thoughts on my heirloom choices etc.

[Lonesomedave]

ok....so I am going to grow four regular heirlooms in my garden this summer and, I think, 2 cherry tomatoes

my cherry tomatoes are going to be sun sugar and black cherry

my full sized ones are going to be kellog's breakfast, brandywine, cherokee purple and, maybe, pineapple or big rainbow

any thoughts on my selection? any suggestions for a substitution?

I know the cherokee purples will be a trial, but I am hoping. I am going for flavor and nothing else

also, since I have room for one more variety, any suggestions for a good, high producing, disease resistant hybrid (which, of course, must have excellent flavor).....I have grown better boys for years, but I just wondered if any of you know of newer, superior varieties

my front yard vegetable garden is now complete....I have about a dozen huge bins full of great topsoil from a local nursery....I have another area with about a foot of the same soil about 300 square feet set to grow in the ground, not containers....and I have another dozen or so containers of various size (in 5 of my huge containers, I have planted asparagus, and it has grown great for 2 years and I will be ready to harvest some this year)

anyway, this is a tomato forum and that is my question: any good hybrids? and your thoughts on my heirloom choices

thanks,

dave

[digitS']

Sun Sugar is very similar to Sungold but less likely to split. However, I've grown both for over 10 years. Black Cherries had serious splitting problems in my garden.

Dave, Kellogg's Breakfast is about the best tasting tomato that I have grown. It's a little too late in my part of the world. With only about a week with ripe fruit, I feel forced to make different choices.

From your question, I realize that my hybrid choices are dated. I'm behind the times!

How about a stable cross between Cherokee Purple and Brandywine instead of a hybrid suggestion? Gary O Sena is a fine tomato and grows well for me.

Steve

[Lonesomedave]

you know....that really sounds good.

how is it for disease resistance, hardiness etc...I realize that must sound ridiculous, given the varieties I am already set to grow...just wondered....also, how does it yield?

my problem here is, I am limited to buying baby plants, not seeds (life is too short, etc)...that is no problem for the varieties I have listed, as we have a good supplier here in nashville....I fear that even if you were to hook me up with a supply of seeds, I would not use them....thanks for the thought, though


dave

[applestar]

I'll leave the hybrid recommendation to other members.

"my full sized ones are going to be kellog's breakfast, brandywine, cherokee purple and, maybe, pineapple or big rainbow"

-- my initial thought was that three out of the five you listed are known late maturing varieties. Cherokee series however, are typically somewhat earlier -- solid mid-season. Actually Kellog's Breakfast was mid-late for me. Yellow Brandywine is typically a little earlier than most Brandywine variants. I have heard that Brandywine OTV is supposed to be on the earlier side among the typical Brandywines.

You might want an earlier variety in the heirloom lineup to get your tomato harvest started earlier.... Trying to think of a popular heirloom variety that might be readily available -- maybe Black Krim or Moskvich (extra early)? Arkansas Traveler, maybe?

[digitS']

I have begun to think of Gary O Sena as an important variety for me to grow each year. It never has any problems, has excellent flavor, and ripens early enough. Brandywine OTV was one of those "just before the frost" trials but well worth the try. I've seen Prudens Purple described as an "early Brandywine type" and it worked well for me.

Dave, since you are buying plants - it would be best to know what is available to you. Is this a source? https://www.batesnursery.com/page/14287

The number of heirlooms may be something like 3,000 so ...

"favorites you will not find elsewhere" is very arguable . Better Boy, Big Boy, Champion are very popular hybrids. Several years ago, Sunset magazine said that Early Girl is the most commonly grown garden variety in the US.

Steve

[applestar]

+1 for Prudens Purple

I have grown Gary O Sena's sister variety Liz Birt (stable segregate out of same cross) -- good but not quite making the A list -- but have been meaning to trial the other one. I think I have seeds. Must check and put it in this year's lineup.

[Lonesomedave]

.....

