Grow List - please share your experience :)

Everything About Tomatoes
JenniferBella
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Re: Grow List - please share your experience :)

#21

Post: # 42109Unread post JenniferBella
Sun Feb 28, 2021 5:04 pm

Greenvillian wrote: Sun Feb 28, 2021 1:57 pm Pruden's Purple is great.
Polaris is fantastic.
I didn't like blush because the skins are so thick, but that helps in keeping it from splitting so...
Best wishes on your growing season.
Hi Greenvillian,
Check and check!
Best wishes to you too - so much so that your neighbours share in the crop :)
Jennifer

JenniferBella
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Re: Grow List - please share your experience :)

#22

Post: # 42110Unread post JenniferBella
Sun Feb 28, 2021 5:09 pm

Gardadore wrote: Sun Feb 28, 2021 2:37 pm Should we assume that these are all new varieties for you? It would also help to know where you live. What kinds of tomatoes do you usually prefer? Like other posters above there are many varieties here I have never heard of so I can recommend only a few.
Good questions. Yes, all new to me - I am doing no repeats. I am in Toronto so usually our last frost is around mid-May. I am going to start from seed this week. I prefer sweet tomatoes for eating in the garden, sweet to slightly acidic for sandwiches and salads, and anything not too acidic for sauce based on what we are eating. I definitely want to stay away from acidic tomatoes.I tried traveller last year and while interesting in appearance, I did not like how acidic it tasted.

Jennifer

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Re: Grow List - please share your experience :)

#23

Post: # 42111Unread post JenniferBella
Sun Feb 28, 2021 5:17 pm

Gardadore wrote: Sun Feb 28, 2021 2:50 pm I love all Berkeley Tie Dye varieties so would keep one of the two. I prefer the Heart which is not on your list. Blush is on my list every year. I find it productive and sweet, perfect for oven drying. Grew Everett's Rusty Heart once. It was very pretty and tasty. Isis was a disappointment. Didn't taste as sweet as it should and split. Won't grow again. Midnight Sun was delicious last summer but not prolific for me. Will be trying again this year. Grew Monkley Ass once. Great fun! Very large and great for sauce. Taiga, Karma Apricot, Taiga and Polaris were new last summer and did not do well. But since they are supposed to be so excellent I am giving them another chance. I have grown Rosella Purple Dwarf twice. Found it to be prolific and tasty. Grew Tasmanian Purple Dwarf once. Not that prolific but deserves a second chance.
I have grown Carbon before with success. Will be growing it again this summer. Maglia Rosa is similar in shape to Blush and another one I have used to oven dry. Prefer Blush.Haven't grown Pruden's Purple for a while but highly recommend. Harvard Square and Falen's First Snow are on my list for first time growing this summer.
Keep us posted on what you select and how they do! Good luck!
Hi again,
I do have a berkley tie dye heart from a trade but it didn't say which colour...Karen Oliver is in a Canadian group on Facebook with us and generously shared some of her seeds and I wanted to grow them all but there is only room for one Karma. I guess another question is which of the Karma's is the sweetest as I keep flip-flopping on which one to grow as they are all so beautiful. I am check-marking the tasty. I have heard some say they don't find any of the Dwarfs to be tasty but I enjoyed Yukon Quest and Sweet Scarlett (was yellow!) last summer myself so open to trying more.
I am no expert but I will definitely share photos of the ones that make it to the garden :)
Thanks for sharing your preferences with me.
Jennifer

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Re: Grow List - please share your experience :)

#24

Post: # 42118Unread post JenniferBella
Sun Feb 28, 2021 6:08 pm

root_grow wrote: Sun Feb 28, 2021 3:09 pm I think if I were trying to narrow down from this list, I would start by deciding how many indeterminates and how many dwarfs I wanted. Then I'd go through and star 20-ish that I just really want to grow for whatever reason or whim ;) Then, personally, I'd probably set a limit on the anthos only because I see a lot of them on the list and in my garden they tend to ripen later than other tomatoes. Every year I try to imagine rough proportions of what color and size assortment I want first and then choose from my wish list to sort of fit that.

