2020 Tomato Grow List Revised

[GoDawgs]

Pickles and I have been discussing tomatoes for next year. 2019 was a test year and we had one each of 15 varieties (many new to us) going, a mix of a few old and mostly new to us. The problem was that there were never enough tomatoes ready all at once to get any decent canning done. Many didn't hold well once picked so a lot went bad while waiting for more to ripen. In addition, there were a lot of new-to-us varieties, some of which didn't do so well. Thus, a shortage of canning tomatoes.

The new strategy will be to grow several plants of each of two or three determinate varieties up at the house for canning. Early Girl, Rio Grande and Red Siberian (the last two of these were newbies here) did well this year. The mostly indeterminates will be grown in buckets in the garden.

Thanks to loulac for posting about the Tomatofest seed sale! After browsing through their hundreds of varieties all evening, there will now be seven new tomatoes for spring with the emphasis on their ability to do well in hot climates and being dual purpose, for canning and fresh eating.

Porter Days: 72, Indeterminate, Red, Mid-Season
Santiago Days: 68, Indeterminate, Red, Early Season
Super Sioux Days: 71, Semi-Determinate, Red, Mid-Season
Ten Fingers of Naples Days: 72, Determinate, Red, Mid-Season
Camp Joy (Cherry) Days: 81, Indeterminate, Cherry, Mid-Season
Early Annie Days: 60, Determinate, Red, Early-Season
Mom's Paste Days: 84, Indeterminate, Red, Late-Season

I'll be interested in watching the 'Early Annie'. If she does well, she'll join the others up at the house in 2021. For cherry purposes and due to flavor issues, 'Camp Joy' will be replacing 'Juliet'.

This is the first bit of planning for next year. It's amazing how just going through a catalog will get tired gardening juices revved up!

[PaulF]

Today is the first glimpse of what is to come for 2020 and no thought of specifics will even be considered until after 2020 arrives: more blacks and hearts and a few oranges thrown in and absolutely no cherries or salad sized to sit on the vines rotting because nobody in the family eats them anyway.

There!, that is enough thought given until the snow flies.

[imp]

Seeds on sale...you might try Ohio Heirlooms, they are having a 20%off if at checkout, you put in "November". Good prices to start with, good seed count, no problems with wrong seed when I have bought from them.


https://ohioheirloomseeds.com/

[GoDawgs]

Every year the amount of seed I buy decreases. This is due to more seed saving and, after so many years of gardening, I've pretty much figured out what works best in this particular garden. And several items like corn and seed potatoes I get at the local feed 'n weed. Oh, there will always be the annual one or two "toys" I'll find in the catalogs. One of the toys will be the tromboncino squash.

And even though I don't buy as much seed as I used to, I always enjoy the "kid in a candy store" joy when the catalogs start appearing in the mailbox. It's like Ralphie waiting for his magic Li'l Orphan Annie secret decoder ring to arrive. In fact, we call them decoder rings. LOL! "Any secret decoder rings in the box today? No? Awww, shoot..."

Pinetree is usually first one to come, usually within ten days after Thanksgiving.

[Tormato]

A shortage of canning tomatoes...


Reports from a few T'ville members is that Santa Maria will cure that shortage.

[GoDawgs]

Tormato, thanks for the suggestion. Last year determinate first timers Rio Grande and Red Siberian did pretty good. But I'm still looking forward to trying new ones.

[Nan_PA_6b]

I've been working and re-working the 2020 list for months now. Many seeds have been bought, and many pulled out of the seed stash to be planted. Still not exactly finalized, but currently the status is:
Bloody Butcher
Cosmic Eclipse
Don Camillo
Feng Shui
Husky Red F1
Isis candy
Limbaugh
NH pickling tomato
Post Office Spoonful
Purple Russian
RAE-F5 = a tomato I'm making
Rose Quartz Multiflora
Stump Of The World
Sungold
Targinnie Red
Tatjana

[MikeInCypress]

I have six in the ground spots for Indeterminates. My other 48 are in EarthBoxes. The Six in the ground are supported by Texas Tomato Cages with extensions. I plan on putting
Big Beef
Atkinson
Tycoon (Always has 84" l vines for me)
Goliath
Brandywine OTV
Girl Girl's Weird Thing Or KBX

The Earth Boxes will 24 Dwarves, 8 cherries, 8 Oranges, and 8 that I find at the nursery.

I usually grow one plant of each except for SunGold & Big Beef (2 of them)

Last year I started my seeds on Jan 15 and the plants were too leggy when I planted them out late (March 15). I plan on planting some of the Earth Boxes around 15. with the in ground plants the same time.

MikeInCypress

[wildcat62]

I haven't created my list yet. Great wintertime pastime.

[rxkeith]

only ones for sure i'm growing out are three f3 lines of my anna russian cross, and trying to decide if i can work in another f2 line. everything else is up in the air.



keith

[Greatgardens]

Originally Posted by Nan_PA_6b

I've been working and re-working the 2020 list for months now. Many seeds have been bought, and many pulled out of the seed stash to be planted. Still not exactly finalized, but currently the status is:
Bloody Butcher
...(snip)

Curious about what characteristics you like about Bloody Butcher vs other OP earlies? There are so many to choose from! Every year, I keep thinking I'll plant BB, but still never have. For a first early, I have been growing Dwarf Pink Passion followed by Iditarod Red. So I could substitute BB for the Idiitarod Red. Do you plant your BB in-ground or a container?

Edit: Isn't BB a PL plant? I've seen pictures of both PL and RL.

-GG

[Nan_PA_6b]

Originally Posted by Greatgardens

Curious about what characteristics you like about Bloody Butcher vs other OP earlies? There are so many to choose from! Every year, I keep thinking I'll plant BB, but still never have. For a first early, I have been growing Dwarf Pink Passion followed by Iditarod Red. So I could substitute BB for the Idiitarod Red. Do you plant your BB in-ground or a container?

Edit: Isn't BB a PL plant? I've seen pictures of both PL and RL.

-GG

This will be my first year for BB. I've read that it has reasonably good taste, and produces well all season. It's one of many earlies I'll eventually trial. I grow in-ground.

I start plants for my sister, who grows in containers. If BB performs well and meets her specific criteria (red, tart, thrives on neglect, etc.), I 'll grow one for her next year.

I believe it's supposed to be PL.

[Tormato]

Originally Posted by Nan_PA_6b

This will be my first year for BB. I've read that it has reasonably good taste, and produces well all season. It's one of many earlies I'll eventually trial. I grow in-ground.

I start plants for my sister, who grows in containers. If BB performs well and meets her specific criteria (red, tart, thrives on neglect, etc.), I 'll grow one for her next year.

I believe it's supposed to be PL.

"reasonably good taste"


Semantics gymnastics at work.


It does produce well all season. But once the "real" tomatoes start coming in, it gets totally neglected, here, except for its seeds. It is a PL.

[kilroyscarnival]

Originally Posted by Tormato

"reasonably good taste"
Semantics gymnastics at work.

Yeahbut...

Reading/hearing other people's taste enjoyment of something is no guarantee that you'll actually feel the same way about it. Or even that it will taste the same grown in your soil and conditions.

It's like reviews of comedy movies for me. What other people think is hilarious may suit me or just land with a thud.

[Tormato]

I've grown dozens upon dozens of "very early" tomato varieties, with each variety given multiple years of trials in order to impress me. I've yet to taste one that was above mediocre.