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Old May 2, 2019   #1
rockman
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Default Park Whopper?

Who has grown Park Whopper tomatoes, and how did they turn out?
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Old May 3, 2019   #2
seaeagle
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Originally Posted by rockman View Post
Who has grown Park Whopper tomatoes, and how did they turn out?

I never have tried it but after reading the reviews I think I will next year. I think I might start growing some hybrids or at least trying a new one every year and am growing Better Bush which is a Park's creation too I think and that was outstanding.



https://bonnieplants.com/product/par...proved-tomato/
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Old May 3, 2019   #3
Gardenboy
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I only grew them once. As my diary reminds me, it was semi-determinate and very little pest problems. It did produce over 20 tomatoes about the size of a tennis ball. Red and smooth with very little cracking. Taste was .."okay"...but not like a indeterminate heirloom variety. Might do better in cooler climate.
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Old May 3, 2019   #4
greenthumbomaha
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Originally Posted by seaeagle View Post
I never have tried it but after reading the reviews I think I will next year. I think I might start growing some hybrids or at least trying a new one every year and am growing Better Bush which is a Park's creation too I think and that was outstanding.



https://bonnieplants.com/product/par...proved-tomato/
I was curious about this too as I see it in Lowes all the time.

I have seeds for Better Bush from a vendor other than Park's from a free giveaway. In another thread , Better Bush was not favorably reviewed so I did not bother to start any. Noted for next year!

- Lisa
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Old May 3, 2019   #5
rockman
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I usually grow celebrities. To date, they are the best Iv'e tried , to survive our low lying area. Because of our cool wet nights, I plant no earlier than last of May to try to avoid early blight, septoria leaf spot, and if I have anything left, late blight. Was told the Whopper is like a celeb. and
will fair a little better. Believe I will try mostly Whoppers this season. Always trying to improve! Tried
Pink Ladies 2yrs. ago. Grew ok, but the flavor wasn't there. Thanks, rockman
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Old May 4, 2019   #6
friedgreen51
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Default Park's Whopper

Hi,
I grow Park's Whopper every year. It is my most dependable tomato with great disease resistance and good size, most in the 10-16 oz. size. It does very well here in central North Carolina. I think it tastes as good as Big Beef. I would give it a try I think you will like it.
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Old May 4, 2019   #7
Nan_PA_6b
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Grew it here in Pittsburgh in pure clay and maybe less sun than ideal. It was very late, very tasteless, and not productive.
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Old May 5, 2019   #8
seaeagle
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Originally Posted by greenthumbomaha View Post
I was curious about this too as I see it in Lowes all the time.

I have seeds for Better Bush from a vendor other than Park's from a free giveaway. In another thread , Better Bush was not favorably reviewed so I did not bother to start any. Noted for next year!

- Lisa

If it grows for you like it grew for me you will be amazed at least at the production. If conditions are good, 4 or 5 plants plants will produce more than 20 heirlooms.


There is one caveat though. Here is the short story. Back in the day when I was only growing Better Boy and Early Girl and buying Bonnie Plants, the plants labeled Early Girl were obviously not Early Girl because they looked like small Oak Trees. Obviously a mistake by Bonnie. This was 15 years ago before I knew anything about dwarf plants or Indeterminate Short Inter-node.


I loved it so much that I tried to find out what it really was and originally thought it might be Rutgers. Tried that and no way it was Rutgers. Anyway finally figured it out, but never got around to growing it again until this year because I got interested in heirlooms.


Bonnie does sell another similar plant, Bush Goliath so it is possible it could have been that although I am not sure they were selling it at that time. I know they were selling Better Bush at that time so I am guessing it was that one. By the way everyone loved it and I had a lot to give away and what I remember about them is that every tomato was perfect while the Better Boys were cat-faced initially.



https://bonnieplants.com/product/better-bush-tomato/


https://bonnieplants.com/product/bush-goliath-tomato/

Last edited by seaeagle; May 5, 2019 at 11:36 AM.
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Old May 5, 2019   #9
Nan_PA_6b
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Could it have been Bush Early Girl?
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Old May 5, 2019   #10
seaeagle
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Could it have been Bush Early Girl?

