Going for dependability and taste, not novelty - Page 2

Gardeneer · November 29, 2016

Reliability may depend on a lot of factors : Feeding, watering, temperatures, amount of light, etc.
I have had tomatoes that did ok one season and poor the next. Example: in 2015 my Azoychka did real well but in 2016 it was mediocre. I also know that a lot of tomatoes that did poorly in my garden was due to not-so-favorable weather in PNW. So this coming season I will try some of those that failed in PNW, in my new location in NC.
Productivity is my number one requirement. Then comes taste. This is about fruits now. I have not experienced any serious disease issue in the pat. I spray systematically and never had a soil borne disease issue.

dmforcier · November 29, 2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by agee12

Any thoughts on peppers?

Lots of thoughts on peppers in the Atlanta area, but best to start a new thread in the pepper forum.

oakley · November 29, 2016

I did that for about five years...10yrs ago. Kept it simple and safe. A couple great years, then started looking at some other varieties to try. Expanded my tomato beds by 3 fold.
I have now, mid August this past season, made a no-grow pile of packets that is up to about 24.

I am back to many new trials after a fantastic year of new-to-me varieties. Possibly a refreshed interest after finding a few that went to the top of the list. Never would have found them if i stayed with my original, year after year, dozen.

I still will start my seed trays of favorites that seem to always do well, saved seeds, but have lots of room for a few new ones.

ScottinAtlanta · November 30, 2016

Folks, Thanks loads. I will try Ambrosia Red this year. Great suggestion.

Tumbling Tom Red has been a disappointment to me for two years. I do not like to be disappointed.

SS100 and Ivas Red Berry look like a very small cherry. Tininess was why I didn't like Matts Wild Cherry - just too little bite for the effort.

**carolyn137** · November 30, 2016

Several noted that they couldn't find a reliable red cherry, so of all the red cherries I've grown,which are many ,these two stand out'

Gardener's Delight which some vendors call sugar lump,I don't know why since it has a great balanced flavor and NOT sicky sweet at all.

http://tatianastomatobase.com/wiki/Gardener%27s_Delight

Also

Chadwicks Cherry, also called Camop Joy,outstanding.

http://tatianastomatobase.com/wiki/Chadwick%27s_Cherry

And I'm talking about round cherries only.

I love Iva's Red Berry,have been offering it in seed offers, but it's the size of a nickle,which IMO is too small to be called a cherry,I don't know what I would call it.

Tania doesn't have a link for it but a search here or in my seed offers or Google might be able to find it,I just don't have the time right now to do so. I may be wrong but I think Sungold was part of the parentage.

Carolyn

**carolyn137** · November 30, 2016

https://www.google.com/search?q=Iva+..._AUIBygA&dpr=1

Above is a Google search with links which will give you the background on Iva's Red Berry.

Carolyn

Labradors2 · November 30, 2016

I haven't found a good red cherry either. There are lots of ok ones, but nothing outstanding.

I found Iva's Red Berry to be sweet, but that was it. No complex flavour.

Linda

jtjmartin · November 30, 2016

I agree on red cherries: nothing stands out. On the other hand, the only tomato I munch on in the garden is Black Cherry - excellent!

In my garden, Super Sweet 100 hybrid was not significantly different from the Large Red Cherry.

This next year, I'm growing Chadwick's Cherry and a number of other dark and pink cherries.

agee12 · November 30, 2016

Growing red grape tomatoes is high on my list for 2017, although undecided on the variety. I like the flavor but the skin was thick on the red grape tomato that I grew this past season and I've read that that is one of the characteristics.

BigVanVader · November 30, 2016

Yeah after tasting Fred's Bumblebees, Black Cherry, Sungold and Blush I don't grow red cherries to eat anymore.

b54red · November 30, 2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by ScottinAtlanta

Folks, after years of trialing different tomatoes, I have decided to reduce my planting, in 2017, to the few who show dependability and taste. Many tomatoes have disappointed me over the years, but a solid few have not - and hence here is my Gold Standard for the Atlanta climate:

The two most reliable:
Cherokee Purple
Cherokee Green

Then:
Mule Team
Jaunne Flamme
Destor
Bloody Butcher
Spears Tennessee Green
Sweet Ozark Orange

Cherry:
Sungold F1

Dwarf:
Wild Fred
Perth Pride
Lime Green Salad
Maralinga F4 (now an F8 selected by me from the original F4 that Craig sent me - the best in taste and sheer massive production)

There it is, folks, my true tomato friends. I have never found a reliable red cherry - any thoughts?

