WHAT TOMATOES ARE YOU GROWING?

Here is a list of the tomato varieties I am growing this year:

Stupice (am growing strictly for an early tomato)
Estler's Mortgage Lifter
Red Oxheart
Ultimate Giant
Hillbilly
Pink Oxheart
Omar's Lebanese
Cuostralee
Aunt Ruby's German Green
Ol' German Pink
Red Brandywine
Joyce's Brandywine
Zogola
Giant Belgium
Kellogg's Brfeakfast
Orenberg Giant
Hungarian Giant
Black Brandywine
Magnum Beefsteak
Trip-L-Crop
Pineapple
Old Virginia
Wolford's Wonder
Dixie Golden Giant
Amana Orange
Caspian Pink
Marianna's Peace
Pink Girl (a hybrid)
Supersteak (a hybrid)
Santa Cherry
Sungold Cherry
Super Sweet 100 Cherry
Large Red Cherry
25yr. Cherry
Isis Candy Cherry

Most of these are proven varieties I raised last summer and am repeating again this year; a few are new to me this year.

Would be interesting to know what everyone else is planting in the way of tomatoes.

Owen


This message was edited Sunday, Apr 21st 3:56 PM

It looks like an impressive list Owen..mine is posted somewhere,but I've added Red Brandywine,Rose Beauty,Earl of Edgecomb and Paragon.

I'm growing a lot that I got from you plus a bunch that I bought from Tomato Growers. Would make a list but it is in the greenhouse. They are all looking great and I plan to put them out in a couple of weeks if everything is looking good weatherwise.
I'm only going to have a couple of the cherry types and one of them is a grape tomato. Did you get good germination on the expensive seeds? Will look forward to hearing what you think of that one. I'm also looking forward to eating the first ripe one right off the vine. Got my mouth watering.

S.

Shirley, yes....I had excellent germination from the Marianna's Peace seeds. Only variety with poor germination for me this year were the Santa seeds from nursery package.

I expect my first ripe 'mater this year to be a Stupice around the 10th of June. They have blossom buds on them alredy:)

Owen

When I was in college, a friend's mom always canned tomatoes she grew in her back yard. Absolutely nothing compared to the thrill of my receiveing one of those cans. The were canned whole, and were the most richest colored crimson I can remember, and they were the best tasting tomatoes I ever had eaten.

This years crop is not only going to be a summer of salads, but is also going to be my attempt at canning.

I'm growing Paul Robesons, a red currant variety, Purple Calabash, and Green Zebra. I can't wait to hear the results of the world's most expensive tomato.

Great. Canning tomatoes and tomato juice is very easy:)
I am drinking a glass of juice we canned last summer as I type this:) For canning, a nice large red tomato such as Ultimate Giant heirloom or Big Boy hybrid are hard to beat.

Owen

Hey Owen! I'll race you on the Stupice, mine also already has blooms!! If you've grown them before could you tell me their growth habit and characteristics - this is my first year for Stupice. Do you think they will grow in 5 gallon container with cage? I already have one in the garden and one left over. My other tomatoes this year are -
Aunt Ruby's German Green, Grape, Joyce's Pink Brandywine, Kellog's Breakfast, Magnum Beefsteak, Manyel, Pineapple, Pruden's Purple (my favorite), Russian 117, Stupice, Sungold, Burpee's Supersteak (yea I know but they're dependable), Old Viginia and Window Box. I filled the list from Chuck Wyatt and Pinetree. By the way what's a Zagola? And good luck to all in planting, harvesting and keeping away the pests and diseases!!!!!!!!!

Okay, barring any unforseen gifts from y'all know who (we won't mention Melody's name :-)), I think I've got it down.

Main crops will be:

Cherokee Purple
Illini Star
Lennie & Gracie's Kentucky Heirloom
Barnes Mountain Yellow
Black Mountain Pink
Lumpy Red

In addition, there will be one plant each of Risentraube and Isis Candy. Risentraube because Friend Wife wanted it, and Isis Candy because I figure Owen will come break my arm if I didn't grow at least one of them.

This is a far cry from the dozen or so main crop varieites I usually plant, but I needed the room for other things this year.

Owen, I planted Mortgage Lifter for the first time. Can you tell me anything about it? Thanx.

LOL. I won't break your arm, Brook:) You may break mine though if Isis Candy disappoints you. haha

This is also my first year for raising Stupice. I hear it is a smallish, tasty, somewhat leggy variety.

I raised Estler's Mortgage Lifter for the first time just last year. It was a so-so tomato for me.....some large fruits, but most were smallish and wrinkly; but it was a very good tasting tomato, so I decided to give it another chance.

I raised several varieties in 2 gallon up to 7 gallon containers last year, and they all did very well.....just had to water them every day, which gets old:) Be sure to make drain holes in bottoms of the containers, and preferably put some rocks in the bottoms also if they sit in "saucers".

