Bella Rosa tomato ?/ Other Heat setting tomatoes ?

[Barb_FL]

Has anyone grown Bella Rosa tomatoes? If so, what did you think of the taste? particularly if you are in a hot humid climate

Over the years I've grown only Heatmaster that claims it sets fruit in the heat. It did, but same season it was not nearly as productive as Grandeur which claims it does well in the heat but not advertised as a heat variety.

For my upcoming season starting with sowing seeds on Sept 1, I'm thinking of starting some heat tolerant types and starting them near the end of August. It's still hot in October, but nights are starting to get better, plus during the last few tomato seasons, I have a lot of orchid bees pollinating the tomatoes.

Any recommendations or ones to avoid?

Thanks for your advice.

[Gardenboy]

I've not grown Bella Rosa tomato, but my great aunts who use to live in Kirland, WA loved Bella Rosa tomatoes. Climate very different from south Florida. I've tried "Fireworks" but with no great success and AVOID Druzba, Dester and Delicious...all are disease magnets in my garden. Guess you can't grow everything.

[karstopography]

I grew Top Gun, one plant, this year. It seems to be one of those semi-Determinates that has a big flush of blooms and then another flush, then another. I didn’t prune mine at all and it never got tall, more of a spreading big vigorous bush. I stake my tomatoes, but Top Gun might be better in a cage.

I about gave up on it as it sulked along in March, but once it heated up some here, it really took off and still had tomatoes and was still setting or trying to when I took it out last week. Squirrels just wouldn’t leave any of my tomato plants alone so I ripped out Top Gun and almost all the rest even though Top Gun had a few tomatoes left.

It’s a deep red tomato and very firm. My parents liked it a lot. Mine might have topped out at 11 ounces or so, most around or about 8 ounces. Pretty type with little blemishes. No doubt it handles humid warm nights well.

[karstopography]

Carmello is another that handles heat and cold well. Tall plants, much more columnar and I think a delicious tomato. I did those one fall here in Texas and the heat doesn’t bother them, they set in the heat, nor does an occasional cool night, they set well in cooler conditions. There’s a brightness and freshness about the taste of Carmello that I really like. Indeterminate, it will just keep on keeping on until something kills it. Mine gave me mostly 7-8 ounce fruit.

[friedgreen51]

I grow this one every year. Florida 7514 is very disease resistant and taste pretty good for a hybrid. I think it tastes as good as Big Beef. The tomatoes are large and produce well even in the summer heat here in North Carolina. Think 90 degree days and 70 degree nights.

https://www.jungseed.com/product/J00261 ... ty%20fruit.

[Texgal]

I have not grown Bella Rosa myself, but the fellers from Hoss Tools in Georgia rave about it. Check them out on youtube if you havent heard of them. It looks like a small, productive and they say good tasting variety. I would be interested on other opinion from folks that have grown it as to the taste. I have bought seeds for other vegetables from Hoss and found them dependable.

[Vanman]

I grew Bella Rosa for the first time this year. It is a good tomato, comparable to Big Beef in size and productivity. Like Big Beef nearly all of the fruits were perfect in appearance and had a good shelf life on my kitchen counter. Big Beef tastes a little better, but not much. I am in west Tennessee, so it is hot and humid here.

[MsCowpea]

Barb, I posted a Hoss Tool video under ‘Seeds Wanted’ category for Red Snapper. They evaluated 8 tomatoes, including
Bella Rosa ( hybrid). It was rated by them as most productive but not all that high in taste compared to others 3.9 out of 5. I think they thought all the tomatoes were pretty good but some were better tasting. In the final analysis they set great store for productivity and disease resistance. Red Snapper seemed to be rated highly in all categories. The one outstanding for flavor was the heirloom (no surprise). But he interestingly never used the term sweet to describe any of the other tomatoes so I doubt I would like them. Hybrid determinates (IMO) are not known for sweetness or outstanding flavor. I have tasted some production hybrids at a Tomato Field Day at a research farm and I didn’t like any of them.

(ADDED)
Of course, you never know what is what unless you grow it.

Says it has an heirloom flavor
https://hosstools.com/product/bella-rosa-tomato/

https://www.totallytomato.com/product/T00066/152

[Fusion_power]

Bella Rossa is a heat tolerant determinant red tomato with very good production but only a 5 or 6 on a scale of 1 to 10 for flavor. It is highly favored in the Southeast as a commercial tomato because it can be shipped and has pretty good all around disease tolerance. If I were growing commercially, I would consider it.

[Barb_FL]

Thanks for all the responses. I'm going to check out the others mentioned here.

Fusion_power - a taste of 5 or 6 is a bummer. Over the last year or two, I've grown the following determinates:
'18-19 - Tasti-Lee - (not a good producer, not good taste) (<5-6 in taste)
'18-19 - Mountain Plus - A good producer, fair to avg taste - gave it another shot in '19-20 and same conclusion - was a continuous producer (5-6 in taste)

Spring '19 (in heat) - Heatmaster - started out as a good producer with large tomatoes, decent to good taste at first. size and quality was not good later on (6+ early, <=5 later)

'19-20 - Defiant - good producer, but tomatoes were smaller than expected. continuous producer - 6+ in taste
'19-20 - BHN 589 - good producer, tomatoes stayed large and continuous producer - was best of the bunch 6+ in taste
Spring 20 Galahad - started as a good producer, large tomatoes but didn't like the heat in one part of my yard. Will try again.

I live with a lot of wind and in the winter, I have an area in my yard that gets decimated during a storm. I found that the shorter determinate plants in root pouches are able to come back whereas the larger plants in earthboxes are basically ruined. I think I have two things going on: the wind and the earthbox reservoir getting so cold whereas the fabric bags are much better adapting to the temperature and shorter plants withstand the wind better too.

New for '20-21 I bought Mountain Merit - (an AAS winner).

The Red Snapper tomato that Gardenboy wants sounds really good.

One thing re: these determinate tomatoes is the vendors usually talks about disease resistance, productivity, how well it does in heat/cold. Only a few even mention taste.

'18-20 Damsel - not a determinate but doesn't get huge might be my best bet.

[wildcat62]

We have 2 Heatmaster plants doing well this year. One of our best producers so far.