Member discussion regarding the methods, varieties and merits of growing tomatoes.
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May 19, 2013 | #1 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Suburban Washington, DC (Zone 7A)
Posts: 347
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Welcome input on my stash for 2014 (and 2013 list)
Hello everyone,
First let me say a blanket thanks for all the things I've learned here on Tomatoville in the short time I've been reading and posting! I'm going through my tomato seed stash trying to get it a little better organized, and thought I'd post my list here, considering that any of them could be potentials for growing next year. I've never grown any of them and many of them I know next to nothing about (I have some research to do...) I'd welcome any thoughts on the varieties, especially your experiences with them. Any of them must-grows? Any must-not-grows? Thanks! Stash: Italian Market Sunset's Red Horizon Siberian Red Cherokee Purple Jubilee Golden Yellow Black Seaman Amish Paste Black From Tula Belmonte Tropic Togo Trifele Fireball Clint Eastwood's Rowdy Red Pink Ruffled Daniels RL Tommy Toe Early Annie Druzba Opalka Porter Improved Guernsey Island Mr. Stripey Rio Grande Berkeley Tie Dye Chapman Azoychka Aunt Gertie's Gold Thessaloniki Red Brandywine (Landis Valley) Rutgers Pocomoke Brandywine (Sudduth) Seek No Further Love Apple Dr. Wyche's Yellow Black Krim Purple Calabash Wisconsin 55 Abraham Lincoln Money Maker Oregon Spring Marglobe Matina Glacier Glamour Djena Lee's Golden Girl Joe Lauerer White Queen Lemonboy Silver Fir Japanese Trifele Carbon Big Boy Riesentraube German Johnson Rebecca Sebastian's Bull Bag Granny Cantrell Vinson Watts Gruschovka Gardener's Delight Taxi Giant Belgium Cuostralee Cuore di Bue Omar Lebanese Marian Coyote 2013 growing: Captain Lucky Sweet Scarlet Dwarf F7 (dwarf project) Dingwall Scotty Aunt Lou's Underground Railroad Pink Berkeley Tie Dye Valencia Creole Tiny Tim Sprite Greek Domata Grandma Viney's Yellow and Pink New Big Dwarf Barlow Jap Kathy Last edited by KathyDC; May 19, 2013 at 05:29 PM. |
May 20, 2013 | #2 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: California Central Valley
Posts: 2,543
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Your list has some of my favorites:
Tommy Toe, red cherry tomato, tastes great at any stage of ripeness Druzba, good medium size red Opalka, I like them fresh, though they're called a paste tomato I bought seeds for Captain Lucky this year, but it was a hectic and exhausting spring, and by the time I got around to starting seeds, I figured only the cherry/small tomatoes have a chance of producing a good crop before it gets too cold to develop good flavor. I'm growing Black from Tula this year. I grew it in 2004, but that was the year the squirrels got all my good tomatoes before I did. Silvery Fir Tree is a small plant with beautiful lacy foliage, but for me the tomatoes were too sharp/tart. Last edited by habitat_gardener; May 20, 2013 at 02:36 AM. |
May 20, 2013 | #3 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Atlanta, Georgia
Posts: 2,593
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The ones that are ALWAYS in my garden due to vigor, production, and family enthusiasm on the table are:
Cherokee Purple (the Rembrandt of tomatoes) Abraham Lincoln Japanese Trifele Cuore di Bue |
May 20, 2013 | #4 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Suburban Washington, DC (Zone 7A)
Posts: 347
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Thanks everyone! habitat_gardener, I may like Silvery Fir Tree then, I generally prefer tomatoes more on the "acidic" than "sweet" continuum. One of the main reasons why store-bought cherries aren't my favorite.
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May 20, 2013 | #5 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
Posts: 707
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Kathy,
While I've grown a large percentage of those you've listed, there are a few that I haven't grown and a couple I'm unfamiliar with. Over the years, I've reduced the amount of tomatoes I've grown, significantly. Going from hundreds each year to only 23 last year and what will be even less this year. Sort of the best of the best after over 50 years of tomato growing. They are: Purple Dog Creek Liz Birt R.L. (a pink Brandywine/Cherokee Purple cross Cowlick Brandywine-P.L. Cowlick Brandywine-R.L. (a R.L. version discovered by Jon in Alabama) Brandywine-Glicks Brandywine-Sudduth's Barlow Jap Earl's Faux German Johnson-Benton strain (original) German Johnson Benton Strain (from last years grafted plant) Dana's Dusky Rose DDRxBW-C (a pink cross between Dana's Dusky Rose and Brandywine Cowlick's) Terhune Tarasenko6 Amazon Chocolate Bear Creek (a dark Brandywine/Cherokee Purple cross) Liz Birt-P.L. (a pink Brandywine/Cherokee purple cross with P.L. instead of the normal R.L.) I have many other favorites, but these are the ones I couldn't do without. Good Luck with your gardens and Enjoy! Camo |
May 20, 2013 | #6 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: SoCal Inland
Posts: 2,705
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Kathy - If you like tomatoes that are more acidic than sweet you will enjoy Druzba. I love Silvery Fir Tree but find it does need to be fully ripe to be best.