Nope,I grew that one and was not impressed


Better Bush has the thick central stem and the short internodes. I am almost certain it was Better Bush and the plants I am growing are identical to the ones I remember

Last edited by seaeagle; May 5, 2019 at 03:12 PM.
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Old May 5, 2019   #11
PaulTandberg
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Last year I grew two plants each of "Big Beef", "Park's Whopper", and "Jet Star". They are similar varieties (large fruit, mid-maturity indeterminate hybrids). All plants were started the same day, put out the same day, and treated similarly in all respects. I was especially interested in seeing if "Whopper" was really a week earlier than "Big Beef", a dependable regular in my garden.

(in earlier comparisons, I preferred "Big Beef" to "Big Boy" and "Better Boy")

All three plants grew well and produced well. "Whopper" did mature a couple tomatoes five days ahead of "Big Beef", but after those two, "Big Beef" caught up to "Whopper" and was producing better by the end of the season. Those first two "Whoppers" tasted great, but once the tomato season was under way, I clearly preferred the "Big Beefs".

"Jet Star" was a fine plant in all regards and I may give it another shot sometime, but during this one season of comparing, "Big Beef" was the plant, and fruit, I preferred.

This year, of the three, I am only planting "Big Beef". But results and tastes vary year to year and person to person. "Parks Whopper" is a big, vigorous, sturdy plant that will produce pails of nice big tomatoes.

- of the tomatoes I grew last year, the ones I am planting again are: "Big Beef", "Chef's Choice Orange" (a fantastic tomato), "Chef's Choice Red" (matured on the late side, but I'm trying it again anyway), "Jersey Boy" (didn't produce very well, but the tomatoes I got off it were my favorites).

-new varieties for this year are: Tasmanian Chocolate, Red Racer, Chef's Choice Black, Early Choice Black, Mountain Rouge.

- I have pretty much given up on heirlooms. I grafted some Cherokee Purples last year to a couple different rootstocks. I was very hopeful and once again disappointed. The plants were vigorous and healthy. But, once again, the fruit was sporadic in number and quality.

Last edited by PaulTandberg; May 6, 2019 at 12:21 AM.
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Old May 6, 2019   #12
NarnianGarden
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- I have pretty much given up on heirlooms. I grafted some Cherokee Purples last year to a couple different rootstocks. I was very hopeful and once again disappointed. The plants were vigorous and healthy. But, once again, the fruit was sporadic in number and quality.
I'm sorry to hear that has been the case for you. Hopefully those varieties you chose for this season will all grow well and produce a lot!

As a hobby gardener (with cramped and crowded conditions) I have experimented mostly with heirlooms / OPs. All have produced well and kept my family stuffed (and there have been enogh to bribe the neighbors with as well). The few hybrids I have tried (Big Beef, a couple of cherries) were all prolific, but not dramatically more so than the heirlooms.

Edit. Never tried the original Cherokee Purple, but some of its off-shoots. and several other black ones.
The most vigorous, prolific, sturdy and productive black tomato for me was Noire de Crimee - I really would encourage you to try it if you have been disappointed with heirlooms.

Last edited by NarnianGarden; May 6, 2019 at 07:34 AM.
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Old May 10, 2019   #13
rockman
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After all the good info. believe I will mainly grow Whopper and Big Beefs. Will leave room for two other suggested varieties. Hope to have a good update mid July
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Old May 10, 2019   #14
PaulTandberg
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I only have one year's experience with it, but Chef's Choice Orange really impressed me, as in, it knocked my socks off. I try lots of new tomatoes every year, and Chef's Orange made the best first year impression of any tomato I have grown (since Big Beef, probably).

It is a big orange tomato that matures in the same time frame as Big Beef. It was a heavy yielder that produced until the season ended with a stiff frost. The flavor is sweet and mild (mild, not bland). The color was pretty in salsas and mixed tomato dishes. The plants were big and healthy and the fruit was thin skinned and blemish free with no darn cracks to invite bugs and encourage rot.

I am hoping Chef's Choice Black will be as good.

I have had good luck growing Johnny's Marnero. The plants have had good vigor and I get a fair amount of really beautiful dark fruit (some surprisingly early), but there just isn't a lot of taste to it. My hope is that Chef's Black will deliver Cherokee Purple taste without all the problems.
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Old May 11, 2019   #15
RJGlew
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Park's Whopper is a very average hybrid in my 3a climate. It can deliver some early fruit which is nice, but the flavour is always average. Steak Sandwich F1, Moreton Hybrid F1 & Burpee's Burger F1 are much better performers here.
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