"Big Set" from Sandhill???

[chalstonsc]

Has anyone grown the variety "Big Set" from Sandhill Preservation? How tall did the plants get? Taste? Productivity? Thanks

[MikeInCypress]

I tried it last year but I started it too late and didn't get any fruit. Back in the '80's Big Set (Hybrid) was an All Texas Selection and was my fave. If the op comes close it would be pretty good.

MikeInCypress

[travis]

Which company produced the hybrid, Mike?

(Edit) I should've looked at NCSU Cultivar List before asking.

"Big Set (PSX702) - Breeder and vendor: Petoseed Co. Characteristics: F1 hybrid, bush type with extremely heavy set medium large fruit, deep oblate shape with green shoulder. Resistance: verticillium wilt, fusarium wilt race 1 and nematodes. Similar: Walter. Adaptation: general. 1975."

Sounds good. I've grown other determinates that had Walter as a parent and like them too. Cherokee is one that did well in the heat.

[creister]

What were some of the other varieties that you liked from Walter? Is the Cherokee you mention just called Cherokee?

[travis]

Yes. Cherokee from NCSU. I think it was from Ace 55 x Walter and back crossed to Walter. Victory Seeds used to carry it.

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by travis

Yes. Cherokee from NCSU. I think it was from Ace 55 x Walter and back crossed to Walter. Victory Seeds used to carry it.

You are correct Travis. Several folks list it in the SSE YEarbook and one of them does give background information.

I wonder what the OP version of Big Set is like that Glenn is listing. I always wonder about OP versions of orginal F1 hybrids and how close they come to the original hybrid. It doesn't keep me awake at night, but I often do wonder about it.

[travis]

Kinda hard to make a fair comparison without F1 seeds for a side-by-side. Memory is tricky after a year or two, I think.

I suppose we have to be satisfied with what the OP shows us about itself. If the OP Big Set matches the glorious descriptions attributed to the F1, it would be a keeper in my book.

However, all that's given at Sandhill is "late, Ind, RL, 12 to 16 oz., globe-shaped fruits. (UNAVAILABLE FOR 2010)" and I would want the determinate expression like in the F1.

So really, I'm not interested at all now that I see that blurb.

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by travis

Kinda hard to make a fair comparison without F1 seeds for a side-by-side. Memory is tricky after a year or two, I think.

I suppose we have to be satisfied with what the OP shows us about itself. If the OP Big Set matches the glorious descriptions attributed to the F1, it would be a keeper in my book.

However, all that's given at Sandhill is "late, Ind, RL, 12 to 16 oz., globe-shaped fruits. (UNAVAILABLE FOR 2010)" and I would want the determinate expression like in the F1.

So really, I'm not interested at all now that I see that blurb.

Well heck, Big Set F1 was released in 1975 and I don't know how long the F1 seeds were available, but there are plenty of pre-1975 F1's still around and perhaps there's someone here at Tville who actually grew the F1 before seed went out of production. But I agree it's best to have the F1 to compare it with as I did when I made selections from Ramapo F1 to get to an OP Ramapo b'c seed had gone out of production, until two years ago Rutgers stepped in and made F1 seed available again, along with Moreton Hybrid.

Memory goes after a year or two? I'm at the point where it can go in an hour.

I don't think I'd discount the ind, which I know is bothering you re the original det F1, until grown out. Yes, Glenn surely knows the difference between ind and det, but if the worth of the variety is greater than plant habit it might be worthwhile if someone is really interested. Right now I've forgotten the genetics of the det and indet plant habit so I really can't comment more. And I don't know who OPed Big Set anyway and if that person even had any F2 or later selections that were det.

[chalstonsc]

Ask a few simple questions!!!!

But really thanks for the conversation. Glenn gave me some Big Set packed for last year with my order this year. I've started some seeds for Fall, but was confused reading Sandhill's description and the other description that I now understand was for the determinate hybrid. I'd probably prefer to have the hybrid as I'm trying some determinates in containers, but since I have the seeds started, and there appears to be worthy relatives, I'll steer them toward a larger container and see what happens.....

Thanks again!
Tom

[MikeInCypress]

Back in the '80's and early '90's when I grew Big Set it was a semi determinate plant that set numerous 8-10 oz fruit with green shoulders. Rarely did it get any bigger than that size. It was alway bigger and tastier than Early Girl and smaller than Better Boy. The plant was smaller than Terrific and the fruit were less oblate, more round than Bonus. Taste wise it was vastly superior to Floramerica and Celebrity. Back then I usually grew 14 plants total and 4 were alway Big Set and no other variety had more than 2 plants. Other varieties I grew included Gurney Girl, Carnival, Supersteak, Jubilee, Sweet Chelsea, Sweet 100, Pixie, Ultra Girl and Sugar Lump. Not all of them each year but 14 plants total.

I found a seed pack of Big Set the year it was discontinued and grew it until I ran out of seeds. It really did well in my part of Texas. I imagine it was discontinued because it had the tendency to have green shoulders.

MikeInCypress

[travis]

Originally Posted by MikeInCypress

Back in the '80's and early '90's when I grew Big Set it was a semi determinate plant. The plant was smaller than Terrific and the fruit were less oblate, more round than Bonus. Other varieties I grew included Gurney Girl, Carnival, Supersteak, Jubilee, Sweet Chelsea, Sweet 100, Pixie, Ultra Girl and Sugar Lump.
MikeInCypress

Were the Big Set vines taller than Celebrity? Taller than Carnival? How bushy by comparison to those two?

[MikeInCypress]

Travis,

Back then I didn't know about Daconil so I always had foliage disease by June 1 so I can't reqally comment on the bushiness but I remember Celebrity and Carnival to be taller than Big Set.

MikeInCypress