Member discussion regarding the methods, varieties and merits of growing tomatoes.
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May 22, 2010 | #1 |
Tomatoville® Moderator
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Hendersonville, NC zone 7
Posts: 10,385
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the 2010 season is taking shape....Indeterminates now planted
Finally (May 21, took some time to get my act together...and the seedlings in the driveway cleared out sufficiently to make room), I made my selections and planted my "big driveway pots". Following - tomatoes and rationale.
Mexico Midget - Sue would kill me if I didn't plant this one in the driveway every year! Plus, omelets, frittatas, pizzas, and salads wouldn't be the same without a handful of them included. Speckled Roman - love it for the productivity, flavor and the stripes - and for fresh seed. Yellow Brandywine - it's been quite some time, so for fresh seed, also to compare with Aunt Gertie's Gold head to head Cherokee Purple - of course; using JSS seed source to see if they've maintained it wee Nepal - need fresh seed desperately; can link it back to the first time I grew it and loved it in 1988. Cherokee Chocolate - of course Tiger Tom - need fresh seed desperately, and for a tasty early salad tomato with bite Cherokee Green - testing the JSS release against my expectations Caitlin's Lucky Stripe - a recent selection from Little Lucky....will it be true to what I selected? Sungold - of course, and another cause for Sue murdering me if it isn't in the driveway. Problem is she eats them before I can get to them! Green Doctor - from Victory, hoping it to be a nice indeterminate green cherry (something that Green Grape for me is not) Orange Strawberry - it's been years, fresh seed badly needed, wanting to see how it does in a large pot. Loved it the only year I grew it. Berkeley Tie Dye - for fresh seed, and a fair evaluation. Lucky Cross - of course Buckeye State - from Victory - want to compare it to the Livingston description Lillian's Yellow Heirloom - of course; can never get enough seed to satisfy my needs! Aunt Gertie's Gold - to compare with Yellow Brandywine, for fresh seed and to test the hype level Pink Berkeley Tie Dye- same reason as BTD Trees Bottom Yellow - for fresh seed, to test it out, and compare - is it like LYH or YB in color? Large Lucky Red - recent selection from Lucky Cross, was stellar last year, huge PL red (rare) - will it come true? Sunlucky - from Keith - to evaluate. Andrew Rahart's Jumbo Red - for fresh seed, and to compare with Aker's WV as a large red (I grew that last year). Little Lucky - of course. Always seem to be short of seed for this. And in smaller pots, but still the driveway Stick - fresh seed...and, just because... Silvery Fir Tree - ditto Variegated - ditto Kimberly - to get a nice non-cherry red early in the season for salads The following are awaiting planting out in the big garden, once the beets and greens are done. Most of these are either for evaluation, reevaluation, or fresh seed...in a few cases, a first test, and a few others, favorites for flavor. Malschor Isura (for fresh seed), Dr Carolyn's Pink (to finally try it!), Green Zebra Cherry (first time to try, test and seed), Yellow Pear (need fresh seed), Red Zebra (never tried, need fresh seed), Ozark Cherry (fresh seed), Stokes County Pink (fresh seed), Sungold (yes, another one, maybe this way I can get some to eat myself!), White Queen (fresh seed, reacquaint myself with it), Tommy Toe (first time, fresh seed), Yellow Bell (an old favorite, love it - fresh seed), Kosovo (finally! from a fruit Lee brought back from CHOPTAG), Isis (giving it another try), Japanese Trifele Black (time to try it again), Green Giant (one of my favorites, so for eating, primarily!), new hearts from Reinhard in green, chocolate, purple, yellow and red (to test out and save seed and evaluate); Portuguese Beef, Port. Heart, Port. Paste (all for Carolyn, to evaluate and get fresh seed), Harmony sourced Cherokee Purple (from Carolyn, to compare to Cherokee Purple), Amazon Chocolate (curiosity mainly - potato leaf, from a friend who loves it), Purple Haze (from Keith, first trial) and 4 new ones from Randy Gardener. I will leave the Dwarfs to be grown for that area of Tomatoville. But now it is time to finish the pots - so on to eggplant and pepper. (on edit, managed to get most sweet peppers and all eggplant and some hot peppers in pots, hope to finish all but the numbered experimental hots planted tomorrow...those I put in very small half gallon pots just to trial as many as possible. Nice that hot peppers allow such things)!
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Craig |
May 22, 2010 | #2 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Arizona
Posts: 113
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Wow. That's quite a list. This is our first year growing heirlooms and op varieties. We have yet to have any favorites. Only tasted two so far....Black Krim (was kinda mushy, but it had good flavor. Can't say I loved it, though.) and Isis Candy (was really good). Still waiting on about 12 other varieties to taste for the first time (plus the dwarfs).
