A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion The Food Garden Forum The Tomato Forum 2008 Tomato List

Here is my list for 2008. And also shows the few no shows I've had. JD2008 Tomato List-Open Pollinated

1.Adelia -x
2.Akers West Virginia-x
3.Amazon Chocolate -x
4. Amish PL-x
5.Anana’s Noire-x
6. Andrew Rahart-x
7.Ashleigh-x
8.Azoychka Yellow-x
9.Black from Tula-x
10. Box Car Willie-x
11.Brandywine Glick’s -x
12.Brandywine Sudduth-x
13.Buckeye Yellow-BR-x
14. Burcham’s -x
15.Carbon -x
16. Caspian Pink -x
17.Chapman- x
18.Cherokee Chocolate -x
19.Cherokee Purple -x
20.Cherokee Purple PL -x
21.Condine Red -x
22. Depp’s Pink Firefly- No germination yet on two plantings
23. DeWeese Streaked -x
24. Ernie’s Plump -x
25. Ernie’s Round-x
26. Ethel Watkins Best-x
27.Eva Ball Purple -x
28.Flamme’ -x
29.Florida Pink -x
30. Franks Large Red-x
31.German Breault -x
32.German Johnson-TF-x mixed RL and PL in two different plantings
33. Glick’s 18 Mennonite-x
34. Godlove -x
35. Goosecreek-x
36. Grandma Viney’s Yellow and Pink-x
37. Green Giant- 1-8 so far and lost it to stuck seed coat.
38.Grub’s Mystery Green -x
39.Guido-x
40.Hege’s German Pink- -x
41.Indian Stripe- -x
21.JD’s Special C Tex -x
42. JD’s Special Pink-x
43. Kanora-USDA P163636 - Developed by KSU in the 20’s-x
44.KBX PL-x
45.Kellog’s Breakfast -x
46. Large Barred Boar-x
47. Lillian’s Red Kansas Paste-x
48. Limbaugh potato Top-x
49.Little Lucky -x.
50 Magnum Beefsteak-x
51. Marizol Red -x
52.Matt D Imperio -x
53. Mexico-V-x
54. Millet’s Dakota-x
55.Missouri Pink Love Apple -x
56.Mr Bruno- Brenton George-x
57.Mule Team -x
58.Mystery Black-x
59 . New Big Dwarf-x
60. Noire DeCrimmee’- no germination as of 4-17-08
61. Old Brooks-x
62. Orange Heart-x
63Pink Berkeley Tie Dye-x
64.Pineapple -x
65. Red Penna-x
66.Roughwood Golden Plum PL -x
67. Sabre-x
68 .
69. Spear’s Tennessee Green -x
70.Stump O’ the World -x
71.Sunset’s Red Horizon -x
72. Tennessee Britches -x
73.Texas Star -x
74. Tidwell German -x
75. Todd County Amish-x
76.Tom’s Yellow Wonder -x
77.Turk’s Mut- no germination
78.Wes-SF -x
79.William’s Striped -x



Hybrids

1. Rampao
2. Brandyboy
3. Porterhouse
4. Buck’s County
5. BHN 444
6. Momotaro
7. Old Fashioned Goliath
8. Goliath
9. Big Zac
10. Jet Star
11. Heartland
12. Country Taste
13. Dombito

Ciao elkhwc-

That's a fantastic list you've got there. Which ones are new for you this year? Also, you have quite a large number of beefsteaks. Do you sell your tomatoes at farmer's markets or what do you plan to do with them all? I had 2 rows of 6 beefsteaks last year and it proved to be too many for me so I cut back to 1 row and added an additional row of colourful pastes because I do so much canning with mine.

Also, is your Cherokee Purple PL aka Spudakee Purple or is it the "other one"? It's great you're doing a side-by-side comparison, but you know as well as I do, the controversy will not end until it's a 3-way comparison and even then, "tastebuds are unique" will come into it. Wink wink nudge nudge, know what I mean? Haha, and you're growing Indian Stripe and JD's Special C Tex, good for you, lol! Are Ernie's Plump and Ernie's Round two distinct tomato varieties? Do you have any information on each?

I'm growing a few of yours this year: Ananas Noire and I truly hope it tastes as good as it looks, KBX but I'm not doing a side-by-side with RL Kellogg's Breakfast, I just want to see how it does, 2 huge orange beefsteaks would kill me, Pink Berkeley Tie Dye along with regular Berkeley Tie Dye (I grew BTD in 2006 but got fruit very late and didn't save seed so I'm regrowing it both for that purpose and it's gorgeous/delicious..I love Brad's stuff), Roughwood Golden Plum PL from Bill Malin..I'm always on the lookout for the Holy Grail of yellow paste tomatoes, and finally Wes, which didn't germinate for me last year..I'm growing from a new seed source.

