Manyel question

I bought Manyel seeds from Chuck Wyatt a couple of years ago, and put a plant out this past summer along with a Manyel I bought from Kendall-Jackson Winery (they do heirloom tomatoes).

The Chuck Wyatt Manyel was absolutely fantastic. I had a personal taste-test with friends, and it was at the top of the list for the approximately 100 varieties that I grew (along with Cherokee Purple, Black Krim, Grosse Cotelee and a couple others).

The Chuck Wyatt Manyel was approximately golf-ball sized, it tasted tangy and crisp. It also proved hardy in the face of a bit of blight, and some underwatering during a July hot spell. In fact, it is still producing well (I am still eating Manyel almost every day in November), when virtually all of my other tomatoes from this year are on the compost heap.

Here's the question. Have others grown this golf-ball sized Manyel? The Kendall-Jackson Manyel I grew was fist-sized, and didn't taste quite as nice. Unfortunately, I only grew one plant of these two varieties, so I have no clue as to whether or not all of my Chuck Wyatt Manyel would have typically been golf-ball sized, fist sized... or a mixture of the two.

Please let me know if you have any good, or bad Manyel experience.

Since I introduced the variety Manyel thru my listings at SSE I guess I'm as qualified as any to answer your question since I've grown it for many years. (smile)

If what you got from Chucks's seeds was a golf ball size fruit, then you don't have Manyel. Chuck listed it in back SSE Annuals correctly, and cited me as his seed source, but what you got isn't it.

Chuck was quite sick before his death a year ago June and many seeds were mislabelled, crossed, etc. If Chuck were well that wouldn't have happened.

So I don't know what you got, but it wasn't Manyel at that size.

I describe Manyel in my book as a 10 oz to one lb fruit and that's what you got from the Kendall Jackson seeds. I didn 't know KJ was still involved with heirloom tomatoes. Their source of seeds was Jeff Dawson, who used to work with Wes Jackson, but Jeff left there several years ago.

Manyel does not have a strong assertive taste as you describe the Manyel you got from Chuck. It's much more subtle. Other golf ball size fruits with a stronger more tangy taste would describe Gold Ball or Tangella, or even the faux Lillian's Yellow that wasn't LY.

I don't know what was listed at Chuck's website two years ago when you bought your seeds and can 't remember if any of the above were also listed, I mean of the ones I mentioned other than Manyel.


(Unfortunately, I only grew one plant of these two varieties, so I have no clue as to whether or not all of my Chuck Wyatt Manyel would have typically been golf-ball sized, fist sized... or a mixture of the two.)

And I'd extend that to say that what you describe form Chuck isn't Manyel so if all plants from the seed give the same plants and fruits, it's another variety. You shouldn'
t find plants with distinctly different fruit sizes that are uniform for a given plant. If you get other plants with different plant habits and fruit colors and shapes it could well be crossed seed.

So if you really like it, save seeds. it may need to be dehybridized to get pure OP seed, but you could get it.

If all seeds from the orignal pack give you the same plants/fruits, then I don't know what to say as to what variety it might be without knowing what else might have been listed that year. And I wouldn't bet on it being what Donna is now listing as Manyel, if indeed Manyel is still listed.

I had to suggest to her to delete 23 wrong varieties last year and it will be more than that for this past summer's wrong varieties. Sigh.

Hope the above helps a bit.

Carolyn

Carolyn,

Thanks a million! I kind of thought the Chuck Wyatt "Manyel" that I grew was atypical. I will be doing as you suggest -- growing out a row of plants from the seeds I saved from the plant I like (with golf-ball sized fruits) and I will also be growing out another row from the Original seed packet (to see if it is uniform or segregating).

Thanks also for introducing Manyel. The Kendall-Jackson Manyel I grew was also quite delightful. Yes, they are still into heirloom tomatoes. They have quite a nice-sized heirloom garden at their site north of Santa Rosa. And they have a great tomato festival. It seems their interest in tomatoes is second only to thier interest in wine.

Does this mean that no one else here is excited about Manyel?