This is why they are called heart shaped

[PaulF]

Just picked a Butter and Bull Heart

[MissS]

Aww, It's all set to give to your most loved one..........

[kath]

This Cherokee Purple Heart might need surgery.

[Starlight]

PaulF... How pretty! Is that variety make all it's tomatoes to look like that? How did it do for you?

I want to try some hearts for next year. Have only grown Anna Russian which I loved and Brad's Black Heart.

Kath .... Nope no surgery needed, instead a pedestal on counter to look at it.

Nice looking tomatoes both of you. : )

[PaulF]

Having grown maybe 30 or more heart shaped varieties, many are very "hearty". Butter and Bulls Heart give many different shapes, all being heart-shaped of some sort. This one in particular. Kath, yours is a neat heart. Starlight: This happens to be the first of the season, but in the past the flavor is 5/5 and production is high.

My signature should say,"Never met a heart I didn't like."

[Yak54]

Originally Posted by kath

This Cherokee Purple Heart might need surgery.

Very nice looking tomato ! I may have to try that variety next year. Would like to hear how you rate it for taste & productivity.

[Starlight]

Originally Posted by PaulF

Having grown maybe 30 or more heart shaped varieties, many are very "hearty". Butter and Bulls Heart give many different shapes, all being heart-shaped of some sort. This one in particular. Kath, yours is a neat heart. Starlight: This happens to be the first of the season, but in the past the flavor is 5/5 and production is high.

My signature should say,"Never met a heart I didn't like."

Other than the Butter and Bull, what would you say are your top 3 favorites? I know your way up there and I am way down here, but because of heat and humidity there is only about 3 maybe 4 months at the most to grow a good crop. Beefsteaks take to long to grow down here and in my area suffer from not only the weather conditions but the bugs. aggggggg!

I've only tasted a couple of hearts but to me they taste as good or better than the beefsteaks which is why I want to grow more of them next year. Just don't know what ones best to try.

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by PaulF

Having grown maybe 30 or more heart shaped varieties, many are very "hearty". Butter and Bulls Heart give many different shapes, all being heart-shaped of some sort. This one in particular. Kath, yours is a neat heart. Starlight: This happens to be the first of the season, but in the past the flavor is 5/5 and production is high.

My signature should say,"Never met a heart I didn't like."

Recently I made a list of the hearts that I've grown and it was up to almost 200. And that doesn't include the newest hearts that I sourced that are being grown out this summer for the seed offer but Freda is growing only two here at home.

So Paul,you've borrowed my motto when you say that you've never met a heart you didn't like.

Carolyn

[Lindalana]

Would you say and Butter and Bull are later tomatoes?

[TC_Manhattan]

Originally Posted by carolyn137

Recently I made a list of the hearts that I've grown and it was up to almost 200. And that doesn't include the newest hearts that I sourced that are being grown out this summer for the seed offer but Freda is growing only two here at home.

So Paul,you've borrowed my motto when you say that you've never met a heart you didn't like.

Carolyn

So Carolyn, please tell us which two hearts made it on your must-grow list for this year?

I'm certain we would all love to know...

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by TC_Manhattan

So Carolyn, please tell us which two hearts made it on your must-grow list for this year?

I'm certain we would all love to know...

Actually it turns out to be 2 and 1/2 when I looked at my data book

Arad's Pink Heart,from Romania
Sheryl's Red Portuguese Heart
Black Striped Heart,not a heart,but a small striped oval cherry sized.

Are these to be considered my all time best hearts,no, not yet,but you asked me what was being grown here this summer,so there you go, and a total of 17 plants.

If only I was back on the farm and had my own tomato field it would be a very different story,but now when I source seeds and there are lots of new hearts it's my now 7 seed producers who grow them out,but there are several of those I've known for many decades and by now I know what they like I would as well.

Carolyn

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by TC_Manhattan

So Carolyn, please tell us which two hearts made it on your must-grow list for this year?

I'm certain we would all love to know...

Actually it turns out to be 2 and 1/2 when I looked at my data book

Arad's Pink Heart,from Romania
Sheryl's Red Portuguese Heart
Black Striped Heart,not a heart,but a small striped oval cherry sized.

Are these to be considered my all time best hearts,no, not yet,but you asked me what was being grown here this summer,so there you go, and a total of 17 plants.

