Oregon Spring

OK folks; after a few inquiries and pleas, I saved seeds from mine this year. I still cannot find the original source that told me they were hybrid, but if anyone wants to try to grow them next spring, sign up below. I have about 70 seeds and will send 10 per request. I know I promised some to Mountngrower and to Teisha (I think) and possibly to Melody. Anyone else up for the experiment?

I will not be able to send any out until Friday 11/8, but since I have time tonight, I wanted to cast the net.

And, by the way, I got my first frost last night, it went down to 30. The Oregon Spring plant is still alive and kicking. Not terribly happy with life, but it is still alive and growing. My other varieties that I hadn't pulled out are history -- black and soggy messes.

Hi Kathy: I don't remember seeing your Oregon Spring and don't know its virtues. I just wanted to remind you that you were going to save me some of your Opalka seeds... that was an impressive looking tomato.
Esther

Howdy Lupy! ;>)

Oregon Spring is an OP variety. Your seeds should be just fine to use. (I grew them out years ago.)

Don't you get late blight by this time of year?

Thanks 'Shoe!!! I have looked and looked for my original inspiration for my picking this variety several years ago, and I just can't find it! But I thought sure I read that it was a F1 hybrid.

No, I don't get early or late blight, although one of my neighbors does. Blight-less :D No trouble with fusarium or verticulum wilt this year either. Pretty disease-free year, as a matter of fact. Yippee!

Esther, I have the Opalka seeds saved for you, and a few for others too, but I just haven't had time to post about those yet! I have fewer of those this year, the tomatoes have very few seeds, even though they are so massively huge! When you were here, the Oregon Springs just looked like tomato plants. But they are light frost-tolerent, and they set fruit as low as 45F. They are the kinds that are ripe by late May or early June (of course, I am very odd and plant them outside mid-March.) How many other Buckeyes do you know have real outdoor-ripened tomatoes in May? So I am dumb, but I ain't quite so dumb! LOL Oregon Spring is my winner every year. Still growing out there, matter of fact. Nope, I didn't cover it up when the frost hit Sunday/Monday.

Well, I have a confession, Lupi...I thought when I first grew them they were hybrids. And maybe back then they may have been. However, now-a-days they are stabilized and considered OP (open pollinated).
Them babies were bred for frost tolerance, early maturity, and fruit production at low temps. (And don't worry, it is normal for them to produce very few seeds.)
Oregon State recently introduced a new variety similar to Oregon Spring, called "Legend". It not only has the same characteristics as O-Spring but is very resistant to disease (blights, etc). Very few seeds are available right now but you can write to Oregon State if you like and they will send you a sample pack. (A commercial company also has a limited supply of them also...maybe Territorial Seeds, just can't remember right now.)

Enjoy. That's a good mater for your area!

Oregon Spring is a cultivar of James Baggett at Oregon State. It may be considered open pollinated by now. I've really enjoyed it in the past. For my 2 cents, though, having grown "Legend" for the first time this season (as it supposedly is somewhat blight resistant, I found that the flavor wasn't near as good as "Oregon Spring.") As for the blight resistance, perhaps, but this was an unusually sunny summer here in the NW and turns out there weren't as many problems with blight. (I did cover them w/ a cloche though, towards the end of the season, and never watered overhead, which is something I've never done before.) Personally I recommend Oregon Spring and also Santiam developed by Dr. Baggett.

Thanks! Now if y'all could just tell me where I first read about this wonderful variety! I have re-checked all the books and magazines I was reading at that time, and I can't find anything about it!

Totally Tomatoes carried Oregon Spring last year ('02). Pinetree Seed carried it the year before ('01). I have read about the newer variety, Legend, and have also heard that the flavor doesn't stand up to Oregon Spring. I haven't gotten '03 catalogues yet to see if anyone will have it next year.

I haven't ever had problems with disease with it. But I do not have blight. Last year all the tomatoes in one newly-dug garden got verticulum blight, but I cooked it and planted beans there this year. Oregon Spring and my cherry tomatoes were in a different area and didn't have any disease trouble.

www.territorialseeds.com still carries it.
humeseeds also carried it http://humeseeds.com/

I'm sure a quick search will bring up more places that offer the seed.

Pala, James Bagget has done wonders with maters, eh? Have you ever tried "Siletz"? I haven't, just was looking for some input on it.

Yes, Lupinelover, Territorial Seed Company is a good place to get any of the Baggett varieties. They often are usually very vigorous with high percentage to germinate. I've had very good results with their seeds. Don't know if Abundant Life carries these varieties or not. At any rate, both Territorial and Abundant Life have done well to center much of their business around seed for the Pacific Northwest, so they work a lot on obtaining/developing early varieties (not always the most flavorful when you're talking tomatoes). Baggett is also recognized for his snow pea "Oregon Giant." Some companies like Bakers Creek Heirlooms and Abundant Life have been very active in opposing genetically modified "frankenfood" and tend to advertise that,if that matters to you, whereas Territorial is a bit more commercially oriented it seems. And Shoe, "Siletz" was good as I recall, much better than Legend, but in recent years I've chosen to grow mostly older heirlooms. (Course there are the 'new' heirlooms. Seems strange, but true.) They say it is OP like Oregon Spring. "Legend" and "Big Beef" were the only hybrids I've grown in four years or so. Had some good luck with a bunch of even rather late maturing heirlooms. I really like Carolyn Male's book, and have tried about a third of the ones she recommends in "100 Heirloom Tomatoes for the American Garden." Interesting book.

LL, I would love to have a few of these to 'experiment' with!! lmk

Me, too?? :-)

My Early Girl and Brandywines are still going, but snow is predicted for the weekend, so we'll see if any survive...

I would love to try a few Oregon Spring seeds also, if still available. Please LMK. Thanks gobs:)

Owen

I'll take a packet if they are still available.

Dave

All of the varieties Dr. Baggett has developed that are parthenocarpic, such as Oregon Spring, are not my favorites for the simple reason that in my experience parthenocarpic varieties do exhibit that which they are known for, and that's often mushy flesh.

Whenever you have pollination in the absence of fertilization ( thus few seeds in most fruits, at least in first fruits) you tend to get lower quality flesh and also malformed fruits sometimes. It's the equivalent of using indoleacetic acid ( Blossom Set) sprayed on early varieties, which facilitates pollinization in the absence of fertilization.

I gave up on finding good tasting early varieties years ago. I'm not one who has to have the first tomatoes so I don't mind waiting a couple of weeks later for some good tasting ones.

I have a series of crosses done by Stanley Zubrowski in Canada between Brandywine ( strain unknown) and various early varieties such as Stupice and Glacier, etc. Stanley was trying to breed some flavor into some earlies. I just haven't had the chance to do much work growing these out, but maybe some day.......

Carolyn

Well shut mah mouthpiece! Howdy Carolyn!
Thanks for the input.

By the way, I actually found a delish early variety, but it's a hybrid. Nope, not an heirloom, not OP. (I've never touted a hybrid before either.) The outcome is... I'm considering trying to stabilize it (wish me luck).

Speaking of parthenocarpic, I was considering some cukes that were...wonder if they will have the same characteristics as the maters. Hope not!

Ok Shoe, what is that delish early variety?

Mary...that would be "Johnny's 367". Matures in 57 to 64 days, full size fruit, and very very tasty! I'll be growing them again this year for sure.