Red Jazz Lines

[PureHarvest]

Anyone growing out the Red Jazz lines from Fred?
I've picked all 4 lines plus Sunny Jazz.
Just curious about other's experiences.
I don't want to post a bunch of negative stuff here, but looks like RJ is not gonna work in my system/climate.
Hoping I am the exception and other people have had a homerun experience, as Fred does good work, and wouldn't have released these for trial if they didn't have great potential.
I would be more comfortable giving a more thorough review if I could see that others could balance mine with something very positive, again, because I don't want to come across negative or bashing Fred's brand (which I like and respect).

[Fred Hempel]

I can not vouch for the Red Jazz lines either! Some of the Red-Jazz-type OP lines (red beefsteaks with yellow stripes) have done well here in some years, but we have a pretty forgiving climate for both disease and flavor.

They all did horribly in our trials in Mexico this past winter, and I would certainly not recommend them for areas were viral disease or Verticillium are present.

Orange Jazz grows horribly in Mexico as well (due to disease susceptibility), but it has such good flavor that I think it is a valuable line to have released. The Red Jazz lines we have developed just don't have the flavor needed for release.

Lately it has been back to the drawing board with Red Jazz, and we have been putting our attention to developing completely new red/yellow stripe beefsteaks. Looks like we are still a couple of years out on releasing anything in this area.

[BigVanVader]

I grew Red Jazz last year in the coldframe and it didn't do well. Fred mentioned that it wasn't really cut out for that.

[Fred Hempel]

The trial I put together was designed to figure out if one of the lines did better overall, and stood out enough to be released (with warts) because most people liked the flavor.

As is sometimes said -- In retrospect, I might have done things differently....

[Salsacharley]

I'm growing 4 lines of RJ right now but I got them in the ground quite late (mid June). All 4 plants' vegetation look fantastic with thick stems and deep green foliage but the 100 degree heat is doing none of my plants any favors for fruit setting at this time.

[BigVanVader]

Can't win em all eh? You have so many great varieties it's got to be a challenge to hit that mark repeatedly.

[Fred Hempel]

Sometimes you put things out there, and you look back and wonder what you were thinking. This looks like it might be one of those cases.

Maybe similar to when the surviving members of the Clash think back about "Know Your Rights"

Or when Sting wonders how in the hell Andy Summers convinced him to agree to release "Mother"

Originally Posted by BigVanVader

Can't win em all eh? You have so many great varieties it's got to be a challenge to hit that mark repeatedly.

[PureHarvest]

Ok, it wasn't just me then.
The pluses: There was 0 disease for me (but I am under cover in a tunnel and in grow bags).
Plants were vigorous with thick stems. The look of the red w/ yellow stripes drew everyone's attention and people were drawn to it like a magnet.

The negatives: 50-75% of fruit got blossom end rot while still small and green. All four lines. None of the other 19 varieties I grew this year had BER.
Size all came in small. Was hoping for 8-16 ouncers. Most were 2-4 ounces.
Taste was the strongest acid tomato I ever ate. I like sweeter taste, so this was too much for me. The biggest problem was the skin. It was thick like leather. When you chewed, the skin crunched with every bite.

So that is my honest feedback. No biggie Fred, you have to throw enough mud against the wall to have some stick. Was glad to get OJ, as it is an all around winner in my system/climate.

[Fred Hempel]

2-4 ounces? Sounds like the plants were/are very sick. Maybe time for a moderator to change the thread title to "Red Jazz sucks"

[PureHarvest]

Originally Posted by Fred Hempel

2-4 ounces? Sounds like the plants were/are very sick. Maybe time for a moderator to change the thread title to "Red Jazz sucks"

Fred, the plants look awesome, that's what's frustrating/weird. I even thinned the fruit when 1/2" size to 4 fruit per truss.

[zipcode]

Maybe they're just partially pollinated due to overvegetation. I noticed this this year with some varieties, when too vegetative (thick stems) pollen production is poor, and who knows what else, and they set, but kinda start growing really slowly at first, and don't reach normal size.
Of course, this should not last the whole season, the high heat of the summer will still kick the plants to a more generative habit.

[Barb_FL]

My season is over except for SunGolds and some tomatoes left on Big Beef plants.

I grew 2 lines of RJ in the fall through spring. Grew in EB and Root Pouches. No diseases but disease was not an issue in Florida for Fall/Winter/Spring Seasons. Overall, the Florida F/W/S season was phenomenal for tomato growing.

The PROS:

Plants were a nice size; not monsters at all. Lots of fruit set and good size tomatoes. Actually great hang time on/off the vine.

No BER but didn't get BER at all this year.

Now the negatives:
The skin was so weird - it wasn't thick at all, but was like thin leather. It was such a deterrent to even eat them or give away. However, the few I did eat, tasted fine.


Until this thread, I thought the skin must have been related to this hot/humid climate.

[BigVanVader]

Mine had skin like that.

[Cole_Robbie]

I did my best to kill mine out of incompetence and neglect, but they are hard to kill. These plants have been on my porch for two months, with no water other than rain. Everything else is dead, including weeds that had sprouted in some cells. I'm going to plant these in a bucket and try for some late tomatoes.