Hey all,
I am looking for a good determinate for saucing. Prefer a deep, rich sauce with a good tomato sweetness and low acidity.
I am buying my seed at SowTrueSeed.com (So far that is) because they offer everything else I want for good prices. I have no problem getting tomato seed elsewhere if needed. They don't offer a huge variety. I might look at Rareseeds again as they offer a ton.
Last year I grow Celebrity. Yield and disease resistant were good. Made a decent sauce, but looking for an even better one.
Chris C_77, you have waited long enough for a response from knowledgeable paste tomato growers ... I'll take a swing at it 
.
In my long career growing tomatoes, I've had paste tomatoes in my garden exactly twice
. I'm always in a sweat to cook up what comes in late from the tomato patch. Finally, some heirloom beefsteaks! ... more than enuf hybrid slicers ... the last rush of cherries ... Why would I need paste? Like so many things "gardening," I finally couldn't resist the temptation to find out what others are excited about.
Last year, I had Heinz 2653 in my garden. The seed came from Fedco and this was the earliest paste variety that I could find. My tomato plants had a very difficult early season. Windstorms did some real damage. Those little Heinz plants came through about as good as any and produced an abundance of sweet fruit by the end of the growing season.
I was surprised how flavorful they were!
Steve
.In my long career growing tomatoes, I've had paste tomatoes in my garden exactly twice
. I'm always in a sweat to cook up what comes in late from the tomato patch. Finally, some heirloom beefsteaks! ... more than enuf hybrid slicers ... the last rush of cherries ... Why would I need paste? Like so many things "gardening," I finally couldn't resist the temptation to find out what others are excited about.Last year, I had Heinz 2653 in my garden. The seed came from Fedco and this was the earliest paste variety that I could find. My tomato plants had a very difficult early season. Windstorms did some real damage. Those little Heinz plants came through about as good as any and produced an abundance of sweet fruit by the end of the growing season.
I was surprised how flavorful they were!Steve
For the most part the best tomatoes are probably indeterminate for eating or saucing. Even a less than stellar tomato can be o.k. in sauce.
Chico III is a determinate with good flavor and not too juicy so good for paste.
Divine Maltese is a compact indeterminate good fresh and in paste
Chico and Divine Maltese are available at Tatiana's tomato seeds
Chico III is a determinate with good flavor and not too juicy so good for paste.
Divine Maltese is a compact indeterminate good fresh and in paste
Chico and Divine Maltese are available at Tatiana's tomato seeds
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McKinney88
- Senior Member
- Posts: 151
- Joined: Thu Apr 17, 2014 2:03 pm
- Location: Memphis, TN (Zone 7)
I was also looking for a good sauce tomato. I'm really wanting to make my own sauce. I have a pack of sweet aroma seeds (supposedly a Spanish tomato) I bought last year that are disease resistance which I hope will help me out in my hot and humid climate. I plan putting out a whole row of these to try as well as growing a few herbs for the sauce.
A.roma?
Most pastes are determinants, as best as I understand.
It's interesting to me that the term "salsa" seems to be gaining popularity. It should refer to some sweetness in the fruit.
I have had Porter in my gardens for about 20 years. It was my grandmother's tomato and dates wwaaay back. There was a hybrid Lunchbox, another of what is sometimes called a "saladette." I had that one for awhile. Instead of Lunchbox. I tried "Viva Italia," once.
Oops. That was that other paste I had for a season. Not sweet! Well, I guess sweetness comes with cooking the fruit but it was a mistake for something you thought you'd eat out of your lunchbox!
Steve
Most pastes are determinants, as best as I understand.
It's interesting to me that the term "salsa" seems to be gaining popularity. It should refer to some sweetness in the fruit.
I have had Porter in my gardens for about 20 years. It was my grandmother's tomato and dates wwaaay back
. There was a hybrid Lunchbox, another of what is sometimes called a "saladette." I had that one for awhile. Instead of Lunchbox. I tried "Viva Italia," once.Oops. That was that other paste I had for a season. Not sweet! Well, I guess sweetness comes with cooking the fruit but it was a mistake for something you thought you'd eat out of your lunchbox!
Steve
Most of the plum type tomatoes are sauce types, but not all and I found a lot of them are indeterminate. Sauce/Paste tomatoes can have some sweetness but to make good sauce they should be meaty not juicy.
I like Amish paste tomatoes which are indeterminate, but are juicy so do not make great sauce despite its' name. But it is easier to grow than a large tomato and it is meaty so I use it like a slicer.
San Marzano is supposed to be an heirloom paste tomato and good for sauce but it is indeterminate.
I like Amish paste tomatoes which are indeterminate, but are juicy so do not make great sauce despite its' name. But it is easier to grow than a large tomato and it is meaty so I use it like a slicer.
San Marzano is supposed to be an heirloom paste tomato and good for sauce but it is indeterminate.
