Sophies Choice

[ArthurDent004]

I was inspecting my plant and noticed two tomatoes that were trying red but now looked like they were turning black at the stem end. I also noticed some sunken spots so I snipped both of them. One had four cracks running from the stem down, while the other had one large crack that ran halfway down to the blossom end. I never saw it because it was on the backside of the tomato. Am I correct in thinking the crack were caused by uneven watering.

[carolyn137]

Sophie's Choice is a variety I introduced:

http://tatianastomatobase.com/wiki/S...b=General_Info

I don't remember saying that it doesn't like dry conditions and it was grown in dry CA for several seasons after arriving from Canada,but I do remember Jeff McCormack saying in the blurb for it at SESE that for him it didn't like hot weather.

Since there are 11 seed sources for it for 2013 methinks it grows well for many under diverse conditions.

Carolyn

[Ken4230]

Originally Posted by carolyn137

Sophie's Choice is a variety I introduced:

http://tatianastomatobase.com/wiki/S...b=General_Info

I don't remember saying that it doesn't like dry conditions and it was grown in dry CA for several seasons after arriving from Canada,but I do remember Jeff McCormack saying in the blurb for it at SESE that for him it didn't like hot weather.

Since there are 11 seed sources for it for 2013 methinks it grows well for many under diverse conditions.

Carolyn

This is the best post i have read on T'ville ever. To me, it means that you are now alive and kicking. As i kept up with the thread about your illness, i was always reminded of that old country song "Who's gonna fill their shoes"
I guess you can fill your own for a while longer. Carolyn, i'm glad to see you back.

[Tormato]

Originally Posted by carolyn137

Sophie's Choice is a variety I introduced:

http://tatianastomatobase.com/wiki/S...b=General_Info

I don't remember saying that it doesn't like dry conditions and it was grown in dry CA for several seasons after arriving from Canada,but I do remember Jeff McCormack saying in the blurb for it at SESE that for him it didn't like hot weather.

Since there are 11 seed sources for it for 2013 methinks it grows well for many under diverse conditions.

Carolyn

For me, it grows well, gives a good amount of tomatoes for the space it takes up, and then dies off right after that.

11 seed sources may mean 11 (or more) different reasons for trying Sophie's Choice.

A very early tomato
good size
good flavor
meaty
no core
slicer or canner
small garden space
great for containers
no staking

That's nine, so I'll let others add to it.

It appears to have one negative attribute, in that some people on this thread very likely have wrong seed/plants.

Welcome back Carolyn.

Dr. Lve Apple

[WhippoorwillG]

If I'm not mistaken, my seed came from Tatiana's. I currently have four that have been in the ground for about 6 weeks.

Trimmed to a single stem, they are about 3feet tall at this point.

They have set a good amount of fruit and are holding their own, outshining many other varieties.



Anxious to sample the flavor.


And I too am very excited and relieved to see Carolyn back on the boards! :thumbup:

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

[bower]

I'm not convinced yet that I have the wrong seed, although it came from a swap so I have no vendor's guarantee. But bear in mind, the conditions in my greenhouse promote vegetative growth - I have many varieties that are supposed to be small which turn out to be larger than expected in those conditions.
Also these plants were set out very early, the high temperatures have been marginal to the low end of the 'goldilocks zone' (70 F) for the most part. We'll see how Sophie's Choice shapes up when summer brings some higher temperatures.

Carolyn, so good to see you back.

[Tormato]

Maybe looking for a teminal bud will let you know? I think a 3' plant in ideal conditions is possible. However, a 5'+ plant sounds like an indeterminate plant, to me.

Dr. Lve Apple

[bower]

Originally Posted by Tormato

Maybe looking for a teminal bud will let you know? I think a 3' plant in ideal conditions is possible. However, a 5'+ plant sounds like an indeterminate plant, to me.

Dr. Lve Apple

Upon dutiful examination of the plant... you're RIGHT.
There are 3 leaves between flower clusters = indeterminate, and not Sophie's Choice.
So I take back all my remarks about SC... no such data!

