Tomato varieties you plan to drop for 2013

[Deborah]

I'll sure never grow Celebrity again. Tons of tomatoes but waaaaaay too sweet. Once I had a few I lost interest and basically ignored the plant. I had lots of giveaways though.
I loved the look of yellow pear and the flavor was quite OK, but the texture got me. Like chewing a frog.

[Cole_Robbie]

I have Chang Li, the Chinese yellow pear for the first time this year. I'm hoping it tastes better.

[Deborah]

I haven't heard of that one.

[Alfredo]

Originally Posted by b54red

I'm surprised at people dropping Black Krim. I know it can be a total mess if you get any heavy rains during fruit production; but during the dry hot times of summer it is a wonderfully flavorful tomato even though it is not a good keeper. In nearly 40 years of growing tomatoes I got one of the two very best tomatoes I have ever eaten off a Black Krim. Despite its shortcomings I keep trying to get another one with that wonderful smokey flavor.

I agree with you b54red, I love Black Krim...it's always grown well for me in Northern NJ, I'm sure the climate/region makes a difference to some extent. I grow it every year...even with the cracking it gets after a heavy rainfall...the color of Black Krim and it's smokey/salty flavor is a nice change from other tomato varieties.

~Alfredo

[Cole_Robbie]

Originally Posted by Deborah

I haven't heard of that one.

Me either. I got it from Tormato's seed swap.

[kenny_j]

My biggest disappointments last year, hmmm. Black Krim was terrible and tasteless, as was Indian Stripe. Cherokee purple too. And Gary Osena. Coyote Cherry was not overly sweet, but what I considered a nasty sweet, the wife liked them. Speckled and striped roman paste, there are much better. Aunt ginnys purple and BW Croatia and rose were ok, nothing to write home about. Orange banana same. I tried it for the heavenly sauce that Amy Golman describes in her book, not that great. Juane Flammee is the real deal for that, cut in half, strip out the seeds and gel and sauce it. Sweet and fruity with just a hint of tang. Gonna grow 8 this year to sauce with. Need to get new seeds for Cherokee, I think mine were wrong cause I have tasted some that were pretty good that my daughter grew one yr. Best blacks for me have been vorlon followed by Spudakee. Must grows are Brandywine-Cowlicks, Black Cherry, Sungold f1, Kimberley, jaune, Lucky Cross, San Marzano, Olpaka, Rosella Purple. I tried several hearts, and they were just to bland for me. Still on the hunt for a few more that I really like. Trying KBX, Purple Dog creek and some new pastes this year, as well as some new to me Dwarves.
ADDED:Seems like I always say something I regret later, bad habit of mine. I had frozen the last of the Orange Bananas from last yr, in a gallon zip lock, cut in half and stripped of seed. We sauced it last night to put over Ravioli and it was superb, better than I remember, which I hope means the JF's will be even better. I did not start OB this yr. I think per plant JF out produces by more than just a little, and ripens more fully and earlier. Need to do a side by side with plants put out on same date.

[fantoma]

Originally Posted by Alfredo

I agree with you b54red, I love Black Krim...it's always grown well for me in Northern NJ, I'm sure the climate/region makes a difference to some extent. I grow it every year...even with the cracking it gets after a heavy rainfall...the color of Black Krim and it's smokey/salty flavor is a nice change from other tomato varieties.

~Alfredo

The Black Krim's are the best tasting tomatoes i had the pleasure of eating so far

[kenny_j]

I definitely need to try a new seed source for Krim and Cherokee p. Got a lot from swaps and who knows if you end up with the right plants. Last year started about 20 Juane Flammees. I got new seed from a swap, and the grower claimed they were better than what was available today. And they were very good, but I had 2 plants I know of that came wrong. General appearance was close, but the crosses were slightly squat, and the size was not as consistant as JF should be. I only noticed this after tasting one, they were really sour and all the fruitiness was gone. So you never know.

[ginger2778]

I won't be growing bloody butcher. BER even late in the season. Also Mr. Stripey, lousy production and not much taste. Everglades. Is sweet, but too time consuming, have to pick about 30 just to get a mouthful.
Marsha

[z_willus_d]

I'm commenting on my mid-flight 2013 season here.

So far, I'm very disappointed in my grafted Dester plant. It's put out few and malformed blossoms, and not one has set fruit. It's the only in that state of ~58 plants. The work release paste isn't doing so well either, though it has set 5-6 tomatoes. Just so few blossoms.
-naysen

[Cole_Robbie]

I just picked some cherry tomatoes from my high tunnel. BHN 968 was awful. It barely set any fruit, either. I like the taste of Terrenzo much better. I also ate a few tumbling tom red and yellow from hanging baskets. They have a taste I would describe as "edible." The yellow is slightly better.

[ginger2778]

Originally Posted by z_willus_d

I'm commenting on my mid-flight 2013 season here.

So far, I'm very disappointed in my grafted Dester plant. It's put out few and malformed blossoms, and not one has set fruit. It's the only in that state of ~58 plants. The work release paste isn't doing so well either, though it has set 5-6 tomatoes. Just so few blossoms.
-naysen

I grew 2 not grafted Desters, and I didn't think they were all that mucking futch either!
Very late and not such a good producer, average taste IMHO.
Marsha

[b54red]

Originally Posted by kenny_j

I definitely need to try a new seed source for Krim and Cherokee p. Got a lot from swaps and who knows if you end up with the right plants. Last year started about 20 Juane Flammees. I got new seed from a swap, and the grower claimed they were better than what was available today. And they were very good, but I had 2 plants I know of that came wrong. General appearance was close, but the crosses were slightly squat, and the size was not as consistant as JF should be. I only noticed this after tasting one, they were really sour and all the fruitiness was gone. So you never know.

Too much water and weather that is too cool will kill the taste of many of the black tomatoes like Indian Stripe, Black Krim, and Cherokee Purple. I don't even set any out til May down here because they taste so much better once the weather gets really hot. Of course extended heavy rainfall will really mess with their flavor no matter how warm it is. The first time I ever tasted a black tomato was in mid May when the weather was still cool and wet and it was one of the most tasteless tomatoes I've ever eaten. A month later in late June with the weather hot and dry they had a wonderful rich complex full flavor that I love.

Bill

[tomatoguy]

I solarized my garden last year but I can give you my "never again" list.

1. Juliet (hybrid) - Bought this one to fill an empty spot, several years ago. Insane production, almost tasteless, fruit fall off the vine very easily, self-seeds like crazy.

2. Neptune - Just not much taste to them, for me.

3. Church - Beautiful fruit but bland and mealy.

4. Stupice - Some of these had a strange off taste. They were mealy, as well.

5. Cherokee Purple - Very low production and just not tasty enough, compared to other blacks I have grown.

6. Granny Cantrell's German Red - huge plant, high production. Nothing really wrong with them, except they are very sweet and I like tart tomatoes.

7. Ashleigh - Absolutely huge tomatoes with very little taste.

8. Mr. Stripey - Not a bad tomato, if you like them very sweet.

9. Brazilian Beauty - Mealy and bland.

10. Belgian Farmers Beefsteak - Never could get fruit before they succumbed to disease.

mater