Any "Exciting" New Varieties for 2017?

[gorbelly]

I'm not one of those members who have grown hundreds or thousands of varieties, nor do I have a large garden. Most heirlooms and funky OP plants are new to me, as growing up, our garden had what (I now realize were) plants from saved seed from some kind of generic commercial red slicer tomatoes, and I only really have in-ground space for about 10 plants.

So I basically hang back and try "OP Hall of Fame" type varieties that have already been on many people's favorites list for many years. I'll leave the trialing of newer varieties to others, except for maybe one plant here or there if I get really intrigued by something, and if it variety survives for a few years and it turns out it wasn't a fad that disappears, I'll put it on a future growlist. I have to say, I am benefiting greatly from the past experiences of the many veteran tomatoheads on here.

[Raiquee]

it's not really new, but I am super excited to grow Kalettes again next year. They did awesome for me and in fact it's been in the teens this week and they still are out there looking fantastic.

As far as tomatoes...I will be growing a lot of pastes this year, a lot of dwarf tomato projects as well as some heirloom slicers. I'm cutting back on heirloom slicers as 2016 was a mess with splitting, fugly looking fruit that's impossible to can. I do like them for fresh purposes; and honestly I don't even need more than a couple but i'm growing out only 25. All together I am growing 150 tomato plants.

I'm also excited to grow these beans for the next MMMM bean swap.

http://www.rareseeds.com/tegucigalpa...ry-silks-bean/

Originally Posted by Ricky Shaw

Watermelons and Cantaloupes will be new to the garden this year, and plan to have a 3x8 bed for each. We don't have a super-long season and thought I'd stick with stuff in the 80 day range. For a watermelon I'm thinking the 2017AAS winner Mini Love F1, and for a cantaloupe the popular F1, Ambrosia.

Are melons like tomatoes, in that saved seeds from hybrids are unreliable?

https://www.vermontbean.com/P/04069/...rid+Watermelon

https://www.vermontbean.com/P/02618/...brid+Muskmelon

F2+ watermelons and muskmelons are unpredictable, just like F2+ tomatoes, but if you want to breed new varieties, it's a good way to go. Watermelons/muskmelons are more likely to cross than tomatoes, too, since the flowers aren't perfect flowers like tomatoes' are.

[Darren Abbey]

Originally Posted by shule1

I'm excited about that, too. Do you have a thread about them?
I'm excited to grow loads of varieties from seeds I saved (and zapped) myself next year.

I post about ongoing projects periodically at my blog. Sometimes they get mentioned here, but not consistently.

Also, "zapped"?

[FarmerShawn]

Originally Posted by Raiquee

it's not really new, but I am super excited to grow Kalettes again next year. They did awesome for me and in fact it's been in the teens this week and they still are out there looking fantastic.



As far as tomatoes...I will be growing a lot of pastes this year, a lot of dwarf tomato projects as well as some heirloom slicers. I'm cutting back on heirloom slicers as 2016 was a mess with splitting, fugly looking fruit that's impossible to can. I do like them for fresh purposes; and honestly I don't even need more than a couple but i'm growing out only 25. All together I am growing 150 tomato plants.



I'm also excited to grow these beans for the next MMMM bean swap.



http://www.rareseeds.com/tegucigalpa...ry-silks-bean/

Kalettes! Mine did wonderfully this year, too. I just brushed the snow off the remaining stalks and cut them to bring in before tonight's predicted single digit temps. Tossed with olive oil, salt n pepper, sprinkled with hot pepper powder, and roasted, they were delicious, and I don't like kale! I left them on the stalk, hoping they'll keep a few weeks that way like Brussels sprouts.



Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Greatgardens]

Originally Posted by Darren Abbey

I'm excited about the next generation of my tomato and pepper breeding projects. ;-) ...but, I suspect that isn't what you're asking about.

Well, that is interesting -- what are you working on?

-GG

[Greatgardens]

@Ricky Shaw
I used to grow lots of melons -- both watermelons and cantaloupes. There were two that were always excellent and they were just about identical in taste and appearance. Ambrosia and another variety that I believe I bought from Stokes. I presume that cucumber beetles are a problem in most areas? That was always the biggest issue here in IN.

Edit: the other melon might have been Harper Hybrid. (?)

