1st post list and tips

TightenUp · March 21, 2011

whats up tomatoville. starting some tomatoes from seed for first time this year. i have 8 heirloom varieties in cells as we speak but nothing poking up yet.

has anyone had good/bad experience with these varieties?

Ace 55
kimberly
box car willie
hezhou
zhezha
abe lincoln
big beef
vintage wine

i think i have grown big beefs and ace 55's in the past but never payed much attention to specific varieties. i am very curious to see how the chinese tomatoes do.

the vintage wine were thrown in as a freebie from the place i ordered seeds from

so how is my selection?

Irv Wiseguy · March 21, 2011

Hi Chef Jeff,

I'm afraid I won't be much help to you, but I wanted to say hi and that I will be interested in your opinion of Kimberly and Hezhou at the end of the season. I have Kimberly seeds but didn't have room for them this year. I never heard of Hezhou or Zehzha before, but after looking them up Hezhou sounds like something I'd like to try next year too.

The only tomato on your list that I've grown is Big Beef. Now, most reviews of Big Beef that I have read, people really love them but I didn't have such a great experience with them. The first year I grew them I had a lot of BER on the Big Beef plants and they tasted rather bland to me. Last year I grew a volunteer that could have been either Big Beef F2 or Champion F2. I suspect it was Big Beef because of the shape and size of most of the tomatoes. I didn't have the BER problem with that plant but they had the same bland taste. It's probably me because I'm not a very good gardener!

Anyway, I hope you have good success with all your varieties and I'm glad you're here!

Thanks,

Irv

MrTudball · March 21, 2011

Jeff, not much help on your list, but I look forward to hearing about how each of these selections work out for you.

puttgirl · March 22, 2011

I didn't get too many fruit on my vintage wine last year, but it was a bad year for my garden-but they were delicious and huge!

goodwin · March 22, 2011

I've grown several on your list. Kimberly is a dwarf plant, but set a nice early flush here before fading in the heat. Box Car Willie has a good reputation, but got a virus the year I grew it.
Hezhou is a great tomato, very early and a real producer. Don't let the droopy foliage fool you.
Big Beef was decent one year and weak the next, but I'm growing it again this year. Vintage Wine is just about as pretty a tomato as you can grow, but is not for fresh eating - the flesh is more like a cooking tomato. Other people may have had different results. Good luck in the garden this summer - keep us posted.

Lee

heirloomdaddy · March 22, 2011

Hey there-

Welcome. This is my first year growing Boxcar Willie, but the plants look PHENOMENAL. They are both (different locations) my healthiest looking plants. Let's hope they taste good!

barkeater · March 22, 2011

Chef Jeff,

Welcome to T-Ville. Don't worry, all tomato varieties taste their best if grown in Jersey! Kimberly will give you your first salad tomatoes, and Box Car Willie should be great.

TightenUp · March 22, 2011

thanks all for the welcome!

i am really excited as this a.m. i had my first plants poking through. i will update as more unfolds.

TightenUp · March 22, 2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by goodwin

I've grown several on your list. Kimberly is a dwarf plant, but set a nice early flush here before fading in the heat. Box Car Willie has a good reputation, but got a virus the year I grew it.
Hezhou is a great tomato, very early and a real producer. Don't let the droopy foliage fool you.
Big Beef was decent one year and weak the next, but I'm growing it again this year. Vintage Wine is just about as pretty a tomato as you can grow, but is not for fresh eating - the flesh is more like a cooking tomato. Other people may have had different results. Good luck in the garden this summer - keep us posted.

Lee

thanks for the info! i'm glad hezhou did well for you. i will keep the droopy leafs in mind over the summer.

the vintage wine was a gift with my seeds so any tomatoes i get will be a bonus. if they come out pretty and cook well i will be stoked as i do a lot of cooking.

i started more seeds than i can fit in my garden so i will be potting a few and giving some away. kimberly sounds like a good candidate for a pot. i will still put her in my garden though.

b54red · March 22, 2011

I didn't have any luck with Box Car Willie last year because it got fusarium wilt. I'm trying again this year in a different spot. Big Beef is a standout hot weather tomato for me down here. It is one of the few that consistently makes good year after year. I think Big Beef has good flavor for a hybrid and it's certainly got some good disease resistance which comes in handy around here most seasons. Good luck and welcome to the tomato addicts enablers forum.

TightenUp · March 22, 2011

thanks b54red. i will need the luck for sure

i should prob ask this in the seed starting forum but i'll try here first.

i have a 32 cell starter kit and about 5-6 have sprouted so far. when should i get these under lights? i was hoping to move the entire thing all at once and not break it up. is there a % of sprouted cells before i move under lights?

thanks

barkeater · March 22, 2011

They need lights immediately. Within a day without light the stems will be stretched out and weak.

