Champion tomatoes

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sjamesNorway
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Re: Champion tomatoes

#21

Post: # 9636Unread post sjamesNorway
Mon Feb 10, 2020 3:39 am

[quote=Shule post_id=8242 time=1580314652 user_id=161]
@SusieQ

Yes. EM-Champion is an early, determinate, acidic, oxheart-shaped, productive, OP, red, large tomato. Last I checked, it was only available in Canada (commercially, anyway). It's been gaining popularity over the last six months or so, but I didn't hear a lot about it without searching out the information before then.



EM-Champion was definitely not what I'd call "acidic" at all. I had just the right amount of sweetness for us.

Steve

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Shule
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Re: Champion tomatoes

#22

Post: # 9722Unread post Shule
Mon Feb 10, 2020 4:14 pm

sjamesNorway wrote: Mon Feb 10, 2020 3:39 am EM-Champion was definitely not what I'd call "acidic" at all. I had just the right amount of sweetness for us.
I haven't grown it. I thought I was just going by what Tatiana's store said some time ago. However, the store (and thus its product descriptions) are unavailable; so, I can't verify with proof that it's my source. The article in the database doesn't mention acidity, interestingly.
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sjamesNorway
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Re: Champion tomatoes

#23

Post: # 9880Unread post sjamesNorway
Wed Feb 12, 2020 2:11 am

Shule wrote: Mon Feb 10, 2020 4:14 pm
sjamesNorway wrote: Mon Feb 10, 2020 3:39 am EM-Champion was definitely not what I'd call "acidic" at all. I had just the right amount of sweetness for us.
I haven't grown it. I thought I was just going by what Tatiana's store said some time ago. However, the store (and thus its product descriptions) are unavailable; so, I can't verify with proof that it's my source. The article in the database doesn't mention acidity, interestingly.
Here's what Tatiana says about EM-C, "Sprawling determinate plants with wispy regular leaf foliage grow up to 3' tall and are excellent for growing in pots. High yield of red fruits, from perfectly shaped hearts to slightly ribbed/ruffled. 6-12 oz. Delicious balanced flavor, meaty flesh. Very few seeds make it a real challenge to collect save many seeds for this variety. "

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Labradors
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Re: Champion tomatoes

#24

Post: # 9886Unread post Labradors
Wed Feb 12, 2020 7:26 am

I think Steve is being helpful. I am planning to grow EM Champion this season and I really do not like acidic 'maters...…..

Linda

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Tormato
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Re: Champion tomatoes

#25

Post: # 9899Unread post Tormato
Wed Feb 12, 2020 11:51 am

In my garden, EM Champion is more sweet than "balanced".
Balanced being the sort of half-way point between sweet and tart (what some might call acidic), but EMC is a bit less sweet than nearly all other heart varieties that I've trialed (which are generally very sweet). Much like German Red Strawberry, it has never had "full" intense flavor, for me, while almost all other hearts do.

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Labradors
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Re: Champion tomatoes

#26

Post: # 9902Unread post Labradors
Wed Feb 12, 2020 12:39 pm

Thanks Tormato. I'll have to see how it does for me. it is compact and early. Hoping it's going to taste great in my garden because taste is everything for me.

Linda

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Tormato
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Re: Champion tomatoes

#27

Post: # 9907Unread post Tormato
Wed Feb 12, 2020 3:02 pm

I found it compact, but not what I considered early.

Fish Lake Oxheart and Anna Russian were earlier (and tastier). At some point, if I ever get around to making (determinate) crosses, I'll likely work with EMC.

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Labradors
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Re: Champion tomatoes

#28

Post: # 9908Unread post Labradors
Wed Feb 12, 2020 3:04 pm

Breeding a compact, early, tasty heart would be great. I've grown both Anna Russian and FLO and loved both. I also loved Orange Strawberry (which I grew last season).

Linda

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sjamesNorway
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Re: Champion tomatoes

#29

Post: # 9956Unread post sjamesNorway
Thu Feb 13, 2020 2:58 am

Tormato wrote: Wed Feb 12, 2020 3:02 pm I found it compact, but not what I considered early.

Fish Lake Oxheart and Anna Russian were earlier (and tastier). At some point, if I ever get around to making (determinate) crosses, I'll likely work with EMC.
I really liked FLO, but it was 10 days later than EM-C in my garden and climate. EM-C was a bit sweeter.

Steve

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sjamesNorway
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Re:EM-Champion tomatoes

#30

Post: # 9957Unread post sjamesNorway
Thu Feb 13, 2020 3:06 am

I should say that we liked EM-Champion 2 seasons ago for it's taste and production. That was in the hottest summer ever in Norway. Last year's summer was normal and much cooler. The production was still there, and the taste was superb. I conclude that the taste will vary with the temperature, and I've decided not to grow it in my sometimes-hot greenhouse.