I have tried many varieties that are frequently recommended, and not very many of them have become my favorites or my SO's favorites, and we have pretty different preferences. So I say grow whatever calls out to you! I think this looks like a really fun list regardless of your objectives. With enough variety, you're bound to find some gems, a few duds and a lot of fun even if they don't all become favorites. :)

That said...
Kookaburra Cackle was one of my favorites last year. They were early and intensely flavored, and just the right size for a snack.
Fruit Punch was delicious and prolific, but the last of the cherries to start ripening. It kept its flavor better as cool weather returned though.
Alice's Dream was super amazingly productive and especially beautiful even unripe. I wasn't a huge fan of the flavor though. Not bad, not bland or overly anything, totally fine as sauce, but definitely not one I reached for fresh.
Maglia Rosa tends to be highly recommended, but mine were mild and sweet, totally fine, just nothing notable to my tastebuds.
Oaxacan Jewel is really beautiful. It produced really well even in my cold climate, in a shady spot, and was deliciously fruity sweet, I am growing more of them this year.
Pink Berkley Tie Dye is one of my (many) favorites for how early and delicious it is. The only thing I don't like about them is how quickly they spoil after ripening.
Blush is delicious and prolific for me, and so very pretty, but it's an awkward size/shape that I find I don't really know what to do with them. Lucky Tiger was less productive, the only one with splitting problems last year and it was really difficult to know when they were ripe, they looked like your picture for Green Tiger.
Wagner Blue Green has a really unique savory flavor I haven't come across in other tomatoes, I really enjoyed them. Really productive, too.

I think I read somewhere that Siniy and Blue Fruit are the same, but maybe not? And Summer of Love is an updated Green Berkley Tie Dye, so maybe no need to grow both?

I'd love to know what you end up deciding on and how you like them!
Hello! Yes I think you have a point about the anthos - they do ripen later and I need fresh eats all summer long :). I will note the ones you suggested! I did not know that Siniy and Blue Fruit were the same. Also, I may just do the updated version of GBTD then. I need to look up more info on both. Thanks for educating me. Can't wait to try some fresh maters! What are you growing? I should have asked everyone. Doh! Missed opportunity. I think there is a thread on this though :)
Jennifer

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Re: Grow List - please share your experience :)

#25

Post: # 42119Unread post JenniferBella
Sun Feb 28, 2021 6:11 pm

patihum wrote: Sun Feb 28, 2021 4:21 pm Fruit Punch - very productive and great flavor. On my grow every year list.
Kozula 130/Pearls of Wisdom - good flavor but split badly all season.
Lovely Lush - very good flavor, meaty but has a tendency to crack.
Rebel Starfighter Prime - Wow! Beautiful, great flavor and good production. Should be a heart not a beefsteak.
Vorlon - really nice mater with good flavor and production. Growing again this season.
Thanks for helping me narrow things down :)

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Re: Grow List - please share your experience :)

#26

Post: # 42122Unread post JenniferBella
Sun Feb 28, 2021 6:22 pm

Toomanymatoes wrote: Sun Feb 28, 2021 4:37 pm I think a lot of those tomatoes are recent crosses. So, you may still get variation.

Of all those listed, I have only grown Costoluto Fiorentino and Dark Galaxy. Those were both grown in 20 gallon containers.

Costoluto F was very productive and is probably best for sauce. Taste is pretty good and tastes like a sauce tomato to me. I lost 50% of the tomatoes to BER (it was affected far more than any of my other plants). I have a strong preference for oxheart tomatoes because they are great for fresh eating and good for sauce. So, I would probably choose an oxheart over growing this one again.

Dark Galaxy was also very prolific, looked attractive and actually tasted pretty good fresh (I am always skeptical about varieties bred for looks). The tomatoes are on the smaller side, around 1/4lb or so.

Of those you listed, I will be growing Boronia, JD's Special C-Tex, Rosella Purple, Tasmanian Chocolate and Wherokowhai this season. I am trying about 12 dwarf varieties. I have seeds for a bunch of others listed, but they will have to wait for another season.

As someone mentioned, I believe many of those listed are dwarf varieties. So, I would first decide how many dwarf varieties you want to grow. Then decide how many cherry, paste or slicers you want for the non-dwarf varieties.
Hi Toomanytomatoes,
I added the reds mainly for sauce but they may be removed as I can get those at my parents' house :) My father is very serious about his tomatoes though I am lucky bc they take some of mine to try too. They won't take 50 though! I am currently loving Dean Haley's Rainbow dwarf and Groovy Tunes micro but it will be a while before they ripen indoors. I hope you share if you like what you are growing when you are able to try them!
Jennifer

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Re: Grow List - please share your experience :)

#27

Post: # 42124Unread post LK2020
Sun Feb 28, 2021 6:28 pm

Hi, Jennifer, Interesting list. I've grown a number of these and I'm going to give it some thought and share some impressions with you, but just a quick question first - have you grown Girl Girl's Weird Thing (GGWT)? Because GGWT is gorgeous and delicious, if that's what you're looking for, keep it in mind.

