July 29, 2013 | #76 | |
Tomatovillian™
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Location: zone 6b, PA
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Quote:
kath |
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July 29, 2013 | #77 | |
Tomatovillian™
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Quote:
WRP has been just ok so far. I've only gotten 2 fruits and they were fused giants that ripened unevenly so it's only been in two of our taste tests and hasn't done better than 3rd place for me, 4th for DH, but the season is young, the plants are still healthy and there's a lot of fruit still out there. I've never seen BER with WRP. Heshpole didn't make the cut and it wasn't planted again this year. By the end of the season, I decided that I prefered Hays', Fish Lake Oxheart and Work Release Paste and didn't need to bring back that many heart types for this year's trial. Wes wasn't a taste fave for us either and didn't produce as well as any of the above for me. FLO is tasting the best so far but it's early and we've only had a few of each of these hearts so far. I do like the fact that they're all low on gel & seeds for our uses. kath Last edited by kath; July 29, 2013 at 09:48 PM. |
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July 29, 2013 | #78 | |
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Quote:
They're not at all alike- Sunpeach doesn't have any of the zip that Sungold has- it's mild & sweet, period- tastes really good but it doesn't compare to Sungold, imo. That & its large size means I won't be growing it again. kath |
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July 29, 2013 | #79 |
Tomatovillian™
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July 30, 2013 | #80 |
Tomatovillian™
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Hey Kath, thanks for the Low-down on your hearts. I'm getting the impression that environment really can make a difference on the outcome of any of these common varieties. I've not tried your #1 hearts, so maybe I'll have a to sub one or two of them in for next year. I don't think I'll ever drop Wes, since it's so productive for me and the taste is sufficient. I'll probably drop WRP and/or Heshpole, though I really enjoyed the growth patterns of Heshpole and the leaf/branch type. That is, until it started to brown out and crisp up.
Have fun. -naysen |
July 30, 2013 | #81 | |
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Quote:
Let me know if you'd like some seeds to try for next year, naysen. kath |
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July 31, 2013 | #82 |
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Hi Kath, thanks for the offer, but I actually got my WRP and Heshpole seeds from you last year based on the previous year's version of this post. Like I said, both plants have plenty nice about them (especially the unique growth patterns of Heshpole), but I think in my environment Wes wins out. Since I'm a big fan of hearts for my purposes (drying, sauce, salsa), I might try all three and a few more next season. I want to focus more on paste types next year, since I end up with a ton of juicy tomatoes that go bad in my back room within a couple days of picking (even not fully ripe). This forces me into sometimes a twice a week processing schedule that just takes all the fun out of the "hobby." I'm loving my sauces and salsas and dried tomatoes, and I eat a fresh tomato or two for lunch every day at work, but I can't abide those days that start at break-O and end at 3am in the morning non-stop on my feet processing 100+ lb of tomatoes. Anyway, that's a good problem to have I suppose. I just need to be wiser in my choice of varieties.
-n |
July 31, 2013 | #83 |
Tomatovillian™
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Kath, have you tried Brad's Black Heart?
__________________
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July 31, 2013 | #84 | |
Tomatovillian™
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Quote:
kath |
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July 31, 2013 | #85 |
Tomatovillian™
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Yes, twice. I really liked it and so did my neighbor, Suze. It had a good taste and set a lot of fruit for me, and some really large tomatoes but the second time we both grew it neither of us had great luck. Splitting was an issue, it didn't taste as good as some of the others and it went down quite early with some disease or other so it didn't make either of our permanent lists. I don't care for too many darks in a sauce pot, either.
kath |
July 31, 2013 | #86 |
Tomatovillian™
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Private Requests for Seeds
It's crunch time for getting ready for my family's arrival and my to-do list is HUGE so my T'ville time will be severely limited. This year's seeds are still drying on paper plates and will remain there for the foreseeable future. Honestly, I have neither the time nor the inclination to make a "waiting list" for seed requests or to send any out now. Any comments I made here to individuals we not general offers.
Thank you for your understanding and please don't take offense that I won't be responding to any more PMs or posts here in a timely manner until I have more free time. I love to share seeds and will do so when my season's over and time permits. kath |
August 11, 2013 | #87 |
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Antigua de Val de la Matanza
Got these in a trade and don't know much about them. The plant is still only about 4 1/2' tall and the 7-11 oz. fruits have had a tendency to be angular and puffy/hollow.
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August 11, 2013 | #88 |
Tomatovillian™
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Austin's Black Cherry
Seems this one is correct. Just pulled the plant because of gray mold. The fruits were a good match for Sungold and tasted as good as Black Cherry did for me.
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August 11, 2013 | #89 |
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Brutus
Short plant is loaded with 5-8 oz. red fruits.
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August 11, 2013 | #90 |
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Brandywine, Liams
Had some cat facing issues but I'm still getting some beautiful, tasty fruits ranging from 11-21 oz. so far.
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