Hybrids ?

JohnWayne · January 18, 2013

After the pitiful season I had last year and the year before, I am looking to cover more of the bases. Hybrids seem to have the edge when it comes to disease resistance and so I'm looking at adding a row (30-40 plants) of them.

These are for slicing and canning. Looking for decent flavor and as long as they are tennis ball sized or larger I don't care. But they are for canning so low acid (if there is such a thing) is not an option. Heavy yields would be a plus.

Thanks in advance.

barkeater · January 18, 2013

I grew a great hybrid last year called Biltmore that were fantastic: large, perfect shape, tasty and very productive on a large determinate or semi-determinate plant. My all time favorite for flavor is Ramapo which is a medium-large and productive. Another is Big Beef, but it wasn't quite as flavorful as Ramapo and Biltmore in my garden.

WVTomatoMan · January 18, 2013

I don't know how it does in your area, but around here Early Girl is a good all around tomato. The flavor is sweet and it is productive. I've gotten 40+ pounds of fruit off a single well grown plant. There are a couple of negatives first it is a firm tomato and secondly the flavor varies greatly depending on the location/region. Another good choice is Big Beef.

But, why go hybrid? WV '63 is probably one of the most disease tolerant varieties there is. Around here there is a fellow that has fusarium issues. He tells me that WV '63 held in there the longest and gave the most crop before the plants gave up the ghost than the hybrids he'd tried.

You didn't specify what kind of disease. If it's foliage diseases look no further than Aker's WV. I've had situations where every variety in my garden showed signs of either Early Blight or Septoria Leaf Spot except Aker's.

Good luck.

Randy

jerryinfla · January 18, 2013

I'll be growing nematode resistant hybrids until I get a handle on my RKN problem but so far have trialed only a few that I consider keepers. They are Lemon Boy, Heat Wave II, First Prize and Big Beef.

roper2008 · January 18, 2013

I have some Bolseno F1 hybrid from Johnny's. Would you like them?
I don't need them.

saltmarsh · January 18, 2013

Around here (North Mississippi hill country), Better Boy and Big Beef are pretty well bulletproof in the hybrids. Claud

SteveS · January 18, 2013

Tasti-Lee was near bullet-proof & very productive for me last yr.
Taste not so much.

dpurdy · January 18, 2013

JW,
A proven winner for me, as far as hybrids go, is a Bushsteak Hybrid. It's a determinate plant with high yields that is sold by Burpee. I grow these because they are an early harvest tomato that sell well at the market. I can harvest most of these tomatoes before my heirlooms are ready to pick.

JohnWayne · January 18, 2013

It would seem that Big Beef is the one mentioned most often, and adding in the range of zones from those that speak of it, It must be very hardy.

Randy, I didn't specify because I simply don't know. Deer were the major problem last season. I have talked to the state wildlife and I while I truly don't wish to kill them, it seems to be the only real option. But after talking with them, At least now I should be able to give the venison to a local orphanage and/or soup kitchens.

I was plagued by sick plants last year but this was localized to a couple of areas and turned out to be a problem of horse manure that was loaded with herbicide. Only one plant survived that and it was a PL Brandywine and while the plant did pull through it did not produce or even bloom.

Next was a drought followed by late heavy rains. I had between 2 and 300 tomato plants and I picked maybe 40 fruit. Of those most had end rot and of those that did not, most were split from heavy rain. I did not get a single Rutger. In fact the only red tomato I got was a Parks Whopper the size of a lime. I did get to eat 3 Kelloggs breakfast tomatoes. The largest of those was maybe 3 oz. (I believe it was about 3.) But they were awesome !

I am liking the sound of the "Bushsteak" mentioned by Dpurdy. It seems to have the best of all worlds. Minimal effort to stake, good flavor and heavy yields.

Roper, I can't find any info on that tomato online but if you think they will suit me, I wouldn't mind trying a few plants. Thanks for your kind offer. Will send a PM

Thanks everyone !

b54red · January 18, 2013

I agree that Big Beef is one of the more reliable hybrids that still has good taste and texture. It has been my go to insurance tomato for years and rarely disappoints. So many of the truly resistant varieties make terrible eating tomatoes but might be fine for sauce. I grew a hybrid called Bella Rosa that had very good flavor and was bigger than Big Beef but it was a determinate so you get most of your fruit in a couple of weeks and then next to nothing. Another hybrid with even stronger fusarium resistance is Floralina. It is also determinate and produces abundantly but for me it is better as a sauce tomato.

Sorry to hear that Tasti-Lee isn't so tasty. I am trying it for the first time this year since it is resistant to all 3 races of fusarium. I am also using most of the seed as a rootstock for grafting in hopes the strong fusarium resistance will help.

Dak · January 18, 2013

JohnWayne, I too am plagued with deer (and gophers

). If you have not tried this yet, I highly recommend it. Motion activated water scarecrow.

Tracydr · January 18, 2013

What about Celebrity or Jetstar? I hear really good things about them.

Tracydr · January 18, 2013

John Wayne-I don't think there's a tomato out there that's resistant to deer, lol.

Doug9345 · January 18, 2013

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tracydr

John Wayne-I don't think there's a tomato out there that's resistant to deer, lol.

I don't think there's a plant out there with the exception of a cactus that is deer proof if they are hungry enough. Maybe thistles.

SEAMSFASTER · January 19, 2013

A second nod for Celebrity. They are semi-determinate with thick stems and a good yield of decent-sized (8 oz. range), strong flavored (NOT low acid) tomatoes which come on over a 2-3 week period. No disease problems at all here. Great for canning.