If you are looking for Heinz 1439 here are some reviews I found.
w.thisgardenisillegal.com/2008/09/heinz-1439-tomato-hannas-tomato-tastings-2008.html
https://www.ghorganics.com/Heinz%201439%20Tomato.htm
https://store.tomatofest.com/Heinz_Tomat ... f-0239.htm
I have not grown this, but it has been around for a long time, prior to 1963. Like many of the other Heinz cultivars it is a determinate with good production, disease resistance, tough skin and large seeds which should make processing easier. It says it is only slightly sweet and a bit tangy. Good for ketchup and sauces.
I do like the disease resistance, but since I don't sauce, I prefer a dual purpose tomato that is good fresh as well. Some people like tang, but I do not and I would like more sweetness. I have bought a lot of tomatoes that sounded good, but I learned to look for key words in the description from the seed seller. The seller wants to sell seeds, so they will tell you the good points about the tomato, but you have to look other places that are not interested in just selling seeds to get a better picture of what to expect and to find out about the not so great features it may have.
Keywords:
No mention of taste, just disease resistance, probably nothing special for taste.
Good flavor= there are better ones out there.
Old fashioned flavor and tangy sweet= some people like that, I don't.
Excellent, superior = probably tastes pretty good especially if they mention standings in taste trials.
Any tomato described as 'pretty', red, round = probably bred more for looks in the market and not for taste.
Heirloom= check for disease resistance, may be an issue or require special care in some places like mine.
Heat resistant= A must for growing tomatoes in areas where summer heat exceeds 85 degrees regularly
What you won't find in descriptions from sellers of seed " seedy", tough skin, does not do well in heat and humidity. Prone to cat facing or large blossom end scar.
w.thisgardenisillegal.com/2008/09/heinz-1439-tomato-hannas-tomato-tastings-2008.html
https://www.ghorganics.com/Heinz%201439%20Tomato.htm
https://store.tomatofest.com/Heinz_Tomat ... f-0239.htm
I have not grown this, but it has been around for a long time, prior to 1963. Like many of the other Heinz cultivars it is a determinate with good production, disease resistance, tough skin and large seeds which should make processing easier. It says it is only slightly sweet and a bit tangy. Good for ketchup and sauces.
I do like the disease resistance, but since I don't sauce, I prefer a dual purpose tomato that is good fresh as well. Some people like tang, but I do not and I would like more sweetness. I have bought a lot of tomatoes that sounded good, but I learned to look for key words in the description from the seed seller. The seller wants to sell seeds, so they will tell you the good points about the tomato, but you have to look other places that are not interested in just selling seeds to get a better picture of what to expect and to find out about the not so great features it may have.
Keywords:
No mention of taste, just disease resistance, probably nothing special for taste.
Good flavor= there are better ones out there.
Old fashioned flavor and tangy sweet= some people like that, I don't.
Excellent, superior = probably tastes pretty good especially if they mention standings in taste trials.
Any tomato described as 'pretty', red, round = probably bred more for looks in the market and not for taste.
Heirloom= check for disease resistance, may be an issue or require special care in some places like mine.
Heat resistant= A must for growing tomatoes in areas where summer heat exceeds 85 degrees regularly
What you won't find in descriptions from sellers of seed " seedy", tough skin, does not do well in heat and humidity. Prone to cat facing or large blossom end scar.
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ChrisC_77
- Senior Member
- Posts: 108
- Joined: Wed Jul 31, 2013 6:00 pm
- Location: West Virginia (Zone 6)
I guess it's hard to tell until you try it for yourself. About 70% of my tomatoes go into spaghetti sauce. That's a fact. The rest are fresh eating and giving away. I gave away about 75 tomatoes last year. The Heinz does sound like it has some good traits and not so good. If all else fails, might just do the Martino's Roma in addition to another variety. Perhaps mixing a few varieties in sauce will give me the flavor balance I am looking for. After all, the volunteer beefsteaks that grew randomly in my garden last year where the best of the lot. Despite medium yields. I think the best batches of sauce were from a mixed lot. Good news is I still have about 15 quarts in the freezer!
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feldon30
- Senior Member
- Posts: 209
- Joined: Thu Apr 17, 2014 7:42 am
- Location: Rock Hill, SC
- Contact: Website
I have yet to find one.ChrisC_77 wrote:I am looking for a good determinate.
Celebrity is pretty limited on flavor. If you want super productive red round, I'd look at Big Beef, Better Boy, etc. Great flavor and 40+ lbs per plant. You might want to oven roast the cut tomato pieces for 30-45 minutes to drive off some of the moisture before canning.ChrisC_77 wrote:Last year I grow Celebrity.
There are a number of fantastic romas/pastes out there including Kalman's Hungarian Pink, Sarnowski Polish Plum, Anna Russian, etc. but they are prone to blossom end rot and less tolerant of imperfect soil.