Surprise, surprise and surprise!

[dcarch]

Surprise #1:
Green Sausage: Got lots of fruits. It has been at least 6 weeks, no changes, they just hang there and not getting ripe. The fruits are of good size and not getting any bigger. Looks like it will be another two weeks.

Surprise #2:
Lime Green Salad: So many good size fruits that the branches are all bent out of shape. It has been at least 5 weeks, no ripe fruits either, and no changes either. Looks like it will be another two weeks.

Surprise #3:
Sophie’s Choice: I thought this is an early variety. Two plants I have planted will be at least a month behind Carbon, Black Krim, BW, Anans Noire.

dcarch

[spyfferoni]

Have you grown any of those varieties before dcarch?

I thought it was surprising that my first plants to set fruit (a fruit)----even before the cherries was a heart variety called Monimak's Hat (sorry I'm spelling from memory) and a Kellog's Breakfast.

[Andrey_BY]

Shapka Monomakha (Monomakh's Hat) is a mid-early to midseason Siberian (Russian) OP variety. Semi-determinate (90-130 cm tall) plant with a good yield of dark-raspberry, round-oval shape (topped heart shaped) 400-900 g fruits, sugar sweet and tasty, desease tolerant, named after famous crown-hat with diamonds by Russian Tsars

[carolyn137]

Surprise #3:
Sophie’s Choice: I thought this is an early variety. Two plants I have planted will be at least a month behind Carbon, Black Krim, BW, Anans Noire.


*****

It is an early variety, a nice det with large fruit. Seeds to me originally from Barry Comdon in CA, variety is from Edmonton, Canada.

What was the source of your seeds?

[spyfferoni]

Thanks Andrey for the correction and information on Monomakh's Hat. I received the seeds from Jeanne who saved them from seeds originally from you. I look forward to trying it. It will be interesting to see how it does in the blistering heat we are having this summer.

Tyffanie

[nctomatoman]

I grew Sophie's Choice for the first time last year. First ripe fruit in 54 days (in season with Kimberly, not quite as early as Taxi). For a very compact determinate, the fruit were quite large - the flavor did nothing for me, however! It also was prone to sunscald for me, so would be better perhaps caged, rather than in a pot and sprawling.

[dcarch]

Originally Posted by spyfferoni

Have you grown any of those varieties before dcarch?------------

I have grown Sophie's and LGS before indoors in pots, so that doesn't give me ideas what to expect. First time for Green Sausage.

Originally Posted by carolyn137

Surprise #3:
----------It is an early variety, a nice det with large fruit. Seeds to me originally from Barry Comdon in CA, variety is from Edmonton, Canada.
What was the source of your seeds?

I got the seeds from TomatoFest. Another surprising thing about this Sophie's: I thought it would be less than 24" tall, but it is at least 36" now and still growing. It is branching out a lot from the base. The plants were in ground 4/1 when they were about 14" tall. Judging from the size of the fruits, it will take another three weeks before they are ripe.

dcarch

[carolyn137]

I got the seeds from TomatoFest. Another surprising thing about this Sophie's: I thought it would be less than 24" tall, but it is at least 36" now and still growing. It is branching out a lot from the base. The plants were in ground 4/1 when they were about 14" tall. Judging from the size of the fruits, it will take another three weeks before they are riped carch

YOu must be in the southern part of NYS in the city area or out on the island in order to be able to plant outside April 1st.

More to the point, I've never seen a Sophie grow three feet tall.

Be sure to let us know what you do get when they ripen up. As Craig has said, 54 days for him in NC and perhaps around 60 for me up here in zone 5.

Maybe it was just too darn cold to plant out that early?

[dcarch]

Originally Posted by carolyn137

-----YOu must be in the southern part of NYS in the city area or out on the island in order to be able to plant outside April 1st.
More to the point, I've never seen a Sophie grow three feet tall.
----?

I am still in Z6, I was able to plant on 4/1 because I am using a removable greenhouse method, which allows me to plant out on 4/1 without even have to "harden" the plants. That's working out very very well for all other plants. I hve been harvesting mid season tomatoes way before July 4th.

I was wrong about the 36" height. I just went out and measured. They are closer to 48" .

dcarch

[bully]

I was surprised by green sausage last year..surprised at how inedible it was..a spitter IMO

pretty plant though..fine little leaves..everything clung right down to the ground.

is this your first year growing it?

[dcarch]

Originally Posted by bully

I was surprised by green sausage last year..surprised at how inedible it was..a spitter IMO
pretty plant though..fine little leaves..everything clung right down to the ground.
is this your first year growing it?

Yes. My first Green Sausage.

Other surprises with GS:

Very decease resistant. It has so many fruits on the plant that that whole thing is sprawling on the ground, a big mess of leaves all twisting together and covered with mud, but no sign of problems.

It’s the only plant attracting aphids

I hope you are wrong about the taste

dcarch

[honu]

Originally Posted by Craig:

For a very compact determinate, the fruit were quite large - the flavor did nothing for me, however!

That was my experience last year too. Plant stayed small, pumped out large, juicy but tasteless, pretty fruit, and was early, but I didn't count days. Also, produced fruit continuously, like an indeterminate.

[bully]

Compared to green giant and some others these are a lot easier to gage when ripe, they will get yellow tinge to them.
( not that the picture shows that )