Hey Fellow Floridians - Year 2

[Barb_FL]

Ginny, I am so sorry to hear that - even your Purple Cherokee? I'm so sorry I gave you those plants.

Larry - Big Brandy is definitely producing better for me than anything else with Brandywine in its name (exception BCD).

For productivity - I had a lot of luck with the F1s. Particularly Park's Whopper, and Big Beef (although just getting ripe now).

Also, a George plant - pulled one in the EB b/c tomatoes fell off; but another one in a root pouch and is has produced really well. I picked these today because the branches started hanging. Will post pics soon.

[Zone9b]

Originally Posted by Barb_FL

Ginny, I am so sorry to hear that - even your Purple Cherokee? I'm so sorry I gave you those plants.
Larry - Big Brandy is definitely producing better for me than anything else with Brandywine in its name (exception BCD).
For productivity - I had a lot of luck with the F1s. Particularly Park's Whopper, and Big Beef (although just getting ripe now).
Also, a George plant - pulled one in the EB b/c tomatoes fell off; but another one in a root pouch and is has produced really well. I picked these today because the branches started hanging. Will post pics soon.

Barb
I have grown Big Beef and Parks Whopper in the past and had fair to good success with both. I consider both of them go back to varieties, if I don't find something I like better.
Also, I'm curious, what be a George plant? I googled it and found nothing. Sounds interesting.
Larry

[Barb_FL]

Larry - the name is George Detsikas. Seeds were distributed early in 2015. I grew it in a Root Pouch then, tomatoes were excellent. A canning variety but really good taste.

Here is one cut and some unripened that I pulled off the plant today.

[Barb_FL]

Here's a NAR that I picked (not ripened yet). Support and other plant was crushed when the molding toppled on it. I stopped watering and just waiting for the fruit to ripen.

We ate one but tasted didn't compare to Rebel Yell or PBTD.

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by Barb_FL

Larry - the name is George Detsikas. Seeds were distributed early in 2015. I grew it in a Root Pouch then, tomatoes were excellent. A canning variety but really good taste.

Here is one cut and some unripened that I pulled off the plant today.

And let me tell you a bit more that may amuse you.

First, Tania's page for it

http://tatianastomatobase.com/wiki/G...as_Italian_Red

Tracy, we know her as Tam here, contacted me about this new variety and asked me to help her name it. At first she wanted to call it Gorgeous George until I sent her a link telling her that Gorgeous George was a well know wrestler, so that name was out.

Then we went back and forth on possible names and I asked her to go back to the family she got the seeds from and see if she could dig up more info, she did and that's where the Detsikas name came from.

Then she sent me a huge box of fruits.

Then she asked if she could send seeds to Tania and I said why not.

This was her first discovery of an heirloom tomato variety and I don't think I've seen anyone as enthusiastic as she was, and still is.

Carolyn, who doesn't see it as a canning variety at all, but whatever.

[Zone9b]

Originally Posted by carolyn137

And let me tell you a bit more that may amuse you.

First, Tania's page for it
http://tatianastomatobase.com/wiki/G...as_Italian_Red
Tracy, we know her as Tam here, contacted me about this new variety and asked me to help her name it. At first she wanted to call it Gorgeous George until I sent her a link telling her that Gorgeous George was a well know wrestler, so that name was out.
Then we went back and forth on possible names and I asked her to go back to the family she got the seeds from and see if she could dig up more info, she did and that's where the Detsikas name came from.
Then she sent me a huge box of fruits.
Then she asked if she could send seeds to Tania and I said why not.
This was her first discovery of an heirloom tomato variety and I don't think I've seen anyone as enthusiastic as she was, and still is.
Carolyn, who doesn't see it as a canning variety at all, but whatever.

That's a great story Carolyn.
Thanks much.
Larry

[Barb_FL]

Carolyn, Thanks for bringing us up to date re: GD. I think I had the first ripe fruit last spring when TAM did the SASE offer. I will try to find her post and update it with new pics when my fruit ripens more.

We've had such a warm fall (night-time lows are still too high to set fruit). Have been buzzing the flowers and GD really responds well to it.

[Zone9b]

For fall I planted some Girl Girl's Weird Thing and Pink Berkeley Tie Dye tomato plants. I now have 3 tomatoes and don't know what is what. Hoping someone can help me.
I'm guessing that the larger tomatoes in the pictures below with distinctive green stripes are GGWT. The picture of the smaller red tomato is not very good, so let me tell you what it looks like. The half of the tomato towards the stem has a greenish cast, a kind of dirty look and there are faint green streaks running from the stem area down the tomato sides about half way. I'm guessing this tomato is a PBTD. I am hoping you folks can help me identify them. I promised my daughter that I would save some GGWT seeds for her and this is my only chance, cause there ain't no more.
If this don't work out I'm going to have to mooch seeds from someone.
Thanks!
Larry

[Barb_FL]

Larry - That red one is neither.

