I called Johnny's Selected seeds this am. I explained that I have been planting transplants and want to do seeds this year. My criteria is indeterminate, meaty and of course suitable for zone 9b.
This is my short list. I am not familiar with the varieties and would like your input - especially southern gardeners.
Green Zebra
Brandywine
Rosa
Black Cherry
Early varieties
New Girl
Sun Peach
Sun Gold
Heat tolerant for late summer planting
Charger
Mountain Magic
Any input would be helpful - disease resistance, produtivity, flavor.
I have to narrow down the list even more. I want an early variety. I am definitly getting green zebras and another. I am leaning towards the brandywine. I may do a couple of black cherries in pots. Then a heat tolerant for late season planting that will grow into the fall. I have 4 4'x4' boxes so I have to make wise choices and not go crazy. As it is I will be sharing seeds with my 2 sisters, Mother and brother.
Thanks all. Really excited about getting back to "real" gardening.
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ElizabethB
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ElizabethB
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Elizabeth, your return is going to be highly variable within cultivar and reagon and season.
Brandywine is a very widely planted pink oblate regular leaf(ed) indeterminate tomato. In new england I would size this as a 'late' tomato. In the deep south I might start and plant them as early as could be dared. BW will not hold up in June to September heat in the deep south.
I don't care for any of the green-when-ripe tomato. YMMV
If your looking at sun-gold, also look at tomato of southern provinance like Nyagous and Porter-pink.
Brandywine is a very widely planted pink oblate regular leaf(ed) indeterminate tomato. In new england I would size this as a 'late' tomato. In the deep south I might start and plant them as early as could be dared. BW will not hold up in June to September heat in the deep south.
I don't care for any of the green-when-ripe tomato. YMMV
If your looking at sun-gold, also look at tomato of southern provinance like Nyagous and Porter-pink.
Hi
I haven't tried all of the tomatoes you have selected, but I live in zone 10 and have similar problems with heat and humidity. Early tomatoes are not the best choices for me. I prefer mid season. Most of those tomatoes have better flavor. Brandywine has good flavor but must be planted early, start in February if possible, it cannot take the heat of summer. It also needs to be on a preventive fungicide program. The tomatoes that grow and set better in the summer heat have been heatwaveII, which also is fairly disease resistant too. Arkansas Traveler and costoluto genovese are also pretty heat tolerant. Smaller tomatoes are sweeter than the bigger tomatoes. Sungold, sun cherry, sunsugar, sugary, and mojo were very sweet and productive. Nothing beats sweet 100 for production and consistency and it is pretty sweet too. If you like it a little tarter you can get jubilee which did well though it did drop flowers above 88 degrees. Lime green salad is also a good acidic cherry tomato. A friend of mine also recommended silvery fir tree and cherokee purple.
Tomatoes do not get as big as the catalog descriptions. Brandywine was close to a pound but we do not get a long enough day to grow really big tomatoes (We get 11-13 hours of sunlight max year round) The best growing tomatoes (not necessarily the tastiest) are in the 10 oz range. I keep trying new ones all the time. The advantage of having a 365 day growing year is that I can grow tomatoes nearly year round so I can try over a dozen varieties a year. On the downside, a 365 day growing season also means that disease and pests are a perpetual problem. I have had to limit my choices because tomato yellow curl is a problem for me and unfortunately most of what survives are not great in the taste department. (Early Girl,is one tough tomato! It is almost a year old and is still producing. Champion,is a medium size "pretty" tomato, both produce well but even the birds don't bother them). I'd like to hear back how well your tomatoes do.
I haven't tried all of the tomatoes you have selected, but I live in zone 10 and have similar problems with heat and humidity. Early tomatoes are not the best choices for me. I prefer mid season. Most of those tomatoes have better flavor. Brandywine has good flavor but must be planted early, start in February if possible, it cannot take the heat of summer. It also needs to be on a preventive fungicide program. The tomatoes that grow and set better in the summer heat have been heatwaveII, which also is fairly disease resistant too. Arkansas Traveler and costoluto genovese are also pretty heat tolerant. Smaller tomatoes are sweeter than the bigger tomatoes. Sungold, sun cherry, sunsugar, sugary, and mojo were very sweet and productive. Nothing beats sweet 100 for production and consistency and it is pretty sweet too. If you like it a little tarter you can get jubilee which did well though it did drop flowers above 88 degrees. Lime green salad is also a good acidic cherry tomato. A friend of mine also recommended silvery fir tree and cherokee purple.
