Best Yielding Tomato

[Hudson_WY]

Originally Posted by carolyn137

All I can say is that as for myself I could grow the same variety several years in a row,in the same way and get different results each year since no two seasons are the same at least where I've grown tomatoes and that's in many different places..
Carolyn

We have experienced that growing tomatoes in an automatically controlled greenhouse reduces environmental variables from season to season significantly. We can control to a large degree our growing environment from year to year and do experience consistencies in the same variety from year to year. We can plant the seeds, move the seedlings to the greenhouse, set the greenhouse controls, water, fertilize and even place the plants in the same spot in the GH the same year after year and do see consistent results in variety outcome. Yes - there are variables every year that are different from year to year but they do not have as significant effect on the variety with the control we do have growing in a GH. Varieties that we have grown for several years like Brandy Boy, Brandywine Sudduth, Sweet 100, Better Boy and New Big Dwarf among others are very consistent with their growth pattern - taste and production. We are able to get a good performance evaluation on a variety grown for several years in our GH.

We realize however, that the only way to evaluate a variety for a grower is for the grower to trial the variety at the growers location. The outcome may be entirely different than ours. But, the less control the grower has over the nutritional and environmental factors from year to year - the more varied the performance of a variety will be - iMO

Knowing outcomes for a variety may differ significantly from location to location but the experience of a grower with a variety is of great interest to us as success has been easier for us to find from success of other growers!

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by Hudson_WY

We have experienced that growing tomatoes in an automatically controlled greenhouse reduces environmental variables from season to season significantly. We can control to a large degree our growing environment from year to year and do experience consistencies in the same variety from year to year. We can plant the seeds, move the seedlings to the greenhouse, set the greenhouse controls, water, fertilize and even place the plants in the same spot in the GH the same year after year and do see consistent results in variety outcome. Yes - there are variables every year that are different from year to year but they do not have as significant effect on the variety with the control we do have growing in a GH. Varieties that we have grown for several years like Brandy Boy, Brandywine Sudduth, Sweet 100, Better Boy and New Big Dwarf among others are very consistent with their growth pattern - taste and production. We are able to get a good performance evaluation on a variety grown for several years in our GH.

We realize however, that the only way to evaluate a variety for a grower is for the grower to trial the variety at the growers location. The outcome may be entirely different than ours. But, the less control the grower has over the nutritional and environmental factors from year to year - the more varied the performance of a variety will be - iMO

Knowing outcomes for a variety may differ significantly from location to location but the experience of a grower with a variety is of great interest to us as success has been easier for us to find from success of other growers!

I certainly agree that growing tomatoes under controlled conditions does negate varibles, but as for me,no greenhouse available to grow to maturity,although for many years the newly transplanted ones were grown in Charley's greenhouse #18, but when about 3 to 4 inches tall I'd load them into the car to take them where they would be in their forever homes.

Just saw some black leaves on two of the plants in the backyard,all the rest look OK , only two,looking out the window, so when Freda is here tomorrow I will ask her to bring some of those leaves in to me so I can take a good look.

Carolyn

[AKmark]

The only way to know the truth on this subject is to grow the best varieties side by side in large quantities. Some growers will grow several hundred varieties a year, I have grown over a 100 several times too.
You also must count and weigh the fruit, and take note of the length of the season too. Just guessing is just that. For instance, I got 136 tomatoes from one Early Girl plant several seasons back, but got twice that weight from 40 Delicious tomatoes from one plant, since some were over 2lbs, and many 1.5 lbs.
Even in controlled environments the seasons are a bit different every year, I have learned this to be fact.

[Father'sDaughter]

One of the early lessons I learned after my first year or two of joining is to only compare yields between plants within my garden, not with what others reported. It always led to much disappointment.

Mine are all still in the small, green stage but as far as fruit set goes, Spagnoletta Di Gaetta has 25 babies and counting, which is twice as many as the next highest setter - Gregori Altai.

[Nan_PA_6b]

Last year's winners, on a single plant, were:

Early Girl: 105 fruits
Matina: 77 fruits
Costoluto Genovese: 59 fruits

Nan

[VC Scott]

Cosmonaut Volkov was incredibly productive in a 5 gallon grow bag. At one point I had 50 tomatoes set. Most were 6 to 12 oz. I am certain they would have been bigger if I had trained to two stems. Unfortunately, the plant got too big for the container and tomato russet mites took their toll. Next year it goes to a 10 gallon bag and I will keep it pruned to 2 or 3 stems.

Kellogg's Breakfast is brilliant, as usual. Several one pound plus fruit and many more in the 12 oz range. This plant also suffered from tomato russet mite and EB, but in now bouncing back as the weather has improved. I have picked 30+ tomatoes and there are plenty more on the vine.

German Johnson is surprisingly productive. A dozen fruit set on the first three trusses. Then we had some cool, wet weather and nothing set for a couple weeks. When warmer weather returned the plant took off and there are multiple trusses with many fruits setting.

Joe's Pink Oxheart is a bit disappointing in numbers, but the size of the fruit is incredible. The first ripe fruit was over a pound and the next might be my first two pounder. With the warmer weather, the plant is starting to set many more fruit. It is already over 6 ft. tall. By the end of the season it might be the leader in total pounds produced, as it was last year. The stems are one inch thick, 5 ft from the ground. An amazingly vigorous variety.

[Fritz77]

Originally Posted by Nan_PA_6b

Last year's winners, on a single plant, were:

Early Girl: 105 fruits
Matina: 77 fruits
Costoluto Genovese: 59 fruits

Nan

Are those numbers for real? I f they are, I wonder why I am still gardening. I can get dozens of tomatoes only from cherry tomato plants.
Considering and average 250 g (8 Oz.) per fruit, it means you got almost 15 Kg (32 pounds) of Costoluto Genovese

[Nan_PA_6b]

Originally Posted by Fritz77

Are those numbers for real? I f they are, I wonder why I am still gardening. I can get dozens of tomatoes only from cherry tomato plants.
Considering and average 250 g (8 Oz.) per fruit, it means you got almost 15 Kg (32 pounds) of Costoluto Genovese

With an average of 5 oz/fruit on Early Girl, it was 15 kg also. They really produced. (Matina did it in only about 15 cm of soil; we later discovered she was planted in an area that had solid rock under a thin layer of soil.) Production of other tomatoes varied widely.

The garden was freshly made and consisted almost entirely of clay dug out of a hillside. It would have been very nutritious because it had never been planted before. The plants all had a little Osmocote extended release fertilizer put in their pots as seedlings, but did not receive any other food (as seedlings or adults), and very little water once planted out. Plants were not pruned or suckered, and when they outgrew their store-bought cages, they fell over and sprawled. Not the best practices, and not all plants thrived in it. I've learned a lot from TV since then, and we're treating the plants better this year.

I highly recommend Costoluto Genovese, Early Girl, and Matina for health and productivity. We liked the taste of EG and Matina. The CG made excellent sauce.

Nan