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Post by dld on Feb 14, 2010 11:13:06 GMT -5
Do you have and old standby that you plant every season?
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peppereater
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just tell me when to shut up
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Post by peppereater on Feb 14, 2010 11:39:38 GMT -5
I skipped Brandywine last year for the first time, and kicked myself for not growing it. One I'm sure will be grown every year without fail is Cherokee Purple, whether rl or pl. Everything about it is outstanding, including the fact that it ripens and keeps indoors incredibly well.
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Post by camochef on Feb 14, 2010 17:04:17 GMT -5
My very favorite tomato for quite a few years now has been Cowlick's Brandywine, without a doubt, both for taste and production. I admit that this year it dropped to the #9 position in the taste tests, but that had more to do with our cold and wet season this past year and the fact that I planted all my favorites first, and all my earlier plantings didn't fair nearly as well as those planted later on. Amazon Chocolate was an exception as I planted a couple early in garden #2 and a couple later in garden#1. They all did great! It's done well for a few years now, in dry and wet weather, cool and hot temperatures. Sandul Moldovan is another that has done just as well under various conditions for a few years now. occasionally beating Cowlick's in taste but never in production. This year I gave the #1 placement to Dana's Dusky Rose, a newcomer to the taste tests and my most requested seed this past year. Without a doubt, the best tasting dark tomato this year, followed by Amazon Chocolate and JD's Special C-Tex. Not that Black Master, Swisher Sweet and Shannon's South African Mystery Black were that far behind. In Pinks, Sandul Moldovan led at #4, but Lillian Maciejewski's Poland Pink, Barlow Jap, Mrs Benson, and Brandywine -Glicks were right up there too. Red's saw Tarasenko6 and Preacher Joe leading the way. That's not to say there was anything wrong with Lancaster County Pink , Gigantesque Limbaugh's Legacy Potato top, Richardson, Rose, Dora, or Gary O'Sena. Indian stripe, Golden Queen, Black Krim, Earls Faux, and almost any of last years top 40 or so on my listing would more than satisfy the palette of the most discriminating gardener, but none of them beat Cowlick's Brandywine for production! Of course that's here in south central Pa. And this past year also showed how things can change from year to year. look at the 2008 tomato taste tests compared to the 2009 taste tests, both posted at Idig. Like everyone else, I can't wait to see what happens in my gardens in 2010. Here's wishing all a great season and the chance to find out what tastes best and produces the most in theit own gardens. Camo
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jcm05
Administrator
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Post by jcm05 on Feb 14, 2010 20:40:18 GMT -5
Far too picky.
Mine is Lucky Cross.
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landarc
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Post by landarc on Feb 15, 2010 14:28:32 GMT -5
Um uhhh...whatever ones grows well this year.
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Post by darthslater on Feb 15, 2010 15:00:52 GMT -5
With all due respect Camo, your list is subjective. Here in the north with my soil conditions and growing season taste varies from species to species. Here my never fail is Black from Tula. I also grow thousands of tomatoes, for market resteraunts etc. I have yet tasted a red or pink to rival Kosovo, any brandywine I have planted has paled next to Stump of the world or Mariannes Peace. I get great production from Brandywines, dont get me wrong, it is in my judgement, and the chefs that the latter tomatoes are superior. Also, I am a black fanatic and have obtained many new varieties for trial this year. I sell more Black tomatoes than any other. Shortly followed by green, then Bi-colors. I do not sell many reds.
