Yeah no worries, its just if you made one I'm sure it'd be great. I do notice the off taste you reference. For me its a odd bitter after taste that lingers and makes me not want to eat anymore.

I am not sure that taste can be removed, without removing the "blue" (for some of us who are sensitive to it). But I am hopeful that one of the excellent breeders working on blues can make a blue tomato that I find just great (with no reservations). I am going to taste some new blue varieties at a variety trial in a few weeks, and I hear there are supposed to be some good Blue tomatoes included.

[QUOTE=BigVanVader;495301]Yeah no worries, its just if you made one I'm sure it'd be great. I do notice the off taste you reference. For me its a odd bitter after taste that lingers and makes me not want to eat anymore.[/QUOTE]

Good to know they are still working on some. They really help draw the eye to my cherry mixes but they also are the ones people most often want to taste first, which can hurt sales. I now steer them to others, like your Bumblebee varieties, but even then some insist on trying the blues first.

There is lots of work in the "blue" area, because they are so fascinating. The new holy grail (in addition to OP Sungold).


[QUOTE=BigVanVader;495344]Good to know they are still working on some. They really help draw the eye to my cherry mixes but they also are the ones people most often want to taste first, which can hurt sales. I now steer them to others, like your Bumblebee varieties, but even then some insist on trying the blues first.[/QUOTE]

I'm another that tastes an off whang with high anthocyanin tomatoes. I have one breeding line that is getting close to eliminating it. Time will tell if it is good enough to continue.

"off whang"? I love it when you guys get technical !��

[QUOTE=Fusion_power;495440]I'm another that tastes an off whang with high anthocyanin tomatoes.[/QUOTE]

"off whang"? I love it when you guys get technical...or is that Alabama dialect?:)):)):))

In the interest of fairness -- [URL="http://baianicchia.blogspot.com/2015/09/what-is-wrong-with-maglia-rosa.html"]everything that is wrong with Maglia Rosa[/URL].

Everything is true except for the "dense foliage" part, my plants are pretty bald. I like the variety so much I was looking to see if I could snip a few suckers to root and overwinter, no such luck, the plants are loaded with fruit, on every branch. No new flowers at this point.
Next year, I am going to use them to edge my tall raised beds, so they will be trailing down the sides, then the fruit would not have to have contact with soil, or need to be trellised. As they are so compact, I could also start them inside really early without getting too big to handle.

They are way more productive than Blush, or Pink or Green tiger, is it so for anyone else?

NewWestGardener

They are more productive than the other artisan tomatoes, although Purple and Sunrise Bumblebee are pretty dang productive too -- probably about the same as MR.

I am also considering ways to grow Maglia Rosa so that it "hangs" over a rudimentary raised bed (to reduce soil contact, as you suggest)

Note: We now have fresh [URL="http://www.growartisan.com"]Maglia Rosa and Orange Jazz[/URL] seed. The two varieties we are most excited about this year.

Fred, thanks for making this variety available, a truly great find. I planted them because I read this thread you posted.
Yes, Purple Bumblebee and Sunrise B.B. are also very productive, and their leaves remain green and lush still, they will be invited back next year. My Purple Bumblebee also throws out some mini beefsteaks, very cute, it is outstanding.
I bought the Artisan pack, so I got to try all of them.

I really like the "mini-beefsteaks" of Purple Bumblebee too. Sunrise Bumblebee does the same, but not with as much frequency.




[QUOTE=NewWestGardener;504354]Fred, thanks for making this variety available, a truly great find. I planted them because I read this thread you posted.
Yes, Purple Bumblebee and Sunrise B.B. are also very productive, and their leaves remain green and lush still, they will be invited back next year. My Purple Bumblebee also throws out some mini beefsteaks, very cute, it is outstanding.
I bought the Artisan pack, so I got to try all of them.[/QUOTE]

Does it do well in the "always damp" conditions of an EarthBox? I plan to try one as a single plant in an EB next season.

I don't really understand the varying comments about foliage. Aside from differing opinions as to what is "sparse" and what is "dense," does it have his type of variability? Or maybe it has a strong response to fertilizers?

-GG

I think Maglia Rosa would be fine in an earth box, but you would really want to make sure that the fruits are picked at peak flavor, which would probably be much earlier than peak color in an earth box.

Maglia Rosa has "wispy" leaves which are typically correlated with sparse foliage and short internodes, which are typically associated with dense foliage. So, it isn't easy to neatly classify it into sparse or dense.

Hi Fred-
How does Pink Tiger compare to Maglia Rosa? Big Vine, moderate vine? Taste? Does it share the "feature" of not reaching peak flavor when it looks like it is fully ripe? Do you sell it directly -- didn't see it listed at your site.
-GG

I've grown them side by side. Pink Tiger gets very big, 6-8' vines for me. Maglia Rosa is a short, stocky bush, about three feet tall. I like them both.

Cole Robbie described the plant differences well, above.

I like Maglia Rosa a little better, flavorwise. It is bright, sweet and tangy.

[URL="http://store.growartisan.com/product/maglia-rosa-cherry-tomato"]
We do sell it at our site[/URL]. Was that the site you couldn't find it at?

