Potato Top Tomato Offer

Tomatovator · November 6, 2006

I know I read a thread somewhere about free seeds for this tomato being offered by a Pittsburgh Newspaper. I can't find the info now. Anyone out there have the details for the SASE offer?

feldon30 · November 6, 2006

http://www.ubcbotanicalgarden.org/fo...ad.php?t=10087
Might be a useful thread about the topic.

Note that there are hundreds if not thousands of tomato varieties that have potato leaf-type foliage.

seeker · November 7, 2006

The guy who offers these seeds Doug Oster, who writes for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. He usually only offers them in early spring. He also has a radio show in Pittsburgh. Anyway, one of the websites he's involved in is:

http://www.theorganicgardeners.com/

When he opens the seed offer again, it will almost surely be announced at that website. Or, you can contact him by e-mail through that site, or ask him about it on the forums there.

Good luck!

Paula

**carolyn137** · November 7, 2006

(When he opens the seed offer again, it will almost surely be announced at that website. Or, you can contact him by e-mail through that site, or ask him about it on the forums there.)

Or if planning to order a few other tomato varieties and wanting to pay perhaps the lowest cost around for high quality seeds, you can go to Sandhill Preservation online and get it where it's listed as Pink Potato Top.

It s been listed in the SSE Yearbooks for many years. I've grown it but didn't save seeds or I'd offer them to you free.

Tomstrees · November 7, 2006

I like the tradition they have going on for
Pink Potato Top ...

(sorry I'm the one who has been calling it Limbaughs Potato Top for all of 2006 growing season - there is a thread listed Limbaughs in the General area)

I would go with Carolyns suggestion here and order seeds. The ones you get from them may be crossed because they are collected from growers at the end of the season and redistributed the following year.

Mine were - so I ended up with PL & RL plants ...
You might not even get a PL !

I'd send them out to you but I only have a few left after other requests this fall and me mailing back only PL seeds to them (with a note btw letting them know its crossed) ...

~ Tom

ps.
Feldon ,
I haven't GROWN 1000's ... but you can hold me to the fact that this tomato was 1 of the tastiest "old timey flavor" tomatoes I've ever had in my life ... so far ~ :wink:

Tomatovator · November 7, 2006

Yes, I was concerned about whether the seeds would be crossed. I will order the seeds from Sandhill rather than take a chance. I don't have enough room to plant tomatoes that don't turn out to be what I expected. I already have enough varieties of seeds to plant for the next 2 or 3 years but I have this constant urge to collect more varieties. Thanks for all the responses.

Tomstrees · November 7, 2006

Tomatovator ...

I def. suggest giving it a go ~

Tom

spudleafwillie · November 7, 2006

Feldon,
I have identified the names of 800+ different varietiies of PL's in collecting them since the early 1980's (over 26 years now and counting) and have seeds for about 700 of them. I think 1000 total different ones may be possible in the next 5 years but not 1000 additional new ones ( in the next 26 years at the present rate of discovery.

Your estimate ("Note that there are hundreds if not thousands of tomato varieties that have potato leaf-type foliage") of 1000's may be stretching it a bit. Possible, yes of course, but it will be like getting struck by lightning or winning the powerball lottery..... but very, very, very slim odds of actually occurring.

Yes, new varieties turn up every day from accidental , deliberate , or insect induced crosses, or misnaming to get a new variety.Some identical varieties carry different names in different geographical areas. Limbaugh's Potato Top is a good example of this. But on the other hand many of the old PL varieties are lost every year thru lack of popularity, the person maintaining the variety passing away, or lack of periodic seed refreshment or replenishment of seed stocks for whatever reason.

I have 25-30 old varieties that I maintain and am probably the sole source for viable seeds for them.I only can grow out about 100 different varieties every year, making my seed refreshing about on a 7 to 8 year cycle right now.

How much variety duplication is out there?? I don't really know. The only way how to tell for sure how many truly different PL varieties are out there today or in the future is by DNA testing and right now that is verv expensive to do.

Regards,
Bill Malin (aka spudleafwillie)

November 6, 2006	#1
Tomatovator Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Pennsylvania Zone 6 Posts: 461	Potato Top Tomato Offer I know I read a thread somewhere about free seeds for this tomato being offered by a Pittsburgh Newspaper. I can't find the info now. Anyone out there have the details for the SASE offer?

