The Rocky

[Cornelius_Gotchberg]

Anyone have experience with the Rocky? It, amongst too many others to name, got my attention while I was thumbing through the recently arrived, and...um...heavily dog-eared, TGS catalog.
https://tomatogrowers.com/products/rock ... 20to%20try.

The everLUVin' kicker? Included in the Herr Google Search Results for "Rocky Tomato Reviews"
https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1017776-rocky

The Gotch

[rxkeith]

gotch, i have seen rocky, and read about it, and it sounds like a darn good tomato.

BUT,

i already have my uncle steve italian tomato, and so do you.
most of the review of rocky can be applied to uncle steve.
so, i just keep growing uncle steve.


keith

[Tormato]

I just opened up a swap package a few hours ago. There are 20 packs of Rocky (about 6 seeds each) for the asking. Well, back to inventorying.

[Cornelius_Gotchberg]

@rxkeith; (l)earned lackluster experience with Uncle Steve's Italian (admittedly unfairly crowded-n-shaded) up against the promise of Rocky?

The Gotch'll go with The Rocky!

The Gotch

[rxkeith]

try growing uncle steve, in a good spot along with rocky in a good spot for a fair comparison.
kinda hard to evaluate any variety with just one years experience. unless, i just don't care for the
flavor, i try to give a variety at least a second chance. some years are just stinkers. i have grown uncle steve
for over 45 years. the flavor is ALWAYS there. production is usually good. it is often one of the last plants
standing in the garden when the others are toast. that is my opinion based on a lotta years growing it.
and be sure to tell us on how rocky does.

keith

[WoodSprite]

I grew Rocky, Cow's Tit, Blue Beech and Opalka this past summer in the newly created "field" that my husband created on our land. The land needs a lot more compost and better access to water (it's 1/4 mile from my regular garden at the house) so none of the tomato plants in the field did that great but I was able to save seeds from those 4 varieties and others that I grew there. I submitted seeds for them in the MMMM.

Uncle Steve's Italian Plum is on my wish list.

[WoodSprite]

Oops. I see @Tormato mentioned the Rocky seeds that I sent. If you need more, let me know. Ditto most of the other tomato seeds that I sent.

[Cornelius_Gotchberg]

@rxkeith; "try growing uncle steve, in a good spot along with rocky in a good spot for a fair comparison. kinda hard to evaluate any variety with just one years experience"

Mercifully, that was a fortuitous reminder of the Immutable Principle that One Season Does Not A Loser Make.

That, and one of his best friends (Steve) passing in September, will earn Uncle Steve's Italian an encore/featured slot, possibly near/toe-to-toe with newcomer The Rocky, in 2023's iteration of Jardín del Gotch!

FWIW, goggling Uncle Steve's Italian Tomato reviews was no little feat...with Uncle Steve's TOMATO SAUCE occupying all the top spots:
https://www.google.com/search?q=uncle+s ... nt=gws-wiz

The Gotch

[rxkeith]

i luv it!!

never knew there was an uncle steve sauce. only makes sense that it is top rated.
i wonder where it is sold? certainly not around here.



keith

[Cornelius_Gotchberg]

@rxkeith; "i luv it!!"

Yer going to LUV this even more: From Herr Google

Uncle Steve's Italian Plum Tomato - from www.worldtomatosociety.com
'Uncle Steve's Italian Plum' is an old Italian heirloom tomato that ORIGINALLY CAME FROM KEITH OF CALUMET, MICHIGAN, USA Seeds were brought to the USA by ... (bolds/caps/italics mine)

Couldn't get past the link (https://www.worldtomatosociety.com/toma ... lian-plum/) without signing up; may do it later.

In the meantime...KEITH FROM CALUMET, MICHIGAN, USA...care to explain...?

The Gotch

[rxkeith]

hmmm,

i don't know anything about the world tomato society, so can't help you there gotch.
the short story is that the tomato seeds, and the uncle steve italian pole beans came directly from my
great uncle steve. he was born in sicily, and came over here with other family members in the early 1900s.
where he got the seeds from, i don't know. we never had that conversation. i assume they came from italy, but no proof.
once he saw that i had an interest in gardening, he gave me some seeds, and i have been growing them ever since.
i used to have a nice vining zucchini variety from him too that i lost when the seeds went bad. i wish i had that one back.
i have been sharing seeds for awhile now so they have been getting around.
uncle steve, and my aunt lived in highland park, mi a doughnut hole suburb of detroit.
i am fairly certain, the tomato is an old variety. i have tried finding out info on the pole bean, but have come up empty so far.
both are good to have growing in the garden. i am biased of course, so others can chime in with their opinion.


keith