....Dave, since you are buying plants - it would be best to know what is available to you. Is this a source? https://www.batesnursery.com/page/14287....



Steve

thanks, steve....I called the nursery in the link you sent me and the lady was quite helpful....she said they normally have a bunch of heirlooms and had all that I quoted her....also, she said they had black cherry and, of course, sun sugar (or will have when we get into planting season)

thanks for the head's up

dave

[Susan W]

My tomato knowledge less than many of you, but I can through in my 2c anyway. Last year got back to growing a couple of plants, a test after a tree taken out meaning more sun and fewer squirrels. Like you Dave, get starts as I do a couple of this, a couple of that and the garden center has more choice than I can handle!

Anyway, as most of my stuff is in large containers, got a couple of Better Bush. Mid sized red, good, flavor a bit less than the heirlooms, but a great stocky plant for those doing containers. I did stake it, but minimally. Had to do a Cherokee purple just because, and was good. When I'm at the farmers market (I'm there as vendor so just get some of this and that while there), bought brandywine.

Note to self: get stuff in the ground earlier than last year! Like you frost is mid April, so I figure tomatoes should get in ground by 1st May.

[PaulF]

Your choices sound really good especially if you are relatively new to heirloom/OP tomatoes. Nice variety for flavors and sizes and colors. I have grown all you mentioned and enjoy them all. If by Brandywine you are growing a pink variety its production may be lower than if you are growing the red version. There are at present around 15-20 different tomatoes with the Brandywine name attached. If you can get the Sudduth strain, it is the very best for my taste buds.

I have grown the Gary'O Sena and Liz and I would rather stick with Cherokee Purple to begin with. Guess what? Next year you will be plowing up your yard so you can grow a whole bunch more varieties...be careful, the addiction will hit you soon. But most of all, have fun. If things don't go right this year there is always the next year and you have maybe 10,000 more varieties to try so you find your favorites.

[imafan26]

I have grown Cherokee purple before it was a good producer but mine lacked flavor. I thought Pruden's purple was a little better. They both were very good producers of large fruit.

I grew black cherry the flavor is nice a little smokey but it is a largish plant but produces very little fruit for the size.

Kellogs Breakfast is on my list to try.

Sungold is very sweet when ripe but almost always cracks when ripe . It is tart before it is ripe and it is a hybrid.

Sunsugar is very sweet, less cracking than sungold and slightly smaller.

Brandywine was the best tomaotoey tomato by far. It is a soft tomato so it does not keep well. The plant was huge with large rugosa leaves. Everyone was drawn to it. It is not resistant to any of the fungal diseases and I had to spray fungicide weekly. I grew it in a self watering container on a bench because I assumed it did not have nematode resistance. The seeds were only labeled generic brandywine so I don't know what strain it was.
Another small tomato to try is sweet mojo. Not many places carry the seed but it was a good producer, fairly tolerant of disease, and tasted good.

[Lonesomedave]

I'm sorry if I gave the wrong impression....I have grown all these varieties before, except cherokee purple....I think they'll all do well....and I just have to keep my fingers crossed on the purples

the only thing I have not made my mind up on is the fourth variety and the hybrid....maybe instead of a bi-color big tomato, I'll go for a large producing flavorful smaller tomato....watch this space!....


dave

[banana123]

Hey Dave,

Those sound pretty good to me! Very lovely classics you've got there. I'd recommend perhaps adding a roma variety to the mix. That might be nice for variety and would do very well for sauces and pastes.

[imafan26]

I like Big beef or New Big dwarf for the newer beefsteak. They have good flavor and they are disease resistant, but I prefer Pruden's purple over Cherokee Purple.

[Lonesomedave]

still haven't decided, but have been doing a lot of reading about black prince.

it is a smaller tomato that seems to have a very short planting to ripening time. all the reviews rave about flavor. am thinking of going for it instead of my large bi-color.

any thoughts about black prince?

dave