Lightly circulated treasures

[PaulF]

I get thoroughly frustrated by threads like this one and have refused to read it until now. I have room in my garden for between 30 to 35 tomato plants and my 2013 list is completed and almost ready to begin with seed starting. Then I broke down and read the thread. Now my list of 35 varieties for this year may just go out the window because I see about 20 more varieties I "have" to start. I don't have enough space or years left to grow what I want to grow. If I knew how long I needed to live to grow what I wanted to grow, I would have taken better care of myself (to paraphrase and plagiarize the old saying). Daggone it guys, stop it, already!

[WVTomatoMan]

Originally Posted by tedln

Randy,
You include Orange Minsk in your list. I've grown it three years and I am growing it this year based on taste and production alone. I'm thinking of dropping it next year simply because it doesn't make attractive fruit. Most of them are catfaced. If they are catfaced again this year, I will either not grow it again or look for seed from a grower who doesn't seem to experience the catfacing I experience. How have yours looked?

Ted

Ted,

For me Orange Minsk doesn't catface any more or less than most beefsteaks. Around here when beefsteaks set fruit in cool, cloudy, damp weather they tend to catface. I get blossom end scaring with Orange Minsk, but not misshapen fruit. Both scaring and misshapen fruit are forms of catfacing. While we're on the subject there are genes for and against catfacing. Anyhow, if you look at the attached pictures* you'll see scaring and unblemeshed fruit. In the first picture the tomato in the lower left is scarred and will show up in a subsequent picture. In that same picture the tomato in the upper right is unblemeshed and will also appear in a subsequent picture. Both are decent sized fruit. Some people say they've gotten big ones off of Orange Minsk, but I haven't. To me a big fruit weighs 2 lbs. or more.

I hope this addresses everything, if not please let me know. I suspect it may be more than you wanted to know, but you brought it up.

Good luck.

Randy


*Note: These pictures are from 2009 which is the year that somehow between me and my cat we managed to knock my old digital camera onto the floor. So, the pictures aren't of the quality I'd like. Sorry.

Originally Posted by WVTomatoMan

Ted,

For me Orange Minsk doesn't catface any more or less than most beefsteaks. Around here when beefsteaks set fruit in cool, cloudy, damp weather they tend to catface. I get blossom end scaring with Orange Minsk, but not misshapen fruit. Both scaring and misshapen fruit are forms of catfacing. While we're on the subject there are genes for and against catfacing. Anyhow, if you look at the attached pictures* you'll see scaring and unblemeshed fruit. In the first picture the tomato in the lower left is scarred and will show up in a subsequent picture. In that same picture the tomato in the upper right is unblemeshed and will also appear in a subsequent picture. Both are decent sized fruit. Some people say they've gotten big ones off of Orange Minsk, but I haven't. To me a big fruit weighs 2 lbs. or more.

I hope this addresses everything, if not please let me know. I suspect it may be more than you wanted to know, but you brought it up.

Good luck.

Randy


*Note: These pictures are from 2009 which is the year that somehow between me and my cat we managed to knock my old digital camera onto the floor. So, the pictures aren't of the quality I'd like. Sorry.

Randy,

Thanks! It's not too much information. I'm trying to reconcile the great reviews the variety receives with my experiences with it. While I agree with folks comments about it's taste, it is also usually almost a candidate for the "most ugly" contest. It doesn't really matter because they are worth growing for the taste alone.

I agree cat facing is typically a result of atmospheric conditions when the bloom is pollinated or sets fruit. Orange Minsk is usually the only variety out of forty varieties that displays the problem while all of them were subjected to the same weather conditions. The fruit on my OM vines also do not have much consistency in size and shape. Some are small. Some are large. Some are round. Some are flattened. They all taste good. All of my seed is from the same batch from a reputable vendor. If my spring crop of OM does the same thing, I will order more seed from a different vendor and try again.

Ted

[JimmyCrackedCorn]

Originally Posted by Tormato

Cabin is the only tomato I've seen that has superb flavor, and gets no mention (except for a thread a few weeks ago). But then, the Cabin I have may or may not be Cabin. Hopefully it'll all be sorted out this year.

Tormato

I look forward to finding out if you were the source of the seeds I got from Wintersown in 2008.

[carolyn137]

I've been reading through this thread for someone else who was asked pretty much the same question as to overlooked, lightly circulated varieties.

And as I read through what I saw were the bulk of the varieties that were not oveerlooked or lightly circulated and one can confirm that by looking at seed sources for them at Tania's webpage, or for those who are SSE members just looking in their yearbooks, which has long been a source of varieties for unlisted SSE members, who own seed sites, looking for both new and older overlooked varieties.

I already compiled a short list and sent seeds to someone afterlooking through my own saved seeds, and this is a second person asking the same question.

Carolyn

[bughunter99]

I never see Persimmon mentioned. It is such a heavy producer, so trouble free, blemish free and tasty I can't figure it out other than maybe it doesn't have a BIG tomato taste, but is very pleasant tasting nevertheless.

-Stacy

[WVTomatoMan]

Originally Posted by carolyn137

I've been reading through this thread for someone else who was asked pretty much the same question as to overlooked, lightly circulated varieties.

And as I read through what I saw were the bulk of the varieties that were not oveerlooked or lightly circulated and one can confirm that by looking at seed sources for them at Tania's webpage, or for those who are SSE members just looking in their yearbooks, which has long been a source of varieties for unlisted SSE members, who own seed sites, looking for both new and older overlooked varieties.

I already compiled a short list and sent seeds to someone afterlooking through my own saved seeds, and this is a second person asking the same question.

Carolyn

Carolyn,

Thank you so much for making that post! Of course I knew that some of the varieties I mentioned were now commercially available even though that wasn't the case when I started growing them (Germaid Red, Wes, etc.). Then I started checking on the varieties that I introduced (Paw Paw, Purple Dog Creek, Randy's Cherry Bomb, Cosner, Irish Pink and Trees Bottom Yellow). I was surprised by how widely they're being circulated now. Some are available commercially. I sent seeds out for trial to a select few providers. Victory Seeds now lists Cosner and Paw Paw! Purple Dog Creek is also commercially available. When I made my list I honestly had no idea how popular they'd become and still wouldn't have known if not for your post.

Thanks,
Randy

[barefootgardener]

Originally Posted by WVTomatoMan

Carolyn,

Thank you so much for making that post! Of course I knew that some of the varieties I mentioned were now commercially available even though that wasn't the case when I started growing them (Germaid Red, Wes, etc.). Then I started checking on the varieties that I introduced (Paw Paw, Purple Dog Creek, Randy's Cherry Bomb, Cosner, Irish Pink and Trees Bottom Yellow). I was surprised by how widely they're being circulated now. Some are available commercially. I sent seeds out for trial to a select few providers. Victory Seeds now lists Cosner and Paw Paw! Purple Dog Creek is also commercially available. When I made my list I honestly had no idea how popular they'd become and still wouldn't have known if not for your post.

Thanks,
Randy

Thank you for introducing Purple Dog Creek, I have been growing it for the past 3 years, and it is one of my favorites! I have saved, and shared seed for it so others can enjoy it!

I tried to grow Tree Bottoms Yellow from Carolyn's offer a couple years ago? But germination was not good. I have not aquired seeds to grow it again, but still plan to. It sounds like a lovely tomato

I also grew out Irish Pink, it was good.

Paw Paw is a new one to me,,Will have to check that one out! I know were talking tomatoes, but, I tried to grow Paw Paw trees a number of years back, but the tree seedlings got eaten by some hungry rabbits and deer..

Ginny