2016 Garden Tomato Results

Nan_PA_6b · January 7, 2017

Hi folks,
Here are the results from my & my mom's gardens. Everything was "dry farmed" (read "neglected"). I observe that I'm "tomato taste impaired," seemingly can't taste a lot of the flavors in some tomatoes. (Also note DH will eat anything.)

Big Beef
Mum: Best tasting! Flavorful! Great!
Sis: Best tasting! Great! Also great dried!
Me: Bland fresh, dried.
DH: It's good!
Productivity: Low, but they were in too shady a spot &/or overcrowded.
Notes: Invited back & will receive sunny place of honor

Black Cherry
Mum: Wonderful cherry!
Sis: <won't eat "wrong colored" tomatoes> She did admit it was good dried.
Me: bland.
DH: It's good!
Productivity: churned 'em out, both in sun & in part shade. Fruits bigger in sun.
Notes: Fruits cracked when the rains came. Very tall plants; about 7-8'. Invited back.

Black Krim
Mum: It's good.
Sis: <won't eat "wrong colored" tomatoes>
Me: Bland fresh, good dried.
DH: It's good!
Productivity: So-so. May have been overcrowded &/or too shady.
Notes: Nice sized beefsteaks. Give it full sun. Not invited back.

Clint Eastwood's Rowdy Red
Mum: Bland
Sis: Bland
Me: Bland
DH: It's good!
Productivity: low; 18 small fruits on this plant. The fruits were smaller than advertised. May have been too shady.
Notes: Small plant. If you plant it, give it full sun & more water. Not invited back.

Costoluto Genovese
Mum: Ew!
Sis: Ew!
Me: Just tasted wrong; no sweetness at all. And, bland. Nobody liked it dried, either.
DH: It's good!
Productivity: Excellent. 59 fruits on this plant. We had more very attractive, horrible tasting 'maters than we knew what to do with.
Notes: Beautiful ruffled large fruit. Plant sprawled. Not invited back

Early Girl
Mum: Second best tomato ever! Also great fried green.
Sis: It's good. Very good dried.
Me: Bland.
DH: It's good!
Productivity: Holy Moly! This thing was really productive: 105 fruits on this plant.
Notes: Was next to a plant that died of wilt, but that hybrid wilt resistance kept it healthy as advertised. Invited back.

Green Berkeley's Tye Dye
Mum: Flavorful!
Sis: <won't eat "wrong colored" tomatoes>
Me: I can taste this! It's great, just a little too tart, and almost too strong tasting to eat!
DH: It's good!
Productivity: so-so; 22 fruits on this plant. Probably wants water and a little more sunshine.
Notes: Beautiful colored fruits. Too strong even when unripe, for fried green tomatoes, although they taste great.

Gregory's Altai
Mum: It's average.
Sis: Meh. Bland dried.
Me: Finally! A good, strong taster!
DH: It's good!
Productivity: Fantastic, until it died of wilt, breaking my heart. 29 fruits before dying early.
Notes: Grew back from the ground in November. Not invited back.

Julia Child
Mum: Good to very good.
Sis: N/A
Me: I got exactly one bite of one fruit. Eyes rolled back in my head.
DH: N/A
Productivity: Made a ton of greenery, died of wilt. 13 diseased fruit = TWO BITES of goodness.
Notes: Probably tastes fantastic, under perfect conditions. Grew back from the roots in November, made a lot more greenery. Not invited back.

Matina
Mum: Flavorful. Good fried green, too.
Sis: It's good. Good fried green, too.
Me: It's good.
DH: It's good!
Productivity: This small plant chugged along churning out very small (1-1.5") tasty tomatoes until frost. 77 fruits from this plant.
Notes: This plant was beside and in front of plants which died of wilt. Matina didn't even blink. Small & would do well in containers. Give it more water & I bet it's a winner.

Riesentraube
Mum: It's good.
Sis: N/A
Me: It's mild but good, just a little sweet, not candy.
DH: It's good!
Productivity: Stupefyingly low. This plant was crowded and it produced 18 cherry tomatoes.
Notes: Give it space, and probably more water, if you want fruit. I had low germination on this one, too.

Tommy Toe
Mum: Too mealy.
Sis: Best plant ever! There's always a handful of 'em! Great taste! Not good dried.
Me: Bland
DH: It's good!
Productivity: Awesome super heavy. Produces clusters like a cherry, but the fruits are up to 2". Tastes like a big tomato, so I'm told. Slowed down in the November cold but kept going.
Notes: Did well in sun and in shade. This was the last plant standing in Sis's garden which was obliterated by early blight.

