Goliath Hybrid!

Does anyone know if the Goliath Hybrid is available in both bush and non bush varieties?

I bought a few from Home Depot last year just to fill in some holes in my garden. They were the only tomato plants Home Depot had that late in the year. I didn't really expect much from the Goliaths, but when they started growing all over the place I was really surprised. I finally had to stake them in order to keep them from invading spaces where I didn't want them. They produced a lot of very large, good tasting fruit which we were still eating at Christmas.

I'm hoping Home Depot has them again this year, but I would like to grow them as non bush tomatoes. My other plants are all heirloom which I will plant cuttings from for a fall garden.

I am also curious if anyone is trying to produce an open pollinated variety of the Goliath. It should be marketable as an OP variety in the same manner the Wild Boar Farms varieties have become popular. I know some popular hybrid varieties like Better Boy can't be grown out to OP. I wonder if that is true with the Goliaths.

Ted

[cecilsgarden1958]

Totally Tomatoes carry both types of Goliath, plus more. In my experience they aren't the best hybrid, but I guess it could vary with soil type etc.

CECIL

Cecil,

You are probably right about them not being the best hybrid, but they sure produced a lot of really large (16oz) tomatoes for a fall crop. They also had a pretty good taste. Not quite as acidic as I like, but good. My fall tomatoes are usually 1/2 the size of my spring tomatoes. My fall tomatoes usually have a more intense flavor than my spring tomatoes. The better flavor usually makes up for the smaller size. I'm looking forward to growing them again to see if last year was an anomaly or exceptional year. They may be a total flop this year. My spring tomatoes have been a flop this year and it may carry over into the fall tomatoes.

Ted

[TomatoDon]

Here's a thread we started not long ago about Goliath. The "Original Goliath Hybrid" available through TotallyTomatoes is the name of the variety mentioned most in the thread.

http://www.tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=15242

[JimM_SC]

Ted,
Cecil is correct about TT as the source. The use the name 'Goliath' for a number of varieties of peppers, cukes, etc. I have grown the Goliath tomato and it was better than average. I believe the one you want is now called Original Goliath as there is a Bush Goliath, Early Goliath and others.
My plants from seed, produced a good number of 10 - 12 oz. red fruit with square shoulders. DTM was about 70 days in my SC garden and the plants produced right up until frost. I prefer Beefy Boy (originally a Parks Seeds exclusive) as a large hybrid indeterminate. DTM is about a week earlier for me. I get a lot of 12 - 14 oz. fruit and an occasional 1 1/2 pounder.
Good luck with the Goliaths,
Jim

Not knowing what I was getting from Home Depot last year, I simply bought the Goliath plants in peat pots. I didn't know what they were until they started growing and sprawling all over the bed. I should have known they were either a bush or a patio variety from the thickness and sturdiness of the main trunk. I did stake them up, but they kept sprawling to the ground even tied to a strong stake. I'm going to try those again this year, but use a better trellis to tie them to. I just don't like my tomatoes growing in the dirt. They always seem to get a bite taken out by a bug or a slug.

Ted

[TomatoDon]

Home Depot, Lowe's, Wal-Mart, etc. usually have them in bush and original hybrid. Try both and see which you like best. I'm guessing you'll really like the original hybrid.

I was at Walmart today. They have cleaned out their vegetable garden plants and usually don't sell plants for the fall garden. I was at Home Depot yesterday. They have cleared out all their veggie garden stuff. The girl at the counter said "it is just to hot, nothing will live". She did tell me they will be getting plants for the fall garden when it starts to cool a little. Seems like I bought them mid August last year. She had no idea what they will get from Bonnie. Seems like Bonnie decides what to put out.

That was another amazing thing to me about the Goliath plants last year. While all my other plants were withering in the heat, the Goliaths seemed to thrive on it. They were blooming on some days it was approaching 100 degrees. Most of the blooms set fruit and produced. i did notice the fruit was really slow to ripen after it was fully grown. Some of the tomatoes turned a chalky white in color in the sun and I was concerned they were sunburned. When it was time for them to ripen, the white fruit turned red and did fine.

Ted