# Lifestyles & Discussion > Freedom Living >  What are your Favorite Tomatoes to Grow... Pics & Recommendations?

## HOLLYWOOD

Since there are 100;s of different tomatoes and they vary quite a bit, I thought it would be nice to share views, experiences, and recommendations on strains of tomatoes.

Both OP (open Polinated) and Hybird tomato types.

Here's some of my past experiences and recommendations with tomatoes:

Recommend:
Carbon
Brandwine Sudduth Strain
Purple Brandywine
Brandywine OTV
Marianna's Peace
Caspian Pink
Jersey Devil (paste)
Opalka  (paste)
Costralee
Cherokee Purple
Earl Faux
Aunt Gertie's Gold
Black Krim
Paul Robeson
Black From Tula
Purple Haze
Dora
Ramapo (Rutgers U.)
San Marzano Redorta (paste)
Steak Sandwich (hybird)
Jet Star (hybird)
Super Marzano (Hybird)








Monster Persimmons

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## MsDoodahs

Oooooh, I love those yellow ones!  

I am getting good results with all the maters I set out this year; no heirlooms, tho.

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## Meatwasp

For years I have stuck by ACE and German. Germens ripening real early. I tried Oregon Spring and they are fantastic keepers.

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## MsDoodahs

Varieties I'm growing this season:  

Celebrity and ... I think Better Boy?  For slicers.

Also Sweet 100 Cherry, and one of the little yellow pears.

Which, btw, I have two of the little yellow pears ALMOST ready to gather.

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## Meatwasp

Did you all try the Oregon Spring? They have thick skins and will last into Christmas in my kitchen window. They aren't as tasty as the others though

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## HOLLYWOOD

Those golden yellow monsters are Persimmons. But in the trials of myself and friends last year, the flavor was not there. They were very high yielding, but kinda a disappointment on taste. We all agreed upon that conclusin.

For a yellow/golden tomato I would recommend:

Kellogg's Breakfast
Aunt Gertie's Gold
Dr Wyches
I'm growing Aunt Gertie's Gold this year.

Here's very good site and fairly accurate or yield results and flavor for each tomato.

http://tatianastomatobase.com/w/inde...&until=Ispolin

Anything listed as OUSTANDING I would Try... and also EXCELLENT ratings, remember to check yield rating too... no sense to get the best tasting, only if gives you 4 or 5 tomatoes.




> Oooooh, I love those yellow ones!  
> 
> I am getting good results with all the maters I set out this year; no heirlooms, tho.

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## Original_Intent

I prefer sweet 100s for the cherry, but could not get them this year and decided to try some Julliette "grape" tomatoes. Haven't tasted them yet but the plants are doing very well. I'll let you know how they taste as soon as I can =)

I think the others I planted were Better Boy. Wish I would have thought to put in a couple of those golden tomatoes, they are good. The little pear tomatoes that are yellow and about the size of cherry tomatoes, but pear shaped - I like those to eat plain, and I bet they would be good in salads too.

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## HOLLYWOOD

On Cherry tomatoes I guess the most desired for taste are Sun Gold. I grew Black Cherry last year and they were very good too, but I hear a new Chocolate cherry is even better.

This year I am growing one small tomato called Sprite for the first time. I hear mixed reviews but say: Very sweet, very early, very prolific, easy to grow.    


http://www.cherrygal.com/tomatodetsp...w-p-12406.html

I hear Isis Candy cherry tomatoes are very good too. If they are Open pollinated heirloom, you can save the seeds and grow next year. Can't do that with the Hybird plants.




> I prefer sweet 100s for the cherry, but could not get them this year and decided to try some Julliette "grape" tomatoes. Haven't tasted them yet but the plants are doing very well. I'll let you know how they taste as soon as I can =)
> 
> I think the others I planted were Better Boy. Wish I would have thought to put in a couple of those golden tomatoes, they are good. The little pear tomatoes that are yellow and about the size of cherry tomatoes, but pear shaped - I like those to eat plain, and I bet they would be good in salads too.

