Looking for a medium-sized, main season Hybrid.

[Greatgardens]

Except for maybe one or two cherry tomato plants, I'm going to restrict my growing to EarthBoxes from now on. This season, I grew Burpee's Fourth of July for the first time, and couldn't be more pleased. This was in an EarthBox. For comparison, I grew Stupice next to it, and FOJ was much more successful in nearly every way. Most meaningfully, FOJ breezed right through a new blight that I had never seen here before. Stupice was wiped out in a few weeks, along with the determinates, while the dwarfs indeterminates lasted longer. (Mountain Magic also survived, but did not handle this blight as well as FOJ.)

So next season, I'm looking for a medium-sized indeterminate hybrid that hopefully will come close to doing as well as FOJ. I'd like a mid- to late-season variety. I could set out some additional Fourth of July plants a month later, but really would like something a bit larger maybe 6-10 oz range. Thinking about Big Beef -- I've never grown it in an EarthBox before, but maybe a little larger than I'm looking for. (?)

Any suggestions?

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by Greatgardens

Except for maybe one or two cherry tomato plants, I'm going to restrict my growing to EarthBoxes from now on. This season, I grew Burpee's Fourth of July for the first time, and couldn't be more pleased. This was in an EarthBox. For comparison, I grew Stupice next to it, and FOJ was much more successful in nearly every way. Most meaningfully, FOJ breezed right through a new blight that I had never seen here before. Stupice was wiped out in a few weeks, along with the determinates, while the dwarfs indeterminates lasted longer. (Mountain Magic also survived, but did not handle this blight as well as FOJ.)

So next season, I'm looking for a medium-sized indeterminate hybrid that hopefully will come close to doing as well as FOJ. I'd like a mid- to late-season variety. I could set out some additional Fourth of July plants a month later, but really would like something a bit larger maybe 6-10 oz range. Thinking about Big Beef -- I've never grown it in an EarthBox before, but maybe a little larger than I'm looking for. (?)

Any suggestions?

Just curious about the request for hybrids.
You speak of blights,without being specific, but most equate the generic word blight with foliage diseases,there are several,both fungal and bacterial.

With few exceptions I'm pretty sure that hybrids have no tolerance for any of the common foliage diseases.They were bred mainly for soilborne diseases,such as Fusarium serotypes, Verticillium, etc. also high solids,uniform ripening gene,etc.

Carolyn

[b54red]

I would go with Big Beef if you are going with a hybrid. It produces lots of good tasting fruit and does well in almost any kind of weather from cool to hot. If it is kept well maintained and sprayed it will produce for a very long time but the plant can become quite large. Since you are growing in earthboxes I don't know why you have to have a hybrid plant though. You might want to try a few Pruden's Purple which produces a lot of medium size fruits and is very productive even in the hottest weather and tastes fantastic. I tend to grow larger fruited varieties mostly but another that produces good medium size fruits and is later is Druzba. If you want to experiment with a black tomato I would recommend Indian Stripe PL or RL, Spudakee or Margaret Curtain since all produce well in the heat with medium size fruits.

It sounds like you need to start using a spraying regimen with fungicides and do a little more pruning to keep your plants more open to light and air to reduce the diseases you mentioned. I totally agree with Carolyn that having hybrids will not stop foliage diseases from ravaging your plants but it can decrease soil born diseases if the hybrid is resistant to them. I wouldn't think that would be a big concern in an earthbox.

Bill

[Greatgardens]

Hi Carolyn-
Don't know what kind of (foliage) blight it was. I'm familiar with Septoria and to a lesser extent Early Blight, which are about the only types I've previously recognized here in central Indiana. I've tried "Iron Lady," a determinate hybrid that supposedly has some resistance to Early Blight and/or Septoria. Mountain Magic is supposedly somewhat tolerant of Ealy Blight, isn't it?

In my experience here, two things: typically hybrids withstand foliage disease somewhat better than OP's. "Hybrid vigor?" And most definitely, indeterminates hold up far better than determinates. So I would look at this as "playing the odds." That said, if you can suggest an OP in the size range that I'm looking for that you think might work for me, please suggest away.

Of course, I've got months to change my mind ten times!

-GG

[greenthumbomaha]

I had a few packs of pelleted seed from Menard's that were getting older so I outsourced them to a rental property, along with 10 OP's that were extras. There was a slight increase in average production of the hybrids, but the upper tier OP's production was the same. I grew Beefmaster (highest production) Big Beef, Jet Star, and Murray Smith (not sure if this is a hybrid, sure tastes like one, but it is a power producer). In my regular garden I grew Jet Star and Big Beef. Didn't see any difference in disease resistance. Again, some OP's were on par with hybrid production, some not but taste prevails.

