mystery Italian tomato plants

MadCow333 · July 20, 2016

These young plants were started from seeds a co-worker gave me. She doesn't know what the name of the tomato is. From what she described, it's large as a grapefruit, red, pleated or very ribbed, irregular shape, and indeterminate vine. She said they got the seeds from a relative in Italy.

I'm hoping the growing season in NW PA is long enough to at least get a few tomatoes off of these. I didn't receive the seeds until mid-May. I gave some of these plants to my co-worker, but she says her other tomatoes are taking over the garden.

Rajun Gardener · July 20, 2016

The description sounds interesting and the plant looks healthy, I hope you get to taste a few and save seeds.

**carolyn137** · July 20, 2016

it's large as a grapefruit, red, pleated or very ribbed, irregular shape, and indeterminate vine. She said they got the seeds from a relative in Italy.

******

It sounds like one of the many piriform ( pear shaped) varieties that are grown in Italy,or used to be grown, and many still are.

So when the fruits form,see if they look anything like the following

http://t.tatianastomatobase.com:88/wiki/Liguria

And note the other piriforms mentioned as well.

You'll want to name it yourself, so see if your coworker can give you any information at all on where she or he got it from in Italy,names,places,etc.And if you want me to I can help you name it as I have for other folks in the same situation.

When a new unnamed variety appears there are those who will ask for seeds,either here in your thread or by PMingy ou,which is very poor form,trust me,been there,so just ignore any such requests.

Whenyou save enough seeds perhaps you'd like to make a seed offer in the TRADE Seed Subforum,where no trades are really needed at all,many just offers alone.

That's what Tam did when she got an unnamed one from Italy,and there's a kind of funny story,here at Tville what we went through in naming it.

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

So please keep us updated on this new Italian variety.

Carolyn

MadCow333 · July 20, 2016

Thanks, Carolyn! Piriform might fit the bill, because whenever I steered questions toward beefsteak appearance, my coworker insisted that they were different, big, and lumpy or sometimes odd-shaped.

MadCow333 · July 20, 2016

I have extra plants, and I'm in western PA, if anyone local wants a plant.

jhp · July 21, 2016

Sounds interesting! Please keep us posted with updates and pictures of fruit and cut fruit once you have some. Good luck!

Jen

MadCow333 · August 8, 2016

Might be piriform. :-) We've had a long dry hot spell, no rain, temps in high 80s to low 90s. I had a substitute tending my plants for about 10 days there and things didn't get watered enough. Here are some pics of the Italian plants, which are holding up well, considering the problems I'm having with some others.

(rotate that clockwise in your mind, because Photobucket won't let me rotate it, lol)

(rotate that ccw)

blossom, out of focus

Father'sDaughter · August 8, 2016

Definitely not piriform based on that picture. The piriform tomatoes are all fatter at the bottom, much like a sack shape. You seem to have a classic heart shape there.

MadCow333 · August 8, 2016

Okay. Thanks for the info! :-) Now I have to Google heart-shape tomato varieties. LOL

eta: That type generally fits with the type of vines these are: Droopy leaves, non-branching. These vines look a lot like the LaRoma II plants I grew last year. I kept thinking as these vines matured a bit "They look like those LaRomas I grew last year.

MadCow333 · August 9, 2016

**carolyn137** · August 10, 2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by MadCow333

Okay. Thanks for the info! :-) Now I have to Google heart-shape tomato varieties. LOL

eta: That type generally fits with the type of vines these are: Droopy leaves, non-branching. These vines look a lot like the LaRoma II plants I grew last year. I kept thinking as these vines matured a bit "They look like those LaRomas I grew last year.

There are several threads here at Tville where folks are naming their fave hearts,but there's no way that you'll ever be able to attach a specific name to what you have.And as I said earlier in this thread,others have been in the same place and needed to name what they have and I encouraged them to find out as much background info as they can, and for several,such as Tam's George Desitkis Italian Red,I helped her name it, and would be glad to help you as well if you want me to.

I'll see if I kept those links from here at Tville in my faves,when I have time.

Sitting next to my computer is a letter with seeds where all the person knows is that the man he got them from just said they were referred to as that old Russian one.

Carolyn

MadCow333 · August 18, 2016

8-18-16 BER and blemished tomatoes seem par for the course this year. The weather has literally cycled through extremes, starting with snow in May. Then directly to 90s with no rain for weeks. Then t-storms, high winds and hail pummeled my plants for 2.5 days. Crazy.

Rajun Gardener · August 18, 2016

A weekly feeding of a tablespoon of Calcium Nitrate when we have heavy rains will cure most of that and Epsom Salt will also give it a boost.

Try it and report the results and I bet you'll be surprised even in bad growing conditions.

MadCow333 · September 19, 2016

I don't know how they taste. I haven't gotten any ripe enough yet. My co-worker that gave me these seeds had a couple of ripe 'maters off the 2 surviving plants that I gave her, but her husband harvested the seeds and threw the rest of the tomato out, leaving nothing for a taste test. He said they "looked like they're supposed to." lol

Still having problems with the torrential storms beating the carp out of the plants, and leaf spot, and if plants get knocked down by the storm, any foliage that contacted the ground tends to mildew. Buy hey, at least the tornadoes skipped over us, so far.