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## Dieseler

Any tricks for getting the plants to hurry up a bit?

Looks like I'm a month or better away from getting any pictures of mine.

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## HOLLYWOOD

Large Cups and containers - did you know mature tomato plant roots can grow to a 4ft diameter and 3 feet deep? Roots can grow 1in / day.
*Very loose soil* and perlite/vermiculite is an accelerator for the fragile roots
You know that *Miracle-Gro blue* stuff? put one tablespoon into a gallon jug of water. No more than that amount for your plants!
heat and sunlight help
>>> Don't over water your seedlings/plants

Here's good place to checkout growing soils for your seeds/plants:

http://www.waynesthisandthat.com/pottingsoil.htm

Seed starter advice links:
http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/pubs/plantsci...cap/h1139w.htm

http://www.backyardgardener.com/soil/soil5.html





> Any tricks for getting the plants to hurry up a bit?
> 
> Looks like I'm a month or better away from getting any pictures of mine.

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## Original_Intent

I use the square foot gardening mixture - the tomatoes, cukes and cantaloupe are doing extremely well.

The mix is (by volume) 1/3 vermiculite, 1/3 peat moss, and 1/3 compost (my compost I actually use a mix that I make myself of steer manure, turkey manure, and wood compost. I have two 8 foot x 4 foot beds, six inches deep. I do NOT work this into the soil, I just plant directly into this mixture, and really everything other than the strawberries are doing extremely well in it.

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## dannno

I have a Sungold Cherry plant that is just exploding everywhere..


You can see it in my garden thread here:

http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?t=195472

It's best viewed in the second to last picture, you can see it heading up the arch trellis



I'm also growing a peacevine that I finally got sprouted, it's doing really well now.

http://www.dianeseeds.com/tomato-peacevine-cherry.html





> If I could only grow one cherry tomato, this would probably be it. Peacevine Cherry is an early, productive, crack-resistance and full-flavored variety. It was the earliest tomato in my garden in 2007. Occasionally, a plant may produce yellow fruits, but all of mine were red.
> 
> *Peacevine Cherry tomato is known for its high levels of viatmin C and a certain amino acid that relaxes the nervous system. Maybe it's my imagination, but I sure felt happy when I was eating these tomatoes in the garden.*



.

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## Dieseler

> Large Cups and containers - did you know mature tomato plant roots can grow to a 4ft diameter and 3 feet deep? Roots can grow 1in / day.
> *Very loose soil* and perlite/vermiculite is an accelerator for the fragile roots
> You know that *Miracle-Gro blue* stuff? put one tablespoon into a gallon jug of water. No more than that amount for your plants!
> heat and sunlight help
> >>> Don't over water your seedlings/plants
> 
> Here's good place to checkout growing soils for your seeds/plants:
> 
> http://www.waynesthisandthat.com/pottingsoil.htm
> ...


Thanks and archived.

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## dannno

> Thanks and archived.


Watch out for the Miracle Gro Blue! That's some Monsanto BS..not good for your garden, but the rest of the advise about soil is great!





> But what about the blue stuff itself? Well, as an entirely organic gardener, I don't use synthetic fertlizers like Miracle Gro or Osmocote. These chemical fertilizers are by-products of the petroleum industry, they're salt-based, and they're almost always overkill. Runoff of fertilizer chemicals in to streams and water supplies is a serious problem. You're also more likely to burn plants by using too much synthetic fertilizer, and you can even hurt the soil: *there's nothing like high-nitrogen chemical lawn fertilizer to damage your earthworm population.*
> 
> *On the other hand, organic fertilizers like fish emulsion, bone meal, kelp meal, etc. are food for beneficial organisms that live in the soil and help feed plant roots. Worm castings, manure, and compost are full of beneficial microbes, as are many organic fertilizers that have species of good bacteria and fungi added. So when you add these organic products to the soil, you're not just feeding your plant, you're feeding the soil your plant lives in.*
> 
> *Organic fertilizers may work more slowly, but think of them as a complete meal. Synthetic fertlizers are a pill, and since they only contain a few major nutrients, it's not even like feeding your garden a multivitamin--it's more like feeding it vitamin C, D, and E and figuring that's enough.*
> 
> So--no thanks, Scotts. No thanks, Miracle-Gro. If I need an arsenal of chemicals to keep my garden growing, I'll pass on the whole thing and read a good book instead.




