container, indet, disease resistant, few seeds, hot climate, really tasty variety?

botanikk · December 27, 2009

I know I'm asking for a lot here, but would like to get some feedback. I've been doing some searching as well. I would like to find the best tomatoes to grow in containers, indeterminate, have few seeds (and/or seeds are easily removed), can withstand hot temperatures, and still fruit well ( resistant to BER if possible), have good disease resistance, and are really tasty...smokey would be nice. Any suggestions? I doubt anyone is looking for all these characteristics in one, but any advice would be appreciated.

botanikk · January 1, 2010

Since I haven't gotten a reply..perhaps I am asking for too much. What about Heidi?

habitat_gardener · January 1, 2010

I grew Heidi once. It was a very dense plant twice as wide as all my other plants, and a little wider than its height, before it started producing. It was the latest one in my garden that year. I got more tomatoes than I've gotten from any plant other than a cherry -- 700 in Aug-Sept, and 50 more cherry-size ones in Oct. They were ok fresh, really good cooked. It doesn't get hot here in the summer, nor does it rain (so no disease issues), and I don't recall any BER (if it had any, it was very few of the first ones to ripen). They had a blocky plum shape and lasted a relatively long time after they were picked.

From my limited experience, the requirements that it have few seeds and a smoky taste seem at odds. Smoky taste makes me think of black tomatoes, and the black tomatoes I've tried tend to have lots of seeds.

amideutch · January 2, 2010

Botanikk, think you had a similar thread about this time in 2008. How was your tomato grow out in 2008? Did you grow any in 2009? Ami

botanikk · January 2, 2010

Thanks for the info about Heidi, perhaps I'll try. I tried growing some in 2009, but I have had horrible luck with tomatoes...just horrible. This year, considering problems I had with some other beloved species (like Erica and Calluna), I realize that in summer, I cannot have ANYTHING growing out on the terrace without a shade cloth. Under the shade cloth things do ok if I watch my watering carefully, but no shade cloth and the heat is unbearable in the pots...and then the plants (of all sorts) become stressed and are prone to nasty deadly root fungus. I need to make sure everything is under the shade cloth once temperatures get hot...there is no need even for morning sun, since it is sunny pretty much every #$@#@!! day from perhaps sometime in May til even October. I wonder if soil pH could also be a problem. My tap water is very alkaline...like over 8-8.5, and of course in containers, that means that the growing medium becomes that pH very soon with absolutely no rainwater. This might also explain BER problems? For example with Olpaka? Let me know what you think. it's frustrating that some people can grow tomatoes like weeds, and I have to do a full scientific study to understand how to get them to grow even decently on my terrace in this climate. It's not that incredibly hot here...certainly not like Phoenix or the interior of California. From what I can tell...my climate is similar to the Napa valley in CA.

dhrtx · January 4, 2010

Perhaps you could add some apple cider vinegar to the water to try to neutralize it. I have heard that less processed vinegars can have some positive effect on soil anyway, and it may be just the solution for your water trouble. I am still looking for tomatoes that deal with heat, but early season tomatoes seem to help here. For containers I would think of determinates or dwarves. I have grown Siberian here in the late winter and early spring with some success in a pot, bringing the plant inside when temperatures get down below 40 F.

botanikk · January 4, 2010

Thanks for the replies. I could add apple cider vinegar...in fact, I need to do that fr all the Erica and Calluna species I grow. I just wonder how important pH is for tomatoes (for most Calluna and Erica species...it's not optional...it's necessary)

Worth1 · January 4, 2010

I have to say this as it has been bugging me for a while but every time I see this thread at a glance it looks like container inlet disease.
Like there is some new disease plants can get from a watering spigot.
I just thought I would pass this along.

Worth

December 27, 2009	#1
botanikk Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Sassari, Sardinia, Italy Posts: 15	container, indet, disease resistant, few seeds, hot climate, really tasty variety? I know I'm asking for a lot here, but would like to get some feedback. I've been doing some searching as well. I would like to find the best tomatoes to grow in containers, indeterminate, have few seeds (and/or seeds are easily removed), can withstand hot temperatures, and still fruit well ( resistant to BER if possible), have good disease resistance, and are really tasty...smokey would be nice. Any suggestions? I doubt anyone is looking for all these characteristics in one, but any advice would be appreciated.

January 2, 2010	#4
amideutch Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Germany 49°26"N 07°36"E Posts: 5,041	Botanikk, think you had a similar thread about this time in 2008. How was your tomato grow out in 2008? Did you grow any in 2009? Ami __________________ Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting ‘...Holy Crap .....What a ride!'

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January 1, 2010	#2
botanikk Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Sassari, Sardinia, Italy Posts: 15	Since I haven't gotten a reply..perhaps I am asking for too much. What about Heidi?

January 1, 2010	#3
habitat_gardener Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: California Central Valley Posts: 2,543	I grew Heidi once. It was a very dense plant twice as wide as all my other plants, and a little wider than its height, before it started producing. It was the latest one in my garden that year. I got more tomatoes than I've gotten from any plant other than a cherry -- 700 in Aug-Sept, and 50 more cherry-size ones in Oct. They were ok fresh, really good cooked. It doesn't get hot here in the summer, nor does it rain (so no disease issues), and I don't recall any BER (if it had any, it was very few of the first ones to ripen). They had a blocky plum shape and lasted a relatively long time after they were picked. From my limited experience, the requirements that it have few seeds and a smoky taste seem at odds. Smoky taste makes me think of black tomatoes, and the black tomatoes I've tried tend to have lots of seeds.

January 4, 2010	#6
dhrtx Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Ranger, TX Posts: 49	Perhaps you could add some apple cider vinegar to the water to try to neutralize it. I have heard that less processed vinegars can have some positive effect on soil anyway, and it may be just the solution for your water trouble. I am still looking for tomatoes that deal with heat, but early season tomatoes seem to help here. For containers I would think of determinates or dwarves. I have grown Siberian here in the late winter and early spring with some success in a pot, bringing the plant inside when temperatures get down below 40 F.

January 4, 2010	#8
Worth1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Den of Drunken Fools Posts: 38,539	I have to say this as it has been bugging me for a while but every time I see this thread at a glance it looks like container inlet disease. Like there is some new disease plants can get from a watering spigot. I just thought I would pass this along. Worth