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Post by martywny on Jan 26, 2019 16:32:21 GMT -5
octave1, binnylou, Mumsey, I grew the Rutgers 250 last year which is touted as the kind of tomato and tomato taste that you would get at roadside stands years ago. Rutgers is an ongoing project because those old seeds are not available and they are trying to match the original as close as possible with today's hybrids. I was not too impressed but the problem was more me having too much else to do and not enough time for the garden. I am going to try them again this year but they will be one of many. I like Celebrity and have been growing it for the last 5 years with good results. I also liked Mortgage Lifter and will more than likely plant them this year as well.
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Post by lisaann on Jan 26, 2019 20:15:02 GMT -5
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Post by octave1 on Jan 27, 2019 15:14:39 GMT -5
martywny, I like Celebrity too. It does really well for me, and I find it very reliable. I am trying to create a list of "The 6 Tomato varieties to grow every year", but it's not easy. Early Girl and Beef Maestro would be my first two choices, and I am happy with them both except they are hybrids and I must purchase seeds at least every other year. And Celebrity is also a hybrid.
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Post by gardendmpls on Jan 27, 2019 15:38:01 GMT -5
I would say early girl, cherokee purple and sungold are at the top of the list. I was thinking of moaning and groaning about the prices of seeds, but then I thought, come on, two or three dollars. Compared to what else we waste our money on, it's a good deal.
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Post by martywny on Jan 27, 2019 17:16:25 GMT -5
"The 6 Tomato varieties to grow every year" , have you tried Mortgage Lifter yet? I liked the flavor and the fruits were very large. |
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Post by desertwoman on Jan 27, 2019 18:22:17 GMT -5
It still amazes me how certain tomatoes do better in certain geographic or climatic areas.
After hearing how great they are, I tried Mortgage Lifter one year and they were tasteless! But Cherokee Purple do fantastically well in my garden yet are disappointing in many of you easterner's gardens.
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Post by lisaann on Jan 27, 2019 18:39:48 GMT -5
desertwoman, gardendmpls, octave1, martywny, Mumsey, Truthfully, I have Never heard anyone complain about Big Beef in any part of the United States, but many tomatoes get complaints in different regions. For Me, the famous Brandywine does not impress me here in my yard, but thousands of other people think that tomato is to die for. Yes, I understand there are many STRAINS of the same brandywine seed, so that has to be a factor. But, I wonder if people just want to be in the IN CROWD and pretend they grow great Brandywines? I wish everyone shared dated pictures from their gardens!hahahah 
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Post by desertwoman on Jan 27, 2019 18:48:57 GMT -5
Same with brandywine here lisaann, Wasn't impressed at all! |
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Post by pepperhead212 on Jan 27, 2019 18:58:58 GMT -5
I remember growing Celebrity, so long ago that it was before I grew from seeds! It was new on the market (mid 80s sometime), and it did great for me, until it stopped producing almost entirely, and I learned the hard way what a determinate tomato was! They call it semi-determinate, but there was nothing semi about it. Maybe it has changed, but I see that same tag in catalogs. I was another that tried Brandywine, lisaann, and was not impressed. Way before digital cameras, so no photos here! lol I had a lot of them back then, which may have tasted good, but I got so few tomatoes on them that I never tried them again. |
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Post by Mumsey on Jan 27, 2019 19:38:04 GMT -5
lisaann, Brandywine are not a good one here either.
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Post by gardendmpls on Jan 27, 2019 20:44:54 GMT -5
Brandywines have a great taste, but they take too long to ripen here, so they aren't all that productive for me. If I had a greenhouse or lived farther south, it might be another story.
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Post by octave1 on Jan 27, 2019 20:55:37 GMT -5
martywny, yes I tried Mortgage Lifter and it was ok, but Beef Maestro, while comparable in size and production, does better in my climate. Another OP that I really like is Wisconsin 55. It is a really nice and productive tomato. Great flavor and good disease resistance make it a suitable candidate for the list. Brandywine, on the other hand, left me indifferent. First of all it is a really late tomato. Secondarily, the flavor is not as outstanding as people say. And finally, production is substandard IMO (maybe because it is so late!). I grew it two or three times, I don't recall precisely, and I am not growing it again. This coming season my quest is for the ideal cherry tomato: not too sweet, not too tart, and not too "sprawly". Medium to soft skin preferred. It also must be red. The search is on.
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Post by wheelgarden1 on Jan 27, 2019 20:59:43 GMT -5
I liked Celebrity for production and disease resistance, but they strike us as lacking flavor. Rutgers is my old reliable, a good Brandywine is wonderful, but hard to get right. Big Beef is the champion in most respects.
But I'll just say, Cherokee Purple is the best-tasting old-fashioned tomato ever.
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Post by lisaann on Feb 9, 2019 19:33:32 GMT -5
wheelgarden1, pepperhead212, desertwoman, gardendmpls, octave1, martywny, Mumsey, I am browsing and wanted to share this black tomato, that they say is a real untouched photo, neat: Now you have to scroll down to Black Beauty, the pic was taken 5/5/18. www.heirloomtomatoplants.com/Heirloom%20-Tomato_Plants_Heirloom_Tomato%20_seeds.htmAnyway, I saw that picture while I was searching the internet trying to find out how many different strains there are for the variety pink oxheart, and I wonder which strain I bought from pinetree seeds. And NO, they have NO idea what a strain is.
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Post by reuben on Feb 9, 2019 22:50:55 GMT -5
Well, there's more than one type of Brandywine, and even the name may not be consistent between one company and the next. The ones I grow, often called "Pink Brandywine" or just plain "Brandywine" taste great, but being an heirloom they're susceptible to cracking after a big rain, which opens the door for diseases, which they're not very resistant to, and pests. But I always grow at least one. Fantastic taste, but of course that depends on soil, weather, strain, etc.
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