Brandywine productivity

[Yak54]

So far I've picked 10 Brandywine tomatoes off my one plant. Looks like I'll probably get 7-8 more by the end of Sept.. This is considerably less than last season when my one plant produced 37 tomatoes. I guess I can blame it on the weather.

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[edweather]

37 sounds like a bumper crop. This year seems more normal.

[indysun]

I have only 10 at most from Sudduth's Strain this year, not what I expected. Then again Cherokee Purple did not do any better which for me was not good. I wonder if I did anything wrong this year? Still have a month to go, hoping for the best

[Yak54]

37 sounds like a bumper crop. This year seems more normal.

Yeah the years I grew them "in the ground" I never got more than 10-12 fruit but since I switched to grow bags everything has been producing more fruit. I was very pleased last year and hoping for similar results this year but not going to happen.

[Yak54]

I have only 10 at most from Sudduth's Strain this year, not what I expected. Then again Cherokee Purple did not do any better which for me was not good. I wonder if I did anything wrong this year? Still have a month to go, hoping for the best

Yeah when I was growing Sudduth I never got more than 10. You probably didn't do anything wrong. Cherokee Purple was never a high productivity tomato for me either.

[Paulf]

Over the past twenty-five years of growing Sudduth and a couple of other Brandywines and Cherokee Purples and a couple of other Cherokees, production levels have never been especially high. Some years in the twenties for numbers some years at the 10 level. Size has always been consistently good, above 10 ounces average. Largest in the 20-24 ounce range. All this is why I measure and count everything...anal, I know.

These varieties and several others may not produce like crazy, but what they do give is well worth growing and eating. Never rated below 4 out of 5 for flavor.

[Yak54]

Yes Sir I hear you and agree completely. Our tomato growing history is very similar as I've found out reading your posts for many years on TV and now TJ. I'm at the place with only a few good years left that I can no longer be happy with varieties that only produce 10-12 fruit. When I was growing Sudduth's I always put 3 plants in the ground so I'd have a decent quantity of fruit. But I no longer grow 15-20 plants and these days 7-8 plants is my limit so I only grow 1 of each variety and I've tended to find very good tasting replacements for Brandywine that are 2-3 times more productive. And there are benefits to being anal !!!

[AKgardener]

Every year I keep thinking I’ll try them and we’re on my list for next year but that has all changed I really just don’t think I can grow big ones until I have a heated greenhouse so I’m not gonna bother until then I’m pushing even 70 days no garden next year just container crops hubby is ripping it all up and moving it. So picking my tomatoes very carefully next season

[MissTee]

I only grow 1 of each variety and I've tended to find very good tasting replacements for Brandywine that are 2-3 times more productive.

@Yak54 what are those varieties? (never even got a ripe Brandywine in my two attempts many years ago.)

[Yak54]

Dester, Stump of the World, Rebel Yell and Polish have done very well here in N.E. Ohio zone 6. 3 times the productivity of Brandywine has been my experience.

[MissTee]

Dester, Stump of the World, Rebel Yell and Polish have done very well here in N.E. Ohio zone 6. 3 times the productivity of Brandywine has been my experience.

Thanks! Have grown Dester and Rebel Yell before and am growing SOTW and Polish this year. I think your climate gives more days to maturity than mine. Polish put out a good set so far, but yet to taste it or Stump. Agree Rebel Yell is very tasty, production was middling here. Not the best growing years recently. I remember getting way more yield 3-5 years ago. I think the extreme weather patterns have certainly interfered -- either too cold, too dry, too hot, too wet -- and all in the same year to boot.

[MissTee]

Oh and I am growing Rebel Yell again. I've got RL and PL plants growing and the RL has four times the fruit on it and much healthier and bushier than the PL. (I read on TVille of someone else having both leaf types show up who said they were identical taste wise.) Will have to see if it's a mutation or a cross.

[JRinPA]

I've never tried a name strain brandywine, just a bought plant and the seeds from that. Never very productive, for me. One time I tried to start seeds that had named strain but they were pretty old and I struck out.

