Need input from Kellogg's Breakfast lovers !

[JohnWayne]

OK, short and to the point. I loved the few Kellogg's breakfast tomatoes I got from my garden this year.

But I have a few questions. I don't want to put all my eggs in one basket and next year I will have help. (I'll explain that in a bit) So while my main crop will be Kellogg's next year, it is my hope that some of you who also love Kellogg's will tell me what other heirloom tomatoes you grow and love as well. (with flavor something like the Kellogg's)

I need to know what they are, how well they produce, how long they keep and how well they ship. I need to know this about the Kellogg's as well as the others you recommend being that I only got 4 tomatoes from over 100 plants I only know I love the flavor.

OK, part two. After much questioning I was directed to a farmer to buy canning tomatoes. I have bought about 500 lbs and they are very good ! THe first good tomatoes I have bought in years. Now I have lots canned and juiced.

But talking to this farmer, I asked if he would grow some Kellogg's plants next year and he said he had never heard of them but if I would bring him 30 or 40 plants so he could try some, the bulk of the crop would be mine.

After talking over the last month and a half we are agreed that it may be better to plant more and he have plenty to sell. And that trying more than one variety is in the best interest for all involved.
And so, I ask for the above information. Thanks in advance for any help you care to offer !

[Redbaron]

Brandywine yellow is very good although I don't think it is considered a beefsteak. Amana Orange tastes great. So does pineapple. And my Mom likes Big Orange which isn't quite as tasty to me but produces well for a farmer selling at market.

I stopped trying to grow kellogg's breakfast because they always let me down in Oklahoma. But my neighbor friend in North Carolina grows them for market last I knew if memory serves me.

[TightenUp]

Originally Posted by JohnWayne

I need to know this about the Kellogg's as well as the others you recommend being that I only got 4 tomatoes from over 100 plants I only know I love the flavor.

am i missing something?


if you only got 4 tomatoes from 100 plants what in the world are you growing it again for?

kelloggs breakfast produced like crazy for me and i love the variety, one of my favs. but i only planted 2 plants and got over 50 tomatoes.

maybe i am misreading something

[roper2008]

Originally Posted by TightenUp

am i missing something?


if you only got 4 tomatoes from 100 plants what in the world are you growing it again for?

kelloggs breakfast produced like crazy for me and i love the variety, one of my favs. but i only planted 2 plants and got over 50 tomatoes.

maybe i am misreading something

That must be a typo, must! I grew it also 3 years ago, and
it produced many tomatoes on one plant.

[JohnWayne]

Not a typo, Deer, drought and then heavy late rain spelled disaster for my garden. Mostly deer.

Either way, I can't blame it on the plants.

[TightenUp]

any plans for the deer next season? there has to be a nice way to keep them off the property

[Redbaron]

Originally Posted by roper2008

That must be a typo, must! I grew it also 3 years ago, and
it produced many tomatoes on one plant.

I don't know. Maybe a typo, maybe not. I have yet to get a single Kelloggs in Oklahoma. One year I almost got a whole slew of them planted late and trying to ripen before the frost, but frost came first. When I plant them early the heat gets them instead. I know they are supposed to be 80 days, and I have managed to get tomatoes from other 80 day varieties, but never once had any luck with Kelloggs in Oklahoma. Maybe I should try again. They grew great up north but suck here! Either that or I just suck at growing them.

[psa]

Regional thing, I think. Yellow Brandywine won't produce a thing for me here, but Kelloggs is productive and reliable. Don't know about North Carolina.

Amana Orange is the only thing besides KBX which reminds me of Kelloggs Breakfast, but the big German pinks are favorites here for many of the same reasons. German Johnson, Marianna's Peace, etc.

[Fusion_power]

First considering your location, second considering your specific request, I would suggest getting seed of KBX to grow along with Kellogg's. The other good yellow/gold/orange tomatoes that I like are Yoders German Yellow, Aunt Gertie's Gold, Yellow Brandywine Platfoot, Jaune Flammee, and Jubilee. Amana Orange performed very well for me this year, but it is not as reliable as the others.

I would highly suggest getting seed of Jaune Flammee, Yoder's German Yellow, and KBX for next year.

There are a lot of other suggestions re culture that should be included. The first is that you should be prepared to put plants in the ground about a week before your last frost date (but hold off until you are certain you there are no frosts predicted!). The second is to buy or make a large enough amount of compost to put about 5 to 10 pounds around each plant. And the last is to use wheat straw as a mulch under the plants. It helps a lot with reducing diseases that are spread by rain splash. Also, these varieties are VERY heavy feeders and must have highly fertile soil along with full sunlight exposure.

DarJones

[JohnWayne]

I started out this year forking tons of manure into my 10x6 foot trailer and hauling it. I had been having trouble with tomatoes and advice had been everything from nematodes to poor soil so I first prepared a ring of earth around a weeping cherry tree 150 feet or so from my garden.

I tilled it deep and then tilled in almost a full load of this well rotted manure. 30 tomato plants were planted along with half a dozen pepper plants and I think watermelon and cantaloupes as well.

Every plant died except one very tenacious pepper plant. It struggled and struggled and when it was pulled up by the roots a week or so ago it was loaded with its first fruit. ( which I am afraid to eat )

I planted some tomatoes in 5 gallon plastic pails, each bucket receiving less manure than the one before it until the last had no manure at all. The no manure bucket was the only plant that lived.

So now I am afraid of manure. But I am thinking on getting a huge amount of leaves and tilling them into the soil over the winter.

BTW, Deer season is in (Muzzle loader) and the deer have gone into hiding. Only one set of tracks through the garden in the past few weeks and it didn't touch my greens. I have picked from them once so as far as this year goes, that is a plus..LOL

[amideutch]

KBX, Golden Cherokee, Casey's pure Yellow, and Maylor Roth's Orange. Ami

[tomakers]

KBX, Aunt Gertie's Gold, Yellow Brandywine have all produced well for me, although all are fairly late here.
Tom

[nancyruhl]

Amana Orange was much earlier for me this year. Love Kelloggs Breakfast, and think it is worth the wait. Kentucky Beefsteak Orange is wonderful also. Beautiful creamy flesh. I plant them all every year. Also love Jaune Flammee, but more of a large cherry.

[riceke]

Planted 3 plants of KB one year. Low production and didn't make it through the heat of suimmer. I would say I got about 4 tomatoes per plant and they were diseased. I think it does better up North but not in the South as you might guess from the responses you got.

[carolyn137]

I'm going to stick with the gold/orange ones that I like rather than listing others so, I started growing Amana Orange many years ago. When KB came along I ASAP switched, found I liked it much better, then when the PL version of KB came along I swiched to that, that's KBX.

Others in the same color range that I really like would include:

Orange Minsk
Aunt Gertie's Gold
Earl of Edgecombe
Jaune Flammee
Yellow Brandywine ( Platfoot strain)

...... just to name a few.