Best green cherry tomato.

[OneoftheEarls]

Earl's Green are ripe when they are a little "pushy" and you can see the veins...

austinhanasmom I'll put them in saved for you in the Baker's Dozen Round Robin...sound good?

kath, you should join this robin.

Earl

[carolyn137]

Hmmm, this many posts in just 7 hours?

I was at up 3 am to watch the womens tennis final, finally went bnack to bed, got up late, b'c I was up late last night reading a great mystery, and so nope, I'm not going to post a lot about green cherry tomtoes b'c I've done it before and each and every one of you could have a different take on the taste and perfomance of a particular variety.

So what I like isn't all that important as opposed to my other current options, the first of which is continuing to pack tomato seeds for my recent seed offer here while looking up to see the snow falling from time to time.

And yes, as Travis mentioned, it would be nice to see an expanded range of GWripe cherries, but OK, I disagree with his taste comment about green Doctors, which goes to show the personal, perceptual variables that play into taste.

I'm glad Jeff did mention Green Zebra cherry, which I do like and no, there's no information to say it's related to the larger variety Green Zebra, and I've posted the background info on Green Zebra Cherry already.

GDF sweeter than GD when epdermis mutations are single spontaneous mutations? Doesn't compute for me.

I think it's best if someone wants to compare GD and GDF they should grow them both in the same season to eliminate the many variables that are inherent in tomato performance, yield and fruit taste.

[Bama mater]

Originally Posted by carolyn137

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I think it's best if someone wants to compare GD and GDF they should grow them both in the same season to eliminate the many variables that are inherent in tomato performance, yield and fruit taste.

That is a good idea, I did it last year and was pleased. Both GD and GDF were very good producers, GD was one of the last tomatos in the garden along with Black Cherry they out lasted alot of others. GD turns a greenish yellow when ripe and to me had a pretty good bite, unlike GDF which was very sweet and is sometimes hard to tell when their ripe, But both will be grown again.

[kath]

Originally Posted by OneoftheEarls

kath, you should join this robin.

Earl

Should? or should have? Isn't it too late?

[Tropicalgrower]

The only one I have tried is Green Grape,the wife and I both liked it.We tried it again last year,but the weather did not cooperate and it was just so-so.We'll give it another go this time around.

[austinnhanasmom]

With the GDF, I looked for the slight whitish (sorry for the goofy explaination) coloring before picking. I never had any cracking issues until last fall.

In the RR is PERFECT Earl - THANKS!!

[Wi-sunflower]

I grew Green Doctors the last 2 years and I had 2 plants of Green Doctors Frosted last year. Because of the few plants and fewer fruit (it was in a too wet area) i didnt get to taste and of them.

I'm not a RED tomato lover at all. I don't like the bite from the reds. So when i grew the GD I thought I wouldn't like it. But the flavor isn't at all sharp to me and I loved it. It's not like a red but it's not like a yellow either. Has a flavor unique to me.

I have customers that love Green Zebra tho it's larger than a cherry. I know some don't like it at all. It's not one of my favs.

I have seeds for Green Zebra Cherry I will be growing this summer.

I also have Lime Green Salad but that plant tends to poop out too quick to find most of the time.

I'll try to compare them all if they produce at the same time.

Carol

[JoAnne]

I've grown both GD and GDF, both came from a single seed packet labeled GD. I liked both, but their taste was different for me - GD was tangier and GDF was sweeter. Both were very productive. My only complaint is that I couldn't tell when the GDF was ripe! Had to squeeze each one to see if it was soft and I didn't really have time for that after work everyday. I'm afraid the local fauna had more than their share of the GDF.

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by JoAnne

I've grown both GD and GDF, both came from a single seed packet labeled GD. I liked both, but their taste was different for me - GD was tangier and GDF was sweeter. Both were very productive. My only complaint is that I couldn't tell when the GDF was ripe! Had to squeeze each one to see if it was soft and I didn't really have time for that after work everyday. I'm afraid the local fauna had more than their share of the GDF.