The main thing I am doing differently this year.....since all my varieties are the indeterminate type, I plan on keeping them pruned to two main stems; this will give fewer, but larger 'maters, and will cut down considerably on tying them to their 7 ft. stakes.

Following link should take you to Zogola description....although it was a pink tomato for me; vigorous tall vine with yummy large pink tomatoes.

http://www.tomatofest.com/cgi-bin/cart.pl

Good luck you guys:)

Owen


This message was edited Sunday, Apr 21st 3:15 PM

Hi, Owen

I counted tomato plants yesterday, and I have approximately 340. I plan to sell most of these, but that's still overkill in a town as small as ours, considering they are a greenhouse crop around here. Due to our short season, I usually get the early varieties. Here's what I started.. some are determinate, some are indeterminate.

Large Red Cherry
Golden Nugget
Black Plum
Tigerella
Siberian
Sub Arctic
Taxi Shortvine
Tumbler
Riesentraube
Sun Gold Hybrid
Micro Tom
Hybrid Big Boy
Russian (seed from Russia, description in Russian)

Interesting list, Weezin. I always wondered which varieties would do well in Alaska. Just wish I knew the secret to growing those huge cabbages, etc. that you people grow up there:) Is it all in the long days of sunlight, or is there some secret fertilizer?

We seem to do well with any of the cole vegetables.. cabbage, kale, broccoli, cauliflower. Brussels sprouts are a marginal crop here in our neck of the woods, maturing nicely only in the longer of our summers. Lettuce is always good up here, since it never gets hot enough to make it bolt. One can pick the outer leaves and keep a head going all summer.

The huge cabbages are grown in the Matinuska Valley just north of Anchorage. There is even good soil up that way. We can grow fairly nice cabbages here, but I've never seen the big heads that they grow up there. Generally, it seems that the veggies we grow up here are quite sweet and juicy.

Owen: I saw a tomato identification question in another thread, and you know your tomatoes, so I thought I'd post a link, in case you'd like to offer an answer: http://davesgarden.com/showthread/238471.html

Thanx Weezingreens! I appreciate you looking out for me. I should have posted my questions here. And thank you Owen.

Hi Eeryone, I am growing:

Black of Tula
Old German
Green Zebra
Uncle Mark
Texas Williams Cherry Tonato
Rutgers
Early Girl

I am very excited about the Old Geman, Green Zebra, Black of Tula and Uncle Mark. As well as, my neice who is 8 yrs old eats my chery tomatoes off of the vine and I am so excited to see her enjoy them another year! I have always grown rutgers and early girl, but the others I am excited about, becuz I have never had them before! Looking forward to a Great Harvest!! Can't Wait-and they are sooooo healthy and ahead of my Rutgers and Early Girls(gotta get some cow manure around the rutgers, and early girls so that they'll catch up!!) I have quite a great garden this year since I purchased my Mantis tiller. It'll just go right down the rows and eliminate the majority of all the weeds! I also have cucumbers, zucchini, Ga Rattlesnake Watermelon's started and coming up! Along with a back wall of Castor beans to give me some Privacy from my neighbors! I also have an herb section in my veggie garden. I have some huge beautiful yarrow, That's about 2 year's old, some oregano that has grown like crazy, and several other herbs as well! Also I have 3 rows of Old Fashioned Sunflowers fron Dave that are doing great! Good Luck to you all for a wonderful harvest and Growing season! One more thing, My Garden isn't far from my pond, so whenever I do a slight water change I will periodically be watering with my pond, fish water! Great Fertilizer as well! Can't wait to see how it does!

Thanks, Traci S

Traci, it's a Texas Wild Cherry, got rave reviews:)

Uhoh!! I'm sorry tig, and I should have thanked you above for the new one's I have. I do not know why I keep on calling them Williams. Tig, you are such a great person and your plants were all sooooooooo Wonderful!! I got the Green Zebra, Black of Tula, Old German, and Uncle Mark from Tig and they were the most healthy tomatoes I have ever seen. I guess I was soo excited about what I had just planted, and wanting to tell what I was growing, I was bad and didn't give credit where credit was due!! :0) Thanks so much for all of the wonderful things, they were the best Mother's day Gift's. Everyone I gave a tomato or a brug too just fell in love. Tig, you are the best!! And I am looking forward to watching these things grow like wild fire!!!!!!!!!!

One more ?? Tig. Can I save seeds from these and if so which one's and is that how you do yours? What is the best way to save them, put them laying out on a paper sack or how?

Thanks, Traci S

We have a very small garden,which my DH takes care of.We'd never heard of the Brandywine tomato until I saw it on Daves Garden.I bought 2 plants at our farmers market Saturday. I gave him one to put in the garden and I planted the other one in a large planter on the patio. Now....I guess we're competing as to who will get the best tomatoes...LOL. I used Shultz professional potting soil with time release multicote plant food(feeds up to 9 mo).Does anyone know if I need to give it anything else besides water? I have a feeling the one in the garden will do better,but I just have to try this to see if it works.If it doesn't,then next year I'll just plant a patio tomato.