- Lisa

[Gerardo]

Mountain Magic did great in my garden a while back. This season I was quite impressed with Chef's Choice Orange, someone mentioned cardboard and softballs and I got quite the opposite. I just sowed a few more hoping I can squeeze in a few trusses before winter. They are medium sized and tasty, and the plant keeps on trucking.

Odoriko is also a great tasting medium sized hybrid enjoyed-demanded by many in my household.

[RJGlew]

I have 3 midseason hybrid favourites:
Steak Sandwich F1 (Burpee)
Big Beef F1 (Seminis)
Beefy Boy F1 (Park)

Park Seeds has free shipping this weekend, & no minimum order. They have both Big Beef F1 & Beefy Boy F1

[Gardeneer]

Great gardens,
As far as I know now foliar disease resistance is claimed for hybrids. All the suffixes after a given name ( like , V, F, N, ..) are for soil borne diseases.
But you pointed out to two thing ; (1) Vigor , (2) Indterminant growth habit. That make sense to me. A vigorous plant can/may fight certain diseases better.
I don't know about you, I would fungicide systematically and prune selectively in order to prevent diseases in the first place. There are both organic and synthetic choices available.

[Greatgardens]

I also grew Chef's Choice Orange this summer (but in soil), and it did good for me. We like mild, "sweet" tomatoes, and the gold and orange ones usually fit the bill. One thing with the "cardboard" descriptions that some people provide. If one doesn't let them get fully ripe, yes, they will be hard and dry. But that is true for many tomatoes.

I planted a Beefy Boy in an EB mid-June (just in time for the Septoria , and it has done pretty well. It is definitely a possibility for my later tomato next year.

[Gerardo]

Originally Posted by Greatgardens

I also grew Chef's Choice Orange this summer (but in soil), and it did good for me. We like mild, "sweet" tomatoes, and the gold and orange ones usually fit the bill. One thing with the "cardboard" descriptions that some people provide. If one doesn't let them get fully ripe, yes, they will be hard and dry. But that is true for many tomatoes.

I planted a Beefy Boy in an EB mid-June (just in time for the Septoria , and it has done pretty well. It is definitely a possibility for my later tomato next year.

Those two (mild and sweet) blend really nicely in a compact plant named Koroleva. Not a hybrid, nevertheless, its productivity is right up there. I've got a few extra I can send to you if you want to give it a shot.

http://tatianastomatobase.com/wiki/Koroleva

PS I almost forgot about Marbonne. Two thumbs up. Looks, productivity, good taste.

[friedgreen51]

Hi,
Among my hybrids this year, the 2 standouts were Goliath (Indeterminate) and very tall, so not suitable for an Earth Box. The other standout was Grandaddy (Determinate). It produced an abundance of very large tomatoes, with good disease resistance at a total height of about 5 ft. max. The flavor was good. I planted it out about April 20th and harvested the first tomato around July 12th.
I was a little concerned at first because the foliage has a wilty look, but I found out that this is normal. I will be growing it again.

[Scooty]

Originally Posted by Greatgardens

I also grew Chef's Choice Orange this summer (but in soil), and it did good for me. We like mild, "sweet" tomatoes, and the gold and orange ones usually fit the bill. One thing with the "cardboard" descriptions that some people provide. If one doesn't let them get fully ripe, yes, they will be hard and dry. But that is true for many tomatoes.

I planted a Beefy Boy in an EB mid-June (just in time for the Septoria , and it has done pretty well. It is definitely a possibility for my later tomato next year.

Chef's Choice Orange F1 tasted the exact same as Sweet Ozark Orange for me. You might want to try the latter if you're looking for something OP.

[nhardy]

I tried everything possible not have to spray my tomatoes. I say I had septoria. I planted Iron Lady and Mountain Merit last year. All completely dead before Oct. I planted Iron Lady again with some other indeterminate tomatoes. This year, I started spraying Ortho for disease the last week of June. I keep spraying every two weeks. My plants are healthy and 8 ft. plus. If you don't like Ortho, then spray copper after every rain. Next year, Iron Lady will not be planted.

I'm picking indeterminate tomatoes for taste, size, maturity and production for my in ground tomatoes next year. I total agree with b45red, they don't have to be hybrids if I keep on a regular spraying route.

I'm looking at buying 2 Big Beef at Lowes and seed for Pink Berkeley Tie-Dye for next year. I'm still thinking about Eva's Purple Ball or the Big Beef x Eva's Purple Ball or maybe two Matina instead of all the Sungolds I planted this year. I'm waiting on Mark in Alaska for his review of early Russian determinates. I'll plant a few of those Mark liked in pots next year before my frost free date. My list is ever changing as I read other peoples reviews.

[Greatgardens]

Ortho? I'm sorry, but I don't understand what you said you sprayed. Is it Ortho's brand of Daconil?

Thanks,
GG

[Cole_Robbie]

Jet Star is a good alternative to Big Beef if you want a plant that does not get as big.