Historical background information for varieties handed down from bygone days.
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May 1, 2011 | #1 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: NW Wisconsin
Posts: 910
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Wisconsin 55 and beyond
I am growing Wisconsin 55 Gold this year for the first time. I have read that it was a sport that Walker had grown in his garden. I was wondering if there are any other varieties besides the WI 55 that came out of the UW that anyone has experience with. Or any WI heirlooms. I am always interested in varieties that have been grown and developed in my climate.
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May 1, 2011 | #2 |
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I grew Wisconsin 55 last year. I liked it very much. It produced very well.
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May 1, 2011 | #3 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 2,591
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First off, where are you in Wi. I'm now in West Bend, about 30 miles N of Milwaukee, but grew up in Milwaukee.
I think there is another thread here somewhere about other varieties that came from the Wisconsin 55 breeding program but right now I'm not sure where it is. I got a variety called Wisconsin Chief from a trade from someone in the UK. I don't really know the history of it other than he said it is rare. I know he has gotten seed from some of the seed banks in the past but I don't know if this is 1 of those. I'll have to find out more about it and the others he sent me, but I don't believe he posts here. Carol |
May 1, 2011 | #4 | |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Evansville, IN
Posts: 2,984
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Quote:
Dr. Robt. Raabe, professor emeritus at UC Berkeley, found the yellow fleshed sport of WI-55 growing in a trial field of the regular red fleshed line circa 1954, and maintained the variety for over 50 years before sharing it with a graduate student who passed seeds along to other members of Seed Savers Exchange. http://t.tatianastomatobase.com:88/w...consin_55_Gold WI-55 adapts well to heavy soil, and I can vouch that WI-55 will adapt to poor soil conditions as well as warm and humid growing conditions, as I grew it in a particularly wet and hot season with much better results than 75% of the other varieties in the same garden. |
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May 1, 2011 | #5 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: NW Wisconsin
Posts: 910
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I am in northwestern WI about 60 miles east of St. Paul. I have seen the Wisconsin Chief listed in a seed bank but very little info about it.
Mike |
May 1, 2011 | #6 | |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Up North
Posts: 660
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I found some information from martin who seems to know the background....maybe ask him.
Quote:
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May 1, 2011 | #7 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: NW Wisconsin
Posts: 910
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Not sure I want to stir this pot but why would the gold be an heirloom and the red not if they came from the same line?
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May 1, 2011 | #8 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: NW Wisconsin
Posts: 910
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Yes Travis, my mistake, JC Walker was the original breeder not the one with the sport.
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May 2, 2011 | #9 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Evansville, IN
Posts: 2,984
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Because the person who is quoted in the post made his comment in the course of an old and highly contentious argument, and was referring to definitions once offered for four categories of heirloom tomatoes. The irony is that the closest match WI-55 Gold comes to one of those four definitions is if it were the result of a mystery outcross of WI-55 rather than a sport, which he instead insists that it is.
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May 2, 2011 | #10 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: PNW
Posts: 4,743
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This document has some of the history. Look at the upper
right in the first genealogy graph (for Campbell 135 and 146): http://tgc.ifas.ufl.edu/vol11/v11p36.html
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May 2, 2011 | #11 | |
Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Upstate NY, zone 4b/5a
Posts: 21,169
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Quote:
And I certainly agree with Travis about the cut and pasted info above from a person whom some of us know well, that it was a so called somewhat ugly thread that was indeed very contencious. Travis can correct me if I'm not remembering correctly but I seem to recall that Alison, to whom Dr. Raab gave seed of the gold version was also present at the time. Again, the seeds were given to Alison, not the person whose cut and paste was given above. As for him "saving" WI55, well, there are differing opinions on that, all of which I've conveniently forgotten and would have to read that thread again if it's still available, maybe with the wayback website, but it sure isn't one that I kept/
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Carolyn |
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May 2, 2011 | #12 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: NW Wisconsin
Posts: 910
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Sorry folks. I didn't intend to bring up an old argument with this post.
I did find a WI variety called Sheboygan. It is a paste type offered in the SSE catolog. I will save a spot for it next year in my garden. |
May 12, 2011 | #13 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Michigan
Posts: 32
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Hey mudman,
I moved from Stevenspoint a few years back. In regards to your question about Wisconsin heirlooms I do know of one o.p. variety. Jung's wayahead from jungs seed co. is a tomato I'm growing this year. Here is the info from their site: "Way ahead" when it comes to early ripening. Fruits are good size, bright red, almost round and very smooth. The flesh is solid with true tomato flavor. One of the finest for juice. Our strain of this tomato has all been grown from single plant selections. Determinate growth habit |
May 12, 2011 | #14 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: WI, USA Zone4
Posts: 1,887
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I support anyone who wishes to promote varieties from my home state.
Last edited by dustdevil; May 12, 2011 at 01:53 PM. |
May 12, 2011 | #15 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Up North
Posts: 660
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sorry for looking up information and posting....I'll leave that to the others
good grief |
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