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May 20, 2013 | #7 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Suburban Washington, DC (Zone 7A)
Posts: 347
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Thanks everyone! Camochef, I am growing Barlow Jap this year. Anxious to see how it turns out. Under the lights, it was quite weak-looking compared to the other seedlings I grew, but once I got it outside it's far outstripped the rest, and is the first to flower.
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May 20, 2013 | #8 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: NJ, zone 7
Posts: 3,162
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Kathy, you may like Matina (75 days, red, potato leaf, size bigger than cherry tomato). It has balanced flavor, not too sweet not to sour. Was very productive for me.
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Ella God comes along and says, "I think I'm going to create THE tomato!” |
May 20, 2013 | #9 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Montreal
Posts: 1,140
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Hi Kathy,
Well you have an extensive list! Last year I grew Japanese Black Trifele - great, but didn't try it this year as I decided to start my own from seed. I haven't put mine in the garden yet- so I can't comment - but I am planting Druzba, Black from Tula, Aunt Gertie's Gold, Aunt Ruby's German Green, Cuore di Bue, Anna Russian, Black Russian, Bloody Butcher, Black Krim, Big Rainbow, Orange Strawberry, Brandwine Sudduth and a couple more and two dwarfs, Tasmanian Chocolate and Iditarod Red. I love an acid tomato, so that is good news about Druzba. It also happens to be one of my largest seedlings! I did grow Lemon Boy a couple of years ago and wasnt' impressed. I found it flat. I'm also growing a couple of cherries - Juliet and Sun Sugar. |
May 20, 2013 | #10 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Suburban Washington, DC (Zone 7A)
Posts: 347
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Thanks all! Sharon, I have never grown one of the black variety tomatoes but am very curious about them. It looks like you have a few different varieties on your grow list for this year. It seems like they might have a little more "punch" as a variety, but that's just uninformed speculation.
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May 20, 2013 | #11 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
Posts: 707
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Kathy,
Barlow Jap is a good-sized pink tomato with great taste, very similar to various pink Brandywines, but a little sooner to ripen. For the past few years it's been right behind my Liz Birt's which have been the first to ripen for me. I had a couple years where I grew every black tomato I could find. Some of the more popular ones like Paul Robeson and Carbon to Southern Nights and JD's Special C-Tex. Different Black Brandywines, Black from Tula, Japanese Black Trifele, Black Krim, Black master, Black Seaman, Gary O'Sena, Shannon's South African Mystery Black, and many, many more.T The only ones I grow anymore are: Dana's Dusky Rose Bear Creek Amazon Chocolate The three of them have been alternating back and forth between them for the #1 position in taste for a few years now. As far as size...Amazon Chocolate is the largest, but Dana's Dusky rose, which is more medium sized seems to produce more. Bear Creek has been the last surviving plant in the garden for a couple years now. I couldn't eliminate any of them. If you get a chance, give them a try. Enjoy Camo |
May 20, 2013 | #12 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: NJ, zone 7
Posts: 3,162
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Camo, glad you mention Carbon, not too many people do. For me it was the one surviving the longest (up to the frost) and I like the taste. The fruits are not uniformed, but the taste is great and the production is up there.
__________________
Ella God comes along and says, "I think I'm going to create THE tomato!” |
May 20, 2013 | #13 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: zone 5
Posts: 821
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Matina is a decent tasting very early (50 days) tomato for me.
Black Krim is yum and reliably disease free for me. Mr Stripey-yuck ptooey! I haven't grown any of the others on your list. |
May 21, 2013 | #14 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Montreal
Posts: 1,140
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I agree, Mrl. Stripey is yuk! Just goes to prove how many varieties there are out there! I'm already looking at next year and I haven't even planted this year's crop! But I think Cherokee Purple will be on my list and I will try Kellogg's Breakfast again. It didn't germinate for me. Actually I had problems with several varieties germinating, some of which were my fault, but lessons learned! Can't wait to see which varieties will live up to their reputations and I'm starting to weed out the seedlings that don't look like they will be ready.
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May 21, 2013 | #15 | |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Alabama
Posts: 7,068
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Quote:
Camo, I'm hoping to finally get to taste Barlow Jap. After two seasons with fusarium killing it before it could get any grown fruit I have a grafted plant that has a nice fruit set and so far no fusarium signs. Bill |
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