2023 Notable Varieties

sic transit gloria · February 15, 2024

A bit late for a 2023 report, but I did want to give a brief list of top performers for the benefit of others.

2023 was probably the best overall year I've had since I started a garden of my own in 2001. Production was very good, and I really had more tomatoes than I could process from the 29 plants I grew. Now for the top performers, which I will list in no particular order. An * means it was the first time I've grown this variety.

*Absinthe - good production and an amazing flavor. I will continue to grow Malachite Box as my staple GWR, but Absinthe will be in my garden this year as well.

*Buckeye Yellow - Terrific production and great flavor. Tomatoes were at least 12 oz. I typically rotate yellows between some combination of Lillian's Yellow Heirloom, Azoychka, Aunt Gertie's Gold, and Tom's Yellow Wonder, but Buckeye Yellow will likely become a mainstay.

*Marlowe Charleston - Top of the list in terms of flavor last year. Production wasn't bad, either, but they were so good we wanted more. Definitely on the must grow list for next year.

Eva Purple Ball - just a fantastic tomato variety. Super productive, great flavor, and as always the most uniform variety I've grown (all of the tomatoes are the same size and are perfect).

Chapman- incredibly productive for such a large tomato. Good flavor. A lot of these went into sauce jars.

Cuostralee - Terrific flavor. I always think to myself, "why don't I grow this every year?" Maybe I will

Sokolades- Super productive and just an all around good mahogany black variety that doesn't get a lot of headlines. More people should grow this variety.

That's enough for now. I did have one disappointing variety which normally does great for me, and that was Neves Azorean Red. I did figure out why by the end of the year: it was not getting as much water as the other varieties due to how I had my sprinkler set up. So, technically not NAR's fault.

February 15, 2024	#1
sic transit gloria Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: KS 5b/6a Posts: 249	2023 Notable Varieties A bit late for a 2023 report, but I did want to give a brief list of top performers for the benefit of others. 2023 was probably the best overall year I've had since I started a garden of my own in 2001. Production was very good, and I really had more tomatoes than I could process from the 29 plants I grew. Now for the top performers, which I will list in no particular order. An * means it was the first time I've grown this variety. Absinthe - good production and an amazing flavor. I will continue to grow Malachite Box as my staple GWR, but Absinthe will be in my garden this year as well. Buckeye Yellow - Terrific production and great flavor. Tomatoes were at least 12 oz. I typically rotate yellows between some combination of Lillian's Yellow Heirloom, Azoychka, Aunt Gertie's Gold, and Tom's Yellow Wonder, but Buckeye Yellow will likely become a mainstay. *Marlowe Charleston - Top of the list in terms of flavor last year. Production wasn't bad, either, but they were so good we wanted more. Definitely on the must grow list for next year. Eva Purple Ball - just a fantastic tomato variety. Super productive, great flavor, and as always the most uniform variety I've grown (all of the tomatoes are the same size and are perfect). Chapman- incredibly productive for such a large tomato. Good flavor. A lot of these went into sauce jars. Cuostralee - Terrific flavor. I always think to myself, "why don't I grow this every year?" Maybe I will Sokolades- Super productive and just an all around good mahogany black variety that doesn't get a lot of headlines. More people should grow this variety. That's enough for now. I did have one disappointing variety which normally does great for me, and that was Neves Azorean Red. I did figure out why by the end of the year: it was not getting as much water as the other varieties due to how I had my sprinkler set up. So, technically not NAR's fault.