Lucky Tiger -- Farmer/Breeder 2015 select

[Salsacharley]

Fred, can you elaborate on the differences with your selected LT plants compared to the earlier version? How are you going to market the new selections?

I must say that my early version of LT (from Johnny's seeds) was badly smitten with spider mites most of the season but it is now kicking out flowers and fruit, and is probably 12 ft long. I'm going to work it until frost which isn't forecast until December here now (which is amazing).

[Fred Hempel]

Hi Charley,

The selected LT plants include the "standard" line and a few I have selected in the past couple of years based on taste and for stronger marbling. There is also a Lucky Tiger-like line from that is not closely related. I also plan on including a Lucky Tiger X Something Secret F1 hybrid.

There are no tangible goals for release of any of the lines at present. The goal is mainly to sort out how the different lines do in various places. The best lines are likely to be used as parental lines in the future, but not really marketed as "new" lines.

Originally Posted by Salsacharley

Fred, can you elaborate on the differences with your selected LT plants compared to the earlier version? How are you going to market the new selections?

I must say that my early version of LT (from Johnny's seeds) was badly smitten with spider mites most of the season but it is now kicking out flowers and fruit, and is probably 12 ft long. I'm going to work it until frost which isn't forecast until December here now (which is amazing).

[Fred Hempel]

For everyone participating --

I have packaged up 4 lines for each participant. But, no hybrid. I am behind in my crossing this winter, and I want to get everything out the door this weekend. Look for seeds in the mail by the end of next week.

Note: Unfortunately, there are not enough seeds for additional participants.

[jmsieglaff]

While not part of your experiment here Fred, I will be growing Blush and Sunrise Bumble Bee side-by-side in 2016 (along with a handful of other cherries). I'm looking forward to trying both. (I've grown Purple Bumble Bee previously--I liked it, but didn't love it.) I see myself being drawn to a nice amount of tangy flavor along side a robust sweetness and sometimes fruityness as well--I suppose one would say intense tomatoes. I'm excited for these 2 in 2016! I'll always be keeping an eye on your new releases.

[Fred Hempel]

Hi Jim,

Was it a wet year when Purple Bumblebee was not that special? It seems to be somewhat prone to flavor dilution with over-watering.

I'll be interested to hear how you compare Blush and Sunrise Bumblebee.

[jmsieglaff]

Hey Fred,

I grew it in 2014. June was warm and quite wet. July was cool and dry. August was cool and quite wet. September was cool and normal for precip. My notes reflect it had good tomato flavor but lacked much intensity for acidity or sweetness. Texture was fairly firm and still nice and juicy.

Justin

[Iva]

Fred, I will probably go ahead and try to stabilize an accidental cross of Lucky Tiger X Antho Weiss that I got in a trade.
It was really a superb tomato in every way, taste, size, productivity (it is still growing in a large pot on my balcony, all my garden plants have been dead since the end of September).
It is still popping a tomato here and there after all this time (and neglect), if you'd like some seeds from the F1 fruits, please let me know.

Here is the mommy, Lucky Tiger and a branch of unripe fruit of the cross on the top right:


And here is 'the cross' with ripe fruit, it had no visual stripes but slight antho on the shoulders that is more prominent now, when the weather cooled down:

[Fred Hempel]

Iva,

I would love some seeds from the cross. The F1 looks great!

[clkeiper]

Fred, I grew the artisian mix from totally tomatoes ( I think) and I will tell you that green tiger was my hands down favorite "cherry" in my garden. I had a young friend who took some of the plants and grew the darker bumble bee and she loved that but not the green tiger. I didn't like hers, either. funny how each of us thought total opposite of the two. I also really liked the sunrise? BB but only on the slightly green side, not fully ripe.

[Fred Hempel]

I agree on the sunrise bumblebee, if the plants are getting a decent amount of water.

It's strange, but the correlation between flavor and color is pretty variable with Sunrise Bumblebee.

With more water (or for us, early in the year, before we cut the water) the fruits taste better when they are yellow, sometimes even with a hint of green. Marbled fruits, early in the summer, are over-ripe.

Later in the year, as the plants dry down a bit, the fruits are still firm, and the flavor is even best, at the marbled stage of color.

I always wonder how many tomatoes I have a poor opinion of, because I didn't eat them at the right stage, or the environmental conditions were not optimal.

As an eater, I have favorite tomatoes, that I know how to grow for optimal flavor.

As a breeder though, it is pretty clear that a variety that most people can grow and get to produce very good tomatoes is usually more valuable than a tomato with extremely good flavor, when grown under specific conditions.

[Gerardo]

I'll be growing the Lucky Tigers you sent me, along with G Tiger, Pink, Sunrise BB, and Maglia Rosa.

Equal conditions for all.

Green Tiger is like a wrapping vine, it shakes off diseases and sets fruit like there's no tomorrow. Interesting flavor. Gonna keep trying them at different stages of ripening.

[charline]

yes, green tiger is amazing. Way more fruits than Lucky tiger. And the flavor is excellent, one of my favorites.
I will grow them all again

[travis]

Two years ago, I grew several Bumble Bees and Tigers.

My favorites were the Green Tigers and the Sunrise Bees.

The Green Tigers were awesome producers, and had a nice "pop" when bit, and a wonderful zinging flavor when slightly less than fully ripe.

The Sunrise Bees were beautiful, and to me, much sweeter and fruitier than the purples or the others. Also, very prolific.

The Purples and one of the redder Bees were the most durable against heat, dry soil, and other adverse climatic and weather conditions. They also had the thicker skins and less prone to splitting.

The Green Tigers were far more split resistant than the Blush fruit I previously have grown; although the Blush fruit are impossible to beat for flavor and appearance (other than splitting after rainstorms, mostly due to the high heat and humidity that follows storms here where I grow).

[RobinB]

Fred,
Just wanted you to know that I got my Lucky Tiger seeds in the mail today. One more reason to look forward to SPRING! I'll also be growing Sunrise BB and Maglia Rosa under the same conditions.
Thanks,
Robin

[heirloomtomaguy]

I too got mine Fred and am having a difficult time choosing which seeds to receive for my collaborating membership. Any suggestions?