2015 Pics & Reviews

[Cole_Robbie]

I've really liked the Chinese tomatoes so far, but Peiping Chieh and Kwang Tung have been letdowns. Peiping (pronounced "BAY-ping") Chieh has given me nothing but cat-faced fruit. And my Kwang Tung, which I thought was a paste, gives me a small round red tomato.

Ten Hung Tan Chieh is still my favorite medium red slicer. It's a winner two years in a row. Cosmonaut Volkov is also again proving itself to be a grow-again. I am probably always going to grow those two varieties.

[efisakov]

Cole_Robbie, here is Tatiana's page about Grightmire's Pride.

http://t.tatianastomatobase.com/wiki/Grightmire's_Pride

I got seeds from Marsha and my are hears as well. They are still green. I will let you know how they are for me. Marsha was recommending them as one of her favorite.

If you look closer on Tatiana's page most of the pictures of tomatoes are heart and there are couple of shapes that are irregular. The description called for heart/irregular. Let's hope you have heart shapes on your plant as well as other.

[BigVanVader]

Enjoying the reviews Cole, Cosmonaut Volkov looks like it might be one I have to grow.

[Cole_Robbie]

Thanks you two.

I still have to crawl through my sprawl with my notebook map and check on that Grightmire's. Mine doesn't look anything like that. Maybe I did mix it up with a Brandywine.

I managed to get *one* tomato off a very big plant of Red Khaki. Every other fruit has gotten BER. This is the most BER-prone variety I have ever grown, and the only one giving me major BER issues this year out of hundreds of plants of many varieties. I am going to save seeds from that one tomato in case anyone wants them in trade, but it is definitely a never-again for any of my gardens.

Despite all of the blue cherries I have tried. I don't like any of them better than Dancing With Smurfs. That is going to be the only blue cherry I grow from now on.

[Cole_Robbie]

My garden map says that big pink tomato is Grightmire's Pride. There is always a chance I mixed up the labels on the seedlings, though.

Today's pic: http://i.imgur.com/e0a754I.jpg
Big Rainbow, Yoder's German Yellow, Orange Russian 117, and Tarasenko Pink

I just picked a lot of fruit off of a Fahrenheit Blues. It looks like Dancing with Smurfs, only slightly larger fruit. It looks like it will yield well, and is probably a keeper.

[NarnianGarden]

Looks wonderful. Glad that Tarasenko Pink produced some fruit for you - it wasn't on my to grow-list this season, but I hope to taste it again next year.

[Cole_Robbie]

Thank you.

I never seem to have any free counter space in the summer: http://i.imgur.com/ilnCctL.jpg

Closest to the camera, left to right:
Sen-Say, Yoder's German Yellow, Big Rainbow, a ripening Yellow Jazz, Linda's Faux, Yellow Jazz, two Dranego, and that ugly thing is a Northern Lights.

The two purple tomatoes next to the Northern Lights were from a plant I had labelled "Pearls of Wisdom," which obviously isn't correct. I have no idea what it is.

Also in the pic, Black & Brown Boar, Orang Russian 117, Tarasenko 6, Wes, Van Wert Ohio, and Jade Beauty. The big red tomatoes are Titan Red. Then in the back are some Fuzzy Wuzzy, Russian Queen, Blue Beauty, Blush, Sunrise Bumble Bee, and I see one Sun Green and one Maglia Rosa (WHEW!)

[Cole_Robbie]

Gift basket going to family in North Carolina tomorrow: http://i.imgur.com/Um0DJ5V.jpg

A handful of Blue Beauty: http://i.imgur.com/1fEBT0d.jpg

I haven't tried them yet, but the plant set a lot of fruit and looks to be something I will grow again.

[efisakov]

C-R, do not forget to take a picture of the slice and post taste results for the Blue Beauty.

[Cole_Robbie]

I haven't tried the Blue Beauty yet, but I just took a big Yoder's German Yellow to a family dinner and it was a big hit. I am definitely going to save seeds and grow a lot more of this variety next year. The fruit are large, attractive-looking, and it really seems to have a decent shelf life for an heirloom. The fruit will turn almost orange when fully ripe. There's hardly any core or seeds. It even seemed to handle the stink bugs well.

[Gerardo]

Hello C-R,

Thanks for sharing all this crucial info. I'm happy to hear Cole has worked well for you. It is now on my short wish-list for some fall EarthTainer tomatoes.

A quick question, how big does the Titan plant get?

And if I could access your vast tomato rolodex, are there any mid size reds that are similar to Cole in plant size, productivity and taste?

I was thinking maybe Quarter Century, Siberian, Bulgarian Triumph, Grushovka. Any feelings pro/con on any of these?


Gracias!

PS. Cosm Volkov is awesome and will always have a place in my garden.

[Cole_Robbie]

My Titan Red was a bush about 3-4 feet tall. It was loaded with fruit. By the way, I don't think it is the same variety as "Titan," just to avoid confusion.

I haven't tried any of the other tomatoes on your list. Cole reminds me a little of Northern Delight F1 from Johnny's, especially in regard to plant size and productivity. As far as the fruit, I liked Cole better. It's the first compact saladette I have grown that had mini-beefsteak fruit, meaty with few seeds.

[Gerardo]

Thanks for the reply. If I may ask one more: is Cole similar to Mt. Magic? It's growing and am anxiously awaiting my first truss of saladettes.

[Cole_Robbie]

I haven't grown it, but in looking at Johnny's page on it, it looks to be a round fruit. The beefsteak shape of Cole is what makes it unique, and that is apparent on the inside as well. There is a lot of meat, and very small seed/gel cavities. It's just like a late summer beefsteak heirloom, shrunk down to saladette size, making it extra-early.

Cole is looking to be true to its determinate designation. It's a variety you will pick off of 2-3 weeks, and then you will probably want to cull it and replace the plant.

[Mike723]

Originally Posted by Cole_Robbie

I haven't tried the Blue Beauty yet, but I just took a big Yoder's German Yellow to a family dinner and it was a big hit. I am definitely going to save seeds and grow a lot more of this variety next year. The fruit are large, attractive-looking, and it really seems to have a decent shelf life for an heirloom. The fruit will turn almost orange when fully ripe. There's hardly any core or seeds. It even seemed to handle the stink bugs well.

I grew a few blue beauty's last year and I was disappointed with their flavor.. It was a huge let down as I found the fruit to be beautiful, but they were just bland to me.. Flavor is arguably the most subjective aspect of growing as we know, so hopefully you'll enjoy them!





Here's a real dark one in the background behind gonzo lol . . .


Here's a few more mixed in.. The porkchops (yellow) on the right side of the foreground were absolutely delicious.. Surely the best yellow variety I've tasted so far; although I haven't dabbled too much with the yellows..