Joanne, I know of GD mutating to GDF but not the reverse. Just curious, but where did you get a pack of seeds with both in it, if you care to tell us. I wouldn't expect that.

I offered both GD and GDF last year here in my seed offer, and again this year, and have sent seeds for both to several seed sites for trial. And if you look both up at Tania's site you'll see the new seed sources. Don't assume that it was I that sent GD or GDF to ALL the sites mentionerd b'c I only send seed to certain sites where I know the owners well and trust them and their businesses. Some sites can turn around a varity in a summer season and some have to subcontrat out, which takes longer.

Just a bit of history here. Two years ago there were two folks, well actually three who had a clear epidermis mutant of GD/ The two here at Tville were Jeff Casey, dok________sorry Jeff, I jsut can't remember your used name, but Jeff owns Caseys of Airdrie, link in the seed sources. Goodwin, who also posts here found the same. The third person is a member here but doesn't post that often, his name is Neil and he lists hundreds of varieties in the SSE Yearbook.

I didn't know about Goodwins GDF so Jeff, Neil and I got together about it and it was decided to name it GDF. And yes, I have an interest since GD is a mutant of the variety Dr. Carolyn which I did not name for myself.

I see that some of you are having trouble deciding when GDF is ripe. It will be a bit soft and is a very pale green which DOES look like frosted grapes.You tell the ripeness of GD itself the same way, as in a bit soft. I don't even tough the fruits, just pick the ones that are the largest and look about the size you expect.

At the time I think I was the only one who had grown a clear epi GWRipe and that was Verde Claro, bred by Tom Wagner. So I knew what to expect

I still find it interesting that some experience a different taste between the two since epidernis mutations are single spontaneous mutations which affect only one gene.

[JoAnne]

Carolyn, my GD seeds are from Sand Hill. I bought them a couple yrs ago upon your recommendation - thank you!!! They are one of my favorite cherries and are on my yearly must grow list. I was quite surprised last yr when I ended up with GDF - I didn't know what to think until I read about GDF here.

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by JoAnne

Carolyn, my GD seeds are from Sand Hill. I bought them a couple yrs ago upon your recommendation - thank you!!! They are one of my favorite cherries and are on my yearly must grow list. I was quite surprised last yr when I ended up with GDF - I didn't know what to think until I read about GDF here.

NOw that I think about it it's perfectly possible that in his growouts of GD for new seed stock that GDF showed up and neither he nor the students he hires for the summer and harvest didn't notice that GDF's appeared.

I'll ask Glenn about that. So these were seeds you bought in about 2008 or so? I don't have my data book here but I think I sent him seeds for GDF just last Spring and he can turn around a variety in one season, but I don't see GDF in the 2011 catalog. But then there were quite a few that I sent and I haven't cross referenced to see if any of them made it into the catalog for 2011.

Adam Gleckler was walking thru his tomato fields taking with me on his cell phone and noted that quite a few of his GD's were GDF but he knew about GDF before that so know it when he saw them.

You can look at it this way, you got a twofer in one pack.

[JoAnne]

Hi Carolyn,

I bought the seeds in the Winter of 2009. (probably Feb, as soon as they're open for orders). Had GD in '09 and then GDF in '10. It was interesting to try them both!

The SandHill folks are about 20 miles from where I went to high school, so I have a soft spot in my heart for them.

[Sherry_AK]

Did anyone ever grow Earl's Green Cherry? Just wondering how it turned out.

Sherry

[Iva]

I'd like to join that question. I have a single plant of it in my garden, but it is only at the flowering stage...

[Sherry_AK]

Iva -- I have one plant of Earl's Green Cherry in my greenhouse. It's quite small with only a few fruit, so I'm wondering if it deserves greenhouse space. I hope someone grew it last year and can share some information with us.

Sherry