Yellow pear
Mum: Too mild fresh, but excellent dehydrated.
Sis: Too mild fresh, but excellent dehydrated.
Me: Too mild fresh, but excellent dehydrated.
DH: It's good!
Productivity: Very good, even in partial shade.
Notes: Huge plants. One fought off wilt very well; the others didn't even get it. Everyone should dehydrate these.

Nan

NarnianGarden · January 7, 2017

LOL @ DH. A happy chap, isn't he?

I know several folks just like your sister, who would not eat a 'wrong colored tomato' ... Where is everyone's sense of adveture?! They should learn that exciting colors are a growing trend with ALL vegetables, not just tomatoes..

MissS · January 7, 2017

Thanks for your great review. I love your detailed report.

DH has quite the discerning palate. You must have a difficult time pleasing him...

gardenmermaid · January 7, 2017

This is my favorite report. Families keep things interesting. Any tomato I grow, either my mom likes it or I do. Every time I think a tomato isn't worth growing again she says it's the best tomato she's ever tasted, and vice versa.

AlittleSalt · January 7, 2017

Nan,

I finally looked up what DH means. I was thinking Dear Heart (Significant other) lol

Okay, I was close.

Sounds like he likes whatever you grow. That's a very good thing.

I haven't read a positive review for Clint Eastwood's Rowdy Red yet.

Yellow Pear, I've read that some people can't stand it and others who love it. Try Medovaya Kaplya - it looks basically the same as Yellow Pear, but has real taste that tastes good. If you want some seeds for Medovaya Kaplya, PM me and I'll send you some.

You have perked my interest in Matina. I've been looking at it in the Tomato Growers catalog.

I like reviews like this.

User 636 · January 8, 2017

My mother really likes yellow pear as a snacker. I'm so so on it. If they are allowed to over ripen, when they turn gold, its not bad. What I do like is to make sauce from them. A sauce made from just yellow pear is sooo sweet. It works with chicken or fish or pasta but not read meat. I haven't tried it on pork because I don't care for pork most days. I grow one just to make a few batches of sauce.

Nan_PA_6b · January 8, 2017

Yes, DH is a delight; he's happy with whatever I grow or cook. What a blessing!

Sometimes I'm astounded by the difference in taste buds. My mom & sis have found their favorite tomatoes, but I'm still looking for mine. I don't really like raw tomatoes ; I mostly like them fried green or dehydrated.

As for Yellow Pear, it's DH's favorite snacker; I grow it at his request. But even if you don't like YP, try it dehydrated! It's winter tomato candy! And you can finally use up all those split fruits- cut in half & put in the dehydrator. Sauce concentrates mild flavor, just like dehydrating; it doesn't surprise me that YP makes a good sauce. Medovaya Kaplya sounds interesting; wonder what it's like dried?

I highly recommend Matina. With a little water, the fruits would probably be bigger, and we all thought it was good. Plus it's small, early, tough, and not fussy.

Nan

Fritz77 · January 12, 2017

[QUOTE=AlittleSalt;609415]Nan,

I finally looked up what DH means. I was thinking Dear Heart (Significant other) lol

Okay, I was close.

Well, then maybe you can tell me (I have the excuse of being a foreigner

...)

Wikipedia:

Deathly Hallows
Day Hospital
Dark Horse
Desperate Housewives

Despite not getting this, I still liked the review

twillis2252 · January 12, 2017

Don't worry Fritz there are many areas in the U.S. where the vernacular is different. Varies from one region of the country to another.

BTW, Love your country! Some of the most beautiful scenery this side of Heaven!

MissS · January 12, 2017

DH - Dear Husband

BigVanVader · January 12, 2017

Lol hilarious. Your husband sounds like my sister. She can eat any tomato and rave about it while I'm spitting the same one out and shuddering. It sounds like you need an intense tomato. Try Sungold or Green Zebra. Also if you like a more concentrated sweet try Sunrise Bumblebee.

Cole_Robbie · January 12, 2017

Nan, how rich is your soil? Have you worked on improving it? The reason I ask is that before I started doing so, I would grow varieties that people on here said were great, and they would be bland for me. But then after I upgraded my soil, I also upgraded the flavor of the tomatoes I grew in it.

Fritz77 · January 13, 2017

Quote:

Originally Posted by MissS

DH - Dear Husband

Thanks, got it. In this case, I'm sure I would agree with DH (except for Yellows for which I would agree with Sis

)

Fritz77 · January 13, 2017

Quote:

Originally Posted by twillis2252

Don't worry Fritz there are many areas in the U.S. where the vernacular is different. Varies from one region of the country to another.

BTW, Love your country! Some of the most beautiful scenery this side of Heaven!