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Re: Grow List - please share your experience :)

#28

Post: # 42129Unread post Dee
Sun Feb 28, 2021 7:29 pm

Of the varieties I have grown, I most liked Carbon and Pink Berkeley Tie Dye. Carbon is delicious. PBTD has a decent/average flavour, and is pretty.

Midnight Sun is a truly gorgeous tomato. However, the year I grew it was cool, wet, and cloudy. The flavour of MS was very mild to the point of non-existant, but I figure that was because it was such a terrible growing season. I would give it another chance.

I tried growing Isis Candy years ago. It did not do well for me.

I plan to grow Kozula 24 for the first time this year. I have heard good things about it (mainly, that it is very tasty).

Narrowing down variety choices is always challenging. Have fun, and good luck!
Last edited by Dee on Sun Feb 28, 2021 7:30 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Grow List - please share your experience :)

#29

Post: # 42130Unread post Dawn
Sun Feb 28, 2021 7:30 pm

LK2020 wrote: Sun Feb 28, 2021 6:28 pm Hi, Jennifer, Interesting list. I've grown a number of these and I'm going to give it some thought and share some impressions with you, but just a quick question first - have you grown Girl Girl's Weird Thing (GGWT)? Because GGWT is gorgeous and delicious, if that's what you're looking for, keep it in mind.
I second this, it's an excellent tomato!
Dawn
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Central Washington State (it's a desert here)

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Re: Grow List - please share your experience :)

#30

Post: # 42132Unread post LK2020
Sun Feb 28, 2021 7:43 pm

Berkeley Tie Dye Pink - Beautiful, delicious, productive; unfortunately, the plant has died very quickly the couple of times I've grown it. Last year it died before it produced anything at all.

Carbon - Highly recommend; Gorgeous, big, outstanding flavor, super productive, healthy, keeps producing even when leaf disease sets in. Total winner.

Everett's Rusty Heart - It must be good because the squirrels ate most of mine, it was productive, a bit late-ripening, interesting looking, didn't get to really sample these

Green Tiger - I grew Lucky Tiger, so maybe similar? Great taste, but late to ripen, prone to splitting, hard to judge ripeness.

Midnight Sun - Loved this one, planted late after got seeds from Marsha but it grew so fast and set fruit so fast, that it was worth it. Beautiful, luscious fruit, just so original and gorgeous, with great taste. I wish I'd started these sooner, and definitely will grow again.

Rosella's Purple Dwarf - Fantastic flavor, lovely shimmering sheen on dusty purple skin, only problem is they are stingy - I would eat these all day long

Good luck!

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Re: Grow List - please share your experience :)

#31

Post: # 42135Unread post rxkeith
Sun Feb 28, 2021 9:18 pm

i have grown prudens purple in the past, but have become stuck on pervaya lyubov in recent years.
only other one on your list i have grown is jds special c tex. jds this past year was productive. the tomatoes
were large, and good flavored, larger than i remember them to be. thin skinned, so not good keepers. i will have to
work them into the garden again some where. they are good.


keith

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Re: Grow List - please share your experience :)

#32

Post: # 42170Unread post bower
Mon Mar 01, 2021 2:01 pm

What a lovely list and all the pictures are mouth watering! :)
Vorlon: I would put this in a select group of outstanding black tomatoes which differ more in tolerance/growth habit than in taste, along with Cherokee Purple and Indian Stripe and a few others. Vorlon was not super productive for me, iirc it did not like being put out in the cold spring and somewhat sulky. Indian Stripe did best in my climate (growing in greenhouse here in NL) and was most productive and perfect shaped, so that is my pick from the group. ymmv! It's all about the environment when it comes to finding your personal faves.
Pink Berkeley Tie Die: to my mind a unique tasting black, quite delicious and early and productive. But as someone else mentioned, they will go to a pool of mush in no time after hitting the ripe point. If you're growing a lot of tomatoes, don't forget to huck your extra PBTD into the freezer when just ripe.
Prudens Purple: I guess I'm the only one sorely disappointed. They grew very tall and didn't set any early fruit. At some point I hacked them down because I did not want to tend a seven foot monster with a lone fruit at the top. Too crowded that year? Probably.
Isis Candy: was very temperamental and did not want to set. I finally moved it outdoors, and it did produce some cherries, which we liked very well. Not worth the hassle for me though, there are similar fine tasting cherries which don't have the low production/ high maintenance issues (Galinas Yellow, Medovaya Kaplya for example, although they are not bicolor so not quite as pretty).
Blush: I loved these, tasty and pretty fruit on quite a rugged plant. They should be picked when yellow with just a red blush, which is when the taste and texture is primo. At my friend's farm some of the fruit got left on the plant longer - they were mostly red by that point with a few yellow stripes, and they were mushy and not tasty despite looking perfectly good. So don't let them hang too long.
You might want to plant Blush and PBTD side by side in the row of "daily picking attention" for maximum enjoyment.
Karma: I have only grown Karma Pink. It turned out to be a really horrible summer here (Greenland keeps melting and when it does, we can end up in a bowl of ice for "summer") KP was not cold tolerant - I grow and breed cold tolerant tomatoes which really suck it up regardless, and KP was just not a happy plant in that nasty summer. The lovely complex taste definitely puts it in the category of superlative tomatoes though. I have held off trying the others because we keep having more nasty summers than nice, for the present. But I bet they'll do great for you in Toronto. Envy you the lovely collection of KarenO's pride!
Don't forget to post us some pics of your grow and let us know what you loved or not. Dem some beautiful maters! :)
AgCan Zone 5a/USDA zone 4
temperate marine climate
yearly precip 61 inches/1550 mm

