Feedback: My 2010 Seed Offer

[Bama mater]

I had both GD and GDFrosted and there is an obvious difference. The GD turns a shade of yellow on the bottom when ripe, The GDF is sometimes hard to tell when ripe, but will turn a dull pale green when real ripe.

Anyway those are my findings. Both produce very well and have a great taste, The GDF is the sweeter of the two.

[rsg2001]

Sorry, Carolyn, that I'm a little late reporting in this thread on my results from the offer. I did do some reporting mid season, but here goes.

Overall, germination was good except for Green Zebra Cherry. You were kind enough to send me a few more, but as the garden was planted, I decided to hold them for next year.

As far as production, this is what I found:
Big Sungold Select: I got two kinds from the two different plants that made it to the garden. One was super-gigantic orange, and the other was small red. I posted a picture in the separate BSS thread next to a regular Sungold F1. As far as taste went, I thought they were "OK" but nothing near Sungold F1. I liked the big orange ones better than the small red ones.

Rose D'Amagu. I only got three tomatoes out of the two that I planted, but they were exquisite to the taste. Very rich. I would try them again. I tried to save seeds, but a squirrel got to the plastic cup where I was fermenting them, alas.

Pozhar. These were actually a couple of leftover seeds from last year. I planted one in an earth box and it went crazy - absolutely fabulous on production and on taste, one of my best this year. I saved seeds from it and hope it will do the same again next year. Just loved this variety.

Green Doctor's Frosted. Not a one. I seemed to not have as much luck with the green ones this year. I planted it in a pot along with a Sprite, a red grape hybrid, and I think the Sprite must have crowded out the two GDFs.

I think that's it.

Robbin

[dustdevil]

Carolyn, I didn't partake in your large yearly seed offer, but I did grow Smarty hybrid that I received from you. The fruit had a tough skin and is a bit chewy. Mild flavor...reminds me of a store bought tom in the winter. I had a record amount of rain this summer, but the skin didn't crack...might have been more flavorful with less rain and more sun.

[Paul R]

Kosovo: true to type, good production, great results.

Ludmilla's Pink Heart: true to type, good germination, 70%, good production, great results.

Indian Stripe: true to type, good production, great results.

Indian Stripe was my favorite Tom.

Paul R

[sprtsguy76]

Maybe thats the description I'm looking for as Bama mater said, "dull green" would best describe it. Which is a bit different green than when completely unripe.

Damon

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by sprtsguy76

Maybe thats the description I'm looking for as Bama mater said, "dull green" would best describe it. Which is a bit different green than when completely unripe.

Damon

Damon, have you ever seen real white grapes that are rolled in sugar to make them look frosted? That's what GD Frosted looks like and that's why it was named GD Frosted.

But to a fellow heart lover let me tell you about this new huge red heart variety I have called Kukla's Potuguese Heart. Beautifully shaped, excellent taste, indet and PL no less.

The problem is I have just ONE fruit, the few seeds already fermented for use in growing it next year. There are three new Portuguese ones and Craig had planned to do the seed production on all three but his plants got wiped out with Septoria Leaf Spot.

There's also a Kukla's Portuguese Paste and I have just two fruits of those ripening up inside and none from the beefsteak one.

And then there's Fish Lake Oxheart, also ripening up inside and just one fruit as well but I think I see one more hanging on for dear life out there, and Shoe in NC was supposed to be doing the seed on that one so I have to check that out.

[carolyn137]

Thanks so much to all of you who have reported back so far on my general 2010 seed offer. It really does help me a lot in determining which varieties I might be offering in late Dec to mid-January, who knows exactly when, surely not me, especially with the pre-2007 ones.

I think there are still about 50 folks who haven't reported on anything so fingers crossed here.

I had hoped to have a lot of new to all or most ones, but right now it's not looking that way b'c of such a lousy season here and problems with at least 3 of the four folks who were graciously doing seed production for me elsewhere.

Stuff happens and as it is oft said, there's always next year. And it's a balancing act for me as well since I have to have enough seeds to list in the 2011 SSE Yearbook as well as offering them for free here. But up until now I've always gotten more feedback from the Tville folks than I do with SSE folks who request my listed varieties from the YEarbook.

So thanks again to those of you who have given some feedback.

[gill_s]

Hello, Carolyn
You do not have many reports that I can find for the Smarty F1 And Plum Regal, although from the number of people looking for souce of seed for Plum Regal in your seed availability thread it sounds popular. I had a difficult season because I had a disease problem ? Bacterial Speck.
I was growing one Smarty plant and one Plum Regal in a hydroponic 'ebb and flow' system and one Plum Regal in a container. The Smarty set well with good productivity but whether it was the disease initially or not it developed serious BER and then succumbed badly to the disease. The Plum Regal growing in the same system did not have any BER, it has not noticeablysuccumbed to disease and has cropped very well. However the Plum Regal in the container (alongside the hydroponic system) suffered badly from this disease!. It did still crop well but the fruits were marked on the skin and the foliage suffered badly!
As to flavour etc I found the Smarty( I had a few and also some from a plant I had given to a friend) was sweet but the skins quite tough.
The Plum Regal are taking quite a long time to reach full ripeness but those I have tasted were good and quite sweet. They are keeping in good condition both on and off the plant.
I would certainly grow Plum Regal again if seed was available!
Sorry for the long post but I thought you may be interested in the disease findings
Gill

[carolyn137]

Hello, Carolyn
You do not have many reports that I can find for the Smarty F1 And Plum Regal, although from the number of people looking for souce of seed for Plum Regal in your seed availability thread it sounds popular. I had a difficult season because I had a disease problem ? Bacterial Speck.