Actually I've always been amazed by the fact that in such a huge country like the USA there are so little differences in the language. Yes, I know that you can have a Southern accent and that people from Boston don't sound the same as those from Alabama, but to give you an idea, if I speak for ten seconds, any Italian will guess that I come from Tuscany (one of Italy's 20 regions) and anyone from Tuscany will probably guess that I come from the town of Siena. Italians, or at least young people, can speak proper Italian, but if someone from Sicily or from Veneto (the region where Venice is located) says something in their regional dialect I will probably understand 1 word out of 10. And Italy is just twice the size of Illinois!

OK, this was a nice sociolinguistics break

I'm glad you liked my country. I like America a lot (I've never been to NC/SC though).

January 13, 2017

Awesome.

I must say that Matina was one of my largest and most productive plants in 2016, though. Definitely not small for me, and the fruits were probably over two inches. The first few to several fruits were pretty small, though (like an inch).

What kind of soil did you grow Early Girl in?

January 7, 2017	#1
Nan_PA_6b Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2016 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Posts: 3,194	2016 Garden Tomato Results Hi folks, Here are the results from my & my mom's gardens. Everything was "dry farmed" (read "neglected"). I observe that I'm "tomato taste impaired," seemingly can't taste a lot of the flavors in some tomatoes. (Also note DH will eat anything.) Big Beef Mum: Best tasting! Flavorful! Great! Sis: Best tasting! Great! Also great dried! Me: Bland fresh, dried. DH: It's good! Productivity: Low, but they were in too shady a spot &/or overcrowded. Notes: Invited back & will receive sunny place of honor Black Cherry Mum: Wonderful cherry! Sis: <won't eat "wrong colored" tomatoes> She did admit it was good dried. Me: bland. DH: It's good! Productivity: churned 'em out, both in sun & in part shade. Fruits bigger in sun. Notes: Fruits cracked when the rains came. Very tall plants; about 7-8'. Invited back. Black Krim Mum: It's good. Sis: <won't eat "wrong colored" tomatoes> Me: Bland fresh, good dried. DH: It's good! Productivity: So-so. May have been overcrowded &/or too shady. Notes: Nice sized beefsteaks. Give it full sun. Not invited back. Clint Eastwood's Rowdy Red Mum: Bland Sis: Bland Me: Bland DH: It's good! Productivity: low; 18 small fruits on this plant. The fruits were smaller than advertised. May have been too shady. Notes: Small plant. If you plant it, give it full sun & more water. Not invited back. Costoluto Genovese Mum: Ew! Sis: Ew! Me: Just tasted wrong; no sweetness at all. And, bland. Nobody liked it dried, either. DH: It's good! Productivity: Excellent. 59 fruits on this plant. We had more very attractive, horrible tasting 'maters than we knew what to do with. Notes: Beautiful ruffled large fruit. Plant sprawled. Not invited back Early Girl Mum: Second best tomato ever! Also great fried green. Sis: It's good. Very good dried. Me: Bland. DH: It's good! Productivity: Holy Moly! This thing was really productive: 105 fruits on this plant. Notes: Was next to a plant that died of wilt, but that hybrid wilt resistance kept it healthy as advertised. Invited back. Green Berkeley's Tye Dye Mum: Flavorful! Sis: <won't eat "wrong colored" tomatoes> Me: I can taste this! It's great, just a little too tart, and almost too strong tasting to eat! DH: It's good! Productivity: so-so; 22 fruits on this plant. Probably wants water and a little more sunshine. Notes: Beautiful colored fruits. Too strong even when unripe, for fried green tomatoes, although they taste great. Gregory's Altai Mum: It's average. Sis: Meh. Bland dried. Me: Finally! A good, strong taster! DH: It's good! Productivity: Fantastic, until it died of wilt, breaking my heart. 29 fruits before dying early. Notes: Grew back from the ground in November. Not invited back. Julia Child Mum: Good to very good. Sis: N/A Me: I got exactly one bite of one fruit. Eyes rolled back in my head. DH: N/A Productivity: Made a ton of greenery, died of wilt. 13 diseased fruit = TWO BITES of goodness. Notes: Probably tastes fantastic, under perfect conditions. Grew back from the roots in November, made a lot more greenery. Not invited back. Matina Mum: Flavorful. Good fried green, too. Sis: It's good. Good fried green, too. Me: It's good. DH: It's good! Productivity: This small plant chugged along churning out very small (1-1.5") tasty tomatoes until frost. 77 fruits from this plant. Notes: This plant was beside and in front of plants which died of wilt. Matina didn't even blink. Small & would do well in containers. Give it more water & I bet it's a winner. Riesentraube Mum: It's good. Sis: N/A Me: It's mild but good, just a little sweet, not candy. DH: It's good! Productivity: Stupefyingly low. This plant was crowded and it produced 18 cherry tomatoes. Notes: Give it space, and probably more water, if you want fruit. I had low germination on this one, too. Tommy Toe Mum: Too mealy. Sis: Best plant ever! There's always a handful of 'em! Great taste! Not good dried. Me: Bland DH: It's good! Productivity: Awesome super heavy. Produces clusters like a cherry, but the fruits are up to 2". Tastes like a big tomato, so I'm told. Slowed down in the November cold but kept going. Notes: Did well in sun and in shade. This was the last plant standing in Sis's garden which was obliterated by early blight. Yellow pear Mum: Too mild fresh, but excellent dehydrated. Sis: Too mild fresh, but excellent dehydrated. Me: Too mild fresh, but excellent dehydrated. DH: It's good! Productivity: Very good, even in partial shade. Notes: Huge plants. One fought off wilt very well; the others didn't even get it. Everyone should dehydrate these. Nan Last edited by Nan_PA_6b; January 7, 2017 at 07:42 PM.

