Results of my 2012 Indeterminate tomato mysteries

**nctomatoman** · August 8, 2012

As always I grow a number of the surprises unexpected finds that show themselves when working with my seedlings... as well as other odds and ends.

This is what I grew this year that fits this category - and what I found:

Caitlin's Lucky Stripe - this is a work in progress - from a fruit found from a Little Lucky growout a few years ago at Coon Rock Farm. My goal is a 5-6 oz pink with vertical gold stripes, potato leaf plant. This year I got the potato leaf plant, but the fruit were egg shaped/sized (3-4 oz, oval) and deep pink with yellow/green shoulder, pink flesh, really delicious. Kind of like a pink version of Little Lucky. Nice - but not my goal.

Big Sandy - I got a few seedlings from 1995 saved seed and wanted to grow this again - really large, delicious red beefsteaks in the 1 pound plus range. I wanted fresh seed, and was reminded how much I like this - it is one of the varieties Charlotte Mullens from WV sent me years ago.

Abraham Lincoln -this is from seed sent to me by someone who got it out of the USDA - claimed it may have the bronzy foliage. Well, it didn't, and I got a potato leaf and regular leaf seedling. The regular leaf (proper) was really good - lots of smooth oblate fruit in the 8-9 oz range with some larger - this is likely what the authentic Abraham Lincoln was like fruit -wise. The Potato leaf provided medium sized red fruit also with good flavor, but the plant wasn't healthy - got some good seed, though.

Don's Double Delight - this is one that Lee named, it came out of BrandyFred material (source of Lucky Cross)....potato leaf plant, large smooth oblate red fruit with striking vertical gold stripes, deep red interior, absolutely delicious...this is a winner, Lee!

Large Lucky Red - this is another I am playing around with - a few years ago I grew out Lucky Cross and got large red fruit on a potato leaf plant. Alas, my results this year are large oblate pink fruit - but not as tasty as Lucky Cross...or Brandywine. Still segregating.

Big Willy - This is the tomato we found in my dad's basement after he passed away and we cleaned out the house. It looks like Big Willy could be something he named a large oblate red Beefsteak type tomato - maybe even just "Beefsteak" - it tastes pretty good (grew it in a small pot, it struggled in the heat) - but I now have fresh seed.

Trader Joe yellow cherry, saved seed from a nice yellow cherry tomato we bought there in plastic containers in the late winter. What a weird tomato.....lots of oval cherries, but they never really ripened - stayed a pale yellow green color, remained pretty hard/crunchy. Clearly what we bought as a tomato was a hybrid and this F2 is not one of the better possibilities of offspring!

Lucky Cross regular leaf seedling from either 02-59, 11-8 or 11-14 - The plant struggled but finally gave medium sized, nearly round firm red fruit - the flavor was not outstanding.

Green Giant regular leaf seedling - This gave me large oblate pink fruit, flavor pretty good (7), up to 12 oz.

Large Lucky Red regular leaf seedling - died before giving me any fruit

Lucky Cross regular leaf seedling from vial 11-14 - very nice medium sized, oblate pink fruit, flavor 7-7.5

Casey's Pure Yellow regular leaf - I grew two of these (see the other below). This one is still giving me lots of small red cherry tomatoes that taste really good.

Summertime Green (dwarf) - indeterminate seedling - now we have something interesting - medium to medium large smooth oblate fruit are a yellow/red bicolor and delicious (up to an 8). This may be quite interesting to play around with, both for dwarfs and indeterminates.

Lillian's Yellow regular leaf - died before giving me any fruit

Casey's Pure Yellow regular leaf, second plant - another interesting one - 5-14 ounce oblate fruit that are yellow with vertical pink/red stripes, flavor is pretty good....could be a cross with one of the BrandyTad early generation stripes I grew last year.