TightenUp · March 22, 2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by barkeater

They need lights immediately. Within a day without light the stems will be stretched out and weak.

thanks. i did some research and moved them a few hours ago. so far so good!

BigBrownDogHouse · March 22, 2011

Greetings!

Abe Lincoln and Big Beef were two of my best plants last year.

Abe Lincoln: Big thumbs up from my family
Big Beef: Big thumbs up from my family and my in-laws. My father-in-law insists I grow him a seedling every year.
Ace 55: Didn't produce a whole bunch. No one in my family said much about it. Dropped it off this year's list.

Good luck from the DogHouse!

March 21, 2011	#1
TightenUp Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Jersey Posts: 1,183	1st post list and tips whats up tomatoville. starting some tomatoes from seed for first time this year. i have 8 heirloom varieties in cells as we speak but nothing poking up yet. has anyone had good/bad experience with these varieties? Ace 55 kimberly box car willie hezhou zhezha abe lincoln big beef vintage wine i think i have grown big beefs and ace 55's in the past but never payed much attention to specific varieties. i am very curious to see how the chinese tomatoes do. the vintage wine were thrown in as a freebie from the place i ordered seeds from so how is my selection?

March 21, 2011	#2
Irv Wiseguy Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Thousand Oaks, CA Posts: 281	Hi Chef Jeff, I'm afraid I won't be much help to you, but I wanted to say hi and that I will be interested in your opinion of Kimberly and Hezhou at the end of the season. I have Kimberly seeds but didn't have room for them this year. I never heard of Hezhou or Zehzha before, but after looking them up Hezhou sounds like something I'd like to try next year too. The only tomato on your list that I've grown is Big Beef. Now, most reviews of Big Beef that I have read, people really love them but I didn't have such a great experience with them. The first year I grew them I had a lot of BER on the Big Beef plants and they tasted rather bland to me. Last year I grew a volunteer that could have been either Big Beef F2 or Champion F2. I suspect it was Big Beef because of the shape and size of most of the tomatoes. I didn't have the BER problem with that plant but they had the same bland taste. It's probably me because I'm not a very good gardener! Anyway, I hope you have good success with all your varieties and I'm glad you're here! Thanks, Irv

March 21, 2011	#3
MrTudball Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2009 Location: Nebraska Posts: 48	Jeff, not much help on your list, but I look forward to hearing about how each of these selections work out for you.

March 22, 2011	#4
puttgirl Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: SW PA Posts: 281	I didn't get too many fruit on my vintage wine last year, but it was a bad year for my garden-but they were delicious and huge!

March 22, 2011	#5
goodwin Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Espanola, New Mexico Posts: 608	I've grown several on your list. Kimberly is a dwarf plant, but set a nice early flush here before fading in the heat. Box Car Willie has a good reputation, but got a virus the year I grew it. Hezhou is a great tomato, very early and a real producer. Don't let the droopy foliage fool you. Big Beef was decent one year and weak the next, but I'm growing it again this year. Vintage Wine is just about as pretty a tomato as you can grow, but is not for fresh eating - the flesh is more like a cooking tomato. Other people may have had different results. Good luck in the garden this summer - keep us posted. Lee

March 22, 2011	#6
heirloomdaddy Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Los Angeles Z10 Posts: 291	Hey there- Welcome. This is my first year growing Boxcar Willie, but the plants look PHENOMENAL. They are both (different locations) my healthiest looking plants. Let's hope they taste good!

March 22, 2011	#7
barkeater Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: NE Kingdom, VT - Zone 3b Posts: 1,439	Chef Jeff, Welcome to T-Ville. Don't worry, all tomato varieties taste their best if grown in Jersey! Kimberly will give you your first salad tomatoes, and Box Car Willie should be great.

March 22, 2011	#10
b54red Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Alabama Posts: 7,068	I didn't have any luck with Box Car Willie last year because it got fusarium wilt. I'm trying again this year in a different spot. Big Beef is a standout hot weather tomato for me down here. It is one of the few that consistently makes good year after year. I think Big Beef has good flavor for a hybrid and it's certainly got some good disease resistance which comes in handy around here most seasons. Good luck and welcome to the tomato addicts enablers forum.

March 22, 2011	#14
BigBrownDogHouse Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Northern Illinois ZONE 5a...wait now 5b Posts: 906	Greetings! Abe Lincoln and Big Beef were two of my best plants last year. Abe Lincoln: Big thumbs up from my family Big Beef: Big thumbs up from my family and my in-laws. My father-in-law insists I grow him a seedling every year. Ace 55: Didn't produce a whole bunch. No one in my family said much about it. Dropped it off this year's list. Good luck from the DogHouse!