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Re: Grow List - please share your experience :)

#33

Post: # 42174Unread post LK2020
Mon Mar 01, 2021 3:50 pm

I missed JD's Special C Tex in my response above - I have grown it for a few years in a container, and I keep growing it even though it is not super productive that way b/c the taste is wonderful. I swear this is a tomato that, in my backyard micro-climate at least, has a hint of bacon in the flavor. A very nice tomato. I should give it a chance in the ground sometime. Another dark and yummy tomato you might consider is Grandma Oliver's Chocolate. I grew it from Carolyn/Farmer Shawn seeds last summer and it was shockingly productive and tasted fantastic. I mean, I know you're trying to narrow down your list, but ... look who you're talking to here.

JenniferBella
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Re: Grow List - please share your experience :)

#34

Post: # 42178Unread post JenniferBella
Mon Mar 01, 2021 5:11 pm

LK2020 wrote: Sun Feb 28, 2021 6:28 pm Hi, Jennifer, Interesting list. I've grown a number of these and I'm going to give it some thought and share some impressions with you, but just a quick question first - have you grown Girl Girl's Weird Thing (GGWT)? Because GGWT is gorgeous and delicious, if that's what you're looking for, keep it in mind.
Hi there,
Yes, I have it and was considering it but it did not grow for me last year - I do not know why. Might be the seeds as everything else did well. It also looks similar to so many tomatoes like Kozula 24 and the Thong :).
I just received Stump of the World, Sun Peach, Eva's Purple Ball and Aunt Ginny's Purple so I feel those need to be added too!
Share your grow list when you can.
Jennifer

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Re: Grow List - please share your experience :)

#35

Post: # 42179Unread post JenniferBella
Mon Mar 01, 2021 5:12 pm

LK2020 wrote: Mon Mar 01, 2021 3:50 pm I missed JD's Special C Tex in my response above - I have grown it for a few years in a container, and I keep growing it even though it is not super productive that way b/c the taste is wonderful. I swear this is a tomato that, in my backyard micro-climate at least, has a hint of bacon in the flavor. A very nice tomato. I should give it a chance in the ground sometime. Another dark and yummy tomato you might consider is Grandma Oliver's Chocolate. I grew it from Carolyn/Farmer Shawn seeds last summer and it was shockingly productive and tasted fantastic. I mean, I know you're trying to narrow down your list, but ... look who you're talking to here.
I must grow it just for the bacon flavour!
Thank you for adding a variety I do not have haha - adding it to the list.
Last edited by JenniferBella on Mon Mar 01, 2021 5:18 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Grow List - please share your experience :)

#36

Post: # 42180Unread post JenniferBella
Mon Mar 01, 2021 5:16 pm

Dee wrote: Sun Feb 28, 2021 7:29 pm Of the varieties I have grown, I most liked Carbon and Pink Berkeley Tie Dye. Carbon is delicious. PBTD has a decent/average flavour, and is pretty.

Midnight Sun is a truly gorgeous tomato. However, the year I grew it was cool, wet, and cloudy. The flavour of MS was very mild to the point of non-existant, but I figure that was because it was such a terrible growing season. I would give it another chance.

I tried growing Isis Candy years ago. It did not do well for me.

I plan to grow Kozula 24 for the first time this year. I have heard good things about it (mainly, that it is very tasty).

Narrowing down variety choices is always challenging. Have fun, and good luck!
I have repeatedly starred a few winners here and it does help narrow the list down. Now to resist sowing and growing just yet as I am itching to do it!