Indian Stripe (X Purple Smudge?) F2 plant 1 - no green or purple shoulders on the unripe fruit, very round and firm, color deep pink, very good flavor

Indian Stripe (X Purple Smudge?) F2 plant 2 - no green or purple shoulders on the unripe fruit, round to oval fruit are deep pink and up to 6 ounces, very good flavor

Indian Stripe (X Purple Smudge?) F2 plant 3 - still waiting for a ripe fruit; this one does have the purple shading on the unripe fruit, will be a bit larger in size than the chance hybrid that I got the seed from last year. will be interesting to see what color it ripens.

Sorrento - plant from a friend whose father got the seeds in Italy. Very ho-hum - 2 ounce slightly oblate smooth red fruit that are quite bland - I suspect another Torre Canne type storage tomato.

Tondino - also from a plant from a friend whose dad got the seeds in Italy - was surprised to find large, round pink fruit, to nearly one pound, that were a bit hollow around the seeds - the flavor was OK, nothing special - could be a good sauce tomato.

Cour di Buie - same story as the two above re plant/seed source - not very good at all, irregular/round/oval pink medium sized fruit, very dry, not very flavorful - sauce only, I suspect.

Father'sDaughter · August 28, 2012

Craig, I came across this post when researching a variety and noticed your feedback on Sorrento. It sounds like you may not have the real deal. I've grown them twice now, and they were pink ribbed beefsteaks that came in between half a pound to a pound in size. The flavor is not bad at all for a sweeter tomato (I prefer more bite), they hold fairly well, and my son has declared Sorrento his favorite so far. I just checked Tania's site and it describes what I got. My seeds came from Seeds of Italy, but I don't believe they were from Franchi. If you're interested, I'd be more than happy to send you some seeds.

NOTE: this is not a general offer!

**nctomatoman** · August 28, 2012

There may be a labeling mixup by the person who gave me the seedlings....I have Sorrento, and Tondino. One of them gave me small nearly round very firm red tomatoes - thick walls, not flavorful - the other large (12 oz) pink nearly round fruit that were kind of bland, meaty, almost like a paste type in texture. I didn't care much for either and probably won't grow them again - if I do, it would be the pink one, for sauce

