Winter Indoor Tomatoes variety candidates

[prettygurl]

Have you tried the Lizzano tomato? It is a compact semi-determinate. I am very curious about it.

[applestar]

That one looks like a hybrid. I prefer tomatoes that I can save seeds from year to year.

[ElizabethB]

Applestar, every time I read about your indoor tomato project I am amazed, impressed, motivated, inspired. You are, without a doubt, the Queen of indoor tomato growing. You should have the Queen Bee avatar.

[applestar]

But, Elizabeth, my avatar is a pretty heart shaped Principe Borghese tomato.

Thank you for your comment. I love hearing that my little putterings have inspired other gardeners.

[applestar]

OK. Delayed and didn't get to start earlier in low tunnels like I intended to, but I've started planting the Winter Trial varieties:

So far:


This area is shaded by trees all morning and only gets 1/2 day sun. I believe the oak tree roots extends into this area so that it is rather dry and nutrient poor. I had this bed scheduled for greens and other shade tolerant vegs/herbs. Originally my "Sunflower & House" (sunflowers, corn, beansm cucumbers) -- corn, pole beans, and cucumbers did very poorly when planted in this bed when it was new. Sunflowers did well I think only because they grew tall enough to catch more sun and deep enough roots to find more moisture and nutrients. Poor performance by potatoes, one tomato plant, broccoli and turnips here last year, though parsnips did well and onions were good as green onions.

And:

(Wes shouldn't be in there -- I planted it in a moment of weakness because it was impossibly overgrown and ths is a protected area when it seemed like frosty weather was never going to leave )

I pLanted the Coyote, reputed to be a monster that spreads, in the darkest corner. This is in a protected corner with house and garage walls to ENE and WNW side so even though the corner faces directly south, only gets a limited amount of sun. A Brandywine plant only produced four fruits there one year.

[TZ -OH6]

I've not had any problems with Lime Green Salad it. I used it in my breeding to get dwarfism and multiflora characteristics.

It was usually small as far as dwarfs go, but the seedlings were thick and on schedule with everything else, so I never worry about the height. It also has a high proportion of tricot seedlings. I think it usaullay grew to 2 ft, but I seem to recall getting some to 4 ft. I also grew it in the windowsill in a 32oz deli container pot for a houseplant.

Tom Wagner originally called it something like Green Elf, but the original seed seller changed it to LGS.

[applestar]

I think my Lime Green Salad seedling made it. I'll have to look for it in the jungle.

I completed the SF&H Winter Indoor Trial bed, though I may add one more and make it 20.

[applestar]

Planted the determinate Burszyn in that spot.

Most if not all of the plants in this bed are blooming and Native Sun has a little fruit:


Tigerella in the main spiral garden has a fruit -- I think I messed up and didn't plant the fastest growing seedling here in the Winter Trial Bed:


This is Sinister Minister or Jaune Flammé, also in the spiral garden:


This Earl's Green Cherrry is going in the shady Winter Trial Cherry Tomato row:


And a Beaver Lodge Slicer in a container is fruiting but not in the shady Winter Tomato Trial bed:

[applestar]

Winter Indoor Trial cherries are planted long the fence in VGD and VGE:


Overflow Winter Indoor Trial dwarfs and short indeterminates are going in the Apple Guild bed. Clock indicates Determinate, Alien indicates Dwarf or short (< 5 ft)

[applestar]

Looking at my notes, Zarnitsa is listed as Semi Indeterminate.
...well, this variety is definitely NOT determinate for sure since two of this winter's plants are still producing fruit...





...the fruits are bigger than during winter -- due to more condusive warmth and light exposure no doubt.

[applestar]

Getting there... Getting there...
All except gray background squares are planted now. alien indicates dwarf/<3-4ft and clock indicates Determinate. Leaves indicate potato leaf. Two hands that look kind of like earmuffs indicate extra-tall varieties.








I've started to indicate ones with green fruits with a green heart. I'll come back and update this with all the varieties with fruits on them at this point.

[applestar]

VG-C and VG-E are planted! VG-D is still under insect netting with only maybe 25% of the broccoli harvested so I'm not sure what to do.... I might be able to plant Dr. Lyle, but I think that's about it right now.



As you can see, I have a secondary experiment going on... Talk about PETC
In the front two short rows, I planted onions and carrots, with beets on the one end. But it turned out that there were a LOT of volunteer red Russian kale, lambs quarters, some winter mustard, some Malabar Spinach (surprise! The seeds can overwinter and volunteer! ), some Akashiso, etc.