Darth
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Post by camochef on Feb 15, 2010 19:39:32 GMT -5
Darth, Without looking for any type of argument, and the fact that I only grow a few tomatoes each year, and don't sell any to anybody. I cannot change what I consider to be my standby's or favorites. I grew Black from Tula a couple years ago and found it to be almost inedible for me as it was just way too sweet, disgustingly so. I agree Stump of the World is a tasty tomato, and really don't know why that didn't make it back into my gardens last year, perhaps when starting 600-800 tomato plants, some tend to get overlooked. (not to be confused with Brandywine-Stumps, an entirely different variety). I've grown Marianne Peace three years running and have yet to have anything good to say about its yield and little to say about its taste. Over the last few years I've grown every black tomato I could find as I think they equal or are very close to my favorite pinks. Some are really good, some not so hot. I've also found that the same tomato can change drasticly from year to year even grown in the same garden, let alone a thousand miles apart. Cherokee Purple is a prime example, in 2007 it was very impressive for me, in 2008 it was the best tasting tomato and recieved the #1 ranking in my gardens. Last year they dropped all the way to #43 on my listing because they tasted like... bland and watery, and I wouldn't give one to anybody, they were bad! Black Brandywine is another that is so unstable that you don't know what your going to get. Leaf type varies from one type to another, fruit shape runs the gambit from oblate to globular to tulip or bell shaped. We won't even get into taste with them. Then we all have different tastes and different climes, what does well for me here in Gettysburg, may not fair as well up north or down south, but Cowlick's Brandywine have done well for me here, have done well in Mississippi, Texas, Florida, New York State, Kansas, Michagan, New Jersey, Alabama, North Carolina, Washington state, Germany, England, and other European countries, I'm not certain how they finished in South Africa and I know they didn't do well in the Phillipines but that was to be expected. And I'm sure there are many other areas that will attest to there popularity the past few years. I've given them freely to those in every state and many countries, both hemispheres and they've been recieved well. Wait till you see how Dana's Dusky Rose does in a couple years as I've already begun to do the same with them this year. I only kept a few for myself and distributed them worldwide too. And they were a hands down favorite this year. I also have to point out that Cowlicks Brandywine produced over a hundred lbs of tomatoes that first year off one plant. The following years may not have been quite as good, but they weren't far behind. Brandywine-Glicks isn't far behind and they both blow away Brandywine -Sudduth's, and other Brandywines fall way behind them, both in taste and production. So, while my favorites may change slightly from year to year, as I edit my selections, they are still my favorites and from the reports I get from others, a lot of them feel the same way. Doesn't mean that others need feel the same, which is evident by my opinon of Black from Tula, which many others love! It's just not for me! So here's hoping that you have a successful year and that your pleased with those that you grow. Camo
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Post by darthslater on Feb 15, 2010 20:41:51 GMT -5
No argument intended, And in all fairness I am trying Cowlicks this year. You know how it is, in search of.... that ONE hehe. I had some luck last year but for the most part even my favorites tasted watery. I am hoping everyone has a better growing disease free season, By the way Camo I too am from Penn Johnstown to be exact. We dont like alot of water anytime hehe.
Darth
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Post by blane on Feb 15, 2010 22:17:47 GMT -5
Darth and Camo....
This is some great action gowing on here. Ive known both of you for a little while now, but your Tom advise is keeping me interested. Many heirlooms you have grown...
Dont laugh here at me.... But until I grew out Camos Cowlkicks Brandywines last fall.... My Favorite standby is a simple little Beefstake from my local garden center. I can trust these year after year. I plant, they make! Dang near for 6 months. Granted, they do get smaller in size as the season goes on, but as for taste and productivity, this simple MS hybrid has been a garden Must.... For many years now. Thats just freakin Sad aint it?
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Post by darthslater on Feb 15, 2010 23:18:19 GMT -5
We just live in different areas, Camo and I. Taste is always a thing that is hard to set to a standard. For chefs they want sweet for farm markets they like a blt tomato everyone has their own thought as to what a tomato should taste like. I am Switzerland...I sell what ever they want!!!!! ;D
Darth
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Post by puttgirl on Feb 15, 2010 23:45:14 GMT -5
My old stand-by is one of the first I ever grew, watermelon beefsteak. It almost always volunteers, always produces a bunch of big ones for me. I think it is just so well adapted to my little patch, it would take over if I let it!
