Member discussion regarding the methods, varieties and merits of growing tomatoes.
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July 26, 2006 | #1 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: S.E. MI
Posts: 794
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Surrogate Gardens (pic heavy)
I have a few, how about you?
And when I say surrogate garden let me make it perfectly clear that I just started the plants, these folks do all the hard work. My friend Dennis My friend Dennis has a great garden and he's growing 25 plants. He let me pick the varieties. He lives about 2 miles away and has a fantastic yard. Me and the girls visited Sunday. Here's Dennis in and amongst the plants with his map. Here is his Olena Warshova, what a plant, loaded up with fruit the size of softballs We ate some great tomatoes, I brought over a Livingston's Favorite and a few others and he had a ripe Brandywine Sudduth a Moskvich but none were better than this big Giant Syrian. It was hot and the girls were sticky from the tomatoes so we took a dip in the pool. These are the varieties that I picked for Dennis Olena Warshova Mother Russian Moskvich Milka's Red McClintocks Big Pink Louisiana Pink Livingston's Beauty 1884 Ailsa Craig Kalaman's Hungarian Heatherington Pink Grightmires Pride Andromeda Ukraine Elfie Nicholejevna Pink Giant Demidov Stump of the World Franchi red Giant Pear Giant Syrian Lithuanian Mary Robinson Livingston's Golden Queen Brandywine Sudduth The only two I have grown are the Stumpy and the Brandywine, I gave him those with the explicit directions to call me any time day or night if any tasted as good as those two. I have another 6 or 7 spread all over town I plan on showcasing all of them. I'd love to here about your surrogate gardens |
July 26, 2006 | #2 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: NJ Bayshore
Posts: 3,848
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Very cool Bully ~
I do the same for my Grandparents (Santorini & Thessaloniki, 4 of each) my Aunt (Cherokee Purple, Red Brandywine, 2 of each (condo) ) and a whole bunch of people that work at the misses hospital ~ Everyone loves it ~ Tom
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My green thumb came only as a result of the mistakes I made while learning to see things from the plant's point of view. ~ H. Fred Ale |
July 26, 2006 | #3 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Montana
Posts: 1,038
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Great pictures Bully...I have been convincing people to grow my seedlings for the past few years too.
My mother lives about 5 hours away in Billings, MT and generally has a longer season than I do. She does not have much of a green thumb, but really beats the odds. She often plants out weeks before she should and gets away with it. Leaves for the summer, and just relies on auto sprinklers etc. And always gets a great crop... I gave her Yates Beefsteak, June Pink, Valiant, Red Beauty and County Agent....She has been getting ripe fruit for about 2 weeks from Yates. All her plants have 28 or more tomatoes each on them. The upside is next week she is sending alot of surplus back to me. I also always supply the postmistress with varities I don't have room for , plus 4 or 5 others. They always return tomatoes for me to save seed....I just hope they never find out how few I really need back in order to obtain enough seed! Jeanne |
July 26, 2006 | #4 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Chatsworth,Calif.
Posts: 117
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Nice pics Bully !
My wife just brought home from work a White Tomesol and a Kellogg"s B fromm a lady I had sent plants to this spring ...she couldn't tell the name's , other than the "white"one and "orange one" your incredibley adorable,sp (lol) DH sent me.They tasted much better than the one's I grew here. Today's harvest: http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f3...l/IMG_0889.jpg Rob |
July 26, 2006 | #5 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Central New Jersey Z/6
Posts: 554
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Bully,
surrogate is a great term as I have been using auxillary as a description for mine. Have 6 locations growing toms. 4 of which are freinds or in-laws. They are not extravagant gardens, but they are staffed by some great folks who are getting the chance to taste some really good maters for a change. It also gives us the oppertunity to grow many varieties we would have to wait till "next" year to grow....JJ61 P.S. Farmed out my Kalman's Hungarian Pink also. Plenty of green ones on my old neighbor's vine. Let's compare when they come ripe. P.P.S. If the KHP come out funny-blame Tomstrees for not bagging blossoms. :wink: |
July 26, 2006 | #6 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: NJ Bayshore
Posts: 3,848
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lol ~ John ~
oh man, your killing me !!! Those aren't my saved seeds !!! I got them from a friend in Australia in a generous "package" of seeds!!! Do have them growing though ~ Everythings on the "up & up" ~ lol ~ Tom ps. oh, wow ,,, ~ hilarious ~
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My green thumb came only as a result of the mistakes I made while learning to see things from the plant's point of view. ~ H. Fred Ale |
July 26, 2006 | #7 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Sydney, Australia
Posts: 2,722
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Great Gardens
Hi Bully,
Great looking plants and a nice friendly looking guard at the gate. Is the red tomato top with the cut-off sleeves the latest haute coiture? Where are the camouflage comando pants? Think you could turn my sister-in-laws around to offering me some space? They've got a great wardrobe. One thing begs your response. Few mentions in passing now. So what do you think of Livingston's Favorite? I'm dying to know. Grew it last year, got great production, was a nice medium fruit, with good honest tomato flavour. A real stock variety around which I will build my next patch. Your thoughts? Best, Grub |
July 26, 2006 | #8 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: S.E. MI
Posts: 794
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I liked it a lot.