I hope your no-shows come up finally. I just got 2 Franchi Pears to come up after 2 weeks by inverting small clear plastic cups over the individual cells to act as mini dome lids. You might try that.

That is a great list! Can't wait to here reports on them.
I'm not growing any of those hybrids, but I may look for a Jet Star plant, to see if it's as heat tolerant as claimed. I am growing about 7 or 8 off the OP's. Stump of the World is a no show so far, I was really looking forward to it, Neves Azorean Red is a no show, too. Those were probably the 2 I most wanted to try this year, so it kind of figures. Eva Purple Ball germinated, and Wes, hoping those are great.

you must have a huge garden

Need to add Belize Pink Heart. I knew I would skip one someway when transferring from flat lists to the computer. As far as the hybrids go Goliath is my standby. Porterhouse was good last year. Brandyboy is as good as any hybrid I've grown. I won't be growing Jet Star myself. But have friends who like it. I have hybrids and op's I like so much better won't waste space on it. Ramapo is a release this year of a Rutger's hybrid which was discontinued several years ago. If I like it will try the stabilized version some SSE members offer. JD

Sorellina,
I will answer what I can here at work. I may have to wait till I get home to answer all your questions. I haven't sold any in the past. Thinking of starting. I have always felt is the Lord blesses me with a bountiful harvest I should share with those not as blessed. I have over 600 onions in the ground now also. I make some salsa and eat several. I can the beefsteaks especially the smaller ones. And when forming a list I start out with a plant to spread it out then usually go by my desires when I start pulling seed packets. Not necessarily my intent to be heavy on beefsteaks. But can you can tell my weakness. Wink. The Cherokee Purple PL I planted came from a SSE member and doesn't mention Spudakee. I feel this is the other one. But really never asked.
I will post the information I have on the Ernie's when I get home. Got my first seeds from some kind gardeners in CA whose aunt sent it too one of them I believe but had better recheck my notes. My memory can play tricks on me when trying to remember over 350 varieties. Wink. LOL. I'm especially looking forward to the JD's Special Pink.
I have grown several of these before. But lost several of them either to hail or TSWV last year before I was able to taste them. The ones I've grown and got a good taste sample of off the list are numbers 1,16,17,19,41,45,64,67,73 and 10. I have grown Branywine before but not these strains from these sources. Hopefully it will produce better. After 6-7 years of no or very poor production left them out last year. But guess everyone keeps bragging them up so have to try a different strain. LOL. Not that I would ever be hard headed. Wink.
Thanks for the well wishes on the germination. I would like for them to germinate but will have at least a 150 extra plants so not like it will be a disaster if they don't. I will try a new seed source next year on them if they don't.
Another thing I'm trying this year I've already shared with Dave is direct winter sowing. Used plastic coffee containers and plastic buckets both with the bottom cut out and used clear plastic over the top. My first ones broke the ground Arpil 2nd. They look good. Not growing as fast as my plants inside. Will never transplant them. Will compare production and date of first picked fruit with plants started inside March 17th from same seeds. Several winter sow some using cold frames but everyone I've talked to transplants. I prepared the holes just like I would to transplant. The first holes I use a little seed starting mix right where I put the seed. The later ones I filled a cowpot with the mix. The pot will decompose and the roots should spread. I'm excited about this as it will allow me to plant my seeds during a time when I'm not as busy. And have to start fewer plants in the house to pot up then transplant. As you can tell I've got the spring fever now. Ate my first asparagus last night. MMMMMMMM. Wink JD

Two of the Turk's Mut came up today. So now down to 3 no shows.

Heh! With that many, that ain't bad!

elkhwc how much land do you have? my you must have a big yard! i have a very very small vegie patch my tomatoes are fighting for the sung so i have to keep moving them around! lol i would ove to see pics

U said it toposh!My veggie patch is somewhat small as well.I'm clearing out parts of my yard to make space for more veggies.

You're getting the most from what you have, you'll find ways to do it!

My dad doesn't like me removing areas of lawn but he should be grateful;at least he'll have less lawn to mow.

