would like opinions on these tomato varieties

[jennifer28]

Hi there

if you have time and are so inclined, I would love your opinion and experience with the following tomato varieties:

marmande
raf
padano
early annie
buckbee's 50 day
fence row cherry
glacier

I realize that taste is really unique to the individual, but any info you have and what you think of these varieties is appreciated.

[jennifer28]

also wondering about "pakmore"

[fortyonenorth]

Hi Jennifer - we tried Glacier last year for the first time and found it to be reliable and very good for an early tomato. In fact, it was the first ripen fruit out of about ten "earlies" we grew. I believe it's determinate, but it produced through September for us here in the midwest.

[jennifer28]

Thank you for letting me know - I think I got this packet of glacier from my Hudson Valley Seed Library membership. I'm going to try it. I usually grow stupice for my early variety every year and I am just looking for some other reliable earlies and the other tomatoes I dont know much about at all so I thought I would ask around.

[carpenterlady]

I have grown Glacier for several years. It is early and sets fruit in cool temps. I like it. For all but the last two years Glacier has been my first ripe tomato. In 2010 I ordered some new early's from Sand Hill Preservation. In 2010 and 2011, Latah has been my first ripe tomato. Glacier, Stupice, and Latah are my early's that I will continue to grow.

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by jennifer28

Hi there

if you have time and are so inclined, I would love your opinion and experience with the following tomato varieties:

marmande
raf
padano
early annie
buckbee's 50 day
fence row cherry
glacier

I realize that taste is really unique to the individual, but any info you have and what you think of these varieties is appreciated.

raf is from Spain and the raf means tolerance to Fusarium, I have no idea which races of the three. I haven't grown it and don't intend to b'c I think like many varieties from Spain they have such distinct green shoulders and they like to eat tomatoes before they're fully ripe so taste has never been a consideration.

Marmande is a problem, and yes I've grown it. A problem b'c it's had so much hype from years ago but the experience and opinion of quite a few folks is that it's lost some taste down through the years. Even when buying seeds in France, as some have done, it doesn't seem to make a difference.

Buckbee's 50 day isn't, and you can compare it with almost any commercial variety such as WI 55, Rutgers, Valiant, etc. Nothing special for me.

I don't see anything special about Fence Row Cherry either, given all the many other choices.

Glacier I've also grown and it's about the same as Siberian and so many more, early yes, but where's the taste. If I want an early I'd grow Moravsky Div or even Sungold F1.

Gosh, it sounds like I don't like many on your list, oh well, and all to say that there was a time when I wanted to and did grow lots of so called early varieties, but I found that varieties that matured just a week or two later had good taste so gave up growing the earliest earlies many years ago, b'c taste is far more important to me than earliness.

[jennifer28]

Thank you for that info. These are just some varieties I got through some trades this year and I really didn't know much about them and I was having trouble finding info. I did find out where pakmor is from, it is from university of california davis in the 1970s. It sounds kind of yucky in that it was made to be harvested green and gassed.

I don't mind that the tomatoes on this list are turning out to be not so good, I have had a hard time finding info about them - read about some of them at Tatiana's but I guess the reason people don't talk about them much is that they are nothing to write home about.

[dice]

Marmande was bland here in a not very good summer. Super Marmande
is a better plant for me. The flavor is still nothing to brag about, but it
is a more reliable plant in bad weather.

[artis]

Jennifer,

I grew Marmande several years ago and I think that the taste was quite good but not outstanding. It was not particularly sweet. The plant was highly productive. I personally prefer the strongest tasting tomatos, such as Aunt Gerties Gold, hearts (Wes) and pinks (Brandywine Sudduth). Of those three, the taste of Marmande was probably closest to Aunt Gerties Gold, just more dilute. I got the seed of Marmande from Tomatofest and I do not know if it was the best strain or even the correct variety.

I would be very interested in others sharing their experience with Marmande. Particularly regarding the best strain and source of seed.

The small, early potato leaf varieties all taste about the same to me (mostly sweet). I have grown Stupice, Glacier, Moravsky Div, Bloody Butcher and do not remember much difference other than the size of the plant.

[jennifer28]

Artis,

Thank you for your feedback. I got the marmande seed from Tomatofest also. I'm wondering about the taste now, also, and Carolyn brings up a good point about how the taste changed, even with seeds directly from France. It does make me curious and now I almost want to get seeds directly from France to grow next to the Tomatofest ones. But I am filling up the experimental part of my garden up quite fast, so we will see... Also I sort of promised myself no more seeds for this year unless I trade for them. Hmmmm....

[creister]

I will second Moravsky Div, as well as Kimberly. Both productive, early, and taste good.