Member discussion regarding the methods, varieties and merits of growing tomatoes.
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May 22, 2021 | #1 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: holly michigan
Posts: 380
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Heidi variety
I have sent this out as private messages, now posting it. Eager to plant, plants ready to put out. Wondering about the size of the plants themselves. Seed from Victory. How tall and wide do they get? Running low on my large cages ( made from concrete wire, 5' tall and 20" across) and wondering if the larger store bought cone shaped type (3' high), with an added stake would be big enough to support the plants. Any light you could shed would be helpful.
KJ |
May 22, 2021 | #2 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Feb 2019
Location: Tacoma, WA
Posts: 45
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Back in 2006 Carolyn said it is a, "low growing determinate."
http://www.tomatoville.com/showthread.php?p=18551 |
May 22, 2021 | #3 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: holly michigan
Posts: 380
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Thanx for the reply. I had read similar from Carolyn, and I hope I have the true variety that originated thru her, I know there were people who had tall plants that were bought as Heidi, and were not. I think Victory are one of the better vendors out there, as opposed to several I wont name, that have sold me untrue varieties over the years. I assume low growing meant short, although Carolyn states that she often grew with out cages or support. So still hoping someone who has grown the real deal will chime in on height and width and type of cage, Thanx
kj |
May 22, 2021 | #4 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: Metro Denver
Posts: 767
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I have grown Heidi from Carolyn for two years. Very productive, my plants were around 5 ft and did well when staked. They were not overly wide as well. Did well as part of a two tomato earthbox.
I LOVE Heidi. Best paste for me in my climate. |
May 22, 2021 | #5 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Iowa Zone 5
Posts: 305
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Per Tatiana's Databse - A Michigan gardener expressed: [Moderate vines about 4-5 ft. benefit from some support, 66 days, good production of 3 oz bright red classic Roma-shaped fruits with good flavor for a paste variety. Thick walled, not very juicy fruits are great for making sauce. This variety seems to be less susceptible to BER and foliar diseases than some other Roma varieties. This is one of my favorite paste tomato varieties}. And that is exactly what I've found to be the growth of Heidi. (My origanal seeds from Tatiana ) She does list this a semi-determinate and I agree.
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Tomatovillain |
May 23, 2021 | #6 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: holly michigan
Posts: 380
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5' is pretty tall, my largest cages are 5'. 5' doesn't seem compact to my thinking, as Caroline described. And so there still exists discrepancies of size. So I will plant half in large cages and half in smaller cone cages. Thanx to all replues.
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May 23, 2021 | #7 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: California Central Valley
Posts: 2,543
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One year my Heidi plant was wider than its height. It was a very dense plant that took a lot longer than my other 30 or so varieties to produce the first fruit. I’m growing it again this year and planted it 3’ from other plants, at the end of a row.
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May 23, 2021 | #8 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Chapin, SC
Posts: 143
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My experience has been between 4 & 5 ft., dense very healthy plant. Very productive with good tasting tomatoes that I like to eat fresh or in salads.
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May 24, 2021 | #9 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Czech republic
Posts: 2,534
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This year I grow Heidi for the first time. I have one plant, according to Tatiana´s TOMATObase it is an indeterminate variety. I will grow it on one shoot, chopping off all suckers. I hope I will be satisfied and I will be able they to compare with other pasta tomatoes (Opalka, Gilbertie, Marzano Fire, ..)
Vladimír |
May 24, 2021 | #10 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: Metro Denver
Posts: 767
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Vladimir-not sure I would chop off all the suckers as I believe your fruit production could be seriously impacted negatively. Just my 2 cents but the plant is dense and fruits everywhere are part of its allure to me.
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May 27, 2021 | #11 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Czech republic
Posts: 2,534
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Heide thank you for the warning. I'll have to adjust the pruning. I'll use something like Missouring pruning. I always leave one sucker out of three, I let it grow and cut it behind the flowers and two leaves.
Vladimír |
August 6, 2022 | #12 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: May 2019
Location: Seattle
Posts: 58
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Relaying some of my experience growing Heidi, it has the potential to be a very productive plant that’s great for making sauce. I found the growth habit to be a bit strange compared to most of the indeterminates I grow. It is difficult to train up, so it hasn’t worked well in my Earthboxes with trellis or where I string trellis vines. It does do well in beds where it Can be allowed to grow into a large bush, preferably with a large cage for some support.
It grows quite large, so don’t let the “semi-determinate” description suggest it will be a compact plant even compared to indeterminate cultivars. |
August 20, 2022 | #13 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: holly michigan
Posts: 380
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I gave up on Heidi, didnt really have the flavor I was looking for. This year I have 1 Amish paste plant, which I never grew b4. Made a quick sauce out of 4 lrg tomatoes, an it was superb, almost too sweet. But I blanched and peeled, but did Not remove the seeds and gel. In my experience so much of the flavor in any tomato is in the gel, and removing it duriing process will tone down the flavor, which intensifies when you cook away the water. I do that w orange banana, and get an excelent sauce. Extra work tho, but worth it IMO.
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August 27, 2022 | #14 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Mar 2020
Location: Central IL, Zone 6a
Posts: 39
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Kenny was the Heidi you grew from Victory a compact plant?
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