Here I have 2 acres. Don't use near all of it. Plan on increasing the size a little. I have been looking a bigger area in the country so I can have a truck garden. But space isn't any problem. That is why usually I space 4 ft between rows and apart. In the past when space was I spaced 24" to 36" apart. So there are ways to compensate. Will know after I pot everything up but as of today I'm sure I either have 3 varieties that the seeds are crossed, got mixed up or wrong seeds. I will grow the plants that have the correct leave shape and see how they do. Two are from vendors. One is one of the biggest. But mistakes do happen. That is why I done another test of each in a different tray to verify that I got the same results twice. JD

Ciao JD-

I had to grin at your comments about having a weakness for beefsteaks. I guess that's true of all of us..we have our little weaknesses. Mine happens to be pastes, the big monster ones, but also the colourful elongated ones. I do a LOT of canning, so I like the drier/fleshier varieties for that. Other weaknesses of mine are any of Brad's stuff, I love the striped ones, and also unusual shapes. I'm growing a couple of real genetic weirdos this year. One is called Voyage, something very similar to Reisetomate which you can find on Reinhard Kraft's site and might actually be the same thing. It's some sort of weird genetic mutant thing (I need to pick Keith's brain about that and see if he has a clue about what's going on there), so the fruit are essentially fused grape tomatoes in a big cluster. I'm also growing Arbuznyi, which has vertical stripes going all the way down, having an appearance of a watermelon. I'm hoping to just dive right into some crossing experiments this year. It's time. I've got some interesting dwarfs and stripeys to play with there. I'd really love to create a dwarf striped paste with Opalka flavour. Dreams, dreams, and more dreams.

On the non-germination front, the ones that are irritating me at the moment are my Franchi Pear, which I have wanted to grow for about 3 years now and finally have the seeds and Pork Chop. I really need that Franchi Pear for my large red paste machine row, so I resorted today to germinating several seeds in damp paper towels placed loosely into open ziploc bags. I put those on top of my CPU. Keith Mueller did some research at University that suggests germinating in light may actually hinder some seeds. What the heck, I've got some re-sows going in a yogurt cup on heat covered by an inverted clear plastic jello cup to act as a mini dome lid and the others out of the light. Who is the Patron Saint of Germination, I wonder?

It looks like you've got quite the list going there, elkhwc!

I love the cherokee purples and am growing out both the RL and the spudakee PL this year. I am very interested to see if there is any growth or flavor differences. I grew out Adelia last year and they were setting and ripening fruit towards the end of July and beginning of August -- until the spider mites decided to infest. I hope that it does really good for you. Another tom that peaks my interest is Tom's Yellow Wonder--sure is a pretty looking tom, I hope it tastes as good as the pics.

Sorellina, I would love to hear your top 3 recommendations for large pastes. I have always grown romas and they are BER machines.

where do you find the room, I put out 12 yesterday 6 better boy and 6 of a different kind. raining today they sould really like that

This year I have:

Mortgage Lifter
Orange Banana
Sun Gold
Super Sweet 100
Black Cherry Pearl
PineappleTomato
Lemon Boy
Black Krim
Cherokee Purple
Mr. Stripey
Green Zebra
Yellow Pear
Grape
Roma
Snow White Cherry
Sausage
Wapsipinicon Peach

The latter two are new to me this season.

Ciao all-

Ok, I've gotten all the germination I'm going to get for the season, so I'm going to post the list now. It is what it is, final, no going back. So, row for row, here is what I have. Each row consists of 6 tomatoes, 1 or 2 plants in the same growing hole, depending on the germination I got.

Big Red Paste

Opalka (my NUMBER ONE favourite tomato, if I had to choose one, this is it)
Opalka
Romeo
Romeo
Franchi Pear (I can already say, sow more than necessary, this one likes to keep its seed coats on)
Franchi Pear

Colourful Paste

Kalman's Hungarian Pink
Myowna Orange
Evan's Purple Pear (PL)
Roughwood Golden Tiger (this one looks like it might have the angora gene)
Santa Clara
Roughwood Golden Plum (PL)

Kaki Coing
Cypriot
Orange Dino Eggs
Peace Yellow Paste
Piedmont
B2PL2-3-4 F6 (PL) (Brandywine x San Marzano)

Hearts

Canadian Heart
Ernesto
White Oxheart
Belarusian Heart
Bytch'e Serdtse Orangevoe
Wes

Saladettes

Pink Grapefruit
White Zebra
Furry Red Boar
Black and Red Boar
Tiger Paw
Pink Boar

Cherries

Una Hartsock
Chello
Chocolate Cherry
White Rabbit
Yellow Submarine (PL)
Sweet Quartz x Black Cherry F1