Steve

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Re: Champion tomatoes

#31

Post: # 9972Unread post Greatgardens
Thu Feb 13, 2020 7:16 am

EM-Champion sounds very interesting, and DET to boot. How is EM-Champion about splitting and cracking?
Available from Russia on eBay, BTW.
-GG

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sjamesNorway
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Re: Champion tomatoes

#32

Post: # 10010Unread post sjamesNorway
Thu Feb 13, 2020 11:37 am

Greatgardens wrote: Thu Feb 13, 2020 7:16 am EM-Champion sounds very interesting, and DET to boot. How is EM-Champion about splitting and cracking?
Available from Russia on eBay, BTW.
-GG
I had no problem with splitting or cracking.

Steve

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Tormato
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Re: Champion tomatoes

#33

Post: # 10018Unread post Tormato
Thu Feb 13, 2020 2:01 pm

Greatgardens wrote: Thu Feb 13, 2020 7:16 am EM-Champion sounds very interesting, and DET to boot. How is EM-Champion about splitting and cracking?
Available from Russia on eBay, BTW.
-GG
Now you've jinxed me.
I've had 2 consecutive years with no splitting or cracking of anything.

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Tormato
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Re: Champion tomatoes

#34

Post: # 10024Unread post Tormato
Thu Feb 13, 2020 2:22 pm

I've been searching through Tatiana's Tomatobase for determinate hearts and cannot arrive at a conclusion as to whether several varieties are determinate, semi-determinate, or compact indeterminate. It's a tough task, but finding, growing and tasting those tomatoes is something I could burden myself with. ;)

Varieties found so far:

Bliznetsy (Determinate?/Regular Leaf/Pink/Heart?Oval?Plum?/8-16 ounces
Budenovka, Pink (S-Det/RL/Pi/H/20 oz
Bychiy Glaz (Det or S-Det/RL/Red/H/6-10 oz
Bychye Serdtse Khilenko (S-Det?/RL/Pi/H/10-12 oz
Bychie Serdtse Abakanskoe (S-Det/RL/Pi/H/up to 25 oz
Danko (Det/RL/Rd/H
EM Champion (Det/RL/Rd/H/ up to 24 oz (for me)
Grandpa's Cock's Plume (may not be the correct variety)
Kardinal (S-Det?/RL/Pi/H/6-10 oz
Lyubinyi Prazdnik (S-Det?,Det?/RL/Pi/H/6-10 oz
Monomakh's Hat (S-Det?,Det?/RL/Pi/H/ 1 lb

Don't expect perfect spelling.

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Re: Champion tomatoes

#35

Post: # 10036Unread post Labradors
Thu Feb 13, 2020 3:38 pm

Tormato, I thought you grew ALL the hearts recently. Were these the ones that you missed? :).

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Re: Champion tomatoes

#36

Post: # 10047Unread post Tormato
Thu Feb 13, 2020 4:32 pm

I've likely grown about half of all of the hearts that I know of. There are hundreds. From the above list I've grown "maybe" about half of them. It's just a guess, because some "seemed" to be not so compact indeterminates in my garden.

And, Grandpa's was not a heart. I last saw seed for that one more than a decade ago, except for 1 single pack (a wish list request) in the MMMM several years ago.

I've never even seen seed of Bliznetsy, Bychy Glaz, BS Khilenko, and Lyubinyi Prazdnik.

Eastern European hearts are very rare (in this corner of the world), compared to E E beefsteaks.

Maybe the N to Z's, in my continued search, will be more promising.

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Re: Champion tomatoes

#37

Post: # 10061Unread post Labradors
Thu Feb 13, 2020 5:07 pm

Well keep up the good work in growing a gazillion hearts :).

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Re: Champion tomatoes

#38

Post: # 10190Unread post Tormato
Fri Feb 14, 2020 2:40 pm

From the A to M's I missed this one:

Anzhela Gigant Ukrainskaya (Determinate/RL/Red/Heart/6 -16 oz

It seems like it might be almost a twin to EM Champion.

Maybe I'll have time next week to finish researching the N to Z's. And then to start on the Master Wish List.

Anyone care to guess what might be listed first, and by whom? ;)

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Re: Champion tomatoes

#39

Post: # 10197Unread post Ginger2778
Fri Feb 14, 2020 3:19 pm

The True North hearts series from Karen Olivier?
- Marsha

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Re: Champion tomatoes

#40

Post: # 10332Unread post imp
Fri Feb 14, 2020 10:12 pm

Hmmm, something mud ball or calabash???
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