2014 Toughest Tomato Plants

[jmsieglaff]

Just wanted a post a picture of my bucket growing subject. The one in the garden is more similar to other indeterminates (garden or bucket grown). This plant has very heavy, dark green foliage and is shorter and thicker stemmed than other bucket or garden grown indeterminates by a few inches. Actually at this point it is the same height as my bucket grown dwarfs (just outside the below pictures). The flowers are opening nicely and probably will be setting fruit in the next couple of days. Dutch, does this growth habit match with what you've seen in any of your grow outs or has it been consistent for habit? It looks like the stems may have fused and then grew apart again--so maybe it is more physiological rather than genetic? Also maybe something about the bucket growing conditions (although the Stupice right next to it has more typical indeterminate growth). Just curious what your thoughts were. We'll see what the fruit brings. Hoping for some drier weather, we've had over 3.50" of rain the past 5 days here.

Pictures below:
1) Stupice (left) and EPBxBB (right)
2) Close up of EPBxBB
3&4) Close up of stems that seeminly fused and then grew apart.

[Dutch]

Justin Your plants look excellent! The growth habit in your bucket may indicate that they aren't stable and are still segregating.
I started eight plants early and another thirty six later. Looks like I will be planting all of them now, with most of them going in the ground. I'll grow a few in Earthboxes and some in buckets also, to see what we get.
Thanks for the update Justin, it was helpful.
Dutch

[bower]

The stocky plant looks great!

The earliest and healthiest of my seedlings is now a big plant in the greenhouse, first pic below. It's been flowering for a while but hasn't grown any fruit yet. It's the first plant in the blue tub on the left.

The second earliest seedling was also a bit stockier than the first. It was kept in the greenhouse as long as possible, then went outdoors with other extra varieties and has set two fruit while still in the beer cup. It has lost some leaves due to the tough trials outdoors here but is putting on new ones and also has new flowers... time to pot this one up. Shown for comparison on the far right of the group pic below, on June 2nd.

The other three plants had septoria-like spots on the lower leaves early on and before flowering, and went with another group of extras for the hardest trials of all - they've been outdoors or minimally sheltered in an open shed through a half dozen frosty or near zero nights since May. As shown in the pic below, one plant was completely toast after a cold night June 1st, while the other two were fine and indeed are still kicking in spite of some pretty severe nights. So I think it's safe to say, the tolerance to cold is not a stable trait yet although certainly present in the group.

Dutch, it's great you have so many to grow out, you can really select the best from a large group like that! Best of luck with your season.

[jmsieglaff]

Hi Dutch,

Just wanted to drop an update on my two plants. The pictures below are the bucket plant, followed by its fruit, then the garden plant, followed by its fruit.

The bucket plant continued to grow in a much more compact, dense foliage habit with noticeably smaller fruits. It is a very healthy plant. The garden plant grew more like a normal indeterminate. I've had some septoria leaf spot battles in this garden bed this year, which has affected the larger plant. The plant has set a decent amount of fruit, but has been fairly susceptible to septoria. With pruning and treatment I've got it hanging on, I've pulled a couple other tomato plants near it. We'll see if it can pull through. It isn't down for the count, yet hasn't shown as good resistance as some other tomatoes near it. The tomatoes on this plant are larger, more similar to your photos from last year.

The small plant fruits are quite small, 15-30 grams, ripen to bright red, they are juicy, have good tomato flavor and are balanced between sweet and acidic. We've gotten about 5 fruits so far, but a few more are about ready. First fruit was 70 days from transplant. I'd rate it 7.0-7.5.

I ate the first large fruit last night, 74 days after transplant. It weighed 85 grams and the others on the plant look to be that size or larger. The tomato is rather juicy, good texture. Nice balance of acid and sweetness with good tomato flavor--a fairly intensely flavored tomato. 7.5-8.0.

I'll update continued tastings, how the plants health continue, etc.

Should I save seeds from one, both, or neither for you?

[Dutch]

Bower thank you for your June info. I was late getting some plants in so my updates will be late. Like you I had a few that septoria-like spots early on, but most did not. I'll post pictures of the ones growing in Earthboxes later today.

Justin thank you for the excellent update, great descriptions and fantastic pictures. I would say they are not stable yet. You might want to save some seeds from each of them with a description of what there were, for future reference. No need to send me seeds now, but thanks for the offer.
Dutch

[bower]

Here's the latest update.
The greenhouse MEPBBBX set its first fruit on June 18th, the day after being talked about on the internet, which fits other data indicating that tomatoes are sentient beings, and react to comments about their shape or habits in an effort to please. Best pets ever....
In fairness for the comments on performance, we are having the worst summer in 20 years. All hopes of tomatoes having a shot outdoors this time have fallen by the way. It's bad enough even in the greenhouse.