What I'm doing is digging out just enough of them (transplanting them elsewhere -- mostly in the Spiral Garden), then shoe-horning the tomato plants in. ...yeah, I think the ones that will suffer/be impacted the most will be the onions, especially if I don't get at least everything but the carrots out of there





...I had to expand into the Apple Guild to get these in the ground. I grew Seminole pumpkins and sugar beets along here last year so the ground was mostly ready. It's about a step or two outside of the Enterprise apple tree's drip line. I forgot to indicate on the map, but I transplanted lettuce between the tomatoes. You can see the apple tree's shadow on the ground -- hopefully will help to keep the lettuce cooler.


Earl's Green Cherry fruits:


Ubikany fruits:


Pineapple Pig has a fruit too

[applestar]

I think I need to take a better picture, but here, I planted garlic last fall. I made room for tomatoes where there was no garlic. Hopefully garlic harvesting process won't disturb the tomatoes too much....

[applestar]

Russo's Sicilian Togetta (SF&H-WTB)


Sinister Minister F4 (SF&H-WTB)


Manö (SF&H-WTB)


Earl's Green Cherry (FR-WTC)

[applestar]

In a vague moment I lost track of this variety as I was uppotting, so it was labeled Sinister Minister (F4) or Jaune Flammeé. Now, I can tell it is definitely NOT Sinister Minister unless it's a throwback segregate.

[applestar]

Winter Indoor Tomato Trial in Sunflowers, etc. House (SF&H) bed:

Current Status: all except later planted Northern Lights and Mid season Rosella Purple are fruiting





Native Sun:


Sinister Minister F4:


Russo's Sicilian Togetta:


Zarnitsa:


Sophie's Choice:


Bloody Butcher:


Jackass Yellow (F6?)


Tigrella:


Manö:


Cherokee Tiger Large Red:


Burszyn:


Beryi Naliv:


Extreme Bush:


Beaverlodge Slicer:


Kootenai:


Donomater F3#4 (unjointed pedicils!):


Monomak's Hat:

(had to take another pic of these upper cluster fruits)


Tasmanian Chocolate:


Rosella Purple:


Northern Lights:


---
KIDS' GARDEN

Sweet Beverley:

[applestar]

Family Room (not all) Winter Indoor Cherry Tomato Trial bed:

Current Status: All are fruiting. Longest vines on Earl's Green Cherry and Coyote are over 5 feet long/tall.



1st plant
-- Earl's Green Cherry:
2nd plant with lobed/fluted fruits
-- Jaune Flammeé (?)
-- this grew in same soil block as Wes, the intended variety, and bullied the wispy leaved Wes and tried to take over the soil block... Right now, it's not looking like JF either.... Maybe Kamatis Tagalog (?)
(KT seeds were sown same day as Wes and has fluted fruits. Only other varieties with fluted fruits I'm growing are I think Russo's Sicilian Togetta and Moosolini.)

-- Wes is actually the wimpy wispy leaf plant in the left bottom corner--


Snow White:


Coyote:


...also,
Jaune Flammeé:


Spudatula (Black from Tula PL) << NOT Spudatula


Stump of the World:

[gixxerific]

Just to let you know what came up first for me since this thread is about early plants for winter growing.

First to start to ripen Belyi Naliv they are a bit bigger fruit and need a another few day's. First pickings all about the same time, Balkan Tiger F3, Balkon Star, Lucky Leprechaun, Orange Pixie (I think O Pixie would have ripened sooner but it was infested with whitefly's and aphids and was looking very sad for a while, but it's on the rebound now, with turning fruit).

A few others real close like a day or to for picking are Tasmanian Pink F5 and Sleeping Lady.

[applestar]

First to start to ripen Belyi Naliv they are a bit bigger fruit and need a another few day's. First pickings all about the same time, Balkan Tiger F3, Balkon Star, Lucky Leprechaun, Orange Pixie (I think O Pixie would have ripened sooner but it was infested with whitefly's and aphids and was looking very sad for a while, but it's on the rebound now, with turning fruit).

A few others real close like a day or to for picking are Tasmanian Pink F5 and Sleeping Lady.

Thanks Gixx! Your input with all those varieties I don't have will be invaluable for this thread.

Out of the ones you mentioned here, I have Belyi Naliv and Lucky Leprechaun (thanks to you )
Keep us posted and we'll compare notes.

Glad to hear you got those pesky pests under control.

[gixxerific]

Never fear whatever I have is yours Apple.

[applestar]

Thanks, Gixx.

[applestar]

I actually have the first variety to blush -- we were expecting (and got) heavy downpours today so I picked the two fruits at breaker stage this morning. But I was really busy so didn't take any pictures.