JenniferBella
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Re: Grow List - please share your experience :)

#37

Post: # 42181Unread post JenniferBella
Mon Mar 01, 2021 5:20 pm

Bower wrote: Mon Mar 01, 2021 2:01 pm What a lovely list and all the pictures are mouth watering! :)
Vorlon: I would put this in a select group of outstanding black tomatoes which differ more in tolerance/growth habit than in taste, along with Cherokee Purple and Indian Stripe and a few others. Vorlon was not super productive for me, iirc it did not like being put out in the cold spring and somewhat sulky. Indian Stripe did best in my climate (growing in greenhouse here in NL) and was most productive and perfect shaped, so that is my pick from the group. ymmv! It's all about the environment when it comes to finding your personal faves.
Pink Berkeley Tie Die: to my mind a unique tasting black, quite delicious and early and productive. But as someone else mentioned, they will go to a pool of mush in no time after hitting the ripe point. If you're growing a lot of tomatoes, don't forget to huck your extra PBTD into the freezer when just ripe.
Prudens Purple: I guess I'm the only one sorely disappointed. They grew very tall and didn't set any early fruit. At some point I hacked them down because I did not want to tend a seven foot monster with a lone fruit at the top. Too crowded that year? Probably.
Isis Candy: was very temperamental and did not want to set. I finally moved it outdoors, and it did produce some cherries, which we liked very well. Not worth the hassle for me though, there are similar fine tasting cherries which don't have the low production/ high maintenance issues (Galinas Yellow, Medovaya Kaplya for example, although they are not bicolor so not quite as pretty).
Blush: I loved these, tasty and pretty fruit on quite a rugged plant. They should be picked when yellow with just a red blush, which is when the taste and texture is primo. At my friend's farm some of the fruit got left on the plant longer - they were mostly red by that point with a few yellow stripes, and they were mushy and not tasty despite looking perfectly good. So don't let them hang too long.
You might want to plant Blush and PBTD side by side in the row of "daily picking attention" for maximum enjoyment.
Karma: I have only grown Karma Pink. It turned out to be a really horrible summer here (Greenland keeps melting and when it does, we can end up in a bowl of ice for "summer") KP was not cold tolerant - I grow and breed cold tolerant tomatoes which really suck it up regardless, and KP was just not a happy plant in that nasty summer. The lovely complex taste definitely puts it in the category of superlative tomatoes though. I have held off trying the others because we keep having more nasty summers than nice, for the present. But I bet they'll do great for you in Toronto. Envy you the lovely collection of KarenO's pride!
Don't forget to post us some pics of your grow and let us know what you loved or not. Dem some beautiful maters! :)
Thanks for sharing your experience and now that you said you are breeder, it is your turn to share :) What have you grown? I need to add to my wishlist because it is not long enough :0)

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Re: Grow List - please share your experience :)

#38

Post: # 42182Unread post JenniferBella
Mon Mar 01, 2021 5:20 pm

rxkeith wrote: Sun Feb 28, 2021 9:18 pm i have grown prudens purple in the past, but have become stuck on pervaya lyubov in recent years.
only other one on your list i have grown is jds special c tex. jds this past year was productive. the tomatoes
were large, and good flavored, larger than i remember them to be. thin skinned, so not good keepers. i will have to
work them into the garden again some where. they are good.


keith
Thanks Keith!

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Re: Grow List - please share your experience :)

#39

Post: # 42185Unread post Shule
Mon Mar 01, 2021 6:09 pm

Of those I've grown at least these:

* Carbon
* Green Tiger
* Pink Berkeley Tie Dye
* Maglia Rosa
* Pruden's Purple

I may have missed a few. Congratulations on such a diverse and interesting tomato list! Anyway, of the ones I've tried, I recommend Carbon most, but they're all great tomatoes. Green Tiger and Maglia Rosa are both wispy (Green Tiger vines and is indeterminate and Maglia Rosa is bushy). Pink Berkeley Tie Dye can potentially be a good producer. Pruden's Purple is early for the fruit size and the taste is great sliced on hamburgers.

Carbon has excellent very sweet taste.

Edit: I've also grown Dark Galaxy. It never got any fruit for me, but it was in tough soil.
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Re: Grow List - please share your experience :)

#40

Post: # 42265Unread post habitat-gardener
Tue Mar 02, 2021 3:02 pm

No one has commented on Polaris so far. It's a wonderful dark tomato! I'll be growing it for the second time.

Pruden's Purple is a longtime favorite.

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