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Old September 3, 2011   #10
travis
Tomatovillian™
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Evansville, IN
Posts: 2,984
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GG, you mention you run from open pollinated varieties, and why. I understand your reasons.

However, I have found one open pollinated variety that sets well under all conditions, is resistant to more than one disease, and has a fairly long holding life both on the vine and the shelf. That's Neptune, a fully determinate, 4 - 6 oz., red, slightly flattened globe, with balanced flavor.

I have never grown tomatoes indoors or under cover, but Neptune did very well outdoors, completely unpruned, in containers, supported only by short stakes or a two and a half foot tall wire cage. The skin was not tough, though it resisted bursting or cracking. The appearance was flawless. The gel was tart enough to balance the modest sugar content, and impart a distinct tomato flavor.

For all practical purposes Neptune is an open pollinated variety that resembles a modern hybrid, field culture tomato, and I thought market growers might be interested in giving it a try. I found the seeds at Southern Exposure Seed Exchange for which IFAS originally produced the variety.

The only negative I found with Neptune is that some plants lagged behind others in DTM, and were not as productive as the earlier maturing plants. So, I was very selective in my own seed saving.
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