August 8, 2012	#1
nctomatoman Tomatoville® Moderator Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Hendersonville, NC zone 7 Posts: 10,385	Results of my 2012 Indeterminate tomato mysteries As always I grow a number of the surprises unexpected finds that show themselves when working with my seedlings... as well as other odds and ends. This is what I grew this year that fits this category - and what I found: Caitlin's Lucky Stripe - this is a work in progress - from a fruit found from a Little Lucky growout a few years ago at Coon Rock Farm. My goal is a 5-6 oz pink with vertical gold stripes, potato leaf plant. This year I got the potato leaf plant, but the fruit were egg shaped/sized (3-4 oz, oval) and deep pink with yellow/green shoulder, pink flesh, really delicious. Kind of like a pink version of Little Lucky. Nice - but not my goal. Big Sandy - I got a few seedlings from 1995 saved seed and wanted to grow this again - really large, delicious red beefsteaks in the 1 pound plus range. I wanted fresh seed, and was reminded how much I like this - it is one of the varieties Charlotte Mullens from WV sent me years ago. Abraham Lincoln -this is from seed sent to me by someone who got it out of the USDA - claimed it may have the bronzy foliage. Well, it didn't, and I got a potato leaf and regular leaf seedling. The regular leaf (proper) was really good - lots of smooth oblate fruit in the 8-9 oz range with some larger - this is likely what the authentic Abraham Lincoln was like fruit -wise. The Potato leaf provided medium sized red fruit also with good flavor, but the plant wasn't healthy - got some good seed, though. Don's Double Delight - this is one that Lee named, it came out of BrandyFred material (source of Lucky Cross)....potato leaf plant, large smooth oblate red fruit with striking vertical gold stripes, deep red interior, absolutely delicious...this is a winner, Lee! Large Lucky Red - this is another I am playing around with - a few years ago I grew out Lucky Cross and got large red fruit on a potato leaf plant. Alas, my results this year are large oblate pink fruit - but not as tasty as Lucky Cross...or Brandywine. Still segregating. Big Willy - This is the tomato we found in my dad's basement after he passed away and we cleaned out the house. It looks like Big Willy could be something he named a large oblate red Beefsteak type tomato - maybe even just "Beefsteak" - it tastes pretty good (grew it in a small pot, it struggled in the heat) - but I now have fresh seed. Trader Joe yellow cherry, saved seed from a nice yellow cherry tomato we bought there in plastic containers in the late winter. What a weird tomato.....lots of oval cherries, but they never really ripened - stayed a pale yellow green color, remained pretty hard/crunchy. Clearly what we bought as a tomato was a hybrid and this F2 is not one of the better possibilities of offspring! Lucky Cross regular leaf seedling from either 02-59, 11-8 or 11-14 - The plant struggled but finally gave medium sized, nearly round firm red fruit - the flavor was not outstanding. Green Giant regular leaf seedling - This gave me large oblate pink fruit, flavor pretty good (7), up to 12 oz. Large Lucky Red regular leaf seedling - died before giving me any fruit Lucky Cross regular leaf seedling from vial 11-14 - very nice medium sized, oblate pink fruit, flavor 7-7.5 Casey's Pure Yellow regular leaf - I grew two of these (see the other below). This one is still giving me lots of small red cherry tomatoes that taste really good. Summertime Green (dwarf) - indeterminate seedling - now we have something interesting - medium to medium large smooth oblate fruit are a yellow/red bicolor and delicious (up to an 8). This may be quite interesting to play around with, both for dwarfs and indeterminates. Lillian's Yellow regular leaf - died before giving me any fruit Casey's Pure Yellow regular leaf, second plant - another interesting one - 5-14 ounce oblate fruit that are yellow with vertical pink/red stripes, flavor is pretty good....could be a cross with one of the BrandyTad early generation stripes I grew last year. Indian Stripe (X Purple Smudge?) F2 plant 1 - no green or purple shoulders on the unripe fruit, very round and firm, color deep pink, very good flavor Indian Stripe (X Purple Smudge?) F2 plant 2 - no green or purple shoulders on the unripe fruit, round to oval fruit are deep pink and up to 6 ounces, very good flavor Indian Stripe (X Purple Smudge?) F2 plant 3 - still waiting for a ripe fruit; this one does have the purple shading on the unripe fruit, will be a bit larger in size than the chance hybrid that I got the seed from last year. will be interesting to see what color it ripens. Sorrento - plant from a friend whose father got the seeds in Italy. Very ho-hum - 2 ounce slightly oblate smooth red fruit that are quite bland - I suspect another Torre Canne type storage tomato. Tondino - also from a plant from a friend whose dad got the seeds in Italy - was surprised to find large, round pink fruit, to nearly one pound, that were a bit hollow around the seeds - the flavor was OK, nothing special - could be a good sauce tomato. Cour di Buie - same story as the two above re plant/seed source - not very good at all, irregular/round/oval pink medium sized fruit, very dry, not very flavorful - sauce only, I suspect. __________________ Craig

August 28, 2012	#3
nctomatoman Tomatoville® Moderator Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Hendersonville, NC zone 7 Posts: 10,385	There may be a labeling mixup by the person who gave me the seedlings....I have Sorrento, and Tondino. One of them gave me small nearly round very firm red tomatoes - thick walls, not flavorful - the other large (12 oz) pink nearly round fruit that were kind of bland, meaty, almost like a paste type in texture. I didn't care much for either and probably won't grow them again - if I do, it would be the pink one, for sauce __________________ Craig

August 28, 2012	#2
Father'sDaughter Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: MA/NH Border Posts: 4,919	Craig, I came across this post when researching a variety and noticed your feedback on Sorrento. It sounds like you may not have the real deal. I've grown them twice now, and they were pink ribbed beefsteaks that came in between half a pound to a pound in size. The flavor is not bad at all for a sweeter tomato (I prefer more bite), they hold fairly well, and my son has declared Sorrento his favorite so far. I just checked Tania's site and it describes what I got. My seeds came from Seeds of Italy, but I don't believe they were from Franchi. If you're interested, I'd be more than happy to send you some seeds. NOTE: this is not a general offer!