Favorite Heirloom Tomatoes of 2013

[digitS']

How about this?



These are some tomatoes I grew in 2012. They were fairly new to me then but I brought back several for the 2013 garden. Like them all!!!

A favorite is Gary O Sena. There are 2 of them in the lower left "corner" of the basket. Gary O is a cross between heirlooms, Cherokee Purple and Brandywine. What do we think about heirloom crosses??

Dagma's Perfection is an "improved" old UK greenhouse tomato, Perfection - if I understand correctly. What do we think about heirloom mutations??

Casey's Pure Yellow showed up in a garden as an accidental cross on an heirloom mother plant - unknown pollen source. What do we think about heirloom accidents??

By the way: the EG is an Early Girl Hybrid. I just put those tomatoes (I believe there are 2) in there for size comparison.

Steve

[digitS']

There is more than one in the picture that I did NOT grow in 2013 - and, really wish I did!

Woodle Orange. One "problem" with it is that it wasn't orange! Another "problem" is that it is kind of "woodle."

Neither of these bothered me more than a slight irritation about using the name and the size is fine. It matches a kind of woodle plant and both probably contribute to its earliness - a characteristic that I appreciate.

I also appreciate its flavor, it holds up well in the garden and usually never cracks. I like it just fine but I wonder why it isn't as per catalog decription: "perfectly round," why it isn't 10 to 16 ounces, and why it isn't ORANGE! You know, it was around for 2 years and I'm more happy with what I got than warrants its absence in my 2013 garden.

Steve

[gixxerific]

Technically the crosses, mutations etc. are not "Heirlooms" but would be more considered OP after a few grow outs. Until than they are hybrids. A hybrid is basically a plant that was crossed whether on purpose or accidentally, and would be considered as such for the first year. After that if the seed was saved and grown out the next year it is an Open Pollinated Plant. If the original cross was made again that resulting seed would again be a hybrid. Heirlooms come in at the very least after about 7 grow outs. By than theoretically the plant is stable. Though we see it all the time where plants mutate or the segregation of genes continue shortly or long after out of the blue.

At least that is how I see it.

[digitS']

I was wondering if I'd be able to drag you back into this forum, Dono. I mean, 2 months!

The "controversy" around "heirlooms" was part of the effort. So, you think that now that Gary Ibsen has had that Dagma's Perfection going for more that 7 generations, it is an heirloom? What about the original Perfection? I don't know anything about it but if it was around for 70 years, isn't an improvement kind of a putdown?

Supposedly, I have hybridized 2 heirlooms this year - Buisson & Kimberley. It is my first attempt at doing something like this . There is no way of knowing if I got the process done correctly until next year but I'm still waiting for a ripe tomato! Yeah, I moved the Kimberley plant into the greenhouse, removed all but the 5 tomatoes where I had "messed" with the blossoms and it has now been 2 months. None of them have ripened!

Now, if I get something I could call a "Kimberson," or something, I can claim that it is an heirloom if I'm still around and growing the offspring 7 years from now. Right?

Steve

[rainbowgardener]

Well technically if you want to sell something as an heirloom tomato variety, it has to have been around for 50 years:


Heirloom
An heirloom is generally considered to be a variety that has been passed down, through several generations of a family because of it's valued characteristics. Since 'heirloom' varieties have become popular in the past few years there have been liberties taken with the use of this term for commercial purposes. At TomatoFest Garden Seeds we chose to adopt the definition used by tomato experts, Craig LeHoullier and Carolyn Male, who have classified down heirlooms into four categories:
Commercial Heirlooms: Open-pollinated varieties introduced before 1940, or tomato varieties more than 50 years in circulation.
Family Heirlooms: Seeds that have been passed down for several generations through a family.
Created Heirlooms: Crossing two known parents (either two heirlooms or an heirloom and a hybrid) and dehybridizing the resulting seeds for how ever many years/generations it takes to eliminate the undesirable characteristics and stabilize the desired characteristics, perhaps as many as 8 years or more.
Mystery Heirlooms: Varieties that are a product of natural cross-pollination of other heirloom varieties.
(Note: All heirloom varieties are open-pollinated but not all open-pollinated varieties are heirloom varieties.)

https://www.tomatofest.com/what-is-heirloom-tomato.html

[applestar]

didn't you have a similar thread somewhere?

I'm not that concerned about what they are called, but for varieties that generally grow true from collected seeds, this year's favorite for outstanding flavor was Terhune, even though it was not productive. It was also able to sprout new shoots after temps had cooled down and by which time most others around it had gone down with septoria/early blight It was growing sturdy, flower truss loaded branches at 5-6 ft high when the hard frost hit and killed it last week. I'm thinking it might perform better in a milder summer, longer fall season garden.

Others included Stump of the World, Wes, Grandma Viney's Yellow and Pink, Pineapple Pig, Soldacki, Beauty King, Orange Banana, Jaune Flammeé....

Coyote and Matts Wild Cherry were the favorite 1/2 sized, flavor packed cherry varieties, closely followed by full sized Snow White cherry and NOT Earl's Green Cherry (an accidental cross not true to type).

I'll have to think some more to pick out of the dwarfs but definitely Sweet N Neat and Manö.

