trying.

Rena · July 9, 2006

This is not a seed Request I wanted to talk about Hearts.

**carolyn137** · July 9, 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by IMISSCOLO

This is not a seed Request I wanted to talk about Hearts.

Rena, I see you went back and edited your initial post to indicate it was not a seed request. But as initially written that's not how it sounded as I'm sure you'll agree.

But at least one person here now knows, as posted above, that there's a dedicated Forum when looking for seeds of specific varieties, and that's a positive.

So carry on.

Actually heart shaped varieties are probably my favorite group of tomato varieties. As a group they usually have less production than others, but I think some of them have the absolute best tasting fruits.

dcarch · July 9, 2006

ddsack,

I would never have thought of growing hearts until I saw your picture. I will try next year.

If I have a greenhouse I would grow it for Valentine's Day!

dcarch

jenn_sc · July 12, 2006

Rena,

The only heart shaped variety I've grown so far is Wes, but I have to jump in and give it a recommendation! It did very well here in my zone 8 garden. It produced a few more fruits than I would have expected, since heart shapes are said to have low yields. The taste was very good, too. My MIL, who lives in zone 7, also had good luck with it and her husband declared it the most delicious variety that year! Also, the hearts were BIG, with tiny little points on the bottom....very pretty fruit

Jenn

sirtanon · July 12, 2006

ddsack -

Please allow me to comment on your second picture...

.......

.......

Okay, that's all I wanted to say..

- Eric

PS - Could you tell me if there are any places where seed for that Latvian variety are available? I really MUST grow one of those for a valentine's day gift next year!

ddsack · July 13, 2006

Sirtanon,

The seeds may be around from other sources, all I can tell you is that my seeds came down from my mom (now deceased) who got them either first or second hand from a person who had traveled to Latvia in the 1960-1970's and brought them back to the Minneapolis area and shared them with some other Latvian folks living in that region.

My parents grew and saved their own seeds for a number of years. I would grow a few plants out for them, but did not give this variety much respect at the time, as I was busy trying out various hybrids then. As I switched over to heirlooms I was lucky to find some of her seeds wrapped in wax paper in an old envelope in my basement.
When I finally started saving seeds, the generation of last year seemed to have become more uniform and less lop sided than the ones in the early years. So I don't know if the Perfect Heart is just a fluke, or if I can recreate it in this years crop. I have a few small green tomatoes that look pretty good, but it's too soon to tell.

I hope to have seeds to share in the future and may list in SSE if things go well this season.

Dee

July 8, 2006	#1
Rena Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Warm Springs, GA Posts: 1,421	Looking to grow some Hearts.. Each year I tend to go in one direction with the tomatoes last year it was Dwarves this year it was cherries and a green theme one year it was hybrids and so on. Next year I am doing an ALL stars LOL and I promised not to grow over 300 plants but I think my direction will be in Hearts as well. I am just new to even thinking about hearts as I did not think they would grow well here in GA. This year I grew a few and they did fine. Thanks! EDIT: THIS IS NOT A REQUEST

July 8, 2006	#4
Dunkel Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: West By God Virginia Posts: 245	You are more than welcome to some Pink Pointed seeds in the fall. I am growing it to compare with WV Pink Slicer but WVPS is being stingy with her fruits. Here's a picture of Pink Pointed. [picture resized to fit screen width using IrfanView -- Suze] http://www.irfanview.com/ (free download) __________________ I plant... Therefore I am. - Dunkel What the country needs is dirtier fingernails and cleaner minds. - Will Rogers

July 8, 2006	#5
carolyn137 Moderator Emeritus Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Upstate NY, zone 4b/5a Posts: 21,169	Rena, Don't you think your thread belongs in the Varieties Wanted Forum? I gave some thought to moving it, but wanted to mention it first. If you're looking for seeds of various heart shaped varieties it seems to me that the Varieties Wanted Forum is where this thread should go. Yes, I do realize that you may not be in a postition to list all the varieties you want b'c you don't know all of the possibilities, but surely you could say that in the beginning of such a post. What do you think? Shall I move it? Or am I just having a bad day? __________________ Carolyn

July 8, 2006	#2
lumierefrere Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Zone 4 NY Posts: 772	I love my Mazarini (see avatar for mature fruit). Here's the adorable baby Mazarini I discovered this afternoon. Also growing Little Lucky Heart but just flowers on that.

