What are your OP standard bearers?

dhrtx · June 5, 2010

Not just great tasting. What plant would you give away, knowing that it has the best chance to survive, thrive and produce, introducing a gardener to the world of great OP and heirloom tomatoes? Someone heard I was growing heirlooms and said they had been given "one of those" and it had produced one tomato. Most people would be turned off even if that were the best tomato ever.

My first is a surprise; Siberian. I was looking for a compact early and that is what I got. I grow them on my porch for preseason tomatoes in pots, but I gave several away last year and they amazed me. They produced, stayed healthy through the heat of summer, and made a big fall crop. The friend who grew them said he would not have had tomatoes if not for Siberian.

Hanky Red is poised to join Siberian, if the massive load of fruit will ripen and taste decent. I have never seen a plant flower and set fruit that are growing to a decent size like this, and it is fairly early.

So, what plants do you like to give away, knowing the variety can handle adversity and smash misconceptions that heirlooms/op cannot be reliable producers?

June 5, 2010	#1
dhrtx Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Ranger, TX Posts: 49	What are your OP standard bearers? Not just great tasting. What plant would you give away, knowing that it has the best chance to survive, thrive and produce, introducing a gardener to the world of great OP and heirloom tomatoes? Someone heard I was growing heirlooms and said they had been given "one of those" and it had produced one tomato. Most people would be turned off even if that were the best tomato ever. My first is a surprise; Siberian. I was looking for a compact early and that is what I got. I grow them on my porch for preseason tomatoes in pots, but I gave several away last year and they amazed me. They produced, stayed healthy through the heat of summer, and made a big fall crop. The friend who grew them said he would not have had tomatoes if not for Siberian. Hanky Red is poised to join Siberian, if the massive load of fruit will ripen and taste decent. I have never seen a plant flower and set fruit that are growing to a decent size like this, and it is fairly early. So, what plants do you like to give away, knowing the variety can handle adversity and smash misconceptions that heirlooms/op cannot be reliable producers?