Common trait for Mr. Stripey?

[barryla61]

Planted some Mr. Stripey this year as it was reccomended to us.
So far about 90% of the ones we pick are freakishly deformed, some so disfigured there is little to salvage from them to eat.
Is this a common trait for this variety?

Here's some pics... 1 real nice piece of fruit, others not so much. One looks as if it is giving birth to 8 little tomatoes!

[kath]

I only grew it once and had a lot of catfacing, too.

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by barryla61

Planted some Mr. Stripey this year as it was reccomended to us.
So far about 90% of the ones we pick are freakishly deformed, some so disfigured there is little to salvage from them to eat.
Is this a common trait for this variety?

Here's some pics... 1 real nice piece of fruit, others not so much. One looks as if it is giving birth to 8 little tomatoes!

As Kath said, it's catfacing and no it isn't a specific trait for the variety b/c almost any large fruited beefsteak shaped variety can cat face if the blossoms are exposed to cool temps.

So later fruits should not show much catfacing.

Catfacing aside, Mr. Stripey would be way down on my list of good red/gold bicolors, based on me growing it once and only once but reading post after post from others who spoke of spindly plants. low production, etc.

And here's the reason you see it in so many box stores, nurseries, etc/ The old Totally Tomstoes was owned by Wayne Hilton, who also owned Shumway, Vt Bean, Seymours flowers, etc. before they were sold to Jung's/

Wayne was dealing with a wholsale firm in CA called Seeds by Design. Wayne found a red/gold bicolor in GA and gave it to the folks at SBD who named it Mr Stripey, not knowing there already was Tigerella, aka Mr. Stripey, bred in England which is quite different.

My point. Seeds by Design sends out a list of tomato seed all over the place and Mr. Stripey is on that list, thus floodding the maket with that variety/

[ContainerTed]

And there is a variety in Georgia called Georgia Streak that may be the one that found its way to SBD.

[nctomatoman]

My other issue with Mr. Stripey is that there already was a variety of that name - an AKA for Tigerella (very similar to Tiger Tom) - a tomato long listed by Thompson and Morgan in the UK. So whoever decided to name a tomato Mr. Stripey in the 1980s or 1990s just created confusion!

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by ContainerTed

And there is a variety in Georgia called Georgia Streak that may be the one that found its way to SBD.

Ted, as you know the SE is the hotbed of gold/red bicolors, thier origin being traces back to Germany and adjoining areas,and most of then not named. Candystripe is a generic name that's been used by some, but most unnamed. Even the one that my brother's neighbor in NC has been growing and when my brother asked if I wanted seeds I politely told him no/

I happen to know that the one Hilton gave to Patty at SBD was one that had no name, so they named it, and as I said in my post above they knew nothing about the variety Tigerella , which was bred by the Glasshouse Research INst in England and quickly got the common name of Mr. Stripey/

Just b'c I find it interesting, the varieties that came out of the initial cross were Tigerella, Craigella and Tangella. I don't like the first one, too tart for me and splits with the AM dew but I very much like the last two.

Thus forever confusing the situation with two Mr. Stripeys and seveal seed catalogs have goofed and I stopped counting the times I explained the difference between the two Mr Stripeys at the message sites I used to or now am reading/posting at.

[ContainerTed]

Yeah, Carolyn. I've read some of your other explanations on those other sites and I agree with the confusion part. For me, I finally made a personal decision about tomatoes that look like this one. The one I'm growing this year is the best so far for me. I've grown Big Rainbow, Georgia Streak, Hillbilly, and now this one called Mr. Stripey. I have decided that no matter what its real name may be, it is one fine tasting tomato. It will find a place in my garden for some years to come.

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by ContainerTed

Yeah, Carolyn. I've read some of your other explanations on those other sites and I agree with the confusion part. For me, I finally made a personal decision about tomatoes that look like this one. The one I'm growing this year is the best so far for me. I've grown Big Rainbow, Georgia Streak, Hillbilly, and now this one called Mr. Stripey. I have decided that no matter what its real name may be, it is one fine tasting tomato. It will find a place in my garden for some years to come.

Ted, if it works for you where you garden and how you grow your tomatoes, then if you like it over others of the same kind that you've grown that's all that really matters.

[rsg2001]

Heh, when I grew Mr. Stripey, I had the most beautiful large tomato plant.... but it never flowered. Then I read that it was probably a mule -- first time I ever heard that term for a tomato - not unknown to the variety. I kept hoping.... LOL.

[feldon30]

I always cringe when I hear someone is growing Mr. Stripey. I mean, I wish them success, but I've heard of the 'mule' problem, and just in the spectrum of bicolors there are so many other choices. Most folks only have 8-10 spots for tomato plants and you hope they aren't 'wasting' a spot on an unproductive plant.

[kenny_j]

I had a tigerella, aka mr. stripey original this year. It grew fruit just bigger than a golf ball. They were very good, with a nice balance between sweet and sour, with just enough bite to be very interesting. I will grow again. Never knew about the imposters, thanx for that Carolyn.

I grew a Mr. Stripy this year. I bought the plant from a nursery and had no idea what it would do. It produced a nice plant, but not much fruit. The fruit tasted okay, but not great. It was growing a few feet from my first Hillbilly. The Hillbilly produced abundantly with beautiful, large, great tasting, fruit. Guess which one will be in my garden next spring.

Ted