July 8, 2006	#3
montanamato Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Montana Posts: 1,038	I am growing a variety called Monomakh's Hat (from Andrey). It will be one of my first ripe tomatoes from the main garden. I have only grown 3 or 4 hearts in past years, but this variety looks to be far superior in terms of tolerating rain, wind , and heat. The plant looks to be very productive and is a bit sturdier than most heart types. I will be fermemting seeds later and can send you some if you like. Jeanne

July 9, 2006	#6
montanamato Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Montana Posts: 1,038	Seems to me more of a post for info on what hearts people are growing and perhaps which ones sound inviting. I should have offered her seeds in a pm so as not to turn it into a seed offer. My mistake. I say why don't you leave it here so people can talk hearts. Jeanne

July 9, 2006	#7
ddsack Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Northern Minnesota - zone 3 Posts: 3,231	I have seeds from a Latvian heart that my parents grew starting in the 1970's. This was the most perfect specimen last year, and I saved seeds from it. It will be interesting to see if more of the fruit this year are this symmetrical. I've noticed that the wispy leaves have gotten a little larger and hardier in successive generations. Seedlings still are very puny and prone to CRUD when small, but seem more wider and robust in leaf after a month in the garden than I remember them from years past. But it could just be that my tomato management is better than it used to be? Can't wait to see what I get this year! Carolyn, -- I did not realize there was a Varieties Wanted section. Thanks for pointing that out. There usually are only 2 or 3 section forums that I regularily check on. Just not enough time to read everything.

July 9, 2006	#8
annietomatomad Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: San Jose, CA Posts: 89	ddsack--wow! What a gorgeous looking tomato that is! I am growing a number of hearts this year too. My only experience prior to this year was with Orange Strawberry which was a really pretty tomato but taste-wise, decent only. This year I'm growing: Kosovo, Anna Russian, Wes, Orange Russian 117, and Heart of Compassion. I'm excited to see what I get from them. So far, Kosovo is going like gangbusters. OR117 just started to fruit and the rest I'm still waiting on for fruit set. I'll have more to report later. I thought I was also growing German Red Strawberry but it turns out I accidently gave away these plants and didn't save one for myself. Sigh... And my neighbor is growing Japanese Oxheart for me and it's fruiting but the plant is looking very dwarf-like (it's only about 2 feet tall). So that's a puzzle to me. I know this is not much help yet since I can't tell you how they taste but I wanted to get in on this conversation since my fascination for heart-shaped tomatoes started in earnest this year. Annie

July 9, 2006	#9
Glenn 50 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: New Zealand Posts: 224	Kosovo Well worth trying.

July 9, 2006	#12
dcarch Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: NY Posts: 2,618	ddsack, I would never have thought of growing hearts until I saw your picture. I will try next year. If I have a greenhouse I would grow it for Valentine's Day! dcarch

July 12, 2006	#13
jenn_sc SPLATT™ Coordinator Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Florence, SC Posts: 502	Rena, The only heart shaped variety I've grown so far is Wes, but I have to jump in and give it a recommendation! It did very well here in my zone 8 garden. It produced a few more fruits than I would have expected, since heart shapes are said to have low yields. The taste was very good, too. My MIL, who lives in zone 7, also had good luck with it and her husband declared it the most delicious variety that year! Also, the hearts were BIG, with tiny little points on the bottom....very pretty fruit Jenn

July 12, 2006	#14
sirtanon Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Phoenix, AZ (zone 9b) Posts: 796	ddsack - Please allow me to comment on your second picture... ....... ....... Okay, that's all I wanted to say.. - Eric PS - Could you tell me if there are any places where seed for that Latvian variety are available? I really MUST grow one of those for a valentine's day gift next year!

July 13, 2006	#15
ddsack Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Northern Minnesota - zone 3 Posts: 3,231	Sirtanon, The seeds may be around from other sources, all I can tell you is that my seeds came down from my mom (now deceased) who got them either first or second hand from a person who had traveled to Latvia in the 1960-1970's and brought them back to the Minneapolis area and shared them with some other Latvian folks living in that region. My parents grew and saved their own seeds for a number of years. I would grow a few plants out for them, but did not give this variety much respect at the time, as I was busy trying out various hybrids then. As I switched over to heirlooms I was lucky to find some of her seeds wrapped in wax paper in an old envelope in my basement. When I finally started saving seeds, the generation of last year seemed to have become more uniform and less lop sided than the ones in the early years. So I don't know if the Perfect Heart is just a fluke, or if I can recreate it in this years crop. I have a few small green tomatoes that look pretty good, but it's too soon to tell. I hope to have seeds to share in the future and may list in SSE if things go well this season. Dee