The only thing I'll disagree with in there is about the multi-vitamin analogy.. I'd say chemical fertilizing is more like giving your plant a complete amino acid supplement without giving it vitamins and carbs and other nutrients..sort of.. but again really organic gardening is about the health of the soil first, then the plants.

Using chemical fertilizers actually makes growing hydroponically a bit easier, and since you don't have soil it works out pretty well.. though I'd go with General Hydroponics instead of Monstanto's Miracle Gro.

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## Dieseler

I just need to start even earlier next year with a greenhouse since all of my stuff was seed. The weather shut me out for about 3 wet weeks when my plants were actually ready to go outside. I could of repotted my plants and kept them moving along with a greenhouse where a lot of them were stunted in the house.
At least the drought is over.

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## HOLLYWOOD

That time of the year to start all the seeds, etc.

New Varieties for this year:

Aunt Ruby's Green (EXE - SWEET FAV Green)
Mike's Australian (Outstanding RED Heart)
LUCKY CROSS PL (OUTSTANDING yellow with pink streaks)
Elbe PL (EXE - YELLOW/Gold Sweet/tart)
Crnkovic Yugoslavian (FAV/OUTSTAND)
Dr. Wyche's Yellow (EXE)
Sakharnyi Zheltyi/Sugary Yellow (FAV)
Justine Heart (FAV/EXE)
Tappy's Finest (OUSTANDING huge PINK beefsteak)
Mama Irene's PL (Outstanding beefsteak)
Mawlenowe RL (OUSTANDING 8-12oz)
Purple Brandy PL (OUTSTANDING Huge DK PINK beef)
Provenzano (EXE-Italian HUGE RED/OR Oxhearts)
German GIANT (OUTDSTANDING GREEN!)
Sara's Galapagos - OUTSTANDING CHERRY
Gruntovyi Gribovsky 1180 (Blood Red Cherry Tomato 1-3 oz) VERY SWEET FAV.
Polan (EXE intense sweet 2-4oz)
Crnkovic Yugoslavian RL(OUSTANDING SWEET)
Mazarini WL(EXE Heavy setter MED-LG Heart shaped)
Heatherington Pink RL (OUTSTANDING LG PINK beef)
DR LYLE (INCREDIBILY RICH EXE Sweet flavor)
Reif Italian heart (GREAT TASTE Larger tan RED REIF HEART)
GIANT Belgium (OUTSTANDING 2-5LB LG PINK beefsteak)
Brandywine Cowlick's or Sudduth Strains (EXE flavor)
SAKHARNYI PUDOVICHOK*****
Koroleva (Queen) (VG/EXE - Family FAV)
Brad's Black Heart (Great FAV)
Lyubitel'skiy (EXE - Pink beefsteak)

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## specsaregood

> This year I am growing one small tomato called Sprite for the first time. I hear mixed reviews but say: Very sweet, very early, very prolific, easy to grow.


How did those turn out for you?  It looks a lot like something I grew last year that was labeled "jet star" -- but the images for jet star online don't look like what i got.  What I got looks just like those "Sprite".  To say it was prolific is an understatement of the tallest order.  That thing put out more tomatoes by total volume than anything I have ever grown.  I was going to try jet star again, but I have a hunch it wasn't really jet stars.

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## pacelli

Love the white currant tomato variety. It is an heirloom.  It is indeterminate, smaller than grape varieties, and highly productive.  Grows extremely well in less-than-ideal sun conditions (such as 2-3 hours of sun, max, per day).

