Member discussion regarding the methods, varieties and merits of growing tomatoes.
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November 21, 2007 | #16 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Rock Hill, SC
Posts: 5,346
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I wonder what Silvery Fir Tree could be crossed with.
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November 21, 2007 | #17 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: NE Kingdom, VT - Zone 3b
Posts: 1,439
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My 2 Bloody Butchers produced from beginning to end, yielding 48.94# of tomatoes. They are small salad size tomatoes, and would sell best in quart containers early in the season. But they aren't true slicers, which I'd need for a market.
Kimberly is even smaller but also high yielding (25.97#)through the entire season. Silvery Fir Tree is bigger, but not quite big enough and did crack some, unlike the others I planted. The 2 plants only averaged 8.93# each, but took up the same space as Manitobas. Manitoba had it all except it was flavorless. It was a very compact determinate with decent size ( 5 oz.) and smooth fruit, only a week after Bloody Butcher. 2 plants yielded 28.79#, and only took up the space of 1 indeterminate. Moskvich has all the qualities I'm looking for: early, large, attractive,a compact indeterminate, and productive (21.82#) with great taste. Only problem in this cold summer was that it wasn't anywhere as early as previous years. . |
November 21, 2007 | #18 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: KS 5b/6a
Posts: 249
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I find Rena's picture of SFT very interesting, in that the leaf shape of the SFT that I have grown the last couple of years is more carrot-like and less tomato-like than what is shown in the picture. Are there differences among SFT cultivars?
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November 21, 2007 | #19 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: KS 5b/6a
Posts: 249
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Another great early tomato that I have grown, but was hesitant to bring up, was a mislabeled "Mother Russia." MR is supposed to be a pretty large tomato, but what ended up growing was a compact indeterminate that set on 4 oz. fruits about the same size as Bloody Butcher. Flavor-wise, I have to say that this mislabeled variety was the best early I've grown. So, I don't know what to do about sharing the seed, other than to call it "Not Mother Russia." If anyone wants to try it out, PM me and I'll send you seed. I have no idea if this was a cross or just a labeling error, since I received the seed in trade.
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November 21, 2007 | #20 | |
Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Upstate NY, zone 4b/5a
Posts: 21,169
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Quote:
And I agree that it isn't the same foliage that I've seen when I've grown SFT. Yes, I know Earl doesn't think I ever grew it, but I did a couple of times. It's the same as the variety called Carrot-Like, which preceded it to the USA at Seeds Blum, now out of business, in the late 80's and early 90's. I compared Carrot-like with SFT and they are identical. And no, there shouldn't be different versions of SFT. it seemed to me Rena, that the fruits I saw on your plant looked like beefsteaks while SFT has round red fruits. Let us know about shape and size when you know more.
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November 21, 2007 | #21 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Anmore, BC, Canada
Posts: 3,970
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Looking at Rena's picture, I do see the 'carrot-like' foliage - if you take a closer look at the growing tips/new branches, they have the 'advertised' lacy appearance .
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Tatiana's TOMATObase |
November 21, 2007 | #22 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Anmore, BC, Canada
Posts: 3,970
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Here is where you can find some info and pictures about Buchy Charbarovsky.
http://t-garden.homeip.net/mwiki/ind...y_Charbarovsky
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Tatiana's TOMATObase |
November 21, 2007 | #23 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: KS 5b/6a
Posts: 249
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Tania,
Yes, there is certainly an unusual leaf structure, but it is not nearly as carrot-like as the SFT that I've grown. The leaf lobes (if you want to call them that) are much smaller and thinner on the SFT that I've grown. Unfortunately I don't have a picture of the plants I've grown. I think the reason for the difference may be the age of the plant. Early on in the growing season, the plants are very carrot-like, but as they get older and the leaves grow a bit more, I think one may find leaves similar to Rena's picture. I just googled SFT and found pictures of plants that appeared to have both the very carrot-like leaves and the larger leaves that are consistent with Rena's picture. |
November 21, 2007 | #24 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Northern Minnesota - zone 3
Posts: 3,231
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Yes, the oldest leaves of SFT keep broadening out over time so they look more like normal tomato leaves, but the later leaves remain lacy. And I've had both shapes of tomatoes on the same plant.
I don't much care for the flavor and grow it as an ornamental either in baskets, or to fill in empty space in my flower beds. |
November 21, 2007 | #25 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: SW Ohio
Posts: 1,278
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Try some of the Russian early types. Ones I've grown all have very good flavor and produce very well. Here's some that I've grown. Sorry no more info on them except that they tasted good.
