Matina history

I've searched the Internet for Matina's history, but all I've found (including at Tatiana's) is that it's a German heirloom. Does anyone have more information? What's the earliest-known publication that mentions it?

Carolyn mentions it here as early as March 2006. That's the earliest written mention of it I've found here, so far. There's a DG review from 25 Jul 2005, and a seedling picture there dated 3 Apr 2005.

EDIT: I wanted to know because someone I know who is planning to grow it asked me if it was an heirloom, and I know not everyone has the same definition of an heirloom (so I was going to tell him how long it had been around, just in case he had a particular definition in mind).

Okay, I found a book published in 1999 that said it had been around for about 35 years (so, add 18 to that): 100 Heirloom Tomatoes for the American Garden, 1999, p. 164. It looks like Carolyn wrote it.

I had heard about Carolyn's book quite a lot, but I never actually bought it (until now). I found the information about Matina from a Google Books preview (fortunately, that was one of the pages it previewed).

[Gardeneer]

I have grown Matina and Stupice one season together, as recommended as "EARLY" varieties. Matina was not that early. Both of them had PL top.
I liked Matina better. I think I had one of the worst strains of Stupice.

[Andrey_BY]

http://www.tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=6839

It known as Tamina in Europe and as Matina in America.

Distributed in Europe by Satimex Quedlinburg GmbH seed company from Germany.

Originally Posted by Andrey_BY

http://www.tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=6839

It known as Tamina in Europe and as Matina in America.

Distributed in Europe by Satimex Quedlinburg GmbH seed company from Germany.

Awesome! Thanks! That's the sort of information I was hoping for. It's great to know it has another name, and who distributed it. I missed the name on Tatiana's.

Originally Posted by Gardeneer

I have grown Matina and Stupice one season together, as recommended as "EARLY" varieties. Matina was not that early. Both of them had PL top.
I liked Matina better. I think I had one of the worst strains of Stupice.

It was early for me last year (ripe fruit by the end of June or beginning of July), but I've heard lots of people say similar things as you. I wonder if it's the climate, the daylight hours, the soil or something. My later fruits were bigger, softer, shaped differently—and they tasted better.

I'm growing it from saved seed again this year (from some of the later fruits, this time; I have seeds from earlier ones, though, which I'll probably plant next year if this year's aren't as early). A friend is going to try two of my plants; so, I should get his take on it, too.

I should probably try Stupice one of these years (I have seeds), but one thing I like about Matina is the size; it's one of my favorite tomato sizes, because they're not tiny, but people will often still snack on a whole one without much if any encouragement. I'm trying a bunch of other earlies, though, of various sizes. I'm hoping I like North Dakota Earliana a lot.

[MrBig46]

I do not think Tamina is the same as Matina. I also do not think the name Matina originated somewhere in the US.
Vladimír

Originally Posted by MrBig46

I do not think Tamina is the same as Matina. I also do not think the name Matina originated somewhere in the US.
Vladimír

Hmm. Why do you think they're different, and why do others think they're the same?

If it's not a US name, I'd probably guess the name is from somewhere in South America or France. That is a guess, though.

[MrBig46]

One is from Germany (then Bundesrepublik Deutschland) and the other is a short one from the first, behind the Iron Curtain from Germany (then the Deutsche Demokratich Republic.I do not understand why they should be from South America? Was that a joke attempt?
Vladimír

Originally Posted by MrBig46

One is from Germany (then Bundesrepublik Deutschland) and the other is a short one from the first, behind the Iron Curtain from Germany (then the Deutsche Demokratich Republic.I do not understand why they should be from South America? Was that a joke attempt?
Vladimír

Nope. No joke. It's just where the name looks like it might be from from, given where the word shows up in searches and such. I have no idea what Matina means in any language, beyond the tomato. So, I just looked it up; it appears to be a municipality in the Brazilian state of Bahia. I could see someone naming a tomato after it, South American or not. According to Wiktionary, it can mean 'morning' in a couple languages (Portuguese and Sicilian). Matin means morning in French. Mattina means morning in Italian.

I guess all tomatoes (sans maybe some wild species) originated in South America, though, if that's what you meant.

Thanks for the information.

[carolyn137]

Tania has it pretty much right

http://tatianastomatobase.com/wiki/Matina

And yes,it is one of the varieties in my tomato book and my source was Bill Malin who got it from a German Seed Bank and I assume that was the seedbank at Gatersleben, Germany.

Another well known variety that came from Gatersleben was this one

http://tatianastomatobase.com/wiki/Riesentraube

It was Curtis Choplin in FL who got it from Gatersleben and passed it around. My source was Craig L who got it from Curtis and sent seeds to me.

Carolyn

[Gardeneer]

Originally Posted by shule1

It was early for me last year (ripe fruit by the end of June or beginning of July), but I've heard lots of people say similar things as you. I wonder if it's the climate, the daylight hours, the soil or something. My later fruits were bigger, softer, shaped differently—and they tasted better.

I'm growing it from saved seed again this year (from some of the later fruits, this time; I have seeds from earlier ones, though, which I'll probably plant next year if this year's aren't as early). A friend is going to try two of my plants; so, I should get his take on it, too.

I should probably try Stupice one of these years (I have seeds), but one thing I like about Matina is the size; it's one of my favorite tomato sizes, because they're not tiny, but people will often still snack on a whole one without much if any encouragement. I'm trying a bunch of other earlies, though, of various sizes. I'm hoping I like North Dakota Earliana a lot.

I agree.
I remember Matina had a consistent uniform fruits size, bigger than large cherry. It is in saladett and cocktail size category. So you can eat them whole without slicing.
Stupice, on the other hand has inconsistent fruit size. The strain That I grew before had a fruit growth habit just like regular cherry tomatoe, along a single stem cluster. The fruit sized got smaller and smaller toward the end of cluster..
But I am growing a different strain this year. Its fruit growth habit is normal, nothing like cherries. . BTW. I am picking some ripe ones. It is 115 days from seed, 60 days from plant out.