November 6, 2006	#2
feldon30 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2006 Location: Rock Hill, SC Posts: 5,346	http://www.ubcbotanicalgarden.org/fo...ad.php?t=10087 Might be a useful thread about the topic. Note that there are hundreds if not thousands of tomato varieties that have potato leaf-type foliage. __________________ [SIZE="3"]I've relaunched my gardening website -- [B]TheUnconventionalTomato.com[/B][/SIZE] * [I][SIZE="1"]*I'm not allowed to post weblinks so you'll have to copy-paste it manually.[/SIZE][/I]

November 7, 2006	#4
carolyn137 Moderator Emeritus Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Upstate NY, zone 4b/5a Posts: 21,169	(When he opens the seed offer again, it will almost surely be announced at that website. Or, you can contact him by e-mail through that site, or ask him about it on the forums there.) Or if planning to order a few other tomato varieties and wanting to pay perhaps the lowest cost around for high quality seeds, you can go to Sandhill Preservation online and get it where it's listed as Pink Potato Top. It s been listed in the SSE Yearbooks for many years. I've grown it but didn't save seeds or I'd offer them to you free. __________________ Carolyn

November 7, 2006	#5
Tomstrees Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: NJ Bayshore Posts: 3,848	I like the tradition they have going on for Pink Potato Top ... (sorry I'm the one who has been calling it Limbaughs Potato Top for all of 2006 growing season - there is a thread listed Limbaughs in the General area) I would go with Carolyns suggestion here and order seeds. The ones you get from them may be crossed because they are collected from growers at the end of the season and redistributed the following year. Mine were - so I ended up with PL & RL plants ... You might not even get a PL ! I'd send them out to you but I only have a few left after other requests this fall and me mailing back only PL seeds to them (with a note btw letting them know its crossed) ... ~ Tom ps. Feldon , I haven't GROWN 1000's ... but you can hold me to the fact that this tomato was 1 of the tastiest "old timey flavor" tomatoes I've ever had in my life ... so far ~ :wink: __________________ My green thumb came only as a result of the mistakes I made while learning to see things from the plant's point of view. ~ H. Fred Ale

November 7, 2006	#7
Tomstrees Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: NJ Bayshore Posts: 3,848	Tomatovator ... I def. suggest giving it a go ~ Tom __________________ My green thumb came only as a result of the mistakes I made while learning to see things from the plant's point of view. ~ H. Fred Ale

November 7, 2006	#3
seeker Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Harrisburg PA Posts: 95	The guy who offers these seeds Doug Oster, who writes for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. He usually only offers them in early spring. He also has a radio show in Pittsburgh. Anyway, one of the websites he's involved in is: http://www.theorganicgardeners.com/ When he opens the seed offer again, it will almost surely be announced at that website. Or, you can contact him by e-mail through that site, or ask him about it on the forums there. Good luck! Paula

November 7, 2006	#8
spudleafwillie Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Zone 7b sw New Mexico,. Posts: 197	Pink Potato Top; Re. #of PL varieties Feldon, I have identified the names of 800+ different varietiies of PL's in collecting them since the early 1980's (over 26 years now and counting) and have seeds for about 700 of them. I think 1000 total different ones may be possible in the next 5 years but not 1000 additional new ones ( in the next 26 years at the present rate of discovery. Your estimate ("Note that there are hundreds if not thousands of tomato varieties that have potato leaf-type foliage") of 1000's may be stretching it a bit. Possible, yes of course, but it will be like getting struck by lightning or winning the powerball lottery..... but very, very, very slim odds of actually occurring. Yes, new varieties turn up every day from accidental , deliberate , or insect induced crosses, or misnaming to get a new variety.Some identical varieties carry different names in different geographical areas. Limbaugh's Potato Top is a good example of this. But on the other hand many of the old PL varieties are lost every year thru lack of popularity, the person maintaining the variety passing away, or lack of periodic seed refreshment or replenishment of seed stocks for whatever reason. I have 25-30 old varieties that I maintain and am probably the sole source for viable seeds for them.I only can grow out about 100 different varieties every year, making my seed refreshing about on a 7 to 8 year cycle right now. How much variety duplication is out there?? I don't really know. The only way how to tell for sure how many truly different PL varieties are out there today or in the future is by DNA testing and right now that is verv expensive to do. Regards, Bill Malin (aka spudleafwillie)