Also an enthusiastic second nod for West Virginia 63. Here's a very interesting feature article I just came across today about "The People's Tomato":

http://alumnimag.wvu.edu/peoples-tomato

If soil-borne diseases are a major issue, you might consider grafted tomatoes.

If you manage to locate an heirloom variety which is well adapted to your specific area, I think it could out-perform just about any hybrid. Finding such heirloom varieties can be a real challenge.

January 18, 2013	#1
JohnWayne Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2012 Location: Hickory,North Carolina Posts: 470	Hybrids ? After the pitiful season I had last year and the year before, I am looking to cover more of the bases. Hybrids seem to have the edge when it comes to disease resistance and so I'm looking at adding a row (30-40 plants) of them. These are for slicing and canning. Looking for decent flavor and as long as they are tennis ball sized or larger I don't care. But they are for canning so low acid (if there is such a thing) is not an option. Heavy yields would be a plus. Thanks in advance.

January 18, 2013	#2
barkeater Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: NE Kingdom, VT - Zone 3b Posts: 1,439	I grew a great hybrid last year called Biltmore that were fantastic: large, perfect shape, tasty and very productive on a large determinate or semi-determinate plant. My all time favorite for flavor is Ramapo which is a medium-large and productive. Another is Big Beef, but it wasn't quite as flavorful as Ramapo and Biltmore in my garden. __________________ barkeater

January 18, 2013	#4
jerryinfla Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Central Florida Posts: 377	I'll be growing nematode resistant hybrids until I get a handle on my RKN problem but so far have trialed only a few that I consider keepers. They are Lemon Boy, Heat Wave II, First Prize and Big Beef. __________________ Jerry - You only get old if you're lucky.

January 18, 2013	#3
WVTomatoMan Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: West Virginia - Zone 6 Posts: 594	I don't know how it does in your area, but around here Early Girl is a good all around tomato. The flavor is sweet and it is productive. I've gotten 40+ pounds of fruit off a single well grown plant. There are a couple of negatives first it is a firm tomato and secondly the flavor varies greatly depending on the location/region. Another good choice is Big Beef. But, why go hybrid? WV '63 is probably one of the most disease tolerant varieties there is. Around here there is a fellow that has fusarium issues. He tells me that WV '63 held in there the longest and gave the most crop before the plants gave up the ghost than the hybrids he'd tried. You didn't specify what kind of disease. If it's foliage diseases look no further than Aker's WV. I've had situations where every variety in my garden showed signs of either Early Blight or Septoria Leaf Spot except Aker's. Good luck. Randy

January 18, 2013	#5
roper2008 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Virginia Bch, VA (7b) Posts: 1,337	I have some Bolseno F1 hybrid from Johnny's. Would you like them? I don't need them.

January 18, 2013	#6
saltmarsh Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: 2 miles south of Yoknapatawpha Zone 7b Posts: 662	Around here (North Mississippi hill country), Better Boy and Big Beef are pretty well bulletproof in the hybrids. Claud

January 18, 2013	#7
SteveS Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Bloomington, IN Posts: 123	Tasti-Lee was near bullet-proof & very productive for me last yr. Taste not so much.

January 18, 2013	#8
dpurdy Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Norwich, New York Posts: 255	JW, A proven winner for me, as far as hybrids go, is a Bushsteak Hybrid. It's a determinate plant with high yields that is sold by Burpee. I grow these because they are an early harvest tomato that sell well at the market. I can harvest most of these tomatoes before my heirlooms are ready to pick.

January 18, 2013	#10
b54red Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Alabama Posts: 7,068	I agree that Big Beef is one of the more reliable hybrids that still has good taste and texture. It has been my go to insurance tomato for years and rarely disappoints. So many of the truly resistant varieties make terrible eating tomatoes but might be fine for sauce. I grew a hybrid called Bella Rosa that had very good flavor and was bigger than Big Beef but it was a determinate so you get most of your fruit in a couple of weeks and then next to nothing. Another hybrid with even stronger fusarium resistance is Floralina. It is also determinate and produces abundantly but for me it is better as a sauce tomato. Sorry to hear that Tasti-Lee isn't so tasty. I am trying it for the first time this year since it is resistant to all 3 races of fusarium. I am also using most of the seed as a rootstock for grafting in hopes the strong fusarium resistance will help.

January 18, 2013	#11
Dak Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: CA Posts: 494	JohnWayne, I too am plagued with deer (and gophers ). If you have not tried this yet, I highly recommend it. Motion activated water scarecrow.

January 18, 2013	#12
Tracydr Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2011 Location: Laurinburg, North Carolina, zone 7 Posts: 3,207	What about Celebrity or Jetstar? I hear really good things about them.

January 19, 2013	#15
SEAMSFASTER Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: American Fork, Utah Posts: 160	A second nod for Celebrity. They are semi-determinate with thick stems and a good yield of decent-sized (8 oz. range), strong flavored (NOT low acid) tomatoes which come on over a 2-3 week period. No disease problems at all here. Great for canning. Also an enthusiastic second nod for West Virginia 63. Here's a very interesting feature article I just came across today about "The People's Tomato": http://alumnimag.wvu.edu/peoples-tomato If soil-borne diseases are a major issue, you might consider grafted tomatoes. If you manage to locate an heirloom variety which is well adapted to your specific area, I think it could out-perform just about any hybrid. Finding such heirloom varieties can be a real challenge.