MEPBBBX has been an average sized indeterminate plant in the greenhouse, relatively healthy but not especially so, but failed to grow normal clusters of fruit in the circumstances. One fruit per cluster amounting to five fruit on a full sized plant, as shown in the first pic below taken July 10. I topped and pruned back the plant to encourage fruit growth but there was no response during the incredibly dark cold and wet weather. After two partly sunny days (yesterday and the day before) I was pleased to find two of the fruit nubs have started to grow after all, in the second pic. Overall the fruit size at present is smaller than Moravsky Div, ie not really bigger than a large cherry.
The smaller plant, which was potted up and has been living in the wood stacker with several other unfortunates, has grown a little and retained its two fruit but set no more. They haven't grown much either. Third pic. The leaves are spotty but hanging on.

It seems to me that this cross has similar traits to the parent Eva Purple Ball - whatever the plant needs to be productive, we don't have it here. Too bad!

[Dutch]

Bower thanks for the update and I thank both you and Justin for your help with these grow outs. Below are today’s pictures of two Earthboxes with two Margie’s Eva Purple Ball x Big Beef plants each. In upper left corner of the first picture are more growing in the garden on cattle panels. Too early to tell what’s all going to develop yet.
EPBxBB_Earthboxes.jpg
EPBxBB_small-fruit.jpg
EPBxBB_med-fruit.jpg
EPBxBB_both_size-fruits.jpg
Dutch

[Dutch]

These four were planted in buckets a couple of weeks after the other four were planted in Earthboxes. The one on the far left is more oblong than the others.
EPBxBB_inBuckets.jpg


The second picture is a little closer view of it.
Oblong-MEPBxBB.jpg
There is one in the garden that is ribbed or pleated looking. I will try to take a picture of it today and post tomorrow.
Dutch

[Dutch]

Picture of ribbed or pleated looking fruits on a MEPBxBB.
Ribbed-MEPBxBB.jpg
Dutch

[jmsieglaff]

Certainly seems to have some variability still in this cross. My garden plant is still pulling through septoria while I've pulled some other varieties. Were your tomatoes last year fairly intense flavored? I need to have more but it seems like a tasty one thus far, balanced yet a lot of flavor. The more densely foliaged and smaller fruited plant in the bucket continues to grow like gang busters. I've got seed from both plants into cups today and will process after they ferment.

[bower]

Those ribbed fruit look like they could turn into a larger beef. I think the long, pointed fruit must be a cross though. Afaik that shape is from the SUN gene and/or OVATE and neither Big Beef nor Eva Purple Ball has that shape/gene... You may have something even more interesting there - very nice looking fruit.

We just had a couple of days of actual summer weather (thank goodness) and many things are ripening, including MEPBBBX, which blushed August 2 or 126 days from germination. The blushing fruit are cherry sized.

[Dutch]

Updated pics.
Oblong-MEPBxBBa.jpg
Ribbed-MEPBxBBa.jpg
Dutch

[bower]

Those look great, Dutch.
Here's a pic of the harvest from my two MEPBBBX plants. The outdoor plant are the pink fruit on the left. Both are pretty much cherry size.

[jmsieglaff]

Hey Dutch,

Hope your 2015 season went well/is still going well. We had a killing freeze here last weekend (27F). I unfortunately do not have data points for you regarding freeze kills as I removed many varieties over the course of September and October as septoria slowly won the war.

I saved seeds from both of my plants as they were quite different. Did you want seeds back from either or both? Am I free to grow what I want next year?

To recap the two plants:

5 gallon bucket: Extra-large cherry/very small regular red fruits. The plant was very stocky with very dense, dark green foliage. A rather healthy plant that resisted Septoria decently. The tomatoes were very soft, rather seedy and very little interior material--making for rather mushy fruits. The flavor was average. I don't plan on growing these again--mainly due to texture.

Garden plant: More typical indeterminate habit, clusters of medium sized red tomatoes. The tomatoes had very good flavor, good texture, and average to a bit above-average production. The plant did get Septoria early, it was in the middle of my garden plants in terms of tolerance/rate of spread. I got it under control and got some nice late summer/fall tomatoes off the plant before Septoria won the battle and I removed it. I liked this tomato a good amount and would like to grow it again from seed from this plant.

Let me know what you want as far as seeds, etc.

Thanks again,
Justin

[Dutch]

Hi Justin and thank you for your input. Save and grow out whatever you choose to. I started over forty plants and did not lose a one of them. I also replanted suckers from pruning these vigorous growers in my “Joseph’s Garden” section. In total I grew over 100 EPBxBB plants. I have plenty of material to work with. The ribbed one was a “green when ripe” and was most likely a stray seed or a volunteer. More later today, with pictures. Thanks again for helping.

Dutch