Old Time Tomatoes

loulac · August 28, 2013

Since Marmande and Saint Pierre have aroused some interest I’ll add some details. I started growing them in the fifties, following my father’s example. They are still leaders among gardeners who refuse to grow hybrids.
Marmande has been named after the town where it was first grown in the south west of France from 1870 onwards when vineyards had been destroyed by phylloxera (an American gift !). It can be found in a seed catalog in 1926.
The origin of Saint Pierre is not known but it is found in a Vilmorin catalog in 1880.

I was quite hasty to say that they were sold by US seed sellers. Some quote them, describe them, but don’t sell them.
A few tips
http://www.rareseeds.com/marmande-tomato/?F_Sort=1 Marmande is on sale but not SP
http://davesgarden.com/community/tra...xt=PFPID:98492 SP can be traded here.
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/30898/ Marmande can be traded there but it is described as being a hybrid. I’m not sure it is the original brand.

I’ll try to make myself useful :
If a Tomatovilian is interested in testing those varieties I’ll be glad to send him / her seeds that he / she will share with those who will be interested. I’m vacationing far from home now so I can’t send anything for a while but I’ll keep trace of PM’s.

August 28, 2013	#31
loulac Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: France Posts: 554	Since Marmande and Saint Pierre have aroused some interest I’ll add some details. I started growing them in the fifties, following my father’s example. They are still leaders among gardeners who refuse to grow hybrids. Marmande has been named after the town where it was first grown in the south west of France from 1870 onwards when vineyards had been destroyed by phylloxera (an American gift !). It can be found in a seed catalog in 1926. The origin of Saint Pierre is not known but it is found in a Vilmorin catalog in 1880. I was quite hasty to say that they were sold by US seed sellers. Some quote them, describe them, but don’t sell them. A few tips http://www.rareseeds.com/marmande-tomato/?F_Sort=1 Marmande is on sale but not SP http://davesgarden.com/community/tra...xt=PFPID:98492 SP can be traded here. http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/30898/ Marmande can be traded there but it is described as being a hybrid. I’m not sure it is the original brand. I’ll try to make myself useful : If a Tomatovilian is interested in testing those varieties I’ll be glad to send him / her seeds that he / she will share with those who will be interested. I’m vacationing far from home now so I can’t send anything for a while but I’ll keep trace of PM’s.