Soooo... I don't think it's German Johnson.

[Lindsaylew82]

Does anyone know? I haven't cut it open, but it feels hollow, like a stuffing tomato. It's nearly ripe, as soon as I cut it, ill post pics here.

[Juliuskitty]

Lindsay, sometimes tomatoes that aren't usually hollow end up that way. It's environmental.
Here's the link from Tania's excellent tomatobase about German Johnson. Has photos.
https://tatianastomatobase.com/wiki/German_Johnson

[Lindsaylew82]

I understand, but I'm not seeing that happen in any of my other plants' fruit. I grew a stuffing tomato called striped bell last year, and it's nearly the same size and shape, but the colors were red, with yellow tiger stripes.

Plus these are supposed to be pink, but they're yellow/orange with a splash of red on the blossom end. I threw several of them out because I thought they were scalded, then I realized that it was just their coloring was wrong.

[Juliuskitty]

Yes, I agree, it doesn't look like GJ at all. Maybe it will still taste good.

[applestar]

Let us know how it tastes.

Personally, I think it's interesting when this sort of thing happens from seeds received in trade... Even when I'm only growing one or two plants and neither of them turns out true (though it's MORE satisfying if at least one of the same variety grows true to form so I do get what I'd hoped/expected to grow.

Depending on what you get, you can choose to save seeds and grow again or not.

But I worry that other people don't think so and am hesitant to offer any of my saved seeds because I don't bag blossoms. I tried bagging one year, and basically, any truss I bagged failed to set fruit. which seemed like mostly wasted opportunities especially with reluctant unproductive varieties that I grow for flavor.

Since I grow mostly heirlooms and OP's (very rarely one or two commercial hybrids if at all, a few still segregating crosses) any accidental recombination that happened in my garden *could* be potentially interesting....

[Lindsaylew82]

I have just a few hybrids. I don't bag anything for the same reasons as you. I grow mostly heirlooms. I kind of feel like if someone is nice enough to share seeds with me, I'll be extremely appreciative of the time and effort they took to grow, gather, ferment, dry, and store those seeds. If I don't get a true plant, I'm more intrigued, and interested in the result! I don't normally save seed from hybrids, but I'm thinking about saving from Sungold just to see what I get. Next year, I'm COMMITED to growing from seed for next season. Plans and timelines are on paper! I refuse to buy plants next year!

[Juliuskitty]

Lindsay, were these from a trade? Your original post didn't say.

[Lindsaylew82]

Nope, I got it as a plant from a greenhouse.

[Lindsaylew82]

I'm starting to think maybe someone at the greenhouse just mislabeled it. It kinda reminds me of Old German. Yellowish orange with those red blotches. The size isn't quite right though. This plant is not loving my weather here, so that may be a contributing factor. Both the plants to either side are giving me large lush fruit, though....idk. I guess it could be a cross of some kind. Every German I've ever grown has done well here.


One was REALLY bell like, the smaller one really wasn't. Little one had LOTS of gel and seeds. Big one was very roomy!

Both tasted really nice! Really, really nice! Both were kind of crunchy textured, with balanced tomato sweetness, richness, and lingering acid. Not fruity. Would have been AWESOME stuffed with chicken salad or tuna.

I saved seed and labeled them Old German Bell.