Yamal: Red fruit from 3-4 oz. 18" height seedling. Early variety. Production of 6 lbs per seedling. Variety originating in Russia. 24" Praleska: early, determinate red, introduced by Belorussian Institute of Vegetable Gardening. 3-4 oz. Good taste, 106 Russian days [from germination], meaty, round, very tasty, 12-15 fruit in a cluster, F resistant, Belarusian 24"/5oz/ 18" Moscwich: red, determinate, early, tasty, rather cold-resistant, Russian 18"/3 oz Leningradski [Andrey info] Big pink-red, determinant, early, tasty, Russian from St.Peterburg 20 inches tall, 10 oz. A large red tomato from the cold climate of St Peters Burg Russia. 87 to 90 days. (40-50 days from transplant) Lyana [Andrey info] red, determinate, very early (87-93 days after germination), very meaty and tasty, Moldovian bred by Prindestrovie Research Agricultural Institute 16 inches tall, 2-3 oz. (30-45 days [from transplant]) Schelkovski [Andrey info] early red, determinate, very early, round form, tasty 14 inches tall, 1-2 oz. (35-45 days)[from transplant] Geya: [Andrey info] Early Russian variety from St Peterburg, 45-50 days from transplanting, determinate, 18-22 inches tall, 5-6 ozs., red, round plain shape, very tasty, very disease tolerant and cold tolerant.
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November 21, 2007 | #26 |
Buffalo-Niagara Tomato TasteFest™ Coordinator
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Z6 WNY
Posts: 2,354
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I've grown Sweetie. It did reasonably well. The fruits tasted good were light pink and had a flat beefsteak shape if I remember correctly. I gave seed to spkfero(Gene) and I know it performed very well for him, because he regrew it this past year.
Remy
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"I wake to sleep and take my waking slow" -Theodore Roethke Yes, we have a great party for WNY/Ontario tomato growers every year on Grand Island! Owner of The Sample Seed Shop |
November 21, 2007 | #27 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Montana
Posts: 1,038
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Early Rouge was good in my garden w/o cracking...
My choice for market varieties from Sand Hill would be Victoria-size all over , but many fair sized Hanky Red Window Box-may not be big enough , I had lots of sizes Red Beauty Cabot Redskin Vehza Demidov and Alpatieva 905A were both impressive this last year too. Very good size and flavor. Aurora was big enough to slice and only a few days later than Kimberly or Stupice and produced well all summer. Basket Vee was a standout last year for production and taste and one of the earliest in the main garden. Jeanne |
November 22, 2007 | #28 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: NE Kingdom, VT - Zone 3b
Posts: 1,439
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Leningradski and Geya look like good candidates, Earl. Where would I get seed?
I'm glad to get a report on Sweetie. The blurb sounded too good to be true. Was it really early for you Remy? Redskin sounds like a possibility, Jeanne. How productive and tasty was it? While looking up Basket Vee, I came across a great article by another apparant tomato fanatic from across the river at the University of New Hampshire extension service! http://extension.unh.edu/FHGEC/docs/satisfy.htm Looks like I need to give Cosmonaut Volkov another try, as I started it way late this year. |
November 22, 2007 | #29 |
Buffalo-Niagara Tomato TasteFest™ Coordinator
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Z6 WNY
Posts: 2,354
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Barkeater,
Two years ago was a bad year to judge earliness or productivity, because it was the hottest summer on record ever here. It really hindered the fruit set of many of the beefsteaks I grew. I can't remember exactly when I got my first tomato. I can just remember Red Star was first followed by Azoychka It was still early compared to many of the beefsteaks and I considered it worth saving seed from. Remy
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"I wake to sleep and take my waking slow" -Theodore Roethke Yes, we have a great party for WNY/Ontario tomato growers every year on Grand Island! Owner of The Sample Seed Shop |
November 22, 2007 | #30 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Northern Minnesota - zone 3
Posts: 3,231
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I had bad luck with Cosmonaut Volkov this year. I only had one plant that I purchased from a specialty nursery. It developed disease a few weeks after setting out (my fault, didn't get plants sprayed as soon as I should have) and lagged behind all the mid season tomatoes. I thought I was going to lose the plant before any tomatoes matured, but it managed to hang on til the end of the season. The taste was very mediocre. It may also have been hampered by having a place at the end of a row where the soil is more hard clay. I saved seeds and am willing to give it one more shot next year.
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