Tomatoes do not get as big as the catalog descriptions. Brandywine was close to a pound but we do not get a long enough day to grow really big tomatoes (We get 11-13 hours of sunlight max year round) The best growing tomatoes (not necessarily the tastiest) are in the 10 oz range. I keep trying new ones all the time. The advantage of having a 365 day growing year is that I can grow tomatoes nearly year round so I can try over a dozen varieties a year. On the downside, a 365 day growing season also means that disease and pests are a perpetual problem. I have had to limit my choices because tomato yellow curl is a problem for me and unfortunately most of what survives are not great in the taste department. (Early Girl,is one tough tomato! It is almost a year old and is still producing. Champion,is a medium size "pretty" tomato, both produce well but even the birds don't bother them). I'd like to hear back how well your tomatoes do.
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ElizabethB
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Thanks Imafan
I know I am going out on a limb with these untried varieties but what the heck. I will keep a journal of my progress. I also have a back up plan - planting some tried and true varieties just to make sure I have maters over the summer. My brother planted green zebras spring 2011 and had a great crop so I am not worried about that one. The rest are all to play with. Brandywine does sund very promising. Before I ordered I called the seed company to discuss varieties. I told them my local and growing conditions as well as what I like in a tomato - indeterminate and meaty. There were other recomindations but my space is limited and I don't need to go too crazy with untried varieties. Thanks for your input. Will keep all posted on my success and or failures.
Happy New Year
I know I am going out on a limb with these untried varieties but what the heck. I will keep a journal of my progress. I also have a back up plan - planting some tried and true varieties just to make sure I have maters over the summer. My brother planted green zebras spring 2011 and had a great crop so I am not worried about that one. The rest are all to play with. Brandywine does sund very promising. Before I ordered I called the seed company to discuss varieties. I told them my local and growing conditions as well as what I like in a tomato - indeterminate and meaty. There were other recomindations but my space is limited and I don't need to go too crazy with untried varieties. Thanks for your input. Will keep all posted on my success and or failures.
Happy New Year
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gixxerific
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I am not a southern gardener but it does get hot here too. I also have not grwon a lot of these but I can give some advice on a few.
I would go with Green Zebra that is a wonderful fruit. Very productive and tasty though a differant than normal tomato taste. I will be growing out some Green Zebra mutants that were found last year.
Black Cherry is a great cherry that never cease to amaze me. I have grown it in pots before as well. So keep that option, but is a VERY vigorous plant so it needs a huge pot.
Brandywine is a great variety though late and usually not as productive as a lot of other beefsteaks in the same category. But the taste is awesome.
Never heard of Rosa and can't seem to find that variety, many others with Rosa in the name. So it's obviously a pink other than that ????.
I belive both of your late varetys are det. which is good for a lte planting. They are both quality tomatos and both have a list of disease resistance.
Good luck with you choices. It is not easy I know. I am trying to cut down 300 or so to about 60 - 70
Dono
I would go with Green Zebra that is a wonderful fruit. Very productive and tasty though a differant than normal tomato taste. I will be growing out some Green Zebra mutants that were found last year.
Black Cherry is a great cherry that never cease to amaze me. I have grown it in pots before as well. So keep that option, but is a VERY vigorous plant so it needs a huge pot.
Brandywine is a great variety though late and usually not as productive as a lot of other beefsteaks in the same category. But the taste is awesome.
Never heard of Rosa and can't seem to find that variety, many others with Rosa in the name. So it's obviously a pink other than that ????.
I belive both of your late varetys are det. which is good for a lte planting. They are both quality tomatos and both have a list of disease resistance.
Good luck with you choices. It is not easy I know. I am trying to cut down 300 or so to about 60 - 70
Dono
Ugh, similar problem with the heat and humidity over here!
I found this article: https://www.tomatodirt.com/tomatoes-for-the-south.html
Would you guys agree, or have any experience with the stuff up there?
I'm off to Home Depot in a moment, and I'm tempted to just get their normal packet of Beefsteak Tomatoes and give them a shot. Would that just be setting myself up for failure down here? :/
I found this article: https://www.tomatodirt.com/tomatoes-for-the-south.html
Would you guys agree, or have any experience with the stuff up there?
I'm off to Home Depot in a moment, and I'm tempted to just get their normal packet of Beefsteak Tomatoes and give them a shot. Would that just be setting myself up for failure down here? :/
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ElizabethB
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Aida - good link. My normal varieties are Better Boy, Big Boy, Early Girl, Celebraty and Roma. Plus some grape tomatoes in pots - the Roma in pots as well.
Like I said I am going out on a limb trying these untried varieties. I am not concerned about the green zebras - I know they work. The rest are an experiment. I do plan to journal and may use that as an MG project. I will be planting some of my usual varieties just to make sure I have maters over the summer. Not going to put all of my eggs in one basket.