I'm growing both GGWT and PBTD - and ONLY PBTD had ripe fruit so far. All were planted at the same time. GGWT took a much longer time to set fruit; but I would see aphids/(or look alike aphids) often when I buzzed the flowers. It wasn't until the plants went for a swim in the pool that GGWT even set fruit (the leaves were pretty fried, I'm thinking the aphids drown.

I think GGWT and PBTD look identical/similar (from growing last spring). Your tomatoes actually look like Large Barred Boar. I find GGWT/PBTD has more vivid colors. Actually the stripes are much more vivid in the 2nd picture.

---
We can set you up with seeds so no worries.

[Zone9b]

Originally Posted by Barb_FL

Larry - That red one is neither.

I'm growing both GGWT and PBTD - and ONLY PBTD had ripe fruit so far. All were planted at the same time. GGWT took a much longer time to set fruit; but I would see aphids/(or look alike aphids) often when I buzzed the flowers. It wasn't until the plants went for a swim in the pool that GGWT even set fruit (the leaves were pretty fried, I'm thinking the aphids drown.
I think GGWT and PBTD look identical/similar (from growing last spring). Your tomatoes actually look like Large Barred Boar. I find GGWT/PBTD has more vivid colors. Actually the stripes are much more vivid in the 2nd picture.---
We can set you up with seeds so no worries.

In my case the GGWT and PBTD set almost the same time. I transplanted them between 9/05 and 9/11. I made a couple of notes on 11/04/15 that PBTD had some nice tomatoes and a bit more than GGWT. I also made a note that GGWT had some nice tomatoes but not as many as PBTD. On 11/13 a particular GGWT plant in a raised bed had the largest green tomato of all the varieties (close to 30) that I had. But someone else picked them and they know not what they picked them off of. All the plants had a tag with the variety name which helps me, but still it can be confusing.
I was trying to avoid digging through a ton of posts to find pictures I know Ginny has posted. She has grown a ton of GGWT and I know if she looked at the pictures she would know if it was a GGWT.
Thanks so much for the seed offer. My daughter won't be needing seeds for several months anyway. She is up in Nebraska, a different world for gardening.
Thanks again,
Larry

[ginger2778]

Larry, I am almost positive that the smaller boat shaped striped one is GGWT.

[Zone9b]

Marsha,
I thought I remembered the GGWTs to have that shape, from the last time I saw them on the vine. I scraped some seeds out of the two that to me looked identical except one was larger than the other. The PBTDs may have gotten eaten but not by me. I can't say that I am bowled over by the taste of the GGWTs but I had a few Indian Stripe tomatoes and them I like a lot. I don't know that I will grow GGWT or PBTD again but it was a good experience. PBTD vines held up pretty good to Early Blight and had a sturdy vine. With some varieties it appears that EB affects them to an extend that the main stem hollows out. You can just pinch them between you thumb and finger and there is nothing inside and the outside is all dried up. Of course this is usually later in the season after most of the tomatoes have been harvested. I noticed this with GGWT but not PBTD. Also when I grew Big Beef, which highly disease resistant, late in the season it's main stems hollowed out. Parks Whopper next to it did not. Although all in all the BB probably produced as many or more Tomatoes than PW. Thanks so much for reading my post and commenting.
Larry

[Fiishergurl]

Larry,

Both of the larger tomaotes look like GGWT to me. In the above picture the GGWT are the ones with the more orange ish/redish color and the more burgundy ones are the PBTD. When I compared them side by side for taste I liked PBTD better. Tomatoes are just like ice cream... everybody has a different favorite... :-)

Ginny

[Fiishergurl]

Larry - above is a picture of a plant that is showing symptoms. It has "rugose" looking leaves but shouldnt. This is a GGWT plant. The next stage causes the leaves and limbs to start turning a spongy brown and stunts the plants growth and production. The friut mostly doesnt mature and if it does ripen its mottled in color (doesnt ripen correctly)

TYLCV has been in Florida since 1997 according to the UF website. It is transmitted by whiteflies. I think i had it worse because once the plants were weakened by the virus, the other opportunistic bugs and diseases helped bring the plants down faster so the plants succumbed before the fruit ripened.

Anyways sticky traps help, solarizing, neem oil, beneficial wasps, and/or certain pesticides.

I dont know how manageable this disease is, but i think if you live in Florida its just a matter of time before you experience it.

Ginny

[Fiishergurl]

Originally Posted by Barb_FL

Ginny, I am so sorry to hear that - even your Purple Cherokee? I'm so sorry I gave you those plants.

Larry - Big Brandy is definitely producing better for me than anything else with Brandywine in its name (exception BCD).

For productivity - I had a lot of luck with the F1s. Particularly Park's Whopper, and Big Beef (although just getting ripe now).

Also, a George plant - pulled one in the EB b/c tomatoes fell off; but another one in a root pouch and is has produced really well. I picked these today because the branches started hanging. Will post pics soon.

Hi Barb,

It was just a matter of time before the white flies and virus got to my garden anyways, so no worries. The Cherokee Purple got it and went down fast before any fruit ripened as did all the others.

Maybe I will try some resistant varieties after I ask around and see if they are worthwhile... :-)

Ginny