The Curse of Cuostralee

[carolyn137]

I cannot figure out why so many folks are having so many problems with this variety.

I got the seeds back in 1992 from a huge trade I did with a man in France and ever since then I've grown it many times with no problems at all. I always used my own saved seeds to grow plants for new seed stock and always got the Cuostralee that was sent to me by Norbert in France.

So I don't know what's up these days with Cuostralee seeds and so many failures.

[feldon30]

I never got to taste Cuostralee but that's because it was in a bed that got some herbicide damage.

[remy]

Zana,
If any are ripe, I'll bring them .

BigdaddyJ,
So glad you had a happy ending. Chapman is quite yummy too. I'll have to regrow that one.

Dustdevil,
I don't think I'll be eating squirrel especially the brain any time soon!

Stepheninky,
I think 2011 will be a good year.

b54red,
Don't give up! It is a great tomato.

Feldon,
That is bad luck! Do try growing it again.

Carolyn,
I've seen it mentioned a lot too. It is odd. Maybe companies are still getting it from the same supplier that I got my bad seed from?
Remy

[recruiterg]

I have grown it two years in a row. Both years the plant had really bad leaf curl (or leaf roll...not sure how to tell the difference). Last year I got quite a few tomatoes, though. This year I planted it late and the plant has leaf curl all over. I haven't harvested anything from it and it doesn't look very likely I will this summer. It is the only plant in my garden (of 20+ tomato plants) with leaf curl. Seems like kind of a sickly, finicky plant IMHO.

[Barbee]

I shovel pruned my Cuostralee earlier in the season due to leaf roll. It just never recovered and I finally put it out of it's misery. I will try it again next year!

[Wi-sunflower]

The Cuostralee seeds i got from Sandhill last year did wonderful for me in an awful year.

The seeds I saved from them are out in the weeds somewhere and I hope to find some fruit for the tasting this Sunday.

It's not this year's seed's fault if I don't find any. Things couldn't have gone more wrong with stuff if it had tried.

First I hurt my back about in the middle of the greenhouse work, so a lot of varieties got transplanted late.

We have had the heat and rain we didn't have last year. That should have been good except without my cultivator tractor running, the weeds have been horrible. Tho we've used other equipment, nothing I have can get in as close as that old Allis G.

All the heavy rain also has shown us some wet spots in that field that we didn't know about even after 20 years on this farm. I don't know if the Cuostralee may be one of the varieties I've lost yet or not.

And now my back/sciatica has been acting up again the last couple of weeks again so i haven't been able to really keep an eye on everything I should.

But Cuostralee was really great last year.

Carol

[carolyn137]

Carol, I sent the Cuostralee seeds to Glenn at Sandhill so I'm glad to hear that they're what they should be, really glad.

Others who mention leaf curling:

Unless there are other symptoms in addition to leaf curl I ignor it b'c leaves of some varieties will curl when it's too hot, too cold, too wet or too dry and I always got good fruit production from plants with curled leaves. So I guess I'm just wondering why some of you are getting rid of your plants with just leaf curl and no other symptoms.

There is a condition called Leaf Roll, which can occur early in the season when root and foliage mass are out of balance but as the plants mature that goes away.

And most hybrids have leaves that curl normally.

[Tormato]

Thaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaanks alot Remy, for dragging up this thread.

My saga continues...

I'm now on year 7 (year five, not counting the two years I spurned it).

For an update...

In 2009 I had 109 out of 110 plants go down with blight, one out of the 110 was healthy. Do you want to guess which group Custralee was in?

In 2010, I took another break from trying it.

Maybe next year. Or, the one after that. Or, the one after...

Gary

[remy]

Gary,
I'm so sorry. Next year is the year!!! I'll send you some of my seeds from this year for good luck, you let me know, no trade necessary.
Remy

[b54red]

Remy, I had no trouble getting germination but the plants seem highly susceptible to fusarium and every disease that comes around down here. I have never tried that many of any other variety and gotten absolutely nothing. There are just too many good tomatoes that are not so difficult to grow to keep wasting my garden space with this variety.

[Wi-sunflower]

While walking part of my fields checking things for the Tomato Day, i happened upon this year's Cuostralee. While there were none ripe due to late planting, they did look just like last year's large somewhat flatened beefsteak. And there were lots of them, something not all the varieties are doing this year. The plants did look reasonably healthy too dispite being in a less than ideal area.

Carol

[amberroses]

I just planted my new Coustralee seedling and covered it with a screen to protect it from the sun. The screen fell on it and bent the stem over. Well, I refuse to give in to the curse so I straightened it and buried it a little deeper. I hope the curse wont strike again.

[remy]

Originally Posted by amberroses

I just planted my new Coustralee seedling and covered it with a screen to protect it from the sun. The screen fell on it and bent the stem over. Well, I refuse to give in to the curse so I straightened it and buried it a little deeper. I hope the curse wont strike again.

I sure hope not!
Remy

[paprika]

Ah Ha! Thank you good folks! You've solved one out of 3 mystery plants in the garden this year. My Cuostralee was also the 3oz-5oz pleated/heavily ribbed variety! The plant is huge and highly productive, but fruit are only so,so in taste! Seeds were from Heirloom Acres by the way.
And as was luck would have it I just ordered and promptly received a packet from Carol (Knapp's)this past month, so maybe I'll get to grow the real deal this season!
Now, if I can just figure out my "UnSpudakee" and "NBK-Not Black Krim"!

TimothyT

[OneoftheEarls]

Attempted to grow for three years....see ya!