****

Gill, thanks so much for your feedback. I wanted to keep those separate from my general seed offer so that all the reports would be together which would also make it easier for Randy Gardner to read them, and other interested folks.

So the reason you don't see reports for the NCSU varieties in this thread is b'c I opened another thread for feedback for them a couple of weeks ago and i'ts about half way down this first page of the General Discussion Forum.

[GunnarSK]

End of Season.

I've had a couple of frost nights that have killed all my tomato plants etc. but left most of the fruit intact. The only one from your seed offer worth mentioning was Mortgage Lifter (Estler's), which grew true to type but didn't allow me to save seed. The only ones that I have been able to pick unripe and ripen inside was Stupicke and Szach (none of them from you). In the garden I have only picked vine-ripe cherries and Malinowy Olbrzym. Next year I'll probably transplant in cups or pots and put them in the garden earlier, and it is of course possible to wish, that late blight will not be as rampant as this time.

[cdbva]

2009 Geante de Hutt – 3 sowed, 33% germinated (i.e., one).

2004 Noire Charbonneuse – 3 sowed, 33% germinated.

2003 Indian Stripe – 3 sowed, 66% germinated. (Two!)

All grew nicely. Unfortunately, I had a deer disaster early on, and Geante de Hutt was the hands-down favorite. They ate it right down to the ground! So I can't say what it was like. But Noire Charbonneuse and Indian Stripe recovered, and yielded a few good tomatoes. Noire Charbonneuse produced a very nice black tomato.

And thank you. Who'd've thought that growing unknown-to-me tomatoes would be so much fun?

Christine

[goodwin]

hi Carolyn -

Burning Spear - one plant with purple fruit, one plant with gold fruit - right shape
Maria Amazalitei's Giant Red - amazing size, excellent quality
Wes - doubly amazing - set bushels - remarkable flavor
Kazachka - we've discussed, but they are similar to Black Cherry only in color

Thank you - it has been a remarkable season, and I found at least 3 varieties here I'll continue to grow year after year.

Lee

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by goodwin

hi Carolyn -

Burning Spear - one plant with purple fruit, one plant with gold fruit - right shape
Maria Amazalitei's Giant Red - amazing size, excellent quality
Wes - doubly amazing - set bushels - remarkable flavor
Kazachka - we've discussed, but they are similar to Black Cherry only in color

Thank you - it has been a remarkable season, and I found at least 3 varieties here I'll continue to grow year after year.

Lee

Burning Spear one plant with PURPLE fruit? Hmmmmm, I know that some folks got red fruited plants when Burning Spear should be a brilliant deep orange, but PURPLE?

Perhaps you mean a dark pink? And the right shape as well?

And one gold fruited? I know that some folks have problems deciding if a variety is gold or orange, but the orange of Burning Spear is a vibrant deep orange and I don't think could be confused with gold.

Has me stumped.

The seeds I offered this past Spring were from my own 2009 season growouts. and I can see some cross pollination happening, b/c I don't bag blossoms, and I do know that some got for red fruited plants, but I think that the only dark colored variety I grew in 2009 was Kazachka, a black cherry.

Well, why not grow out what you say is purple and I suggest dark pink b'c I know of only two varieties that really do have some purple in them. But if your Purple ( dark pink?) was the result of a X pollination with Kazachka then the F1 wouldn't be the same shape as Burning Spear should be.

And if you want to send me a few seeds of what you call gold I can grow a plant and tell you what color I think it is.

It does seem odd to me that there would be two cross pollinations affecting the few fruits I processed of BSpear, and I'm disappointed you didn't get the vibrant deep orange correct one,prhaps, but then perhaps you didn't use all the seeds I sent.

Yes, Wes, will always be a favorite of mine.

[goodwin]

hi Carolyn -

I've meant to contact you with my Burning questions, but the season got away from me. Here are photos of the fruit in question. The second type appears closer to what you've described, and I saved seed from both. Thanks again for everything you've shared with me and this community.

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by goodwin

hi Carolyn -

I've meant to contact you with my Burning questions, but the season got away from me. Here are photos of the fruit in question. The second type appears closer to what you've described, and I saved seed from both. Thanks again for everything you've shared with me and this community.

Yes, the one on the left looks pinkish to me and Brad Gates had mentioned that he got some pinks as well. And the one on the right should have ripened up to a deep orange and it looks like it's on it's way in that picture.

So many folks like Burning Spear, the deep orange one, that someone has offered to send me more seeds so I can offer it again, b'c I didn't grow it this past season and had less than 10 seeds left for myself having distributed all the rest.