-GG

[Greatgardens]

Just ran across Stellar F1 at the Tomato Growers web site. Resistance to LB plus intermediate resistance to EB + Septoria. I think it will be worth a try for me. I tried Iron Maiden season before last, and it did not do well against Septoria. Celebrity did better with Septoria than any other determinate that I grew that year. A small downside -- Stellar is determinate.

http://www.tomatogrowers.com/STELLAR...ductinfo/4251/

Anyone remember Floramerica? AAS winner in 1978 -- wow! -- that long ago. It was one of the first "super disease-resistant" hybrids. I grew it and it sure was a BIG determinate plant.

-GG

[Labradors2]

This is not a new variety, just new to me.

I grew Sara's Galapagos (a red currant) this year and, like everything else, it developed something on its leaves quite early in the season. (My area is very prone to Septoria / Early Blight, but I don't spray. I removed all the diseased leaves as I always do, and was surprised to see that SG managed to completely outgrow it and had perfect leaves for the rest of the season!

Linda

Originally Posted by Darren Abbey

I post about ongoing projects periodically at my blog. Sometimes they get mentioned here, but not consistently.

Also, "zapped"?

Cool. I'll have to check that out if you linked your profile to it or something. [Yep, the link is there. I'm checking it out.]

I use a Z4EX zapper and cheap copper pipes from The Home Depot to zap all my seeds in wide-mouth quart jars partialled filled with water before I dry the seeds, when saving seeds. I also zap seeds if I got them from another source when I want to help make sure they're disease-free (like when the website has a warning about possible watermelon diseases in their seeds), or if I got the seeds from a trade. I use cheap copper pipes instead of the nice ones that came with the zapper because zapping seeds in water corrodes the pipes a lot faster (and I don't want to damage those initial pipes since they work better than The Home Depot ones for other non-seed zapping purposes).

Zapping garden seeds is an experimental practice of mine. I don't know anyone else who does it. I don't make any guarantees about it, but my personal results seem to have been quite positive, so far.

This year, I've been zapping all my seeds for at least 45 minutes (at least 15 minutes per frequency). Last year, I did it for maybe about 3 minutes or less per frequency (before planting instead of before drying) and that seemed to work fine.

[NarnianGarden]

Some of the new-to-me varieties that I'm excited about are Charly Green (another green, yay!), Herodes (lovely shape, a giant heart with an undefined color), Aztek (a yellow mini, hurrah!), and Canestrino di Lucca (one more Italian to love)...
These were all ordered from a German gardening store, and the prices were reasonable.
I already miss a real tomato sandwich... never mind I was fed up a month ago.

[Cole_Robbie]

Aztek is delicious. It's as good as any yellow cherry I have ever tasted. The fruit are fairly large for a cherry as well. The plant itself will need a tiny little stake to keep from falling over from the weight of the fruit.

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by NarnianGarden

Some of the new-to-me varieties that I'm excited about are Charly Green (another green, yay!), Herodes (lovely shape, a giant heart with an undefined color), Aztek (a yellow mini, hurrah!), and Canestrino di Lucca (one more Italian to love)...
These were all ordered from a German gardening store, and the prices were reasonable.
I already miss a real tomato sandwich... never mind I was fed up a month ago.

It should be

http://t.tatianastomatobase.com/wiki/Charlie%27s_Green

I know it well.Tania doesn't have history but it first appeared in Gleckler's catalog way back in the early 90's.

Herodes?

http://t.tatianastomatobase.com/wiki/Herodes

Clara in Germany sent it to mean and as I recall it was pink and much smaller than as above.I could check that out when I have time if you want me to.

Aztek?

http://t.tatianastomatobase.com/wiki/Aztec

Not a yellow mini from the link if this is the one spelled with a k Info on this one is all over the place.

https://www.google.com/search?q=azte..._AUIBygA&dpr=1

But see Heritage Seed at Tville, Bunny Hop seeds.

Hope that helps,

Carolyn

[NarnianGarden]

Thanks Carolyn. Charlie the Green looks delicious.
The Aztek I ordered is supposed to be yellow indeed, a mini dwarf. It's nice to have a yellow to accompany the red mini dwarfs (Red Robin, Mohamed).
If only the winter would go fast. (no, take your time, really... it's good for the nature and humans to have a rest..)

[charline]

I found two real family heirlooms from the center of France that nobody knows about , only a few persons in those villages. I am very proud to get them and looking forward to grow them.
They have been passed on in those two families for several generations and now they will go out in this big world because I have sent some seeds to Carolyn . She will give them to her seed producers and then you all can get them....

they are called:

La grosse à Lulu
La Nénesse