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## HOLLYWOOD

The Sprite tomatoes were AWFUL, not sweet at all, kinda bitter.  Yuk

I do once in awhile grow a hybird... Steak Sandwich is about the best tasting, but I always bread Heirlooms Indeterminate. I save the seeds of the very best and regrow, select the very best the next season on. Quality and generational improvements have worked out great... checkout that 3lb 13oz baby.

I like all the varieties... By as far a golden/yellow: Aunt Gertie's Gold is the best. and Green: German Giant. Haven't done a white, think I will. I




> How did those turn out for you?  It looks a lot like something I grew last year that was labeled "jet star" -- but the images for jet star online don't look like what i got.  What I got looks just like those "Sprite".  To say it was prolific is an understatement of the tallest order.  That thing put out more tomatoes by total volume than anything I have ever grown.  I was going to try jet star again, but I have a hunch it wasn't really jet stars.



I'm breading some unknown crosses... ones a Dagnesky x Lithuanian Pink  that I call monster OXHEART and the other was a very good heart and I call it "BUTTCHEEKS"

check them out from 2010

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## JVParkour

Stop making me wish it was spring-time! Haha, looking forward to some actually ripe tomatoes from my garden in a delicious BLT....YUM.

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## Koz

> That time of the year to start all the seeds, etc.
> 
> New Varieties for this year:
> 
> Aunt Ruby's Green (EXE - SWEET FAV Green)
> Mike's Australian (Outstanding RED Heart)
> LUCKY CROSS PL (OUTSTANDING yellow with pink streaks)
> Elbe PL (EXE - YELLOW/Gold Sweet/tart)
> Crnkovic Yugoslavian (FAV/OUTSTAND)
> ...


Do you start yours in a greenhouse? I usually start mine about a month before I can plant.

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## HOLLYWOOD

> Do you start yours in a greenhouse? I usually start mine about a month before I can plant.


 Yes I do them 2 months ahead... on the small business level/small farm.

I also donate seedling plants to preschools for the kids to learn about growing and caring for plants.

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## cthulhufan

We are trying all of these for the first time this year (just started them today):
Tsar's Royal Gift
Riesentraube
Black Icicle

We are very excited to see how they do!

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## Corydoras

My favorites are

Sun Gold
Black Prince
Red Pear
Green Zebra
Brandywine

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## Corydoras

The best fertilizer I've found for tomatoes is Schultz Bloom. It's designed for flowers. The vines burst into bloom. Lots of blossoms = lots of tomatoes.

I'm a big believer in adding trace minerals. Plants need trace minerals, and even good stuff like manure and compost can be low in them.

bone meal
greensand
rock phosphate
kelp meal
and
bat guano

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## Krugerrand

> Those golden yellow monsters are Persimmons. But in the trials of myself and friends last year, the flavor was not there. They were very high yielding, but kinda a disappointment on taste. We all agreed upon that conclusin.
> 
> For a yellow/golden tomato I would recommend:
> 
> Kellogg's Breakfast
> Aunt Gertie's Gold
> Dr Wyches
> I'm growing Aunt Gertie's Gold this year.
> 
> ...


Bump for the great link.  Also just because this is a great thread.

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## oyarde

Favorite ? I like them all.

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## DerailingDaTrain

No German Johnson? Seems to be the only type of tomato people want where I'm at in NC

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## BuddyRey

We grew some heirloom Rutgers tomatoes last year and they were mind-blowing!  So flavorful you could eat 'em straight up, and so juicy you had to eat 'em over the sink.

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## oyarde

> We grew some heirloom Rutgers tomatoes last year and they were mind-blowing!  So flavorful you could eat 'em straight up, and so juicy you had to eat 'em over the sink.


 Thats how you know you got a good one , when you have to step out on the porch and eat it or eat it over the sink or trash can .

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## donnay

I love good Roma Tomatoes.  



They make the best sauce evah!!  I make up big batches of tomato sauce and can them.



I also love growing grape tomatoes too.



I also like to make my own tomato ketchup.

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## oyarde

I grow some Roma's and cherry tomatoes . Tasty.