[QUOTE=Greatgardens;520077]Hi Fred-
How does Pink Tiger compare to Maglia Rosa? Big Vine, moderate vine? Taste? Does it share the "feature" of not reaching peak flavor when it looks like it is fully ripe? Do you sell it directly -- didn't see it listed at your site.
-GG[/QUOTE]

Yes, that is the site. Still don't see it -- just Maglia Rosa. I see very few of your varieties there.

[U]But again, is it like MR in that it does not peak when it looks ripe?

[/U]Thanks,
GG

I'm sorry. I thought you were asking if Maglia Rosa was on our site.

Our site is only for varieties that are hard to get, otherwise. Sometimes that means they are new, and in other cases it means they are under-appreciated.

We don't sell generally available varieties, like Pink Tiger, on our own site, but [URL="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-9236-pink-tiger.aspx"]our collaborators at Johnny's Selected Seeds have it[/URL].

The fruit qualities of Pink Tiger are similar to Maglia Rosa, but peak flavor is probably better correlated with peak color in Pink Tiger (under most conditions).


[QUOTE=Greatgardens;520119]Yes, that is the site. Still don't see it -- just Maglia Rosa. I see very few of your varieties there.

[U]But again, is it like MR in that it does not peak when it looks ripe?

[/U]Thanks,
GG[/QUOTE]

Thanks, Fred. Just ordered some. I was going to grow MR this summer, but I'm taking a year off of determinates to see if my foliage disease issues improve. I'll grow this one in dirt (not an EarthBox).
-GG

Ahh. Do you have more trouble with determinates because they have more contact with the ground? Because they are bushier (and more prone to trapping moisture)?

The latter. In a dry year (that farmers hate), no Septoria. But in a wet one (like last year) I have an abundance of Septoria and a dearth of good tomatoes. No Ground contact, since I grow on plastic film in cages or in EarthBoxes on a raised wood stand. From what I've seen, the determinates I've grown in especially in EB's are much more prone to devastating attacks. I'm moving to just one indeterminate in each EarthBox.

I'm also inclined to believe that the heavy fruit load of most determinates stresses the plants more, but that is just my supposition. The determinate that seems to withstand it best is Celebrity (not Iron Lady). Some varieties are rapidly "eaten." The indeterminate that has withstood it best for me is Orange Wellington.

-GG

Is full sun an absolute must for this variety?

Last summer my pot was taken over by my curiosity in growing a multiflora. I am very over that now (production was egh). The location receives mostly morning sun. Should I return to my original plan of growing Maglia Rosa there , or is it a waste in partial shade. It does look beautiful and this is on the side near the front where my neighbors don't like to see traditional vegetables.

- Lisa

I think 4 hours of mid-day sun or about 1/2 day of full sun is sufficient for MR.

Fruit production is positively correlated with sun exposure with a caveat that full direct sun in some areas such as higher altitudes, lower latitudes, or deserts (with less moisture in the air) can be very detrimental to tomatoes. I've found that shade late in the afternoon improves production on some varieties because it reduces plant stress. This would not be true in areas with less direct sun such as northern tier states.

For areas with very high solar intensity, please consider using shade cloth with 30% to 45% solar reduction. For areas with less than 5 hours of full sun per day, you can surround plants with reflective aluminum foil which increases solar absorption significantly. Be careful, increasing exposure beyond effective levels can sun crisp your plants.

Great info, as usual, Fusion.

I grow a few plants in my suburban home garden, but the backyard faces north and there are covenants against vegetables being in sight from the front. Since its shady production is moderate.

I've been growing at a a nearby acreage purchased and owned by another neighbor for 2 years. He bought a tank and delivers the water to the acreage. He isn't into dealing with covenants.

We have fun picking through the few plants I grow here for a precious tomato early in the season. I will try that reflective foil out back, will an auto shade work?

- Lisa

[QUOTE=Fusion_power;520231]Fruit production is positively correlated with sun exposure with a caveat that full direct sun in some areas such as higher altitudes, lower latitudes, or deserts (with less moisture in the air) can be very detrimental to tomatoes. I've found that shade late in the afternoon improves production on some varieties because it reduces plant stress. This would not be true in areas with less direct sun such as northern tier states.

For areas with very high solar intensity, please consider using shade cloth with 30% to 45% solar reduction. For areas with less than 5 hours of full sun per day, you can surround plants with reflective aluminum foil which increases solar absorption significantly. Be careful, increasing exposure beyond effective levels can sun crisp your plants.[/QUOTE]

Very good info indeed. Thanks Fusion_Power. I'll be looking into some shade cloth for our Jul-Aug-Sep high noon crispy sun.

Fred

thought you might find this of interest .......... chocolate covered Maglia Rosa with chili pepper

[URL]http://104.131.182.75/app/uploads/2014/09/DSC_9523.jpg[/URL]

[URL]http://oliveoilandlemons.com/sunshinefarmtomato-festival-pickeld-cherry-tomatoes/[/URL]

I'll be dammed, this was my most looked forward to variety and I just realized I didn't start any seeds. I know I got some when I did the 20$ donation thing but I must have misplaced them because after an hour of searching, nothing :bummer:. Guess I will order some now. This tomato must be amazing because it has been eluding me for years now. :evil: