New grower looking for heirloom suggestions - Page 2

oakley · September 23, 2016

I would post my top 12 but that would change tomorrow....

gorbelly · September 23, 2016

Here's how I plan: I pick one variety that I absolutely know I want to grow based on its reputation for flavor. Then I build around it, selecting varieties that are different in color, shape, and earliness but which all have reputations for good flavor. Since I prefer intense tomatoes, I pick those with reputations for assertive flavor, but I'll vary the emphasis, i.e., try to pick one known for being intense and savory, or one known for being intense and fruity, intense and sweet, etc. I think of every year's grow list as a puzzle in which I repeat qualities as little as possible so as to experience the greatest variety of characteristics. If I have an early red, the mid or late season tomatoes I grow will not be reds, for example. If my "anchor" variety is a heart, none of my other selections will be hearts unless I'm specifically doing a comparison grow out.

I also grow one back-up variety that I know to be reliable and productive, just in case I have a bad year or make too many dud choices. Something like Big Beef F1--not wow in the taste department but generally good tasting and very disease resistant and prolific. (Although next year, I might make my backup Franchi Red Pear, which really impressed me this year with its productivity, versatility, and flavor.)

As I get more varieties under my belt, I expect I'll be doing more comparison grow outs between similar types, but for now, it's about variety and experiencing a good spectrum of different tomato types every season.

Carolyn's book is great for finding out more information about varieties, as is Tania's tomato database. And Craig's book, Epic Tomatoes, has incredibly helpful charts that categorize good varieties by color and give you their shape, harvest time, and whether they're sweet, tart, balanced, or intense in flavor. It's a great tool for coming up with a good roster of tomato varieties if you're going for range.

peebee · September 24, 2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by carolyn137

And yes, I did read Carolyn's bible, er book.

*****

I was asked to write that book by Workman Press, I've never heard anyone refer to it as a bible before today

And if you look at the thread here about my book many have said it has been very useful for them,for which I'm very glad.

I've been asked repeatedly over the years to catch up and write an updated new 200 varieties or 300 or whatever,and asked the same question here and at other places and it's not going to happen.

Folks have asked me to list my top 10 or 20 or whatever varieties and you've never seen me do that either.Yes,to date I have grown 4,000 plus varieties, but lately for medical reasons someone raises my seedlings for me and cares for the plants/

And please note peebee that I was NOT the one who suggested buying my book.I have never suggested buying my own book and never would.If others want to suggest buying it that's OK with me.

Carolyn

Carolyn, no matter what you say, your book was, is and always will be considered the Tomato Bible to us. No, you never would suggest that anyone buy it but I would! And if you can't buy a copy, there is probably a dog-eared, much read book at your local library. Written by the Tomato Goddess herself.

Desert Jonathan · September 24, 2016

Hello Dave, my name is Jonathan and I live in Beautiful DRY, HOT Tucson Arizona. And YES, the desert is an extreme climate to grow tomato's in. But we do very well growing rock's, cactus with thorns on them and an occasional scorpion or two.

The week before I stumbled across Tomatoville I was out on the web looking for information on new tomato varieties. At that time I had a total of three varieties I had been growing. 1.) Beefsteak. 2.) Rutgers. and 3.) Costoluto Genovese.

I came across the website TOMATOFEST and it was a beginners dream. He has some 6 hundred varieties with pictures and descriptions. But that site pales in comparison to Tania's, who has THOUSANDS categorized.

A member here at T'ville told me about a variety that was good to grow in the heat that is grown in Hawaii, but the only places that I could find seed for it was at Tomatofest and at THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII SEED LAB.

What I would suggest is to join in on Tormato's MMMM Seed Swap, even if you have to buy seeds. That's what I did. I bought seeds from The U of H seed Lab and joined my first ever seed swap. Trust me, you'll get more different varieties then you'll know what to do with. And this will put you on the road to tomato growing nirvana.

You'll have so many varieties and types of Tomato's to choose from that you'll pick a few and go for it.

Enjoy, -Jonathan.

oakley · September 24, 2016

Like any 'classic' book, and that it is, it must have had a healthy first run in printing....i have no idea what the numbers were when it was printed but often such a book ends up
in used bookstores. I give Carolyn's book as gifts when i hand out seedlings in the Spring. Same with the OrganicGardening duo. And Fukuoka's 'The One-Straw Revolution', "The Soul of a Tree'...(Nakashima)...and a recent book, Thor Hanson's 'Seeds' is another i like to gift. We have a dozen or so that seem appropriate for different occasions....
So I always have a few copies on hand of '100 Heirloom Tomatoes'. Easily found on Amazon. A second edition would be lovely, or a follow-up because we want more. But projects like that are huge undertakings involving massive amounts of time.

(i will be ordering 'Epic Tomatoes' soon... it is in my check-out)

Nematode · September 25, 2016

Make sure you have at least some earlies, and mids, your season is short.
Earliy
Sungold
Bloody butcher

Mids
Kosovo
Indian stripe

Also try a green, they are so tasty.
Aunt ruby's german green is one I tried this year, there are others like malachite box.

So many tomatoes, so little time.

gorbelly · September 27, 2016

Chlorophile, some of the folks on here have grown a gazillion types, and all of them have different favorites. Even the varieties that almost everyone agrees are good are so numerous they're overwhelming. People grow for different reasons, too, so some like earliness, for example, or weight production as most important, while others put taste at the top and don't care if they get fewer fruit. The collective tomato knowledge here is insane, and "suggest a tomato for me" never has a simple answer.

Maybe if you let us know what you consider right now the ideal tomato, we can make suggestions that are a bit narrower in scope. Then you can use that variety as an "anchor" to build the rest of your tomato grow list around.