Weird Shapes

Eagle's Beak
Yellow Ruffled
Arbuznyi
Teton de Venus
Brown Flesh
Gajo de Melon (not a weird shape but needed this spot)

Beefsteaks

Berkeley Tie Dye
KBX (RL, clearly crossed, we'll see what it is)
Ananas Noire
Pink Berkeley Tie Dye
Pork Chop
Dora

Dwarfs (2 containers, 1 plant each)

Happy Brown RL1 F4
Happy Brown RL2 F4
Happy Purple RL F4
Sneezy RL1 F4
Sneezy RL2 F4
Sneezy PL F4
Dwarf Lime Twist F4
Dwarf Emerald Giant F4

Hanging Basket

Ditmarsher

Determinates

Black Sea Man (PL)
Canary rose Paste
Kotlas (PL) (compact indet. but grows about 3.5 ft in a pot)
Don Juan
Koralik
Cream Sausage
Jagodka
Manitoba
Latah

Munchkin's Dwarfs

Tiny Tiger
Dwarf Red Heart F3
Yellow Pygmy (PL-ish, not a true PL, but real close and looking rugose)
Dwarf Recessive
Plum Tigris (I'm giving this to Munchkin..I can't find any data on growth habit, but the one I have is definitely dwarf-ish)

Munchkin's Experimental Indeterminates

OSU Blue Fruit (fruit are almost aubergine like eggplant, moreso in direct sunlight, so can be blotchy with leaf cover)
Stupice Polini x Sweet Quartz F2 (RL & PL)
vPL05 F4 Yellow
vPL05 F4 Bicolour
Voyage (this one is so trippy..google Riesetomate, it's almost the same, the fruit grow like a cluster of grapes, but moreso, stuck together)

Ciao Sarah-

Well, now you know one of those paste recommendations is Opalka. Another would be my family heirloom, Uncle Charlie's Giant Italian Pear. Both of those are huge fruits, very productive, and very large plants. The third would be King Humbert. This is a smaller fruit, but it's stupidly productive and the tallest tomato plant I've grown, topping out at over 10 feet last year. I used those primarily for canning whole and also for drying. I'm growing Romeo and Franchi Pear as a trial side by side with Opalka this year. Both of those are supposed to be other very large-fruited, productive, very dry red pastes. I'll let you know how they do.

Cheers,
Julianna

How much land do you have to grow all those 'maters?

Mmm, roughly 600 square feet, something like.

Here's a photo of the main tomato bed in mid-July 2006. I'm regularly growing 36 groups of plants in that bed and they will reach or exceed those 8 foot stakes shoved 1 foot into the ground.

I wish I had enough space to grow lots of 'maters

I started all of these this year, but didn't get germination ln all
Arkansas Traveler
Aunt Ruby's German Green
Beefsteak
Black Cherry
Black from Tula
Black Krim
Bloody Butcher
Bonnie Best
BW Red
BW Sudduth's
BW Yellow
Celebrity
Coastal Pride Orange
Delicious
Early Girl hybrid
Ernesto
Eva Puple Ball
Go Go Sherri Striped
Granny Cantrell German Red
Green Grape
Green Zebra
Guernsey Pink Blush
Jack Johnson
Jelly Bean hybrid
Joya de Oaxaca
Jubilee
Italian Market Wonder
Kellogg's Breakfast
Kimberly
Matt's Wild Cherry
Moneymaker
Mortgage Lifter
Mystery red (from Chellestar)
Neves Azorean Red
Omar's Lebanese
Paul Robeson
Pruden's Purple
Red Cherry
Red Pear Abruzzese
Rinaldo
Rita's Black
Rouge D'Irak
Rutgers
San Marzano
Stump of the World
Sugar Lump
SUNGOLD F1
Super Marmande
Wayahead
Wes Oxheart
Wisconsin 55
Wisconsin 55 Gold

I'd like to see JohnCT allowed back, he always had good advice...I guess he didn't follow the rules.

I'd like to see John back also. Great list Dave. Hadn't seen your list till now. Well the wind finally laid after 4 days and the lowest I saw last night was 34 but was some light frost. Looks like everything is fine in the cold frame. It is 50 now. Had moved a few in the house. Have a great gardening weekend everyone. JD

8 foot tomatoes in Canada!?!!!
'impressed' is not even the word!

