Kennington Big Red- ????

[michael johnson]

I recenty received in a trade with someone from the USA, some tomato seeds called Kennington Big Red.

Despite my best efforts googling, and studying the SSE yearbook etc, I cant find a single mention of it anywhere, does anyone know anything about it-and its history.

[carolyn137]

A Google Search brings up the following link, which is a list of tomato variety seed certified organic that Amy LeBlanc has been maintaining for many years.

And there you'll find Kennington Big Red listed.

She indicates that variety source is Source #33 which is Tomatofest, but the variety is not listed there now. When it might have been I don't know.

I also looked at a couple of earlier SSE Yearbooks since additions and deletions are made to the Yearbook each year so no two Yearbooks are the same, and if any SSE member ever did grow it, they didn't list it, for whatever reason.

But as I said, the very basic info about it is listed at:

http://www.mofga.org/oss_tomato.html


Have you contacted the person in the US who sent you the seeds to ask about it? That would probably be the most direct way of finding out about it.

[michael johnson]

Thanks a million Carolyn- thats very usefull information.

I did ask the person who I got it from in the USA and he doesnt know anything more than me about it, as he received it in a trade also- looked at the label on the pkt and decided it was not one he recognised before so he didnt bother to retain it for growing on, and therefore sent it to me in a mixed lot of different seeds.

Perhaps I should grow it just this once- to satisfy my curiosity, and see what turns up.

[Pandorae]

I grew Kennington's Big red a few years ago. Checked my archived email and found this description from my Tomatofest order confirmation in Feb 2003:
Kennington’s Big Red
A great tasting heirloom variety. Seeds were sent
to me by Hugh Kennington
of Ontario, Oregon whose
family has saved seeds
for this variety year
after year as their
favorite tomato.
Days: 80
Type: Heirloom
Size: Indeterminate
Late Season
Personal Favorite
For Sale
1 $ 2.95 $ 2.95

I remember it being a shorter densely branched plant with good medium sized fruit set that had some trouble with BER. Flavor has not overwhelming. Could have just been a bad year but I never grew it again. Hope this helps

[michael johnson]

Thanks Pandorae- thats wonderfull info, just what I was looking for, I shall probably grow a couple of plants now -just out of curiosity.

[Plantersville]

I ordered Kennington's Big Red seeds from Tomatofest last year. Planted about 3 plants and got quite a few from them til the heat and stink bugs set in. I didnt note anything special about them except that the "big red" notation didnt fit the tomato. Of course, here again, could have been the circumstances with weather, ect...I didnt plant it this year even though I save seeds from them.
Cheers