Thompson & morgan at it again !!

michael johnson · March 9, 2007

Thompson & Morgan are sporting a new set of plants this year -billed as the worlds sweetest tomato or your money back, its called (Tomazing) at a mere-£9.99 for three plants.

What a fabulous bargain at only just over £3.30 english pounds each- I am sure they will sell shedfulls at that price

Mantis · March 9, 2007

LOL They will get them in for sure LOLLOLOLL

sirtanon · March 9, 2007

Reminds me of a tomato variety I saw at a nursery when I was last in Australia... Something called Tomaccio, if I recall. AU$11.99 for ONE small plant! :O

The tag said "The sweetest tomato yet" or something silly like that. Sweet is fine and all, but $12 a plant???

remy · March 9, 2007

I just got this in an email from Burpee
http://www.burpee.com/text/content/e...ttomatoes.html
It was sent as 'Greatest Tomatoes of All Time'
Remy

feldon30 · March 9, 2007

Let's see, they didn't invent Sungold.

And Brandy Boy has only been on the market for a few years.

So how do they end up in Burpee's Hall of Fame?

*slapping Burpee around with a large marketing Ethics book*

LoreD · March 9, 2007

I've tasted Health Kick and Fourth of July and both were spitters. Yuck!

LoreD

Araness · March 9, 2007

be careful Feldon they might like that...LOL

michael johnson · March 10, 2007

If I remember rightly- Tomaccio was also one of T&M's last year.

But they never seem to sell any seed for either of them.

they must be either F1 hybrids, or grown from cuttings -which they sometimes do and sell them as little plants, simply because the plants cant reproduce true types by normal methods.

If I were stupid enough to fall for their claim and actually buy three, I bet if I tried to save any seed or reproduce them- they wouldnt come true, because of the price they are asking I bet they are struck from cuttings, which would be easy to see if you knocked it out of the pot and examined the root stub,

uno · March 10, 2007

I really wanted to give tomaccio and tomazing a try last year and I couldn't find seeds for them.

I got to interact with someone that did grow tomaccio and was very dissapointed with it. I think he felt it was really hyped up.

One of the big reasons I like to grow a garden is to grow varieties that you couldn't just go to the store and buy.

After hearing bad report on tomaccio I'm not all that interested in growing it. If I could get seeds I would try them though.

I was interested in the super high brix they claim with it.

I guess after waching tv you get to realize anyone can say just about anything...and I guess it is that way for some seed companies as well.

Jim

MikeInCypress · March 10, 2007

Just remember these people are in a business, not a hobby. If they can get the price they are asking for a plant so be it. If not they won't be dong the same in the future. Thompson and Morgan spends at least $2.50 for everyone of their beautiful catalogs and I have learned a lot about plant from studying them. And are their claims any more off base than some of the hobbyists who sell seed to us Tomatovillains? If you have to have the seed of a variety that they are selling wait to mid summer when they usually run a 50% off sale.

MikeInCypress

tomatoguy · March 12, 2007

Marianna's Peace has gone from being the most expensive variety I have seen to a giveaway. Imagine my surprise when I found a free packet of them in with my order from Tomato Growers Supply Company. At least they are better than the Snow White I have received in the past. Not nearly as productive, though.

mater

greggf · March 13, 2007

Mike,

I know what you mean. There are fewer lies (well, stretches of the truth) per square inch in a T & M or Burpee catalog than there are in the TGS catalog (where EVERY EVERY EVERY tomato is above average!!).

=gregg=

feldon30 · March 13, 2007

Burpee invents histories. TGS is just unbelievably generous with taste profiles.

**carolyn137** · March 13, 2007

Gregg, if you want over the top uncontrolled tomato blurbs take a look at mariseeds.com

Marianne just cannot help herself, so she says. We've known each other for many years as SSE members and I've suggested she consider toning down some of the blurbs b'c folks can't distinguish between the varieties,

, but she just can't do it.

The only person I know of who wrote meaningful tomato blurbs was Jeff McCormack when he owned SESE. And Tom Hauch at Heirloom Seeds in PA isn't bad either.

And let us not mention Lisa at Amishland.

What I will say about TGS is that Linda has the correct info about varieties and that's an increasingly rare situation with many seed sources these days.

March 9, 2007	#1
michael johnson Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: UK. Posts: 960	Thompson & morgan at it again !! Thompson & Morgan are sporting a new set of plants this year -billed as the worlds sweetest tomato or your money back, its called (Tomazing) at a mere-£9.99 for three plants. What a fabulous bargain at only just over £3.30 english pounds each- I am sure they will sell shedfulls at that price Last edited by michael johnson; March 10, 2007 at 02:55 AM.