Not much in the way of production though. It has been fighting early blight so that may have something to do with it. The flavor was just one point short of Brandywine, more on par with Stumpy but not as sweet more old fashioned. When I popped it in my mouth it hit the high note and carried it but there wasn't a strong enough linger factor to give it a 10. A strong 8.5 to 9 though. |
July 26, 2006 | #9 |
Tomatoville® Moderator
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Hendersonville, NC zone 7
Posts: 10,385
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Oh No...not again!!! That Favorite has an awfully large stem scar and is quite large for Favorite. When I grew it from the USDA, and each year since, it is a consistent 5-6 ounce, smooth, oblate red tomato with quite a small attatchment point. I also don't recall green shoulders. Do you know what the seed source was?
(I know...I am being a party pooper on these varieties!). Here is mine:
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Craig |
July 26, 2006 | #10 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Sydney, Australia
Posts: 2,722
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Uh-oh...
I'm with Craig all the way.
Funny thing is, every imposter seems to be the same. Large red thing like what Bully posted above. All my ring-ins from Chuck's site are always like that. It's as though someone has hacked into the heirloom gene pool and planted this trojan mato. Some Livingston's Favorite (note correct spelling) chat in this thread. Pic at bottom, the reds with smooth shoulders, are the ones. http://tomatoville.com/viewtopic.php...orite&start=45 Glad the faux tastes good though. |
July 27, 2006 | #11 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Alaska Zone 3/4
Posts: 1,857
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Livingston's Favorite, Livingston's Favorite, Livingston's Favorite ... am I the only one who picked Livingston's Perfection? Did I make the wrong choice? No one mentions that one. Hmmm.
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July 27, 2006 | #12 |
Tomatoville® Moderator
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Hendersonville, NC zone 7
Posts: 10,385
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Ah, Perfection! I only grew it once, in a large collection of stuff out of the USDA. I recall it as being quite similar to Favorite, perhaps just a bit smaller. I found all of the Livingstons well worth growing, as long as you don't use the big heirloom beefsteak types as reference points! They are all really good salad or canning tomatoes.
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Craig |
July 27, 2006 | #13 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Alaska Zone 3/4
Posts: 1,857
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That's good to hear. I was beginning to worry, what with all the discussion about Livingston's Favorite!
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July 27, 2006 | #14 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Bay Area
Posts: 173
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I guess I'm growing a surrogate garden with about 7 plants from GTG, though I'm feeling a bit orphaned as there have been no visits. They (sugar lump, brandywine suddeth, Kalman's, prue, and a black cherry and two marianna's peace that I snuck in) are all doing well. Hopefully a nice crop is on the way.
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July 27, 2006 | #15 |
Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Upstate NY, zone 4b/5a
Posts: 21,169
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About Olena Warshova.
That's not what I named it but that name has popped up in European circles. Did you get those seeds from Geza? It should be Olena Ukrainian and I've noted in my book and elsewhere that I got the seeds via John Bartkowski from Olena Warshona, not Warshova, that I named the variety for her and she was from Odessa. Why does it bother me so much when folks change the name of varieties already named? And I agree that's not Favorite at all. As to whether one adds the Livingston name to it, some do, some don't, and in the SSE Yearbooks sometimes a Livingston variety is listed as Livingston's this or that and somtimes it's listed just with the variety name without Livingston. Same dealie with all the earlier Burpee varieties. Personally I can't get bent out of shape if the Livingston is there or not b'c there are many other varieties known to come from commercial breeders and some do and some don't carry the seed company name. How many times have you seen Wins All as Wins All Henderson or Henderson's Wins All listed at a seed source? How many times have you seen White Queen as White Queen Earl May or Earl May's White Queen listed at a seed source? None to less than none on that.
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Carolyn |
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