Traci,

To save tomato seed you have to ferment it. There have been several threads here about it, so if you do a search I'm sure you'll find it.

All the varieites you got from tiG are heirlooms, and the seed from them can be saved.

and I got them almost all from people here. Please do save the seed from the Uncle Mark Bagby at least, and help pass it around. you didn't have to thank me, I owe my thanks to all in this forum, or I wouldn't have started the first seed.!!!!

Thanks Brook, I'll look it up and also Talk to tig.

As for what else to add to tomatoes. I always add a hand full of lime and cow manure compost. Or just Humus Manure. I use the cheap kind of humus manure most of the time. I have been told that the lime helps tp prevent black rot. And I believe it, and I also think it helps give you dark green and strong stalks. I always do that and it has worked for me. I put the manure in the hole and the lime while I'm planting and then after I till for weeds I use a hoe and dump more manure around them in a month or so, and pull the manure up around the tomato base. It has always given me Good quality Maters! My Dad always did that and he swears by it.(MY Grandma too) Hope it helps ya!

Thanks, Traci S

Traci,

At a guess I'd say what the lime is doing is help break up your clay, giving the plant roots more breathing room, and thus letting them grow tall, strong, and happy.

Hi All,

I'm growing,
Rutgers (my standby)
Pruden's Purple (late season)
Royal Chico (sauce)
De Pinto (sauce)
Super Sioux
Nigeria
Sungold F1
Sungold Select
Marglobe
Aunt Ruby's German Green
Carmello
Supermarket

ARGG I grew last year and must have done something wrong. I haven't seen anybody anywhere say they got the yucky things my garden produced. I generally give a tomato a round 2 if they are that bad. The 2 Sungold's I'm trying cause I very nice somebody here stuck in a s'prise for me in a share. My pal in KY (Carol) has been harrasing me for years to grow Sungold, well generally speaking I dont' grow hybrids so was very resistant. Now I have the chance to grow them with a parent and see what the shoutings about.

Have fruit set on the sauce varieties, the 3 cherries and Rutgers.
Chris

If you reserve those DePintos just for sauce, shame on you. They have great flavor, for a paste tomato. Try snacking on one right off the vine and you'll see what I mean.

Well now Brook, Who can resist a ripe tomato off the vine. I HAVE to try all at least once every year. I didn't grow De Pinto last year so it's new to me on top of my taste compulsion. Now that you've given me a vote on flavor it's a definite

Not to worry. It will be tasted.

Chris

Adding lime provides calcium which helps prevent wilt. If you use Dolomitic lime it also provides magnesium.

I got a depinto plant from Horseshoe it doing good. what do you expect coming from the H...shoe. I am looking forword to the tast. I like to dry tomatoes.

I'm growing the following heirloom tomatoes:

Stupice
Aunt Ruby's German Green
Brandywine
Green Grape
Risentraube
Cherokee Purple
German Red Strawberry
Principe Borghese
Eva Purple Ball
Mortgage Lifter (which I gave to a friend)
Hugh's (received in a swap)
Marvel Striped
Black Krim
Opalka

We should be "swimming" in tomatoes before very long!

Black Krim
Purple Calabash
Uncle Mark Bagby
Aunt Madge
Old German
Green Zebra
Marizol Gold
Marizol Red
Red Brandywine
Principe Borchese
Northern Lights
Sungold
Isis Candy
Texas Wild Cherry
have 3 or 4 more I can't think of right now
hope to get some goodies out of this

Better Boy
Mortgage Lifter
Riesentraube
Yellow Stuffer
Thessalonka

tiG,

This is my second year growing Purple Calabash. I got my starter plant from a friend in Madison, WI. I have to admit that I didn't know what I was doing, but the tomato forgave me anyway. I was inconsistent with watering by the end of summer, and I got a lot of splits in the fruit. I also got a much heavier amount of catfacing.

If you have grown this one before, what other tips can you provide?

I am told that this tomato has been pictured in 16th century manuscripts according to J.L. Hudson. I'm pouring through some rare books right now looking for lithographs of tomato specimens, hoping to find one.

I have never grown any of these before :) I just got caught up in how wonderful heirlooms and OP are and couldn't help myself. 16th century?????? that's too cool. Would love to learn of the info you find.

The Purple Calabash certainly have a shape and flavor that I've never experienced before. I have heard that this tomato is the genetic mother of nearly most of the tomatoes being grown today.

My first round of seedlings dampened off, so you'll be getting fruit before I will. Expect some beautiful squat, pumpkin-shaped tomatoes. The space between the blossom end and stem is the narrowest area of the tomato. The rest of the fruit baloons up around the edges. As I've mentioned before, maintain a regular watering schedule to keep the catfacing under control. The person who was supposed to water for me when I went on vacation, couldn't keep their original schedule. When I came back, I had a bush full of science experiments.

thanks for the info, I'm finding all of this more fascinating every day.