Pappy Kerns woes

kerns125 · August 6, 2016

As many of you know, last summer I grew a plant from seeds that my now-97 year-old grandfather gave me - a tomato which he'd gotten from family and had grown for decades. It gave me the most intense, sweetest pink heart tomato I had ever tasted, and when I compared it with Brandywine Sudduth's, I was shocked to find I liked it as much if not more. And I am picky about flavor.

Well, I've distributed saved seeds from those luscious fruit and grew out four plants myself this summer. Two of the four plants died without producing -- a problem I had with my Big Beef rootstock (I had a terrible time with wilt, only with the plants I grafted onto Big Beef from Wilhitte.... Won't be buying from them again!). One plant is giving me somewhat larger pink heart tomatoes, which look a little different (bigger and rounder) and are bland and boring -- nothing like the Pappy Kerns I tasted last summer. The only remaining plant was planted at my mom's house, and she gave me two of those fruit -- they LOOK like the same size, shape and color as what I got last year, but again, taste is totally boring. I am devastated. Pappy is looking to see if he has any more seed tucked away somewhere, but I'm wondering what you all think -- the chances of BOTH of my surviving plants being F1 crosses seem low, and yet these tomatoes do not taste the same. But his tomatoes were grown for decades so were definitely stable. Could growing conditions make that much of a difference from year to year? They are grown in earth boxes, with different fertilizer this year than last. We certainly had a freezing cold May with 20+ straight days of rain, and then many high 90-100 degree days this past month. But water has been consistent since they're in earth boxes.

I saved some seeds from my mom's Pappy tomato this summer since it looked similar, and still have seed left from last year's gems, which will be my first to grow out again if Pappy can't find any more originals. Thoughts??

August 6, 2016	#1
kerns125 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: 22301 Posts: 92	Pappy Kerns woes As many of you know, last summer I grew a plant from seeds that my now-97 year-old grandfather gave me - a tomato which he'd gotten from family and had grown for decades. It gave me the most intense, sweetest pink heart tomato I had ever tasted, and when I compared it with Brandywine Sudduth's, I was shocked to find I liked it as much if not more. And I am picky about flavor. Well, I've distributed saved seeds from those luscious fruit and grew out four plants myself this summer. Two of the four plants died without producing -- a problem I had with my Big Beef rootstock (I had a terrible time with wilt, only with the plants I grafted onto Big Beef from Wilhitte.... Won't be buying from them again!). One plant is giving me somewhat larger pink heart tomatoes, which look a little different (bigger and rounder) and are bland and boring -- nothing like the Pappy Kerns I tasted last summer. The only remaining plant was planted at my mom's house, and she gave me two of those fruit -- they LOOK like the same size, shape and color as what I got last year, but again, taste is totally boring. I am devastated. Pappy is looking to see if he has any more seed tucked away somewhere, but I'm wondering what you all think -- the chances of BOTH of my surviving plants being F1 crosses seem low, and yet these tomatoes do not taste the same. But his tomatoes were grown for decades so were definitely stable. Could growing conditions make that much of a difference from year to year? They are grown in earth boxes, with different fertilizer this year than last. We certainly had a freezing cold May with 20+ straight days of rain, and then many high 90-100 degree days this past month. But water has been consistent since they're in earth boxes. I saved some seeds from my mom's Pappy tomato this summer since it looked similar, and still have seed left from last year's gems, which will be my first to grow out again if Pappy can't find any more originals. Thoughts??