Heirlooms NOT to grow!

[FarmerShawn]

Two tomatoes I have tried and just really couldn't stand the taste of are Purple Calabash and Azoychka. They produced fine, and looked good. But yuck! Can (or should) anyone convince me to give either or both of them another try?

[carolyn137]

I have never understood this thread since one person's spitter is another person's tried and true favorite.

No two season's are the same anywhere, no one knows how someone else's tomatoes were grown as to inground, containers, whether staked or not, use of cages, or not, etc., what amendments were used, if any and if so which ones and when and how much, what the soil was like, what was the mix in containers,just to name a few variables.

But carry on, since what I just wrote is not going to stop anyone here from posting whatever they feel they must post.

Carolyn

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by carolyn137

I have never understood this thread since one person's spitter is another person's tried and true favorite.

No two season's are the same anywhere, no one knows how someone else's tomatoes were grown as to inground, containers, whether staked or not, use of cages, or not, etc., what amendments were used, if any and if so which ones and when and how much, what the soil was like, what was the mix in containers,just to name a few variables.

But carry on, since what I just wrote is not going to stop anyone here from posting whatever they feel they must post.

Carolyn

To prove your point I like Purple Calabash and I know you dont care for it.
I think the more involved people get in this tomato thing the more picky they become.
Almost snob like.
What was once something they would have liked they start disliking it later on looking for that perfect tomato.
I challange anyone to compare Purple Calabash to the grocery store tennis ball and tell me which one they like best.
If you are in the desert which would a person rather have, a barrel of tap water or a bottle of smoo smoo water.
I personally want varieties that load up my vines because I am greedy, not picky.

Now what was that variety at the corner of my garden the deer liked so well?
Worth

I seem to select for and reject from my garden by type. I'm only growing two black varieties this year after trying most multiple times. Black from Tula and Carbon always seem to make the cut for one more year. Green when ripe's are all rejected with the exception of Lime Green Salad, but it is a totally different kind of GWR. All of the multicolor are gone because they seem to liquify inside the skin if left on the vine one day to long. Pineapple had good production and good taste. If it stayed on the vine or on the kitchen counter that extra day, I almost had to punch a hole in it and eat it with a straw. The yellow/gold varieties are gone with the exception of KBX which has been one of my best tomatoes of any type for many years. Orange Minsk may make an occasional appearance those years I can forget how ugly and misshapen the tomatoes are and only remember how productive and tasty they are. I think Moravsky Div will only leave my garden as my early, open pollinated variety when someone prys them out of my cold, dead hands. I may still put up a fight to save them. Thats enough! I won't even mention the reds, pinks, and cherries which have been booted and those which I have saved for many years hoping for one more repeat performance.

Ted

[Worth1]

Ted if I remember correctly Lime Green Salad is the one I practically begged you to try.
It is the only one I will grow too.

Worth

Originally Posted by Worth1

Ted if I remember correctly Lime Green Salad is the one I practically begged you to try.
It is the only one I will grow too.

Worth

It didn't take much begging Worth. I always look forward to growing anything which comes with such high recommendation. As I did once before, I thank you for suggesting it. It will always have a place in my garden. It fills so many niches as a diminutive, almost dwarf sized; multifloral with high production and great taste it will be hard to beat.

Ted

[sdzejachok]

I have tried Silvery Fir Tree, Oregon Spring and Isis Candy several times with no fruit. Garden Peach was fantastic one year but seeds were not saved. Garden Peach from another source was nothing special.

[sjamesNorway]

Hi. Just wondering how Lime Green Salad is different from other GWRs?

Steve

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by sjamesNorway

Hi. Just wondering how Lime Green Salad is different from other GWRs?

Steve

Small plant you can support with a stick or small cage, productive, skin gets yellowish when ripe, small tomatoes and they taste good.
It is a good tomato to start out on with green when ripe.
Great for salads quartered and fantastic in salsas you want green but not tangy.

Worth

[sjamesNorway]

Hi Worth. Thanks for the quick reply. I've got all my seeds for this year, including a few from the Dwarf Project, but I'll be giving LGS a try next season.

Steve

[sjamesNorway]

Originally Posted by carolyn137

I have never understood this thread since one person's spitter is another person's tried and true favorite.

No two season's are the same anywhere, no one knows how someone else's tomatoes were grown as to inground, containers, whether staked or not, use of cages, or not, etc., what amendments were used, if any and if so which ones and when and how much, what the soil was like, what was the mix in containers,just to name a few variables.

But carry on, since what I just wrote is not going to stop anyone here from posting whatever they feel they must post.

Carolyn

Hi Carolyn. I've been checking out the forums for two years, and have great respect for your tomato knowledge. But I'm afraid I don't agree on this one. Not only has it been great fun reading about peoples opinions about varieties, but there are some varieties out there that seem be be enjoyed by a majority of the people who grow them. Opinions and taste are, necessarily, subjective. But what a dull world it would be if we could only communicate about things we know to be fact. All those conditions that vary are certainly a challenge, but it's also possible to find people out there with similar conditions, and benefit from their experience. And what great fun it all is!

[FarmerShawn]

Kinda have to agree with sjamesNorway here. While for any particular tomato in any particular year I must agree with Carolyn, I do find trends useful indicators of the likelihood of my success with a variety. If ten folks say they loved a variety and one posts bad luck with it, I'll still give it a try. But if the reverse occurs, I'll skip it. I invited folks to change my mind on two varieties and convince me to give them another try. So far Worth commended Purple Calabash, and that's all, so I guess I'll continue to leave them off the list. I'm not sure why I grew PC in the first place (probably cause it's cute), but I'm pretty sure Azoychka made my list one year due to a flurry of positive posts about it, but I don't recall seeing it mentioned much recently. I found it flavorless. The bottom line is that varietal ravings from lots of places indicates to me something that might do well for me, so I'll give it a try. Likewise, despite seed catalogue glowing reports on a variety, if lots of folks here don't like it for some reason, I'll skip it. Though I'm still a sucker for the new and relatively unknown...

[Worth1]

Well the deer must have better taste than me.
I still cant remember what variety it was they loved so much there were two plants next to each other and they would eat a tomato off them every day.
They may have been brandywine.
Right next to those plants were purple calabash covered in tomatoes.
The deer totally neglected to mess with them.
I only grew the purple calabash one year and went on to others.
Maybe I should grow it again.

Worth

Some folks like chocolate ice cream, some prefer vanilla. I lean strongly to strawberry. It doesn't mean folks who prefer vanilla or chocolate are wrong and it doesn't mean my love of strawberry makes it the best flavor. I don't like strawberry ice cream made by all vendors. All it means is people have preferences in everything which may differ. The same applies to tomatoes.

Ted

[ChristinaJo]

Maybe we need to grow purple calabash around the plants we don't want the deer to eat...????