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Melissa in AZ |
May 22, 2010 | #3 |
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Location: Upstate NY, zone 4b/5a
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Craig, when you say Green Striped Zebra, which already is, do you mean Green Zebra Cherry which is different and for which I sent you the seeds?
I'm glad Craig is growing all the F2 hearts of Reinhards b'c I only have room for two, the green when ripe and the purple. So at the F2 it's only a look/see and we shall compare. And I too am growing out all four of Randy Gardners newest ones which he asked me to look at but since Craig grew all my seedlings for me this year Randy had to send the seeds to Craig, so I'm glad he's growing all of them as well so we will also compare on those. I think they're stable, but I just can't remember what he said about them, but can look it up if need be. Off topic a bit, but in the Orange Angora thread I mentioned that you sent up a plant with the others but I can't get out there to look to see if there was something angora and don't remember seeing one when they were unwrapped. Or maybe it will be in the second shipment? I guess I'm asking if you did get some angora plants b'c as I discussed in that thread they don't always show the angora trait. PS. I hope your AGG shows you what it should b'c I think it's far better than Yellow Brandywine re taste, at least for me and many others.
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Carolyn |
May 22, 2010 | #4 |
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Location: Hendersonville, NC zone 7
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Ah, yes - Green Zebra cherry that you sent. And you have the fuzzy Angora Orange (just sent it to you) - tossed the non-Angora one (2 of 3 came fuzzy).
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Craig |
May 22, 2010 | #5 |
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Location: Los Angeles Z10
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great looking list.
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May 22, 2010 | #6 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Locust Grove, VA
Posts: 292
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Nice list, and thank you for short blurbs to "why" you chose what you did!
Happy growing season! Regards, D |
May 22, 2010 | #7 |
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Thanks on the Angora. Freda and I were unwrapping them at the same time and I had all the labels already out there so I didn't get to see all of the plants up close and personal before the flat was taken outside.
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Carolyn |
May 25, 2010 | #8 |
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Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: West Virginia - Zone 6
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Excellent choice on the Trees Bottom Yellow.
I hope it works out for you. I've never grown it in a container. It is fairly light colored and then there's that darned pronounced blushing. My aunt thinks TBY is the greatest tomato in the world. So, I grew out some plants for her and she wants me to transplant them for her this weekend. The irony to this little story is I'll be transplanting Trees Bottom Yellow at Trees Bottom. Good luck. Randy Last edited by WVTomatoMan; May 25, 2010 at 05:25 PM. Reason: boo boo |
May 25, 2010 | #9 |
Tomatoville® Moderator
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Hendersonville, NC zone 7
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Sounds like the best comparisons for TBY will be Lillian's Yellow Heirloom, and Casey's Pure Yellow - all pale yellow PLs with a faint blush.
I am not growing Casey this year, but have Trees and LYH close to each other for easy visual comparison!
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Craig |
May 25, 2010 | #10 | |
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Quote:
I know and you know and SSE members know that Irish Pink did not originate in Ireland, but I bet there are lots of Irish folks out there and not knowing it orginated in W VA and was named for a geographic location there might think they had a connection to the Old Soud when they see the name. If you have time could you e-mail me or PM me and tell me of anything came from that Cosner connection I gave you? I sure haven't heard anything.
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Carolyn |
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May 26, 2010 | #11 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: West Virginia - Zone 6
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Craig,
Like I said I haven't grown TBY in a container, but someone has: http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?sec...den&id=6298708 She seems to like it. Amazing what google searches will turn up. One thing you might want to look at when comparing is the stem. TBY consistently has one of the thickest stems in my garden. Good for holding all those big yellow beefsteaks I guess. Carolyn, I am terribly sorry I haven't gotten back to you. I owe you an email and will get it to you in the next couple of days. Irish Pink is kind of like Crnkovich Yugoslovian (sp?) interesting and different. I guess you'll be long distance tasting then with Craig doing the grow outs. I just thought of something, aren't you busy watching the French Open? Randy |
June 26, 2010 | #12 |
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Location: Hendersonville, NC zone 7
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Just a few pics of developing fruit on my driveway indeterminates - Cherokee Chocolate, a shot of the back of the driveway showing the heights of the plants, Sungold and Tiger Tom. Coming along rather well!
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Craig |
June 27, 2010 | #13 |
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Location: east texas
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great looking toms
Neva |
June 27, 2010 | #14 |
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Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Elizabethtown, Kentucky 6a
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A mini jungle/hiding spot in the making. The CC fruits look to be about as far along as my CP & some of my Brandywines. Looking good.
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