Sgt. Peppers

[clara]

I'm growing Sgt. Pepper's for the third year in a row and I was always very pleased with it - beautiful dark blue-pink hearts. Somebody whom I had given a tomato last year refused to eat it, he said "It's too beautiful to eat it!"

But this year, something strange has happened: I have large trusses of flowers, similar to a MF type, but when now I was back from my holidays, I saw that I don't have a single fruit despite all these flowers. And there is no more antho in the stem, not even a tiny bit. When I had put the seedling into the ground, the stem was so dark, you could recognize the variety at first glance. Now it's looking as all "normal" tomatoes...

[Labradors2]

How very strange that your Sgt. Pepper's has morphed into a MF with no antho AND no fruit If you'd been around, you could have buzzed those flowers.....

I hope your other varieties are being better behaved and more productive Clara!

Linda

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by ginger2778

Karen, this is a very different plant and fruit than what I grew, and this is my second year growing it, because like Dee above, my first year I got a pink heart with no antho at all,(if it doesn't have antho, it ain't Sgt. Peppers) seeds from Jason himself, so they are clearly not stable as yet. Mine last year had the typical antho shoulders, pink under.
Yours has more antho than I have ever seen in any Sgt. Peppers.(Sorry Carolyn but it is true) I wonder if it will be pink under all that antho when it ripened. I sincerely doubt that it is due only to bright sunlight, especially since it is far bluer than just the shoulders.

No need to apologize Marsha since my reading the several threads here and there it's clear to me that results can and do vary.

Did you get a chance to read all the links I gave above about Sgt Pepper since I think they tell a story.

I do not think that variable results indicate inherent genetic instability for I do think it's due to cultural variability in any given year and where it is grown in any given year based on all the variables I posted above.

Carolyn, who also notes that there are pictures of Sgt Pepper that have no antho at all . Now some might say no antho,not S Pepper, with which I would also disagree. From the get go when Dr.Myers first introduced some antho varieties,he said it was for nutritional value. I was sent actual fruits of the original P20 and had to spit them out. Reinhard Kraft in Germany had a huge antho project going and recently told me that he wasn't going to do any more with that project since the taste was not there.

Just remembered two antho varieties that I think most folks don't know about since it was so many years ago they were made available and I've grown both. There are some perks for being as old as I am since I usually can remember more of,well, back then,etc.

http://tatianastomatobase.com/wiki/Purple_Smudge

And I've grown the orange fleshed variant as well.

Back then it wasn't called antho, but if you read the history you'll see the reference to sun as being involved in phenotypic expression.

Carolyn

[Spartanburg123]

Some pictures of my two plants this summer, both of which have produced heart-shaped fruit with blue shoulders, but only when they are exposed to sunlight! My seedlings were quite dark in the stems while in constant light, but the stems faded as the plant grew taller and more shaded in the interior. The initial fruit on the first truss always had blue antho shoulders, but all color was lost as the plant grew taller and shaded these fruit. No difference in taste between lower fruit and ripe fruit from the top, with antho expressed.
KarenO- that is an amazing coloration. It looks as dark as the OSU Blue parent from which it was derived! I would definitely save the seeds, make note of the flavor, and document it well here and over in Xanadu, where Jayson Hanes regularly visits. Last picture is of OSU Blue....

[clara]

Originally Posted by Labradors2

How very strange that your Sgt. Pepper's has morphed into a MF with no antho AND no fruit If you'd been around, you could have buzzed those flowers.....

I hope your other varieties are being better behaved and more productive Clara!

Linda

Linda, I'm very curious what will come out of this plant! Above all: Some tomatoes! If I had been there, I would not have buzzed the flowers because the plant is placed in a spot where is always at least some wind and another variety close-by has an amazing fruit set.

Yes, all other tomatoes are doing fine. Only one has died during my absence, but it was already looking sick before I left.

[Spartanburg123]

Here are few more pictures of semi-ripe Sgt. Pepper's from my two plants. These fruit have various degrees of pigment in the shoulders. For curiosity, I cut away a little blue skin and confirmed that the pigment is indeed only in the skin, and not in the meat of the tomato. At any rate, the flavor of this variety is superlative

[Labradors2]

My Sgt Peppers plant has two tomatoes, both green and heart shaped, but showing no sign of antho, yet there is antho in the stems!

Linda

[Spartanburg123]

Linda- are the tomatoes at the bottom of the plant and shaded?

[KarenO]

Dark lanky viney wispy plant continues to set all blue hearts
None ripe yet, as they grow start to show some green on the bottoms which presumably will turn pink when ripe. (?)
KarenO
Continues to cause comment and concern among folks at the comm garden where it's is growing.

[Spartanburg123]

Keep an eye on this one, and save seeds!! I've never seen a blue heart before!!!

[Tormato]

My plant in 2016 had blue shouldered pink hearts (not blunt). You have something way different.

[ginger2778]

Looks like the stems are a bit greener now. Making lots if fruit.

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by Spartanburg123

Keep an eye on this one, and save seeds!! I've never seen a blue heart before!!!

as Karen said

(as they grow start to show some green on the bottoms which presumably will turn pink when ripe. (?)


They will Karen,they will.

I've seen so many pictures of this variety here and there,but never a blue permanent heart. Non heart all blues all the time, yes.

And my original seeds were from Jason Haynes,aka, Tollie, quite a few years ago as I've posted before, but fresh seeds last summer from one of the seed producer folks.First time I'll see it is this summer,so fingers crossed.Meaning I hope I get a heart, not a beefsteak as others have,see all the links on that that I posted in another thread about this variety.

Carolyn

[Labradors2]

Originally Posted by Spartanburg123

Linda- are the tomatoes at the bottom of the plant and shaded?

Sorry for the long delay!

Yes they are at the bottom of the plant, so a bit shaded. Perhaps that's it!

Can't wait to taste them, but it will be a while.......

Linda

Edited to say that I just took another look and there is a fruit near the top of the plant in full sun - still no antho!

[KarenO]

Originally Posted by ginger2778

Looks like the stems are a bit greener now. Making lots if fruit.

sorry for the sideways pictures, I will try to remember to take in landscape.
Most of the bright green normal looking leaves showing in the pic is the plant next to it but there is more dark green in the wispy rolled leaves than there was and the stems are not quite as black as they were. Still a very strange looking plant and not what I have seen in other's examples who have shown pictures.
KarenO