Member discussion regarding the methods, varieties and merits of growing tomatoes.
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May 22, 2013 | #16 | |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
Posts: 707
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I certainly hope the grafting works successfully for you and that you get to enjoy some soon. I was really impressed with the grafting success I saw last year on German Johnson-Benton Strain. Efisakov, I quit growing Carbon a few years back, With garden size reduction, I had to eliminate it and others that weren't as good as DDR, Bear Creek or Amazon Chocolate. Then too I also let Blackmaster fall from regular growing list, and that one was much better than most. I hope that Carbon continues to be a favorite in your garden. Those growing Mr Stripey and finding it to be a spitter. First off, there are two different Mr. Stripey. One is a small not overly impressive tomato. The second, which I'm more familiar with is a large bi-color that I found quite impressive the first time I tasted one from a friends garden. So impressed that the following season I bought a half dozen of them. They were YECH! I later discovered that my friend didn't water his garden at all. I withheld water from my Mr. Stripey's, to find a definite improvement in taste for the remainder of the year. That said...I no longer grow Mr.Stripeys anyway, but try withholding water to improve their taste. Enjoy Camo |
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May 22, 2013 | #17 | |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Jersey
Posts: 1,183
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cherokee purple- productive and fantastic. last year was my first year growing and its back for round 2 mr stripey- bi color, not productive for me. grew to 2 stems next to 2 other varieties grow identically and both of the others were earlier and more productive. taste was ok but nothing special. will not grow again lemon boy- fantastic tomato. neighbor grew and it was awesome. now that you reminded me i'm mad at myself for not getting seed for this season. its going to be on my grow list next year Guernsey Island- good tasting and good production with great colors. not growing salad size tomatoes this season but this would be one i would go back to. plant was thin and unimpressive looking but it produced! Purple Calabash- not a spitter for me. some say it is. awesome production but tends to crack with too much water.
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May 22, 2013 | #18 | |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: NJ, zone 7
Posts: 3,162
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2 Carbone 1 Amazon Chocolate 2 CP 1 Bl. Tula 1 Bl. Krim 1 Bl. Brandywine and for the first time: 2 Bl. Master for the first time 2 Dana's Dusky Rose 2 Indian Stripe 2 JD's Special C-Tex 2 Gary O Sena 2 COWLICK BRANDYWINE 2 Purple Dog Creek and few more, like BARLOW JAP, Brad’s Black Heart, KBX, Omar L.,Red Barn ... they all sounded so good many thanks to you, Maria from Ka, Carolyn37, Heritage, and others for sharing your favorite toms and creating a must try list for many. I love it.
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Ella God comes along and says, "I think I'm going to create THE tomato!” |
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May 22, 2013 | #19 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: NJ, zone 7
Posts: 3,162
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I agree, plus my Purple Calabash tomatoes were on a smaller size.
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Ella God comes along and says, "I think I'm going to create THE tomato!” |
May 22, 2013 | #20 | |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Jersey
Posts: 1,183
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yes, not very big at all
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May 22, 2013 | #21 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Holly Springs, NC (zone 7b)
Posts: 112
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I have tried zero of the toms you're growing this year. D:
Cherokee Purple - Prolific, tasty and sturdy! Everything you could ever ask for in a tomato. Opalka - Delicious and prolific as heck. Prone to blossom-end rot, even in self-watering containers. Mine fell to disease fairly early in the season, too. Brandywine (Sudduth's) - I have grown this twice, and Red Brandywine twice. I got maybe six tomatoes between them all. You might have better luck than I, but I will not grow either strain again. Cuostralee - Absolutely delicious. I hear it's not a great producer though. Coyote - Prolific little beast. Produces currant-sized sweet white tomatoes. Yum! |
June 1, 2013 | #22 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: MA
Posts: 4,971
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Kathy,