Scott I tried Ambrosia Red this year and it did very good for me but the plant gets huge sending out massive amounts of suckers which means a lot of pruning for me. It was a really good cherry with a good balanced flavor with a bit of bite to it. I used to grow a cherry that was larger like half the size of a golf ball that was the best cherry I ever grew but I don't know the name of it. I grew it for years but it was so productive that I got sick of picking them and just dropped it in favor of larger tomatoes. Next time I check my old seeds I'll see if I still have any but I don't know if they will even germinate now.

I have a couple that I think you should really try especially since you have good luck with Cherokee Purple. I grew it for years and most of the time it did really good but some years it just wouldn't produce much. I tried the potato leaf version Spudakee and grew them side by side for years and Spudakee out performed every year.
I also think you might want to try Red Barn. It is very dependable and makes some big fruit even in the heat. I think it was introduced by the same person who introduced Mule Team and Box Car Willie.

Bill

**carolyn137** · November 30, 2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by b54red

Scott I tried Ambrosia Red this year and it did very good for me but the plant gets huge sending out massive amounts of suckers which means a lot of pruning for me. It was a really good cherry with a good balanced flavor with a bit of bite to it. I used to grow a cherry that was larger like half the size of a golf ball that was the best cherry I ever grew but I don't know the name of it. I grew it for years but it was so productive that I got sick of picking them and just dropped it in favor of larger tomatoes. Next time I check my old seeds I'll see if I still have any but I don't know if they will even germinate now.

I have a couple that I think you should really try especially since you have good luck with Cherokee Purple. I grew it for years and most of the time it did really good but some years it just wouldn't produce much. I tried the potato leaf version Spudakee and grew them side by side for years and Spudakee out performed every year.
I also think you might want to try Red Barn. It is very dependable and makes some big fruit even in the heat. I think it was introduced by the same person who introduced Mule Team and Box Car Willie.

Bill

Bill, yes I am the person who introduced the ones that Joe B ratka could not germinate that his father had bred.

See post #12 for all of them

http://www.tomatoville.com/showthrea...mato+varieties

I SSE listed them,I sent them to various vendors for trial and also offered them here at TV in past seed offers.

And I still think that Red Barn is the best,followed perhaps by Box Car Willie.

There were others Joe sent me that I could NOT germinate,I remember that the word meadow was one of them and I still wonder what they could have had as a future fave.

Carolyn

gorbelly · November 30, 2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by nancyruhl

If you are going to cut your varieties down, I don't know if I personally would include 3 GWR.

It makes sense if you like those particular GWRs. I find that GWRs aren't all the same in taste at all. I think some of the first to make a splash made a name for themselves as very sweet, but as available varieties have expanded, it turns out there's quite a big range in flavor and other qualities.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cole_Robbie

I don't really think of Cherokee Green as a GWR. There's too much acidity in the flavor. Other GWR varieties have a much more intense sweetness.

I don't think of GWRs as uniformly sweet. Even the ones known for sweetness have a good acid backbone to balance things.

Malakhitovaya Shkatulka, which was a real champ for me in terms of health/vigor and production, is very intense with a pronounced acidity. Green Zebra is known for being extra acidic. Lime Green Salad, which is on Scott's list, is also a variety known for a very bright acidity and was true to that reputation for me when I grew it.

There's also an added advantage to GWRs: way fewer problems with birds and many rodents. I've never had a GWR tomato ruined by a bird or mammal. I've only seen them with rodent damage on them if I overlooked them and they got way overripe. I could honestly see a good reason to grow mostly GWRs for that reason alone. That and the fact that GWRs are rarely bland.

Bulldog · November 30, 2016

Jaune Flamme did well and Matt's wild cherry was the best for me. Matt's Wild cherry still is in a large pot with ripe red cherries this late. Best thing is every time I go to water or look in the garden, I get a little treat. It has had enough tiny fruits that the squirrels and chipmunks didnt eat them all, like most of the larger fruits.

Sungold F1 produced well early but gave up the ghost in July.

AlittleSalt · November 30, 2016

As Bill wrote above - I should have mentioned that Ambrosia Red does grow a large plant with lots of suckers - especially during a wetter than usual growing season.

I might have got a cross Matt's Wild Cherry seeds? I planted 4 of them. Two had typical sized MWC tomatoes on them. The other two produced tomatoes the same size as Sungold. Both sizes tasted exactly the same. I only saved seeds from the two plants that produced the larger tomatoes. I'm not sure if that means it's a cross, or if that's just how some MWC produce?

November 29, 2016	#16
Gardeneer Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: NC - zone 8a - heat zone 7 Posts: 4,924	Reliability may depend on a lot of factors : Feeding, watering, temperatures, amount of light, etc. I have had tomatoes that did ok one season and poor the next. Example: in 2015 my Azoychka did real well but in 2016 it was mediocre. I also know that a lot of tomatoes that did poorly in my garden was due to not-so-favorable weather in PNW. So this coming season I will try some of those that failed in PNW, in my new location in NC. Productivity is my number one requirement. Then comes taste. This is about fruits now. I have not experienced any serious disease issue in the pat. I spray systematically and never had a soil borne disease issue. __________________ Gardeneer Happy Gardening !

