ANDERSON TOMATO

[ROB TWO-HAWKS]

10-17-07 ...CAN ANYONE OFFER INFO/SOURCING FOR THE ...''ANDERSON'' H.L. TOMATO? IT WAS MY 1ST H.L. SOME 30+ YEARS AGO...BUT I LOST TRACK OF AWHILE BACK.I CAN OFFER SOME OF ITS HISTORY ...AS I RECEIVED MY IST PLANTS FROM THE ''ORIGINAL'' AMERICAN GROWER. MANY THANKS.....ROB TWO-HAWKS

[feldon30]

First, welcome to Tomatoville!

I did a quick Google search and did not find any information about a tomato variety named Anderson. What can you tell us about it?

- What is the color? (red, pink, purple, yellow, orange, green, etc.)
- What is the plant habit? (3 foot tall determinate, 5 foot tall, 8 foot tall indeterminate, etc.)
- What was the fruit shape and size? (large beefsteaks, medium globe-shaped fruit, Roma type, Cherry, etc.)
- Was this an early season, late season variety?
- Anything else you can tell us?

Also may I suggest that CAPS LOCK does not get your point across any clearer than using lowercase.

Looking forward to your response.

[patty_b]

I started a plant (actually only got one to grow from several seeds) but gave it to a friend who's last name is Anderson,
he in turn gave back a red bs for me to get seeds from. It did not perform all that well this summer and that may be due to our weather extremes.......but I do have fresh seed. Patty

[ROB TWO-HAWKS]

feldon30 ...Thanks 4 your search & response! I'm new 2 the computer & typing...so please bear with me. /// ...''ANDERSON'' info: Is a red,meaty,few-seeded,globular B.S. A regular-leaved indeterminate,midseason,medium-yielder with a fine,full O.F. flavor.Originally from ROME./// I regularly pruned to 6-7 feet...but first grew out to 13 feet+(will tell you how if you're curious).///...I ALSO googled & found this: TANAGER SONG FARM knows of it... but won't respond.Also once saw it on a BRIT seed site which I can't re-find.///....My interest is primarily ''nostalgic''...for w/o this fine tomato...my present H.L.'mater obsession would'nt be.I also would'nt be here in TOMATOVILLE. ROB

[feldon30]

For those searching the Tanager Song Farm website, it's under Pinks with this note "From Beaver Falls, PA".

Unfortunately TSF have chosen to withdraw from the public for reasons far more complicated than those alluded to on her website.

The variety is in the encyclopedic PlantFiles but the only vendor listed is the aforementioned TSF.


If your bank account knows no bounds, you can cough up a whopping $14 for 25 seeds (plus $6 shipping) from Seeds-by-Size in the UK. I guess at that price they only need one sucker every day to place an order to stay in business.

[ROB TWO-HAWKS]

feldon30 ...Some final thoughts on the ''ANDERSON'' Tomato: ....It was brought back from ROME by a BEAVER COUNTY(PA) Steel Exec.He then passed it to retired worker & avid gardener..ANDY FUSCO.ANDY grew -it- out for many years & offerred the plants-for-sale.It's reputation spead from there.///....Also some folks from the PENN STATE(BEAVER) MASTER GARDENER'S PROGRAM may be familiar with ''ANDERSON''.One student I met knew of the tomato & personally knew ANDY.I Could'nt discover more beyond that.///...PENN STATE nevered answered my E-mails...but is it possible TOMATOVILLE has some members from the the BEAVER FALLS..or..FALLSTON,PA area?If not...possibly PENN STATE AG would speak with you?///...Beyond that...I'll let my search rest.No further info... might indicate that ''ANDERSON'' has fallen thru the... ''Great H.L.Tomato Black Hole''.If so...It will resurface according to it's own cycle & rhythm. THANKS...........ROB

[carolyn137]

Rob, you must be the Rob G. from Ohio who sent seeds to Will Bonsall who then listed it in the SSE Yearbook where it's been listed for many years and is still listed in the 2007 Yearbook. But it has not been a popular variety and few have relisted it. Varieties listed in the Yearbook are available to SSE members only and there are about 4,000 different varieties listed.

He listed it as Anderson Roman and noted that the seeds had been brought back from Rome.