I probably should have sent you a note along with the seed packs in the swap. Your #1 request, Pink Berkeley Tie Dye, is my favorite striped tomato, of the few I've tried. The reason is that it is the sweetest of the striped tomatoes I've tried. Berkeley Tie Dye will probably be more to your liking. Others (non-sweet) that I like are Aunt Gertie's Gold, and my favorite non-sweet variety Seek-No-Further Love Apple. Since I sent seeds of SNFLA to about 200 people for this year, I expect some feedback on what other gardeners think of it. Gary |
June 1, 2013 | #23 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Suburban Washington, DC (Zone 7A)
Posts: 347
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Gary, no need to have gone through that extra trouble on my account. And though I personally don't like super sweet tomatoes, my other half does - so it wouldn't matter much in this case. I am growing for both ends of the spectrum
I'll likely be trying SNFLA next year. I am a sucker for a variety with a fun name! I'm also still very curious about T4 - it's growing like gangbusters right now. Would you like me to save you any seed for an F5 growout? Kathy |
June 3, 2013 | #24 | |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: MA
Posts: 4,971
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Wait until you get a ripe tomato before you decide if you're going to save seeds. Just remember, the fruit is supposed to look the way it does. Gary |
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June 4, 2013 | #25 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: PNW
Posts: 4,743
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Rio Grande is one I have been growing every year
since the first year that I grew it. (I keep trying to cross it with something earlier, but the styles in the flowers are so thin that using it for the female parent is annoyingly difficult. The flowers in some cherry tomatoes are like that, too. I need to go the other way and use it for the pollen source.) It is a sweet flavored paste, robust plant, good producer. Heidi has comparably good flavor to my palate and is maybe a week earlier, but the Rio Grande fruit are twice the size of the Heidi fruit.
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June 4, 2013 | #26 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Metro Detroit, Michigan
Posts: 1,051
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On your list of potentials, the ones I have grown that I did not invite back are Sunset Red Horizon, Fireball, and White Queen. Also, while I love Aunt Gerties Gold, in my growing zone, she just comes in too late and I have similar varieties that come in earlier and are more productive. I also liked and won't grow again Aunt Vineys Yellow and Pink. Very mild and has to been eaten very quickly after ripening. The bicolor I was blown away with last season was Hawaiian Pineapple and that will be on the always grow list for me. I am trying several new ones this year in that category. I also really liked Rebecca Sebastians but I have so many marvelous heart varieties, I had to make some cuts there.
On my always grow list are Amish Paste, Black Krim, Coyote, Cuostralee, Djena Lee, Druzba, Granny Cantrells, New Big Dwarf, and Opalka. They have all performed well for me and proven they are worth the spaces they grow in. Coyote are a pain to pick, but they have a truly unique flavor I love (and some folks here do not). New Big Dwarf give you a lot of great tomatoes in a compact plant. Since I can my tomatoes, I need to grow the paste varieties. The 2 I included (Amish Paste and Opalka) are great for fresh eating also. I am growing Captain Lucky this season, also, and have grown and enjoyed Aunt Lous UNRR, Barlow Jap, Pink Berkeley Tie Dye. I hope you will also enjoy them this season. |
June 4, 2013 | #27 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Suburban Washington, DC (Zone 7A)
Posts: 347
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Thank you Nancy, sounds like you have experienced quite a lot of the ones on my list! It's crazy that I don't even have a ripe tomato yet from this year, and am already looking ahead to next year.
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June 6, 2013 | #28 |
Buffalo-Niagara Tomato TasteFest™ Coordinator
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Z6 WNY
Posts: 2,354
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I didn't read the other comments as I didn't want them to affect my opinions.
Cherokee Purple - much loved, but I like Carbon better, just a personal thing Belmonte - I really like this one Clint Eastwood's Rowdy Red - tasted at CHOPTAG a few years ago and we all though it was horrible Druzba -really like this one Opalka - to me it is ok Guernsey Island - very pretty, strong tasting Rio Grande -good for canning Berkeley Tie Dye - liked a lot Chapman -very good red especially for cool weather Azoychka - always early, strong tasting Aunt Gertie's Gold - late, but taste is excellent Red Brandywine (Landis Valley) -grew awhile ago, wasn't too crazy about it. If I remember correctly, I actually liked them cooked over fresh. Silver Fir (Tree) - early and zippy Carbon - I love this one
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"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 |
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