Seems like a good excuse to huck the imposter outdoors, and reclaim the space.

[Tormato]

Originally Posted by WhippoorwillG

If I'm not mistaken, my seed came from Tatiana's. I currently have four that have been in the ground for about 6 weeks.

Trimmed to a single stem, they are about 3feet tall at this point.

They have set a good amount of fruit and are holding their own, outshining many other varieties.



Anxious to sample the flavor.


And I too am very excited and relieved to see Carolyn back on the boards! :thumbup:

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

And in this pic, the tomatoes look like unripe pinks (two-tone green, with shoulders darker than the rest), to me.

Dr. Lve Apple

[WhippoorwillG]

They did turn out red and the seed was not from Tania, but rather Tomatofest.

I thought I would revisit this thread after checking my seed source and seeing if any others had the same experience with Tomatofest sourced SC?

The plants were all indeterminate and all produced relatively blemish-free red fruits ranging from 6-10oz. The flavor was also well above average.
So, based upon all the information on the variety, my plants were not Sophie's Choice.

I wish I could find out what it really was, because it will definitely return to the garden next year. I may have to call it Sophie's Faux, but would rather call it like it is????

[bower]

My seed came from a swap, so the source is unknown, but the results were like yours - indeterminate, medium sized red fruit, and well worth growing again for the exceptional taste. I nicked it "Really Choice" on the seed saving cup for that - delicious! A lot of people must have the same tomato if it's coming from TomatoFest, so we really need a proper name to use and not cause any more confusion. Sophie's Faux would work, or "Long Tall Sophie's" if the fruit is very similar to the real "Sophie's Choice" and only the growth habit is different.

Has anyone grown and tasted both of them?

[remy]

Sophie's Choice should look like this when the fruit are developing.tomsophieschoicegreen1.jpg (click on pic to enlarge)
The plants are bushy, squat, and spreading, and the developing fruit are a bit flattened too.
I love the correct Sophie's Choice. It is always very early for me, and to have an early that is not a cherry or an overly acidic flavored tomato is a big bonus to me. It might not like the hotter weather. It never gets super hot here, but it grows so fast in spring, if set out early, it should produce before a heat wave ever comes along.
I have not grown the incorrect variety.
Remy

[flyingbrass]

I found this older thread while searching and wanted to add my $.02.

I've grown Sophie for 3 years now in Phoenix. Last season (2013) I harvested 46.5 lbs. from 4 plants. The plants looked awful, as usual, with rolled leaves, but as usual they kept cranking out tasty tomatoes. Most are smaller (3 to maybe 6 ounces typically), but I got one tomato that weighed a whopping 10.2 ounces. That's a huge tomato from such a little plant.

The year before I harvested about 44 lbs. from 4 plants grown in the same location, so last season wasn't a fluke.

Sophie is a real trooper here when planted in the ground around March 1. They are early. Well, at least earlier than the other tomatoes I've grown. First harvest for me is usually the first week of May (last year was May 2). Though the plants remain short, use some sort of cage to support the growing tomatoes, else stems will break from the load. I use short cages made from CRW.

[cloz]

I grew what was supposed to be Sophie's Choice in 2010 at 2 different places (seed from Tomatofest) and the plants grew over 5' tall. Plant was a good producer of baseball sized OK tasting fruit all season long. Indeterminate and obviously not Sophie's Choice.

[JLJ_]

Not-Sophie's-Choice from Tomatofest seems to have been happening for at least five years.

Example:

http://www.tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=12374

Post #4 from September 13, 2009 says:

"My Sophies Choice from Tomatofest grew out to be 5 ft tall indeterminants..."



I got some Sophie's Choice seed from Sand Hill in late 2012, grew it in 2013, and it appeared to be the correct short, bushy shape -- though it got planted late and had a rough season so it didn't really get a good trial. It'll be back this year, though.