It was from Earl's Green Cherry in VGD/AG (Vegetable Garden bed D/Apple Guild extension).

I'll take a picture tomorrow morning, and elaborate with additional photos, but I have three EGC plants. Two in the ground -- VGD/AG and FR (family room) -- and one in a 1/2 gal pot waiting to be planted. The VGD/AG plant from which the blushed fruits came from is maybe 24" tall, but the FR plant is pushing 6 feet or more.

[applestar]

Not on the original list of candidates, but this is Sweet N Neat in a 2 gal bucket. I think with this one I WILL up pot to 4 or 5 gal bucket after I get some from a deli, but you can already see it's capable of growing a lot of fruits in this size container



It's still not drying out too quickly so the roots haven't filled the soil at this point.

[gixxerific]

After posting 'my' early plants for you. I went out and remembered Cyril's Choice was actually the first over all.

Just want to clarify.

[applestar]

Do you have a picture of your Cyrill's (Cyrill's? Not Sophie's) Choice?

I have blushing maters!

First to blush was Earl's Green Cherry as mentioned before.
Today, I noticed that the same plant had few more amber colored fruits (does not quite slight-give but since this is a GWR, it should be nearly fully ripe)



This little Coyote fruit in the lower truss is actually ripe:


Tigrella was the third exciting discovery


(I know the pics aren't showing because of the exceeded band width block. Hopefully they will be released from the blck on 27th or 28th)

[gixxerific]

No Apple I don't off hand but It will try to get one. Remind me if I don't, so many variety's to capture.

[digitS']

Well, I'm back on the 27th to see the pictures !

I'm curious about the Tigerella, Applestar. Can you give us some idea on the size of the fruit?

Tigerella has done well in my garden and it is good and early. Of course, I don't know about indoors over the winter.

Steve

[applestar]

Here's one more look at the Tigerella bevfore harvesting:

...and digitS, here's a picture with a couple of hose end attachments for scale. Biggest fruit here next to the yellow attachment is the Tigerella

...two pink fruits are Sweet N Neat and the other large cherry sized tomato is supposed to be Earl's Green Cherry but I don't think it looks the way it's supposed to. I'll try to find out what might be going on. I also harvested another Coyote, but oops it didn't make it to the table.

Sweet N Neat before harvesting:


Earl's Green Cherry before harvesting:


I didn't take a picture but I cut the "Earl's Green Cherry" open -- it had dark orange /red flesh and green gel like most dark colored tomatoes. They I tried eating the bottom half and was about to spit out the skin because I usualy don't like the skin... Then decided it was thin enough to eat. Very surprised to find the skin tasted sweet when chewed. I ate the top half too. Did not save seeds. It was too yum.

[applestar]

Today's harvest (I'm picking them not quite dead ripe right now. Later on, I won't be able to keep up )

Manö to the left of the yellow hose end, then the 2 large cherry size "doesn't look like" Earl's Green Cherry and the 4 small cherry size fruits that I think ARE Earl's Green Cherry. Little light yellow fruits are Coyote, and I included a handful of larger fruited Elizabeth blueberries for comparison

[applestar]

Today's pics --

- Largest fruit is Kootenai -- not quite ripe but starting to split from the rain so it had to come in.
- Two more (not) Earl's ?green Cherry.
- ...and -- tah dah ! -- DonomaterF3#3 (F2 was upstairs, suffered from 2-spotted spider mites) first fruit with POINTED END and JOINTED PEDICEL


- A handful of pale yellow Coyote (they are mostly ripe -- one from a lower truss squished in my hand when I tried to pull it off instead of breaking the pedicel so I had to eat it -- intense flavor in a tiny package!)
- Larger "white" cherry is Snow White
- Grape cherry is Sinister Minister F4 -- needs a little more time to ripen fully


Kootenai before it was harvested:


Snow White before it was harvested:


Sinister Minister F4 before it was harvested:


--
Not quite ready but close:

Native Sun:


Beaverlodge Slicer in a container:


This is labeled as Jaune Flammeé but maybe it's another Native Sun?

[applestar]

I wasn't up to going outside today, but with yet another overnight heavy rain/flood warnings , I decided to brave the drizzle and go check on the near-ripe tomatoes. Good thing too! Here are today's picks



- This isn't for Winter Trial, but first let me describe the Pineapple Pig which was --really-- not supposed to be fruiting yet but had managed to eke out a sizable fruit extra early. I guess it was suffering from the stress after all. The early fruit had become riddled with disease and finally split wide open from the scabby skin not being able to handle the constant pressure from the heavy rains. Hoping the plant will manage a better showing later on.