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## craezie

I live in Southern california, have a black thumb, and I have trouble growing anything in the summer because of the high heat and drought combined with sandy soil.  My only planting place is a south facing slope, so the sun beats on them all day.  My all-time favorite great tasty and most successful tomato is Arkansas Traveler!  This tomato will survive (and thrive) in almost any conditions and tastes amazing to boot.  They are a gorgeous deep pink color when ripe.  If you live in the south or west you should definitely give it a try.  We saved seeds every year, so one plant has given me 4 years of tomatoes.

My favorite yellow tomato is Kellogg's Breakfast.  It is sooo sweet and has a really deep flavor.  These plants hold up pretty well too, though they need more shade than the Travelers.

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## oyarde

Tonight , I got out the potting soil , grow light and planted some beefsteak tomatos and bell peppers in the basement . Tomorrow , I am going by the farm store and picking up seed potatoes and onion sets , a week from Sat . I will fertilize and till the garden . Saw a honey bee today on one of the Krokus blooming by the garage, of course , snow flurries in the forecast Sun when I plan to split wood

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## oyarde

My little BeefSteak tomatos are two inches tall today , tilled the garden today , tomorrow , planting potatoes and onions.

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## oyarde

I planted red and white onions and white potatoes today , I need to get some green onions .

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## oyarde

I planted a rose bush today too , figured I got a steal on it at $3.21 .

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## oyarde

Summer before last I grew cherry and Roma's in my flowerbed .

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## Carson

I wish I could remember. 

Beefsteaks are all right but I did have a favorite I wanted to make sure I grew more of once. I think it may have been Early Girl or something with Boy in it.

The, " On the Vine" tomato's I'm getting here in California look like what I remember. They were covered in little orange specks.



Nice pictures people! They look vine ripe and I would imagine smell great.

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## oyarde

> I wish I could remember. 
> 
> Beefsteaks are all right but I did have a favorite I wanted to make sure I grew more of once. I think it may have been Early Girl or something with Boy in it.
> 
> The, " On the Vine" tomato's I'm getting here in California look like what I remember. They were covered in little orange specks.
> Nice pictures people! They look vine ripe and I would imagine smell great.


 Well , last spring , I bought a few plants at the hardware store where I got my green onion sets ,they were called Big Boy , very good, excellent flavor , I remembered my Dad growing them in the 70's.

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## oyarde

I can never remember , so , I keep an empty seed pack or  , if a plant , one of the little plastic identifiers they stick in them and lay it in the garage or in the basement until the next year .

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## oyarde

There are probably , nearly 8000 varieties of tomatos .

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## oyarde

There is also  an Early Girl tomato , but cannot say , really if I have tried them .

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## oyarde

If I was you , I would just pick up some Big Boy seeds and start your own in the house , easy to find , been around since 1949 , and ask your local plant place about some Early Girls and you should be covered.

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## oyarde

There are heirloom tomatos with stripes you should try sometime , there are several varieties.

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## oyarde

One of the more expensive ones is Eva's Amish striped , probably 2.50 for ten seeds , but there are others , Baker Creek will have some , they will be pricey too , but maybe you could find a variety local.

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## oyarde

One thing to remember about Big Boys is , you need to use first generation seeds to get a good germination rate , so I have heard . If money is not a real problem , I suggest you get some heirloom seed catalogs and look through them.

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## oyarde

I am going to try some different sunflowers this year , picked up some gray stripe , do not think I have grown them before , I think the ones I have been Growing the last few years are Mammoth , or something like that ...

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## oyarde

My Beefsteaks are now , about 3 1/2 inches tall , some sunflowers , Kentucky pole beans and green peppers are sprouting . Spring , is a good thing  ....

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## Brian4Liberty

> There is also  an Early Girl tomato , but cannot say , really if I have tried them .


I always plant some Early Girls. They produce all season long, medium size and fairly sweet. Can use them for anything.

