Early determinate tomatoes for the South

[Cole_Robbie]

Originally Posted by salix

Hi John - I may have been the one to share Taos Trail with you. It is in fact determinate. I got it from Val McMurray back in '09. I also have seeds for Taos Trail 1, same description: large round red, determinate. That one may have been something they were working on...

Thank you. I tend to have a hard time remembering my seed sources. Taos Trail seems like a real workhorse of a variety. I think it has potential, especially in a market garden.

[bower]

Originally Posted by Cole_Robbie

Maglia Rosa, Cole, and Sol Guld (I was misspelling that sol gold for a while) have all been good to me. I have an early red saladette called Aura that I like, and another early red called Agatha. I think both have Soviet origins.

Mat-Su Express is just as early as most of my determinates. I also like Babushkin Potseluy. It reminds me of a yellow Mat-Su. 100 Pudov is another early variety that was a good market tomato for me. It has a unique wrinkled shoulder look.

Someone on here shared a variety they call Taos Trail with me. It shows a lot of promise as an all-purpose red tomato for market. It was fairly compact, can't remember if it was determinate or not. The flavor was as good as Big Beef and the yield was excellent.

And yes, I have seeds if anyone wants some. Be advised, I also have soil disease. I don't seem to have it in my seeds, though. They are processed in Oxy Clean, and I sell and give away a couple thousand plants every spring, all to good reviews.

Cole, can you tell me if Babushkin Potseluy is determinate?

[ABlindHog]

I had very good production from a determinate called Red Rocket a couple of years ago. It was the earliest in my fall garden that year and the taste was comparable to Break O' Day. Got the seed from Tomato Growers Supply. I went back to Break O' Day to string out production a little bit but Red Rocket is worth a trial.

[Gardeneer]

I have grown Silvery Fir Tree for years and i am growing it again. It has always been my earliest.
It is very very compact. I always grow it in 4-5 gallon container.
But the fruits are tangy. But that is fine insalads , cooking. It is also very productive. Plus, its carrot leaves are ornamental.

[edweather]

How about Rutgers? I actually bought one this year to get a jump on the season here in hot humid southeast GA. Golf ball sized green ones at this point, and it will hopefully be done by June 1. I love 'em.

[Gardeneer]

Originally Posted by edweather

How about Rutgers? I actually bought one this year to get a jump on the season here in hot humid southeast GA. Golf ball sized green ones at this point, and it will hopefully be done by June 1. I love 'em.

Ed you have golf ball tomatoes, already ? If that is the case you should get ripe one by the end of April or early May , at the lates

[ContainerTed]

Van, try the one I introduced a couple years ago - Kodiak Brown. You'll love the production for market sales and the taste is definitely what you're looking for. It should be marketed for salad lovers. It also has good "counter time".

[edweather]

Originally Posted by Gardeneer

Ed you have golf ball tomatoes, already ? If that is the case you should get ripe one by the end of April or early May , at the lates

Hopefully you are right. I was thinking a full 60 days or so from fruit set, but probably a bit faster down here. An April tomato would be awesome. Had one last year, but it was a Stupice, and they are very early. Thanks, Ed

[Gardeneer]

Originally Posted by edweather

Hopefully you are right. I was thinking a full 60 days or so from fruit set, but probably a bit faster down here. An April tomato would be awesome. Had one last year, but it was a Stupice, and they are very early. Thanks, Ed

Yes, Ed. Down south fruits mature much faster than in NY.
There has been a timeline which stated it take about 45 days from mature bud to ripe tomato. Add or take few days depending on variey and fruit size.
Couple my own tomatos have flowrs :

Indigo Rose Silvery Fir Tree, Sara Black IS PL. Those were planted out less than 2 weeks ago. But my seedlings were of good sized , sowed Feb 1st.

[GoDawgs]

Originally Posted by BigVanVader

Most seeds I get from cooler climates just don't do well here. As soon as it gets hot, which can be as early as mid April, they drop flowers and in general stop producing/growing.

Yep, Southern summer heat will kill pollen. I'm now growing my tomatoes in buckets up here at the house since there's a tomato problem in the garden soil. Since tomatoes need a minimum of about six hours of sun, they're now located at the side of the house that gets summer sun until about 3:30-4pm. That means shade during the hottest part of the day and they've been doing a lot better as far as blossom drop goes.

A link on temp/pollen from my bookmarks:
http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/...fo_tomtemp.htm