- Pink cherry sized Sweet N Neat

- 3 Earl's Green Cherry from VGD -- the fruits seem to be getting bigger... Closer to regular cherry size... With one of the NOT's from FR. I got the seeds in a trade and the person who provided the seeds thinks it could be an accidental cross since he didn't bag the flowers and I should save seeds and try growing them out if they taste good.

- 2 Kootenai are both splitting at near but not quite ripe stage again
(before harvesting)


- The beefsteak shaped large fruit in the middle is the one that I thought might NOT be Jaune Flammeé but turning it over, you can see the bi-color streaks forming, so I gues it IS. I think I might have picked this too early, but seeing the other cracked fruits kind of got me anxious. It is ridiculously big -- I don't think this is normal size. Here are photos of the rest of the truss before harvesting this one:




- Next we have two Native Sun. The larger one is from SF&H Winter Trial bed which is shaded by the trees behind our property all morning, and the smaller one is from the SM (Sunny Meadow) Spiral Garden, but this particular plant is in an especially shady back portion where morning sun is solidly blocked by the neighbor's house, and a densely overhanging neighbor's ornamental plum (they planted it right at the property line....) blocks the light even more (I'm thinking of getting rid of some more of those branches. I need some mulch anyway )
Here's the larger fruit before it was harvested:


- 4 Snow White from the gigantic plant in the SMSG. This plant is only 2 or 3 plants from the Native Sun. Is it because it's a cherry that it's doing better or does 5 or 6 feet into better light make all the difference?
This cluster was below knee height. I had to crouch way down and fend off the mosquitoes to take this photo:


- Red fruit is a container Beaverlodge Slicer in KP garden:

[applestar]

Today's picks:



The big globular yellow fruit is 2nd Jaune Flammeé from the Spiral Garden: (before harvest)


The other yellow more flattened fruit is 1st Burszyn from the Winter Trial bed: (before harvest)


2 Sweet N Neat from the 2gal bucket.

Dark fruit in the middle is 1st Tazmanian ?chocolate from the center of the Spiral Garden. I was disappointed to see a BER starting (on the other side) and there was another ripe fruit as well as two green ones with bottom half completely gone. The plant is also showing signs of possible blight, not just septoria. But considering how often that center swale was filled ith water, it might be no wonder. I clipped off most of the badly damaged leaves and fruits. Hopefully the plant will turn around and recover because there are plenty of good looking green fruits: (before harvest)


Green fruit cluster I accidentally cut off while clipping diseased leaves and 3 Snow White.

Oblong fruit is another container Beaverlodge Slicer. The one in Winter Trial bed has almost ready to pick fruits.

Globular fruit with green is 1st Ubiquany in VGC. Larger fruit than I thought it was going to be: (before harvest)

[applestar]

Yesterday and today's picks (not everything harvested are represented in the photos):


-- Jaune Flammeé, Tigerella, (not) Earl's Green Cherry
-- 1st Gajo de Melon, Zarnitsa, 1st Beaver Lodge Slicer (SF&H Winter Trial)


-- Sweet N Neat, (not) Earl's Green Cherry (2 boxes)
-- Gajo de Melon, 1st *not* Spudatula (FR), 1st Bloody Butcher
-- Gajo de Melon, 1st Extreme Bush, 1st Orange Banana
-- lots of Snow White and Coyote, (empty box), 1st tiny BER White Queen

(not) Earl's Green Cherry:


Gajo de Melon with Orange Banan in background:


Extreme Bush:


*NOT* Spudatula:

[applestar]

These aren't really winter indoor candidates, but I'm putting the earlier maturing varieties in here anyway since these didn't come out of the Spiral Garden either. Maybe Monomakh's Hat is a candidate since it's a semi-determinate, obviously productive, and early-mid with large interesting (heart shaped pink) fruits. Definitely saving seeds from (not) Earl's Green Cherry.

Today some big fruits were ready to pick:


-- 1st Stump of the World from FR, 1st Monomakh's Hat, Beaver Lodge Slicer
-- double Jaune Flamme from FR, Native Sun, *not* Spudatula, (not) Earl's Green Cherry (3)
-- 1st Russo's Sicilan Togetta (3 slightly fluted), 1st Kamatis Tagalog from FR (4 deeply lobed), Sinister Minister F4 grape/plum cherry

Stump of the World:


Russo's Sicilian Togetta:


Kamatis Tagalog:


Monomakh's Hat:

[digitS']

I have no experience with some of these, Applestar, but it seems odd to me that Bloody Butcher seems to be "lagging" for you. Is that kind of correct, many others are ripening ahead of it?