January 7, 2017	#3
MissS Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Pewaukee, Wisconsin Posts: 3,150	Thanks for your great review. I love your detailed report. DH has quite the discerning palate. You must have a difficult time pleasing him... __________________ ~ Patti ~

January 12, 2017	#8
Fritz77 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2016 Location: Siena-Monteriggioni, Italy Posts: 213	[QUOTE=AlittleSalt;609415]Nan, I finally looked up what DH means. I was thinking Dear Heart (Significant other) lol Okay, I was close. Well, then maybe you can tell me (I have the excuse of being a foreigner...) Wikipedia: Deathly Hallows Day Hospital Dark Horse Desperate Housewives Despite not getting this, I still liked the review

January 12, 2017	#10
MissS Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Pewaukee, Wisconsin Posts: 3,150	DH - Dear Husband __________________ ~ Patti ~

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January 7, 2017	#2
NarnianGarden Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Finland, EU Posts: 2,550	LOL @ DH. A happy chap, isn't he? I know several folks just like your sister, who would not eat a 'wrong colored tomato' ... Where is everyone's sense of adveture?! They should learn that exciting colors are a growing trend with ALL vegetables, not just tomatoes..

January 7, 2017	#4
gardenmermaid Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: In the snowy desert of SE Idaho Posts: 111	This is my favorite report. Families keep things interesting. Any tomato I grow, either my mom likes it or I do. Every time I think a tomato isn't worth growing again she says it's the best tomato she's ever tasted, and vice versa.

January 7, 2017	#5
AlittleSalt BANNED FOR LIFE Join Date: May 2014 Posts: 13,333	Nan, I finally looked up what DH means. I was thinking Dear Heart (Significant other) lol Okay, I was close. Sounds like he likes whatever you grow. That's a very good thing. I haven't read a positive review for Clint Eastwood's Rowdy Red yet. Yellow Pear, I've read that some people can't stand it and others who love it. Try Medovaya Kaplya - it looks basically the same as Yellow Pear, but has real taste that tastes good. If you want some seeds for Medovaya Kaplya, PM me and I'll send you some. You have perked my interest in Matina. I've been looking at it in the Tomato Growers catalog. I like reviews like this.

January 8, 2017	#6
User 636 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2015 Location: Virginia Posts: 36	My mother really likes yellow pear as a snacker. I'm so so on it. If they are allowed to over ripen, when they turn gold, its not bad. What I do like is to make sauce from them. A sauce made from just yellow pear is sooo sweet. It works with chicken or fish or pasta but not read meat. I haven't tried it on pork because I don't care for pork most days. I grow one just to make a few batches of sauce.

January 12, 2017	#9
twillis2252 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2016 Location: SC & NC Posts: 258	Don't worry Fritz there are many areas in the U.S. where the vernacular is different. Varies from one region of the country to another. BTW, Love your country! Some of the most beautiful scenery this side of Heaven!

January 12, 2017	#11
BigVanVader Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Greenville, South Carolina Posts: 3,099	Lol hilarious. Your husband sounds like my sister. She can eat any tomato and rave about it while I'm spitting the same one out and shuddering. It sounds like you need an intense tomato. Try Sungold or Green Zebra. Also if you like a more concentrated sweet try Sunrise Bumblebee.

January 12, 2017	#12
Cole_Robbie Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Illinois, zone 6 Posts: 8,407	Nan, how rich is your soil? Have you worked on improving it? The reason I ask is that before I started doing so, I would grow varieties that people on here said were great, and they would be bland for me. But then after I upgraded my soil, I also upgraded the flavor of the tomatoes I grew in it.

January 13, 2017	#15
shule1 Guest Posts: n/a	Awesome. I must say that Matina was one of my largest and most productive plants in 2016, though. Definitely not small for me, and the fruits were probably over two inches. The first few to several fruits were pretty small, though (like an inch). What kind of soil did you grow Early Girl in?