November 30, 2016	#19
ScottinAtlanta Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Atlanta, Georgia Posts: 2,593	Folks, Thanks loads. I will try Ambrosia Red this year. Great suggestion. Tumbling Tom Red has been a disappointment to me for two years. I do not like to be disappointed. SS100 and Ivas Red Berry look like a very small cherry. Tininess was why I didn't like Matts Wild Cherry - just too little bite for the effort. Last edited by ScottinAtlanta; November 30, 2016 at 08:04 AM.

November 30, 2016	#20
carolyn137 Moderator Emeritus Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Upstate NY, zone 4b/5a Posts: 21,169	Several noted that they couldn't find a reliable red cherry, so of all the red cherries I've grown,which are many ,these two stand out' Gardener's Delight which some vendors call sugar lump,I don't know why since it has a great balanced flavor and NOT sicky sweet at all. http://tatianastomatobase.com/wiki/Gardener%27s_Delight Also Chadwicks Cherry, also called Camop Joy,outstanding. http://tatianastomatobase.com/wiki/Chadwick%27s_Cherry And I'm talking about round cherries only. I love Iva's Red Berry,have been offering it in seed offers, but it's the size of a nickle,which IMO is too small to be called a cherry,I don't know what I would call it. Tania doesn't have a link for it but a search here or in my seed offers or Google might be able to find it,I just don't have the time right now to do so. I may be wrong but I think Sungold was part of the parentage. Carolyn __________________ Carolyn

November 30, 2016	#21
carolyn137 Moderator Emeritus Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Upstate NY, zone 4b/5a Posts: 21,169	https://www.google.com/search?q=Iva+..._AUIBygA&dpr=1 Above is a Google search with links which will give you the background on Iva's Red Berry. Carolyn __________________ Carolyn

November 29, 2016	#18
oakley Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: NewYork 5a Posts: 2,303	I did that for about five years...10yrs ago. Kept it simple and safe. A couple great years, then started looking at some other varieties to try. Expanded my tomato beds by 3 fold. I have now, mid August this past season, made a no-grow pile of packets that is up to about 24. I am back to many new trials after a fantastic year of new-to-me varieties. Possibly a refreshed interest after finding a few that went to the top of the list. Never would have found them if i stayed with my original, year after year, dozen. I still will start my seed trays of favorites that seem to always do well, saved seeds, but have lots of room for a few new ones.

November 30, 2016	#22
Labradors2 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Ontario Posts: 3,898	I haven't found a good red cherry either. There are lots of ok ones, but nothing outstanding. I found Iva's Red Berry to be sweet, but that was it. No complex flavour. Linda

November 30, 2016	#23
jtjmartin Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2016 Location: Williamsburg VA Zone 7b Posts: 1,110	I agree on red cherries: nothing stands out. On the other hand, the only tomato I munch on in the garden is Black Cherry - excellent! In my garden, Super Sweet 100 hybrid was not significantly different from the Large Red Cherry. This next year, I'm growing Chadwick's Cherry and a number of other dark and pink cherries.

November 30, 2016	#24
agee12 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2016 Location: Georgia Posts: 196	Growing red grape tomatoes is high on my list for 2017, although undecided on the variety. I like the flavor but the skin was thick on the red grape tomato that I grew this past season and I've read that that is one of the characteristics.

November 30, 2016	#25
BigVanVader Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Greenville, South Carolina Posts: 3,099	Yeah after tasting Fred's Bumblebees, Black Cherry, Sungold and Blush I don't grow red cherries to eat anymore.

November 30, 2016	#29
Bulldog Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2015 Location: Georgia Posts: 126	Jaune Flamme did well and Matt's wild cherry was the best for me. Matt's Wild cherry still is in a large pot with ripe red cherries this late. Best thing is every time I go to water or look in the garden, I get a little treat. It has had enough tiny fruits that the squirrels and chipmunks didnt eat them all, like most of the larger fruits. Sungold F1 produced well early but gave up the ghost in July.

November 30, 2016	#30
AlittleSalt BANNED FOR LIFE Join Date: May 2014 Posts: 13,333	As Bill wrote above - I should have mentioned that Ambrosia Red does grow a large plant with lots of suckers - especially during a wetter than usual growing season. I might have got a cross Matt's Wild Cherry seeds? I planted 4 of them. Two had typical sized MWC tomatoes on them. The other two produced tomatoes the same size as Sungold. Both sizes tasted exactly the same. I only saved seeds from the two plants that produced the larger tomatoes. I'm not sure if that means it's a cross, or if that's just how some MWC produce?