Specificity helps:

Pick your ideal tomato color
Do you want a large slicer for fresh eating, sandwiches, etc.? Something smaller for salads (cherry or saladette)? Something meaty for cooking?
Do you care whether it's early or late to ripen?
Is plant size important? Do you need a compact plant or do you not mind or actively want a monster plant?
How important is productivity? Do you prioritize a plant that will produce like gangbusters, or is moderate production OK as a trade off for other qualities?
Do you like sweet tomatoes, tart tomatoes, or balanced?
Do you prefer fruity aromas, herbal/grassy aromas, or savory/smoky/complex aromas?
Do you like a meaty texture with some tooth? A silky or buttery texture? Lots of seeds/gel or few seeds/little gel?
Do you have any special needs (i.e., can't water plants regularly, don't have a lot of sun)?
Any odd peeves (i.e., can't stand thick skin, don't like tomatoes that are seedy, hate tomatoes that don't have a lot of seeds)?
10) Any relevant disease problems (i.e., soil wilt)?

You'll still get quite the list of suggestions, even if you are this specific, but it will be less overwhelming than a more open-ended inquiry.

Alternatively, you could just write down all the suggestions you get, put them in a hat, and pull out as many as you have slots for in your garden, and go from there!

Spike2 · September 27, 2016

This year I grew Girl Girls Weird Thing and simply fell in love with it. Also a friend of mine grew some Sweet 100 Cherry tomatoes. I just sat down in her tomato patch and ate them off the vines they were so yummy.

September 23, 2016	#16
oakley Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: NewYork 5a Posts: 2,303	I would post my top 12 but that would change tomorrow.... Last edited by oakley; September 24, 2016 at 02:13 PM. Reason: stupid typo

September 27, 2016	#22
gorbelly Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2015 Location: Southeastern Pennsylvania Posts: 1,069	Chlorophile, some of the folks on here have grown a gazillion types, and all of them have different favorites. Even the varieties that almost everyone agrees are good are so numerous they're overwhelming. People grow for different reasons, too, so some like earliness, for example, or weight production as most important, while others put taste at the top and don't care if they get fewer fruit. The collective tomato knowledge here is insane, and "suggest a tomato for me" never has a simple answer. Maybe if you let us know what you consider right now the ideal tomato, we can make suggestions that are a bit narrower in scope. Then you can use that variety as an "anchor" to build the rest of your tomato grow list around. Specificity helps: Pick your ideal tomato color Do you want a large slicer for fresh eating, sandwiches, etc.? Something smaller for salads (cherry or saladette)? Something meaty for cooking? Do you care whether it's early or late to ripen? Is plant size important? Do you need a compact plant or do you not mind or actively want a monster plant? How important is productivity? Do you prioritize a plant that will produce like gangbusters, or is moderate production OK as a trade off for other qualities? Do you like sweet tomatoes, tart tomatoes, or balanced? Do you prefer fruity aromas, herbal/grassy aromas, or savory/smoky/complex aromas? Do you like a meaty texture with some tooth? A silky or buttery texture? Lots of seeds/gel or few seeds/little gel? Do you have any special needs (i.e., can't water plants regularly, don't have a lot of sun)? Any odd peeves (i.e., can't stand thick skin, don't like tomatoes that are seedy, hate tomatoes that don't have a lot of seeds)? 10) Any relevant disease problems (i.e., soil wilt)? You'll still get quite the list of suggestions, even if you are this specific, but it will be less overwhelming than a more open-ended inquiry. Alternatively, you could just write down all the suggestions you get, put them in a hat, and pull out as many as you have slots for in your garden, and go from there!

September 24, 2016	#19
Desert Jonathan Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Arizona, USA Posts: 130	Hello Dave, my name is Jonathan and I live in Beautiful DRY, HOT Tucson Arizona. And YES, the desert is an extreme climate to grow tomato's in. But we do very well growing rock's, cactus with thorns on them and an occasional scorpion or two. The week before I stumbled across Tomatoville I was out on the web looking for information on new tomato varieties. At that time I had a total of three varieties I had been growing. 1.) Beefsteak. 2.) Rutgers. and 3.) Costoluto Genovese. I came across the website TOMATOFEST and it was a beginners dream. He has some 6 hundred varieties with pictures and descriptions. But that site pales in comparison to Tania's, who has THOUSANDS categorized. A member here at T'ville told me about a variety that was good to grow in the heat that is grown in Hawaii, but the only places that I could find seed for it was at Tomatofest and at THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII SEED LAB. What I would suggest is to join in on Tormato's MMMM Seed Swap, even if you have to buy seeds. That's what I did. I bought seeds from The U of H seed Lab and joined my first ever seed swap. Trust me, you'll get more different varieties then you'll know what to do with. And this will put you on the road to tomato growing nirvana. You'll have so many varieties and types of Tomato's to choose from that you'll pick a few and go for it. Enjoy, -Jonathan.

September 25, 2016	#21
Nematode Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2012 Location: massachusetts Posts: 1,710	Make sure you have at least some earlies, and mids, your season is short. Earliy Sungold Bloody butcher Mids Kosovo Indian stripe Also try a green, they are so tasty. Aunt ruby's german green is one I tried this year, there are others like malachite box. So many tomatoes, so little time.

September 27, 2016	#23
Spike2 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2015 Location: NE Ohio Posts: 992	This year I grew Girl Girls Weird Thing and simply fell in love with it. Also a friend of mine grew some Sweet 100 Cherry tomatoes. I just sat down in her tomato patch and ate them off the vines they were so yummy.