Can you help identify?

TZ-OH6 · August 1, 2010

I want to find out what one of my favorite tomatoes might be before I make a faux pas by giving it a name and trading it.

Four years ago I tried to grow Giant Syrian from Tomatofest. Over two years only two seeds germinated from the pack and only one plant survived... and it was off type. I saved seeds and grew it again this year to makes sure it was as good as I remembered, and it was. Getting off-type seeds from Tomatofest was common for me at that time so I am assuming that it was another variety they were offereing. I had downloaded their web pages that year and have narrowed down the possibilities to the following based on size and color, but the Tomatofest descriptions are not very good so there may be others. I'm hoping that people here can help me cross some of these off of the list

Andrew Rahart’s Jumbo Red

Aussie

Beefsteak

Berwick German

Connie's Cain

Diener

Erica d'Australie

Old Virginia

St. Ivy

Ultimate Giant

Zogola

My tomato has some distinctive characteristics

--Regular leaf seedlings are on the small runty side after germination, but eventually the mature plant gets to be a big strong indeterminant, but not crazy big.
--Fruit color is an orangy red (but true red), especially on the upper side
--Fruit are big, 1-2 lbs
--Fruit are flattened, circular, and have ribbed shoulders, a couple of fruit are usually lost to catfacing.
--Flavor level is high but not unusually intense. It is balanced (sweet but with a hint of acid). I like sweet (pink beefsteaks) and don't deal with acid too well, and this one is still in my acidity range. It might have a stronger flavor under other conditons.

Any help would be appreciated

ubergoober · August 1, 2010

Don't know but very yummy looking! lol

**carolyn137** · August 1, 2010

HOw many plants did you put out?

And it sounds like you're assuming it's a stray seed and that seed represents a true variety, correct? Which may not be true.

I've grown several of the varieties you list but no way can I ID a variety just by looking at a picture, even with your supporting information.

For me, once a variety has been separated from its true seeds to me it's an orphan.

TZ-OH6 · August 2, 2010

I have only grown out the original plant in 2008, and two plants this year from saved seed. They have been the same in the characteristics I listed.

I am assuming that it is a stray seed because of the several other off type varieties I grew out from Tomatofest packs bought at that time that could be confidently identified by growing them next to the known varieties (Lucky Cross, Limmony, and Rose). I also got a mislabled pack of Anna Russian where all I tried grew out off type, so it was almost certainly a quality control problem rather than crossing. I have to assume that Tomatofest's Giant Syrian was/is correct to type, which may be false in light of Rostova, but I don't want to buy more seed from them (years later) to find out.

What I really need is for people to tell me which on the list do not fit the description of my plant so my number of future side by side growouts will be reduced.

I have an excellent pink PL beefsteak from a stray seed as well, but I don't have any hopes of getting a positive ID on it, but this red thing is out of the ordinary enough that I think I have a shot.

mjc · August 2, 2010

It is NOT Berwick German...they aren't that big and are rather irregular shaped fruits.

It probably isn't Diener, either, because that one, according to everything I could find on, it is supposed to be smaller.

**carolyn137** · August 2, 2010

I'll star the ones I've grown but it's the third photo that bothers me b'c I don't remember ANY of these has having the dispersed whote core-like material seen in the interior.

*Andrew Rahart’s Jumbo Red, not the right shape

*Aussie , grew it but can't remember it well

*Beefsteak , if Ponderosa, maybe

*Berwick German , definitiely not

Connie's Cain , don't know

*Diener , if Diener, a selection of Santa Clara Canner it would have a very thick wall, and that's now what I see

*Erica d'Australie , possibly, but I've never seen that core stuff

*Old Virginia , ditto

St. Ivy , don't know

Ultimate Giant , don't know

*Zogola , no, not ribbed enough

TZ-OH6 · August 2, 2010

I think I have some soil problems because many of my plants/varieties in that area have large cores and puffiness every year, so my cores might look worse than yours.

TZ-OH6 · August 7, 2010

Thanks for the input everyone. After getting as much info on these varieties as I could I think Zogolo is my best bet, and I'll grow them side by side next year to see. The leaf and fruit picks as well as flavor description at Tatiana's fit well. Many of my fruit are more ribbed than the one pictured.

August 1, 2010	#3
carolyn137 Moderator Emeritus Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Upstate NY, zone 4b/5a Posts: 21,169	HOw many plants did you put out? And it sounds like you're assuming it's a stray seed and that seed represents a true variety, correct? Which may not be true. I've grown several of the varieties you list but no way can I ID a variety just by looking at a picture, even with your supporting information. For me, once a variety has been separated from its true seeds to me it's an orphan. __________________ Carolyn

August 2, 2010	#6
carolyn137 Moderator Emeritus Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Upstate NY, zone 4b/5a Posts: 21,169	I'll star the ones I've grown but it's the third photo that bothers me b'c I don't remember ANY of these has having the dispersed whote core-like material seen in the interior. Andrew Rahart’s Jumbo Red, not the right shape Aussie , grew it but can't remember it well Beefsteak , if Ponderosa, maybe Berwick German , definitiely not Connie's Cain , don't know Diener , if Diener, a selection of Santa Clara Canner it would have a very thick wall, and that's now what I see Erica d'Australie , possibly, but I've never seen that core stuff Old Virginia , ditto St. Ivy , don't know Ultimate Giant , don't know Zogola , no, not ribbed enough __________________ Carolyn

August 1, 2010	#2
ubergoober Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Brampton, Ontario Canada Posts: 202	Don't know but very yummy looking! lol

August 2, 2010	#4
TZ-OH6 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Mid-Ohio Posts: 848	I have only grown out the original plant in 2008, and two plants this year from saved seed. They have been the same in the characteristics I listed. I am assuming that it is a stray seed because of the several other off type varieties I grew out from Tomatofest packs bought at that time that could be confidently identified by growing them next to the known varieties (Lucky Cross, Limmony, and Rose). I also got a mislabled pack of Anna Russian where all I tried grew out off type, so it was almost certainly a quality control problem rather than crossing. I have to assume that Tomatofest's Giant Syrian was/is correct to type, which may be false in light of Rostova, but I don't want to buy more seed from them (years later) to find out. What I really need is for people to tell me which on the list do not fit the description of my plant so my number of future side by side growouts will be reduced. I have an excellent pink PL beefsteak from a stray seed as well, but I don't have any hopes of getting a positive ID on it, but this red thing is out of the ordinary enough that I think I have a shot.

August 2, 2010	#5
mjc Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: WV Posts: 603	It is NOT Berwick German...they aren't that big and are rather irregular shaped fruits. It probably isn't Diener, either, because that one, according to everything I could find on, it is supposed to be smaller.

August 7, 2010	#8
TZ-OH6 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Mid-Ohio Posts: 848	Thanks for the input everyone. After getting as much info on these varieties as I could I think Zogolo is my best bet, and I'll grow them side by side next year to see. The leaf and fruit picks as well as flavor description at Tatiana's fit well. Many of my fruit are more ribbed than the one pictured.