If only I was back on the farm and had my own tomato field it would be a very different story,but now when I source seeds and there are lots of new hearts it's my now 7 seed producers who grow them out,but there are several of those I've known for many decades and by now I know what they like I would as well.

Carolyn

[PaulF]

So Carolyn, that was you who said what I think? I have not grown anywhere near as many hearts as you or Neil Lockhart but as I was going to answer Starlight research has indicated my count is at 75. How time flies.

Going through my journals I wrote down the hearts I would plant every year if there was room and the number was 23 different ones. Then to whittle that to three begs the questions: The three best tasting?, the three best producers, the three best looking, or a combination of all these? Score points in each category and tally up?

First of all there are two hearts in the group I may not grow every year but wish they would do well for me every year. When they are on, they are great but for me they either hit or miss....Orange Russian #117, the prettiest and tastiest but only one of three years is it so. Brad's Black Heart is either great or doesn't produce a tomato in my garden.

For flavor I say Wes, Joe's Pink Oxheart and Couer de Velours. Take out Wes for productivity and replace it with Nicky Crain.

This is like which of my children do I love the most. I am leaving out Amana Pink Heart, Eagle's Beak, Julie's Red Heart, Kosovo, Reif Red Heart, Tsar Kolokol, Zore's Big Red.............

[Scooty]

Dwarf Purple Heart came in a rush. Dwarf Pink Passion is still steadily coming along, but it doesn't quite have the consistency of producing ventricle shapes like DPH - just the tip.

[Starlight]

Originally Posted by PaulF

So Carolyn, that was you who said what I think? I have not grown anywhere near as many hearts as you or Neil Lockhart but as I was going to answer Starlight research has indicated my count is at 75. How time flies.

Going through my journals I wrote down the hearts I would plant every year if there was room and the number was 23 different ones. Then to whittle that to three begs the questions: The three best tasting?, the three best producers, the three best looking, or a combination of all these? Score points in each category and tally up?

First of all there are two hearts in the group I may not grow every year but wish they would do well for me every year. When they are on, they are great but for me they either hit or miss....Orange Russian #117, the prettiest and tastiest but only one of three years is it so. Brad's Black Heart is either great or doesn't produce a tomato in my garden.

For flavor I say Wes, Joe's Pink Oxheart and Couer de Velours. Take out Wes for productivity and replace it with Nicky Crain.

This is like which of my children do I love the most. I am leaving out Amana Pink Heart, Eagle's Beak, Julie's Red Heart, Kosovo, Reif Red Heart, Tsar Kolokol, Zore's Big Red.............

Your right. Time does go by fast. Seasons too short, and so many lovely to want to try.
For sure! I always think this is the best tasting tomato until I taste the next one and then it becomes a favorite. I've found a few that my palette didn't care for, but when you put them in a BLT they taste fine. Gotta love mayo.

I know each particular tomato has its own particular growth habits and tastes, but one of my goals is to grow as many hearts next year as I can and learn about them and their growing needs and over all culture. A whole new learning and growing experience I figure it is going to be and I'm excited for the coming year.

This year was all cherries. Learned alot from here and had great success, but I sure did miss not having Anna Russian out there to eat. I won't do that again. It's first on my list of to grow.

Brad's Black Heart was new for me last year and one I plan to regrow again next year. I didn't get but a few tomatoes on it and my one BBH made tiny, mini tomatoes that looked just like its brother. Only was able to get a few seeds. The tomato was very meaty, but good. I'll grow those seeds out next year and see if they still stay miniature or not. Flavor on them was awesome just like the normal size ones.

One thing I have noticed and don't know if it just my area or not, but I go visit alot of farmer's markets and even little small farmer's and nobody has hearts growing or for sale. I don't understand why. Only having tasted just a couple they are so full of flavor. Is it because they are fussy to grow, folks have no idea what to do with them, the shape turns people off, or just uneducated about them.

I appreciate the suggestions. That gives me a place to start. I'll put your suggestions at the top of my list and then add on from there. I'm hoping to work with at least 15 to 20 varieties. Not knowing what to expect or how they will like my climate I figure that will be a good number to start with.

Originally Posted by Scooty

Dwarf Purple Heart came in a rush. Dwarf Pink Passion is still steadily coming along, but it doesn't quite have the consistency of producing ventricle shapes like DPH - just the tip.

What a nice bunch of tomatoes.