Bloody Butcher will likely be the first to ripen in my garden this year.

The Jaune Flamme, I didn't find especially early. In fact, you have others ripening that I have decided not to grow because they are listed as late-season varieties. I wonder if all the rain you have been having is giving you a different ripening schedule than you might have on a different year or may have indoors.

I am sorry you are having problems with the Kootenai - maybe it is a rain problem. I just learned a short while ago that seed for this variety is still available. I grew it just at the time it was introduced in the mid-70's! In fact, the seed came from the University of Idaho. (If you look at a satellite picture of Kootenai County Idaho ~ over there, right on the border, there in the garden ~ that's me waving at you!)

Steve

[applestar]

Hmm... Interesting comparison, digitS... (BTW -- many many varieties this year and mostly ones I never heard of I'm not bagging the flowers so they will be all OP, but I will be collecting seeds.)

-- in a few days, I'm going to post a summary of all the varieties that produced mature fruits by mid-July as my own Early-Mid season time limit. I'll indicate when the seeds were started, when they were planted out, and first mature (fruit color has completely turned from green to within days of fully ripe) were harvested.

It would be informative if everyone who has experience with the varieties could post their own observations like you did. Even though performances may vary from year to year, I'm going to draw a conclusion from what I get this year and pick a limited number of candidates to try growing in the winter, and see how they do.

[digitS']

Applestar, I think you were wise to try all of these outdoors!

One thing, you will be able to taste each of them. Remember taste? I am sure that is THE primary reason Applestar is trying these - and not just for our interest and pleasure .

If there are some that you find especially appealing and yet they had 1 or 2 shortcomings outdoors, maybe you can include them in your indoor trials over the next few winters. Successful production will be an accomplishment and I bet some of those will perform well and be just what you want for your table!

Steve

[applestar]

One thing, you will be able to taste each of them. Remember taste? I am sure that is THE primary reason Applestar is trying these - and not just for our interest and pleasure

I'll start commenting on how they taste
I'm tending to pick them few days before fully ripe though, since I'm not sure about predisposition to splitting.

Today's picks:


-- Beaver Lodge Slicer (SF&HWT), Bloody Butcher, 1st (SMSG) Pineapple Pig**
-- Gajo de Melon, Sweet N Neat, Burszyn, 1st Lucky Leprechaun (AG), Snow White (SMSG)* / Sweet Beverley / Snow White (FR)* / Coyote, Earl's Green Cherry (VGD)
-- 1st (SMSG)* Kamatis Tagalog, *not* Spudatula, Kamatis Tagalog (FR)*, (not) Earl's Greeen Cherry, Jaune Flammeé (FR)
-- Tigerella (3 SMSG and 1SF&HWT)*, 1st 2 ?not? White Queen***, Ubiquany
-- Kootenai, Sinister Minister F4

*Snow White, Kamatis Tagalog, and Tigerella from the Spiral Garden seem to be larger.
**Was surprised to see a Pineapple Pig but it was started early as were Kamatis Tagalog and Stump of the World.
***I thought White Queen is supposed to be larger. Color is correct, but these are large cherry size ???]

1st Kamatis Tagalog (SMSG)

[applestar]

Well, I'm back on the 27th to see the pictures !

I'm curious about the Tigerella, Applestar. Can you give us some idea on the size of the fruit?

Tigerella has done well in my garden and it is good and early. Of course, I don't know about indoors over the winter.

Steve

Revisiting Tigerella, most have been 2-3" diameter. Amazing solid red flesh under the stripes with green gel. Having white core issues at the moment but this may be environmental. Assertive flavor.

[applestar]

*NOT* Spudatula -- blocky oblong. So far, keeps developing anthracnose spots and have to be eaten while outer skin is orange red as if still not ripe. Interior flesh is pink at this point and has mildly sweet uncomplicated refreshing flavor that is somehow very easy to eat.

I spent this morning taste testing and seeding tomatoes as well as seeding and freezing ripe tomatoes that won't get eaten fresh in time. So I was quite full of tomatoes -- really yummy strong assertive and memorable ones like Stump of the World, Native Sun, Pineapple Pig, Tasmanian Chocolate, Gajo de Melon -- all received thumbs up from DH (I asked which ones would he want me to grow again and he said ALL OF THEM . Monomakh's Hat with solid meaty nearly seedless space cavities, not as flavorful, but somehow satisfying was voted as likely candidate for great hamburger tomato.

But I found another approx 3.5" spotty *NOT* Spidatula at the last minute and I had to process it -- I was going to not eat any and just freeze, but took one little bite to remember the flavor, and before I knew it, I had eaten it all.