Happy gardening
Like I said I am going out on a limb trying these untried varieties. I am not concerned about the green zebras - I know they work. The rest are an experiment. I do plan to journal and may use that as an MG project. I will be planting some of my usual varieties just to make sure I have maters over the summer. Not going to put all of my eggs in one basket.
Happy gardening
You know it is so hard in Florida, but last year was my best and I tried like 20 different kinds, but my key was start early, I already have my seedlings going. I stated Dec 15th, should be in ground by end of January. Last year I was done by April, give or take a few stragglers, with very little disease or heat issues, the years previous I started in January and didn't fair as well. by Aprils end the heat was here. I live by Kennedy Space Center. The types varied, but my best producers were ...... Johnny's Tall Heirloom and a Burpee Salsa, Golden Boy, Solar Set, Flora Dade, Flora Del. I also did well with Early girl, my personal favorites were Abraham Lincoln and Julia Child, all the rest were hit and miss, but I got over 1600 tomatoes and I did some in raised beds, some in pots and some in the ground. keep good notes, I took pictures with my IPAD very week to record growth as I am just too busy to note every change. Could then go back to the pictures and record notes later on.
I can't grow any of my own plants in FL in the fall, I have to buy my plants, the humid weather just breeds disease for me and the seedlings never do well, I literally seem to just grow and grow little seedlings that die from the heat, too much rain, or disease. I gave in this year and bought my plants in October.
I have some I did from seed right now, but most were bought. I have a Chadwick Cherry that is kicking butt, I have another that was supposed to be a Reisnetraube cherry tomatoes, but it is not, the plants are producing huge amounts of larger tomato's have no idea what happened there, I know what I planted but that is not what the plants are producing. Oh we'll they look good so I won't complain. Good luck and please post your results later in the year, Florida may have two growing seasons, but the weather can sure play havoc with your results.
I can't grow any of my own plants in FL in the fall, I have to buy my plants, the humid weather just breeds disease for me and the seedlings never do well, I literally seem to just grow and grow little seedlings that die from the heat, too much rain, or disease. I gave in this year and bought my plants in October.
I have some I did from seed right now, but most were bought. I have a Chadwick Cherry that is kicking butt, I have another that was supposed to be a Reisnetraube cherry tomatoes, but it is not, the plants are producing huge amounts of larger tomato's have no idea what happened there, I know what I planted but that is not what the plants are producing. Oh we'll they look good so I won't complain. Good luck and please post your results later in the year, Florida may have two growing seasons, but the weather can sure play havoc with your results.
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Jardin du Fort
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Elizabeth, a few decades ago I had experience with the Brandywine and the Rosas. The year I grew the Rosas I was working 60 hours a week all summer and the garden went to weeds. I still managed to get a full grocery sack of Rosas out of it with absolute inattention. The Brandywine was in my first garden, which is long enough ago that I don't really remember much other than they really tasted good.
I know that tomatoes love heat.... within limits, and that they also need regular watering, preferably by soaker hose, but then you probably already know such things.....
:wink:
I know that tomatoes love heat.... within limits, and that they also need regular watering, preferably by soaker hose, but then you probably already know such things.....
:wink:
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ElizabethB
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Thank you Jardin - yes soaker hoses are a necessity. When I planted my garden last spring my soakers were done with. I got impatient and did not replace them. NEVER again 
Apple - I am interested in your suggestion on seed harvesting. some of my trials are heirlooms others are hybrids. I did not think that the hybrids would produce true to the parent plant. Also how do you you harvest dry/cure your tomato seeds? I just eat, cook, can, give away or sell my excess.
Thank you all.
Apple - I am interested in your suggestion on seed harvesting. some of my trials are heirlooms others are hybrids. I did not think that the hybrids would produce true to the parent plant. Also how do you you harvest dry/cure your tomato seeds? I just eat, cook, can, give away or sell my excess.
Thank you all.
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Jardin du Fort
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BigDgardengal
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ElizabethB
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It has been raining and unusually cold for WEEKS. I HATE getting out in this weather. I talked to my sister this morning and we are going out tomorrow rain or not (there will be no shine) for planting supplies. I WILL get my seeds planted. 
So much for global warming. Sorry - I do not do cold and wet. The temps are low 40's but real feel is low 30's and wet. Yuck! Sorry. I really should be 
for complaining when so many of you have REAL winter to deal with. I am just a very spoiled southerner who hates cold and wet. Now a beautiful, sunny cold day if fine. I love it. Even if the temps are freezing. Just give me some sunshine. Sorry. Give me some cheese to go with my whine.