MadCow333 · September 19, 2016

July 20, 2016	#1
MadCow333 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: NW PA 6A Posts: 159	mystery Italian tomato plants These young plants were started from seeds a co-worker gave me. She doesn't know what the name of the tomato is. From what she described, it's large as a grapefruit, red, pleated or very ribbed, irregular shape, and indeterminate vine. She said they got the seeds from a relative in Italy. I'm hoping the growing season in NW PA is long enough to at least get a few tomatoes off of these. I didn't receive the seeds until mid-May. I gave some of these plants to my co-worker, but she says her other tomatoes are taking over the garden. Last edited by MadCow333; July 20, 2016 at 03:02 PM.

July 20, 2016	#3
carolyn137 Moderator Emeritus Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Upstate NY, zone 4b/5a Posts: 21,169	it's large as a grapefruit, red, pleated or very ribbed, irregular shape, and indeterminate vine. She said they got the seeds from a relative in Italy. ****** It sounds like one of the many piriform ( pear shaped) varieties that are grown in Italy,or used to be grown, and many still are. So when the fruits form,see if they look anything like the following http://t.tatianastomatobase.com:88/wiki/Liguria And note the other piriforms mentioned as well. You'll want to name it yourself, so see if your coworker can give you any information at all on where she or he got it from in Italy,names,places,etc.And if you want me to I can help you name it as I have for other folks in the same situation. When a new unnamed variety appears there are those who will ask for seeds,either here in your thread or by PMingy ou,which is very poor form,trust me,been there,so just ignore any such requests. Whenyou save enough seeds perhaps you'd like to make a seed offer in the TRADE Seed Subforum,where no trades are really needed at all,many just offers alone. That's what Tam did when she got an unnamed one from Italy,and there's a kind of funny story,here at Tville what we went through in naming it. http://tatianastomatobase.com/wiki/G...as_Italian_Red So please keep us updated on this new Italian variety. Carolyn __________________ Carolyn

August 8, 2016	#7
MadCow333 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: NW PA 6A Posts: 159	Might be piriform. :-) We've had a long dry hot spell, no rain, temps in high 80s to low 90s. I had a substitute tending my plants for about 10 days there and things didn't get watered enough. Here are some pics of the Italian plants, which are holding up well, considering the problems I'm having with some others. (rotate that clockwise in your mind, because Photobucket won't let me rotate it, lol) (rotate that ccw) blossom, out of focus Last edited by MadCow333; August 9, 2016 at 06:52 PM.

August 8, 2016	#9
MadCow333 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: NW PA 6A Posts: 159	Okay. Thanks for the info! :-) Now I have to Google heart-shape tomato varieties. LOL eta: That type generally fits with the type of vines these are: Droopy leaves, non-branching. These vines look a lot like the LaRoma II plants I grew last year. I kept thinking as these vines matured a bit "They look like those LaRomas I grew last year. Last edited by MadCow333; August 8, 2016 at 05:52 PM.

August 9, 2016	#10
MadCow333 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: NW PA 6A Posts: 159	Last edited by MadCow333; August 9, 2016 at 06:51 PM.

July 20, 2016	#2
Rajun Gardener Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Tomato Cornhole Posts: 2,550	The description sounds interesting and the plant looks healthy, I hope you get to taste a few and save seeds.

July 21, 2016	#6
jhp Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2006 Location: Danbury, CT Posts: 492	Sounds interesting! Please keep us posted with updates and pictures of fruit and cut fruit once you have some. Good luck! Jen

August 8, 2016	#8
Father'sDaughter Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: MA/NH Border Posts: 4,919	Definitely not piriform based on that picture. The piriform tomatoes are all fatter at the bottom, much like a sack shape. You seem to have a classic heart shape there.

August 18, 2016	#12
MadCow333 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: NW PA 6A Posts: 159	8-18-16 BER and blemished tomatoes seem par for the course this year. The weather has literally cycled through extremes, starting with snow in May. Then directly to 90s with no rain for weeks. Then t-storms, high winds and hail pummeled my plants for 2.5 days. Crazy. Last edited by MadCow333; August 18, 2016 at 07:28 PM.

September 19, 2016	#14
MadCow333 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: NW PA 6A Posts: 159	9/16/16 update I don't know how they taste. I haven't gotten any ripe enough yet. My co-worker that gave me these seeds had a couple of ripe 'maters off the 2 surviving plants that I gave her, but her husband harvested the seeds and threw the rest of the tomato out, leaving nothing for a taste test. He said they "looked like they're supposed to." lol Still having problems with the torrential storms beating the carp out of the plants, and leaf spot, and if plants get knocked down by the storm, any foliage that contacted the ground tends to mildew. Buy hey, at least the tornadoes skipped over us, so far.