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Post by camochef on Feb 16, 2010 0:25:22 GMT -5
No argument intended, And in all fairness I am trying Cowlicks this year. You know how it is, in search of.... that ONE hehe. I had some luck last year but for the most part even my favorites tasted watery. I am hoping everyone has a better growing disease free season, By the way Camo I too am from Penn Johnstown to be exact. We dont like alot of water anytime hehe. Darth Darth, I'm glad, as I dislike to disagree, but being a Jersey boy, I can't help but make frogs jump. In all seriousness, I hope Cowlick's do well for you. They are a long season tomato but by starting early they do very well. Many years they are one of the first to ripen, some years as early as 29 June and producing through the end of October. Last year they tied with Lancaster county pink as the first to ripen and that was on the 1st of July, the season ended on Oct 14th with a killing frost I've started them as early as the last week of January, but have been starting seed later and later every year. Last year I started my first tray on Feb 25 &26 and more on March 7, 20, 21. It was such a cold spring I wound up transplanting them into larger and larger containers many times. Didn't start planting in the gardens until 28 April...continued until 22 June when I quit planting for the year and disposed of the remainder of the plants. I planted all my favorites first and all the "new to me Varieties" last. Everything planted early was disappointing on a whole as it remained much to cool and wet. we were dropping to the high 30's overnight in July! All the late planted tomates faired much better. Their taste was remarkably improved! Now this doesn't help someone that's growing for restaurant sales that need to have saleable items early, but for me...I'm starting everything much later this year. As I'm planting much less than normal this year, I don't have to fight the clock, or the calander so to speak. The way our weather has been going so far, it's been much colder and wetter than normal and we've had and are still having a lot more snow than we've seen in years. I look for this to be another colder than normal season here and I think we're going to remain a lot wetter too! Last year this caused lots of problems with diseases, including late blight that swept the entire north-east/mid-atlantic area. I'm not going to kill myself this year fighting disease, so I'm dropping down to 12-25 plants instead of the 250 or more that I've been planting the last few years. But in your case, I have to assume that you have greenhouses going and will be able to start things sooner than the average grower. Therefore, to maximize yeild I would start my cowlicks as soon as possible, because they will produce steadily up to a killing frost at which time they will still be loaded with green tomatoes. Of course, that's without any diseases intervening. So again, I wish you luck, as they are a great tomato! Camo
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Post by camochef on Feb 16, 2010 0:42:40 GMT -5
Darth and Camo.... This is some great action gowing on here. Ive known both of you for a little while now, but your Tom advise is keeping me interested. Many heirlooms you have grown... Dont laugh here at me.... But until I grew out Camos Cowlkicks Brandywines last fall.... My Favorite standby is a simple little Beefstake from my local garden center. I can trust these year after year. I plant, they make! Dang near for 6 months. Granted, they do get smaller in size as the season goes on, but as for taste and productivity, this simple MS hybrid has been a garden Must.... For many years now. Thats just freakin Sad aint it? Blane, It's whatever grows well for you and satisfys your tastebuds that's important. If you like that simple hybrid than by all means grow them. It was disappointing for me to have to watch my beloved Cowlicks slide further down the list to the #9 spot, but that meant there were 8 others that were much better tasting. and to be perfectly honest there isn't a lot of difference between the first 30 or so, they're that good. Actually, looking over my list here in front of me, the first 40 varieties would be more acurite. It's reaching the point that it's going to be real hard cutting back to that 12-25 plants this year, but I'm determined. You can almost guess which ones will be on it from looking at my list from the last two years. So keep growing that beefsteak, and hopefully some cowlick's too. There was a time in my past when beefsteaks were my favorite tomato too. As a kid I would eat them by the bushel basketfull. Of course, back then I could buy an entire bushel of good ole Jersey Beefsteak maters for $1.50 and I always had a small container of morton's salt and pepper with me. Now I need it to be black or pink heirloom tomatoes with either himalayan pink or peruvian pink sea salt and I don't go out without my little container of Zatarains, be it for sweet corn or tomatoes! So as you say my friend, grow on! Camo
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Post by timothyt on Feb 16, 2010 9:24:56 GMT -5
For the last 17 years in this particular location my tried and true have been Burpee Supersteak, Sungold, Pruden's Purple , and Kellogg's Breakfast. The PP got wiped early by a storm and I surely missed it. And for the first time Supersteak faltered, but it was a lousy year for most of my tomatoes. I will be trialing KBX next to Kellogg's this year. Many others have been cycled through( a good 50 or so), but those are my longest lived standbys. Others creeping up on the list are Kosovo, Matina, Pineapple, Mariane's Peace, and Red Currant that have been around for over 5 plantings. Last year's standouts were Azoychka, Bradley, Spudakee, Indian Stripe, and Black Cherry. And though Camo's Cowlick struggled early it showed great promise towards the end of the season. T
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swampr
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Post by swampr on Feb 16, 2010 11:17:51 GMT -5
prudens purple, jolly f1, sungold, sweet quartz, manny
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