Coustralee' & Omar Lebanese?

[My Foot Smells]

Originally Posted by b54red

I have grown both and have a negative rating on them both. Coustralee was so susceptible to fusarium that neither I nor a friend of mine could ever get them large enough to produce fruit without them dying first and so after three years of trying I gave up on it. Maybe I should try it again now that I am grafting all my plants. Omars on the other hand was much better at producing a few fruits and wow were they large. Some years I got tomatoes over 2 lbs off of them and other years just a handful around a pound and a half. Despite the huge beautiful fruits I found the texture rather mealy and the tomato flavor too bland for my taste.

If you are looking for large red tomatoes that will do good in the heat and humidity of the south I think you need to look at a few other varieties that have been far more successful and more importantly much better tasting in my book. Neves Azorean Red is a really large productive red beefsteak that is really good. Red Barn is also a massive tomato that is very productive in even the hottest weather as is Couilles de Taureau. Another large red that is wonderfully tasty is Dester but the vines are very prone to diseases but will still usually give you a good harvest of very juicy tomatoes. I have been experimenting with finding a few good reds for years by trying many different varieties and those are the ones that have proven themselves to me for multiple seasons. I am trying another new one this year that shows promise and that is Rebel Yell but so far I haven't gotten the really large fruits from it that I have gotten from the others.

Bill

thanks bill, strong words.

[My Foot Smells]

Originally Posted by Ricky Shaw

Cuostralee is a beautiful tomato, but I found it's taste timid compared to say Chapman. And several notches below pink flavor dynamos like Rebel Yell and Crnkovic Yugoslavian.

gurugardens gave me one at the tomato festival and I saved seeds from half of it, I'm not sure I'll grow it.

Thanks Ricky. The Coustralee is a beautiful looking tomato, hence, the interest in growing. Seems like other varieties have bumped it from the throne in the past 20 years - maybe. I appreciate you swooping through to give your opinion & suggestion on others.

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by My Foot Smells

Thanks Ricky. The Coustralee is a beautiful looking tomato, hence, the interest in growing. Seems like other varieties have bumped it from the throne in the past 20 years - maybe. I appreciate you swooping through to give your opinion & suggestion on others.

No, other varieties have not bumped either of those varieties in the past 20 years,far from it,and no,folks aren't just looking for Russian ones to grow either. You joined Tville quite recently but if you'd been here when TV started in 2006 you'd see something quite different,or at the original Garden Web going back to about 2000.

Perspective means a lot as to trends in what folks grow,and I want to address that as well.

Three times I've tried to write a response and lost them,but I'll be back to say a LOT more as to why folks grow this or that and continue to grow certain varieties,why there is often the impression that certain varieties can't be grown in the north OR in the south ,etc.

And yes,I want to address the spelling of Coustralee as well.


All for now,

Carolyn

[Fusion_power]

I prefer Crnkovic Yugoslavian for flavor, but I also grow Omar's Lebanese because it is a huge slicer with good to very good flavor. I grow Coustralee but marginally prefer to grow Neves Azorean Red as a very good large red tomato. Both rate about the same for flavor with a slight nod to Neves for flavor intensity.

[Ricky Shaw]

I'm the only one who has spelled Cuostralee correctly on this page.

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by Fusion_power

I prefer Crnkovic Yugoslavian for flavor, but I also grow Omar's Lebanese because it is a huge slicer with good to very good flavor. I grow Coustralee but marginally prefer to grow Neves Azorean Red as a very good large red tomato. Both rate about the same for flavor with a slight nod to Neves for flavor intensity.

Thanks for the trifecta sir,since I sourced and introduced all three.

Carolyn, who forgot to say look for the new Omar's Lebanese Heart if you didn't read that thread here,thanks to Darin who first found it and Dutch who is doing the major seed production,says the dedicated heart lover.

[Ricky Shaw]

Most of it's probably how you grow it, I mean they all got to be good to have made these lists. However, I do think there are those special varieties that just standout to a high percentage of people, and it's often those pinks with a whang, a small taste conflict. I get that from Daniel Burson also.

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by Ricky Shaw

I'm the only one who has spelled Cuostralee correctly on this page.

Not necessarily,since I haven't yet addressed the spelling problem re how Norbert in France spelled it when he sent it to me.

Carolyn

[guruofgardens]

I'm the only one who has spelled Cuostralee correctly on this page.

[guruofgardens]

True, true, true that the flavor, etc. has to do with how you grow the plants. The tomatoes that I gave Ricky Shaw ripened after we had many, many days of rain.

The first fruits of the season were intense and one of my favorites, such that I'll grow it again in 2017. Sorry if Ricky thinks it may be watery - it may very well be. We don't usually get so much rain in August!

[Ricky Shaw]

guru,

the cuostralee you gave me was good, but I flipped over that Daniel Burson. A beautifully constructed tomato with a meaty inner, juicy locules, and think walls, it's sweet with zing. I saved seeds of that jewel. Thank you.

[Spartanburg123]

Originally Posted by carolyn137

Thanks for the trifecta sir,since I sourced and introduced all three.

Carolyn, who forgot to say look for the new Omar's Lebanese Heart if you didn't read that thread here,thanks to Darin who first found it and Dutch who is doing the major seed production,says the dedicated heart lover.

Why thank you Carolyn! But I haven't named this one yet!! One thing is certain, it will have the name "Lebanese" in it!!

[Spartanburg123]

I have grown both Cuostralee (last two years) and Omar's Lebanese (last three years). I also had issues with Fusarium with Cuostralee both years, it was very susceptible. It made really nice tomatoes, however. Omar's is much better in my book! More productive and great tasting- and they love the heat!!

[Spartanburg123]

Originally Posted by guruofgardens

I'm the only one who has spelled Cuostralee correctly on this page.

Actually, the name is STILL not correct- you must apply the necessary accent aigu to the first e!!!

[guruofgardens]

Originally Posted by Ricky Shaw

guru,

the cuostralee you gave me was good, but I flipped over that Daniel Burson. A beautifully constructed tomato with a meaty inner, juicy locules, and think walls, it's sweet with zing. I saved seeds of that jewel. Thank you.

Daniel Burson is one of my favorite black tomatoes, like Ricky said it's a very tasty tomato. The plant produced about 5-6 in a bunch near the bottom, grew more, then started the bunch of tomatoes again. It's another for 2017.

You're welcome for the tomato. So glad you love the taste. We've enjoyed this particular tomato almost every night along with a Tasty Green cuke.