37 sounds like an incredible haul and an outlier on the curve. Sometimes I'm off the curve, but usually the other direction.

[Yak54]

I've never tried a name strain brandywine, just a bought plant and the seeds from that. Never very productive, for me. One time I tried to start seeds that had named strain but they were pretty old and I struck out.

37 sounds like an incredible haul and an outlier on the curve. Sometimes I'm off the curve, but usually the other direction.

Yeah "not very productive" has been my experience for the last 10-12 years with the exception of last year, I've about given up on Brandywine. My time and effort is better suited for more productive varieties that still rate a 9 out 10 for taste. I'm not getting any younger and if a variety won't give me at least 20 tomatoes I cross it off my list. Now how about your Cuostralee ?

[Yak54]

Dester, Stump of the World, Rebel Yell and Polish have done very well here in N.E. Ohio zone 6. 3 times the productivity of Brandywine has been my experience.

Thanks! Have grown Dester and Rebel Yell before and am growing SOTW and Polish this year. I think your climate gives more days to maturity than mine. Polish put out a good set so far, but yet to taste it or Stump. Agree Rebel Yell is very tasty, production was middling here. Not the best growing years recently. I remember getting way more yield 3-5 years ago. I think the extreme weather patterns have certainly interfered -- either too cold, too dry, too hot, too wet -- and all in the same year to boot.

Last year Polish produced 44 tomatoes, SOTW 42 fruit and Dester 55. This is satisfactory for me.

[Donnyboy]

Many years ago, I attempted to grow Brandy wine because of constantly rave reviews. After about five years of trying, I surrendered and tried other varieties which produced and grew well. This past spring, I saw some tall Brandy wine seedlings at a nursery. I bought two plants and planted them in my garden. They grew well and produced a total of four large tomatoes. While they were four great tasting tomatoes, I again believe Brandy wine is not worth growing.

[JRinPA]

This year I'd say the most production is SOO. My cuostralee did not get pruned well so they aren't throwing the usual size. Estler's ML is set for a big push, they are finally ripening and there are a bunch.

[JRinPA]

I think I could get 20 nice ones from a cuostralee with enough spacing, never tried it. You should definitely try it for the taste. I might still have seed from a big one a few years back. If I ever get decent seed I'd like to give some brandywine a head of steam at the comm garden. Never grew it there in the strong sun.

I really like easy picking so I'll stay with the 12" spacing and double leader when I can, but boy this year, a really rough start. I think with like 12? or so cuostralee planted out, maybe 7 made it, and then the plants were oversized at first pruning and I just couldn't bring myself to break those big suckers. So much for double leaders there. The same spot a few years back had them setting trusses 5 and 6 with good sized tomatoes. With this A trellis, usually the first truss (of big heirloom slicers) has 1 or 2 big ones that all fused together and maybe some smaller ones, then the 2nd truss is nice. 3rd is nice. 4th is subject to the whims of mid July heat. 5th and 6th are more reliable but by the end with cooler nights and less sun, they loose the taste of course. And maybe 5/6 is actually 7/8 due to a few failed trusses in a heat wave. This year I did get to buzz with tuning fork a few times, and that is about what is coming ripe now or a next two weeks.

[Shule]

I have only 10 at most from Sudduth's Strain this year, not what I expected. Then again Cherokee Purple did not do any better which for me was not good. I wonder if I did anything wrong this year? Still have a month to go, hoping for the best

I think Cherokee Purple likes a lot of water. Ours was struggling quite a bit compared to other tomatoes until I decided to water it more. Then it grew a lot and set a lot of fruit. Cherokee Lime was having the same issue (and I've had the same result with giving it extra water).

Brandywine Pink doesn't seem nearly as picky about water. I think it appreciates support, room to grow, fertilizer, warm soil, sun, and a northern climate.

[MOinMichigan]

Productivity is down on all my plants this year. I'm wondering if it has to do with the Canadian wildfire smoke. We've had haze most of the growing season here in west Michigan, plus an early-season drought. My brandywines are woefully slow.