March 9, 2007	#3
sirtanon Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Phoenix, AZ (zone 9b) Posts: 796	Reminds me of a tomato variety I saw at a nursery when I was last in Australia... Something called Tomaccio, if I recall. AU$11.99 for ONE small plant! :O The tag said "The sweetest tomato yet" or something silly like that. Sweet is fine and all, but $12 a plant??? __________________ I could sail by on the winds of silence, and maybe they won't notice... but this time I think it would be better if I swim..

March 9, 2007	#4
remy Buffalo-Niagara Tomato TasteFest™ Coordinator Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Z6 WNY Posts: 2,354	I just got this in an email from Burpee http://www.burpee.com/text/content/e...ttomatoes.html It was sent as 'Greatest Tomatoes of All Time' Remy __________________ "I wake to sleep and take my waking slow" -Theodore Roethke Yes, we have a great party for WNY/Ontario tomato growers every year on Grand Island! Owner of The Sample Seed Shop

March 9, 2007	#6
LoreD Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Chicago Suburbs Posts: 306	I've tasted Health Kick and Fourth of July and both were spitters. Yuck! LoreD __________________ Its not what you get to keep in life, its what you get to give away.

March 9, 2007	#7
Araness Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: SE Texas Posts: 42	be careful Feldon they might like that...LOL __________________ "Research is what I'm doing when I don't know what I'm doing." - Wernher Von Braun (1912-1977)

March 9, 2007	#2
Mantis Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Oz Posts: 1,241	LOL They will get them in for sure LOLLOLOLL

March 9, 2007	#5
feldon30 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2006 Location: Rock Hill, SC Posts: 5,346	Let's see, they didn't invent Sungold. And Brandy Boy has only been on the market for a few years. So how do they end up in Burpee's Hall of Fame? slapping Burpee around with a large marketing Ethics book

March 10, 2007	#8
michael johnson Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: UK. Posts: 960	If I remember rightly- Tomaccio was also one of T&M's last year. But they never seem to sell any seed for either of them. they must be either F1 hybrids, or grown from cuttings -which they sometimes do and sell them as little plants, simply because the plants cant reproduce true types by normal methods. If I were stupid enough to fall for their claim and actually buy three, I bet if I tried to save any seed or reproduce them- they wouldnt come true, because of the price they are asking I bet they are struck from cuttings, which would be easy to see if you knocked it out of the pot and examined the root stub,

March 10, 2007	#9
uno Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: SW Pennsylvania, zone 6a Posts: 147	I really wanted to give tomaccio and tomazing a try last year and I couldn't find seeds for them. I got to interact with someone that did grow tomaccio and was very dissapointed with it. I think he felt it was really hyped up. One of the big reasons I like to grow a garden is to grow varieties that you couldn't just go to the store and buy. After hearing bad report on tomaccio I'm not all that interested in growing it. If I could get seeds I would try them though. I was interested in the super high brix they claim with it. I guess after waching tv you get to realize anyone can say just about anything...and I guess it is that way for some seed companies as well. Jim

March 10, 2007	#10
MikeInCypress Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Cypress, TX Posts: 963	Just remember these people are in a business, not a hobby. If they can get the price they are asking for a plant so be it. If not they won't be dong the same in the future. Thompson and Morgan spends at least $2.50 for everyone of their beautiful catalogs and I have learned a lot about plant from studying them. And are their claims any more off base than some of the hobbyists who sell seed to us Tomatovillains? If you have to have the seed of a variety that they are selling wait to mid summer when they usually run a 50% off sale. MikeInCypress __________________ "Growing older, not up"

March 12, 2007	#11
tomatoguy Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Rockvale, TN Zone 7A Posts: 526	Marianna's Peace has gone from being the most expensive variety I have seen to a giveaway. Imagine my surprise when I found a free packet of them in with my order from Tomato Growers Supply Company. At least they are better than the Snow White I have received in the past. Not nearly as productive, though. mater

March 13, 2007	#12
greggf Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Boonville, NY Posts: 419	Mike, I know what you mean. There are fewer lies (well, stretches of the truth) per square inch in a T & M or Burpee catalog than there are in the TGS catalog (where EVERY EVERY EVERY tomato is above average!!). =gregg=

March 13, 2007	#14
carolyn137 Moderator Emeritus Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Upstate NY, zone 4b/5a Posts: 21,169	Gregg, if you want over the top uncontrolled tomato blurbs take a look at mariseeds.com Marianne just cannot help herself, so she says. We've known each other for many years as SSE members and I've suggested she consider toning down some of the blurbs b'c folks can't distinguish between the varieties, , but she just can't do it. The only person I know of who wrote meaningful tomato blurbs was Jeff McCormack when he owned SESE. And Tom Hauch at Heirloom Seeds in PA isn't bad either. And let us not mention Lisa at Amishland. What I will say about TGS is that Linda has the correct info about varieties and that's an increasingly rare situation with many seed sources these days. __________________ Carolyn