Ciao all-

I agree, Dave, John's a really great guy, I've known him several years, opinionated, yes, but then, who isn't to some degree? He's one of the most generous people I've never actually met, with his time, with his seeds, with his knowledge. Keep me posted regarding that Red Pear Abruzzese, please, and save seeds if you can. I might hit you up for a few in the Fall. JD, I'm so glad your plants made it. It's been a tough week out there.

Julianna, your every wish is my command, if I have luck with the Red Pear I'll certainly save you some seeds...I probably have enough left over from what Dan sent me to share with you anyway...

Ciao Dave-

That wouldn't be Dan McMurray in BC would it? You're right, they always send lots. I've gotten some really great varieties from them. Val sent me Kotlas a few years ago and I'll tell you this, it's a fantastic machine of a tomato plant, it's really early, very compact for an indeterminate, PL, and it doesn't pout in cold, wet weather. I'm re-growing it this year for seed because I've given away seeds to just about everyone I know.

Why yes...Dan and Val are extremely generous...they're one reason I'm growing so many varieties this year. I think I requested one variety and they sent me probably 12!

Julianna,
I survived what I feel is my last scare for the year. It is mainly 50's for lows with one night in mid 40's for the future. So plants will start finding an earth home as early as today. The Kotlas sounds like a nice one. Have only seen it mentioned a few times and not one I have seeds for. May have to put it on my list for next year. How long before you can join the fun and plant outside? I was checking my direct sown in ground plants yesterday. Looking very good and around 4-5". So far the experiment is looking good. The nice thing is they are already hardened and no transplant shock. Hope your weather warms up soon. JD

Ciao JD-

Nooooo...not planting out yet, not for another 3 weeks. Duane had to adjust the shelves in the light stands to make more room for the tomatoes and tall flowers. I'm hoping to harden off my Sweet Peas this week and transplant them into the ground on the weekend. I'm not sure when I can start doing that for the Cosmos and Job's Tears, but I hope it's soon. The Nasturtiums will get leggy if they don't get the lights closer to them and I know I won't be transplanting those guys until the basil goes out. Once the flowers go, the eggplants will probably need that top shelf. They're putting out big round leaves already and I want them to be monsters before they go out. I have issues with flea beetles here.

Cheers,
Julianna

I think flea beatles are what get my tomato seedlings early, or some other crud that puts tiny shot holes in the leaves, but the tom's outgrow it quickly...it does set them back a little, but they do fine. I wonder if it has to do with the leaves I mulch with...if they overwinter in the leaves.

I would love to plant a very easy, successful tomato in my massachusetts garden. Can anyone suggest a winner?

Ciao appleblossom-

Ok so you want easy, successful, but what about flavour? What kind of tomato are you wanting to grow? There are tons out there to consider, so maybe tell us what your flavour preferences are and whether you go for a tall plant vs a short plant..how much space do you have, do you plan to put in the ground or grow in a pot? There are pastes for doing sauce/salsa, hearts, slicers, saladettes, huge beefsteaks that will cover a slice of bread or a burger, cherries, stuffers, earlies...and then all number of colours, not just red.


Some varieties from last year..

Are there any good tomato varieties for making tomato sauce?

I wouold think that you could find Rutgers where you are...I'm growing it for the first time this year. It is an old standard that was once the most popular tomato of all, good disease resistance, early to produce, and flavorful. It was developed at Rutgers university, it should do well in the north.
Most often I've seen it listed as a determinate, which means it will produce it's fruit all at once and then be done, more or less, so you should plant an indeterminate variety as well so that you have tomatoes all season...it's always good to plant seveal varieties so to insure that some produce regardless.
You should plant several and see what you get, once you get into growing tomatoes, you'll be hooked...but what a nice thing to be hooked on!

emdeGardener...are your Roma's doing okay? They are the standard sauce tomato, generally speaking, but sure, there are others. About 10,000 others, hehe!

I only have one left;the others died from transplant shock. I'll plant some more seeds later.I guess I'm going to have a big late harvest this year.

Ciao emdeGardener2-

Of the commercially available pastes, Opalka is my very favourite. Each year, I grow several large-fruited red Italian pastes to compare to Opalka and so far, the only one that comes close is my own family heirloom, but it's possible I'm slightly (or more than slightly) biased there. The other "gold standard" sauce variety is San Marzano, available in both hybrid and open-pollenated strains. I find this very popular variety superiour to Roma in both flavour and production. Try Opalka, though. Tomato Growers Supply, Sandhill Preservation, and several other seed companies carry it. Maybe pencil it in to try next year.

I haven't tried Opalka, but I thought San Marzano was an exceptional variety.