[digitS']

I am with you about low concern about what they are called, Applestar. And, nearly willing to apply it to any open-pollinated variety since the seed industry seems so determined to shift the "industry" as much as possible to their proprietary hybrids.

My other topic was on the "Tomato" forum and simply asked what folks were interested in growing again from their 2013 list.

Rainbowgardener, there is Mr. Ibsen, himself!

I have a great appreciation for Tomatofest and finally got around to ordering from them in 2013. However, I'd already been growing Dagma's Perfection for several years. He lists it with the "Heirlooms" but it seems like it must have been a "selection" if not a "mystery" cross. Okay by me . . .

Steve

[PaulF]

Heirloom to heirloom crosses are becoming popular with those who enjoy the breeding aspect of growing tomatoes. I have not gotten into that. When one sounds interesting and has become stable I will try it out. I have grown Gary O'Sena several times with mixed results, but it always tastes good which is the prime reason I grow heirloom/OP tomatoes. The parents of GO'S produce better and taste better from my garden.

The Carolyn/Craig definition is one that seems to be widely accepted but for a few very negative folks on the forums. With so many "new" heirloom crosses and so many definitions, I just call what I grow Stable Open Pollinated tomatoes. For a cross to become stable most of the time takes several years from what I understand. I don't have the patience to become a breeder. More power to those who enjoy that part of growing tomatoes.

This year's favorite heirloom/OPs were Red Butter Heart, Joe's Pink Oxheart, Church, Dora, Terhune and Boondocks.

[applestar]

Gary'O Sena and Dora are stabilized sister segregate/varieties from the same (Brandywine x Cherokee Purple) cross. I have seeds for another sister variety called Liz Birt (Purple) that didn't do well this yer due to environmental reasons (planted late, soggy location in new garden bed) but seeing the above comments, I think I will put it higher in my next year's to grow list as having great potential.

Two other (failed this year ) varieties that get rave reviews so I want to make sure to try again are Not Purple Strawberry and Rebel Yell.

I had the chance to obtain seeds for Church last year but ended up putting them back. Now I wish I did. Well, maybe the opportunity will present itself again. Was it truly outstanding? Did you list them in order of top pick preference? (was Terhune next to last among them?)

But rotating means I'm not going to be able to plant as many tomato plants next year so it will be really hard to choose.... No doubt I will be agonizing over the starting lineup at seed starting time.

[PaulF]

The list was not necessarily in any order. Of the more than thirty varieties this year those listed were the standouts. Each were a little different from the other and it was all very good. All varieties get my "you've got to try this one" recommendation.

Apparently the CP and Brandy cross is a popular one. Gary had more characteristics of CP and Dora of Brandy. Dora was more productive than Gary. So now I have to try Liz and Rebel. Tell me about Not Purple Strawberry.

[digitS']

Paul, I've avoided 80+ days-to-maturity varieties for my garden. It is really better for me to go for the less-than 75 days. The plants are already well over 2 months old before they are set out and I feel that this is really as far as I'm gonna go with the indoor starts.

I did try rather than avoid a couple of exceptions in 2013 . One was Brandywine OTV. This was the first Brandywine I've ever grown. A gardener in Colorado suggested that it might do okay in my location. It did fairly well and tasted great! (One of those "mystery heirlooms" as I understand it.)

I often see Cherokee Purple listed as a less-than 80 day. It IS a temptation . . . One thing, what would my Cherokee ancestors think if I failed with their variety ?!

Now, I'm starting to see other varieties that I will need to research. That's a lot of the fun with tomato gardening for me!

Steve

[applestar]

FWIW I was reminded that a casual impression I have been forming is that varieties with Cherokee lineage mature earlier than the Zebra series (yeah I know we weren't talking about Zebra varieties at all -- I just thought I'd mention it. )

[Green Mantis]

Does anyone know what German Striped Tomatoes are like? At least I think that's the name. Are they tasty?

[Gary350]

Does anyone know what German Striped Tomatoes are like? At least I think that's the name. Are they tasty?

The only way to know if you like a certain tomato is grow them in your own garden and see for yourself.

I have been a gardener for 50 years. I grew a lot of different tomatoes, I experimented growing 6 different tomatoes each year. I soon learned I like Beef Steak tomato and all the similar beef master, beef steak, type tomatoes. OK so lots of people brag about heirloom tomatoes so I experimented with 6 different heirloom tomatoes every year for 3 years. I think heirlooms are like owning a $100,000. car to impress the neighbors, it is something to brag about but it is no better than any other car, maybe worse. I wont be growing anymore heirloom tomatoes none of them are as good a beef steak tomatoes, some heirlooms are actually pretty bad. Tomatoes are like fine wine, for each his own, just like some chocolate cakes are better than others.

[digitS']

Chocolate cake? Let me try!

Okay, maybe we can drag Tatiana and her Tomatobase in on Beef Steak. She says, "This is the classic large red that you expect a tomato to be ..." and "Old standard variety."

I've noticed that Tatiana likes the term "heritage tomatoes." The idea of heirloom used to make me think of grandmothers making quilts, but anyway ...

Some heirlooms I grow are likely younger than I am. My wife's preference for mild tomatoes, my own grandmother's tomatoes saved since the Depression, and other gardeners got me interested in heirlooms. I have tasted very few tomatoes that I don't like anyway and usually drive an olde pickup ...

Steve, common as a weed