Since you sent seeds to Will and he still lists it why don't you ask him for a few seeds. I'm sure he'd oblige since you were his source in the first place. Or maybe you sent them directly to SSE and they sent them to Will, but I doubt that very much since he lists his seed source as you..

If you don't have his home address please PM me and I'll give it to you.Perhaps you were at one time an SSE member and that's where you got his address, but that doesn't make sense b'c if you were an SSE member you would have it yourself.

[ROB TWO-HAWKS]

carolyn137 ...Thanks 4 the good info.I'M not an SSE MEMBER(but would love to be) & I don't remember sending seed 2 WILL...but as that was years ago...It's possible.//...You mentioned that ''ANDERSON'' was'nt exactly held in high regard by SSE members.If the ''ANDERSON ROMAN''.. is my.. ''ANDERSON''...It must have Crossed or Degenerated down- the -line.Originally this was a real Winner-Keeper.// Finally,...I'D Welcome the info you referred to. THANKS ALOT! ROB

[carolyn137]

If the ''ANDERSON ROMAN''.. is my.. ''ANDERSON''...It must have Crossed or Degenerated down- the -line.Originally this was a real Winner-Keeper.// Finally,...I'D Welcome the info you referred to. THANKS ALOT! ROB

****

Rob, Will lists you, Rob G from Ohio, as his source of seeds.

And I didn't say it was crossed or degenerated I just said that not that many SSE members hade relisted it.

That doesn't say all that much about the variety b'c with thousands listed, theres' no telling what someone thought of it who didn't relist it, and you can't conclude that all varieties with low listings aren't that good.

And always, opinions about a variety differ from person to person.

YOu said you'd welcome the info I referred to. And since you're looking for seeds does that mean you'd like Will Bonsall's home address?

If so, please click on my name in any post I do and then look to see where it says send PM ( private message), and then fill that out asking for his address and hit send.

It's never a good idea to give a home address, or e-mail address or phone number publically.

[Douglas14]

Rob,
What did you especially like about the Anderson tomato? Have you tried many other Heirlooms to make a comparison with it?

[Larry Watson]

Well, here is a reply to your Anderson inquiry--only 5 years late. I have the seeds. They originally came from a farm near Darlington owned by the Andersons. I got them from the Morazzi family here in Chippewa. Big pink indeterminate. You can contact me at deeprock@netlink.net. Larry Watson

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by Larry Watson

Well, here is a reply to your Anderson inquiry--only 5 years late. I have the seeds. They originally came from a farm near Darlington owned by the Andersons. I got them from the Morazzi family here in Chippewa. Big pink indeterminate. You can contact me at deeprock@netlink.net. Larry Watson

Larry, are you suggesting that the Morazzi family also brought them to the US and then how did they get named Anderson? By the Andersons themselves, who got them from the Morazzi family?

Rob no longer reads/posts here at Tville, but if you feel that what you have is the same that Rob described above as to original source, etc., do I have your permission to share your e-mail address with someone I know who could pass it on to him since I don't post where he does these days.

Carolyn

[Larry Watson]

Carolyn,

Yes, share my e-mail with Rob. I knew two generations of the Morazzi family. Bob, the father and Greg, the son. I got the seeds from Greg who told me his family got the seeds from the Anderson's farm near Darlington, PA. He never made any remark to me that the seeds originally came from Italy. However, Greg gave me seeds to two other varieties, one of which was from the Morazzi family in Italy.

I have not grown Anderson tomatoes for at least 15 years. My seed has always been stored in the freezer so it should go at least 50%. To me this variety has an unusual taste,
not at all what one would expect from a big pink.

Greg Morazzi still lives in the neighborhood and could be contacted for more detailed info, but frankly I doubt he has much more.

I found the source description from Rob Two-hawks fascinating; the towns he mentioned and Italian connections are all part of this area. By the way Amelia Fusco was the agent who sold us our first piece of property here in Beaver County.

Larry

[Larry Watson]

Carolyn,

Since my reply to you I had a chance to go back into the 2007 SSE yearbook and found two Anderson named varieties listed under red tomatoes.

What I have is not described by these two listings even remotely. My Anderson is a big
3.5 to 4" pink indeterminate on healthy regular leaf vines.

The sources listed both seem pretty remote from this area. By the way, I don't recall ever having traded away my Anderson seeds--in those days when I grew it I had many other better known heirlooms to offer in trade.

Larry