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## anaconda

Your OP list looks great. Here's a few other heirlooms I thought of.... try a green zebra):

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## anaconda

> There are heirloom tomatos with stripes you should try sometime , there are several varieties.



If memory serves, these striped tomatoes can have really interesting textures and flavors you wouldn't expect from a tomato.

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## jdmyprez_deo_vindice

A local place is offering Japanese black truffle tomato plants.. Anyone ever tried these?

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## XNavyNuke

Yes.

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## oyarde

I have not tried the black truffle, just saw it this year , was unaware of it , maybe next year I will give it a try.

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## oyarde

> If memory serves, these striped tomatoes can have really interesting textures and flavors you wouldn't expect from a tomato.


 Everybody should try some if they have not , best BLT ever !

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## oyarde

> Yes.


 Well , do they taste like tomatos ??

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## oyarde

Too early to set out any of my tomatos , but I did plant some lettuce , radishes green beans and sunflowers today , here in a couple weeks , I wil plant some more green beans , my onions are about 4 or five inches tall already , evidently , they like the weather. Anybody have any suggestion on green bell pepper seed ? the past two years , I have tried to start a California variety indoors , I had purchased alot of these seeds and , I can only guess they are duds, germination rate of about nil.

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## Tinnuhana

I read an article once that said Ron grew/grows organic cherry tomatos. Maybe ask him or Carol what kind?

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## oyarde

I finally found a different variety , Bonnie , for the bell peppers , I have planted about eight plants in the past eight days or so , so , hopefully , I will have luck with them

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## XNavyNuke

Picture of my first ripening Japanese Black Trifele tomatoes.



Full resolution shot can be found on my Flickr site. http://www.flickr.com/photos/6879265...n/photostream/

XNN

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## Dr.3D

> Picture of my first ripening Japanese Black Trifele tomatoes.
> 
> 
> 
> Full resolution shot can be found on my Flickr site. http://www.flickr.com/photos/6879265...n/photostream/
> 
> XNN


Looking good.  It's been so dry, I have to remember to water mine daily.

Is that a pistol grip I see on the lower left?

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## showpan

> My little BeefSteak tomatos are two inches tall today , tilled the garden today , tomorrow , planting potatoes and onions.


Beefstakes are awesome

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## pacelli

If you have soil-borne diseases, be sure to check resistances before ordering heirloom seed (or even F1's!).  I want to report that the Brandywine, Belize Pink Heart, and Black Krim purchased from Baker Creek are not resistant to V. wilt or F. wilt.  Learned the hard way this season.

Here's a good site.  They don't list Baker Creek but they do list individual varieties and resistances.  

http://vegetablemdonline.ppath.corne...matoTable.html

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## specsaregood

//

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## oyarde

> Looking good.  It's been so dry, I have to remember to water mine daily.
> 
> Is that a pistol grip I see on the lower left?


  Looks like a Ruger.

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## oyarde

> Beefstakes are awesome


 I planted about 40 beafsteaks this year.

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## QuickZ06

So RED! I did not know there were that many different types of tomatoes out there.

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## jdmyprez_deo_vindice

We have more tomatoes coming in than we can handle. A full basket came in today from the garden (basket holds at least 25 pounds of them). We have about 15 different varieties and most are putting out a bounty. Still waiting on the Japanese Black Truffel and Indigo Rose tomatoes to produce. We have also taken in a lot of lima beans, broccoli, cauliflower, cucumbers, raspberries, blueberries, Onions, chives, etc. We are still waiting on several things to come with a ton of melons probably ready by the end of the week. All told we are growing about 15-16 different fruits and veggies with some crops having several varities. All of this is being done organically on 1/4th of an acre.

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## oyarde

> So RED! I did not know there were that many different types of tomatoes out there.


 More than you could imagine ...

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## QuickZ06

> More than you could imagine ...


Guess so, thought there was only a handful. Im not a big tomato guy unless it is on something (don't like to eat them whole) but some of these look and sound really good.

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## Dr.3D

> Looks like a Ruger.


Prolly just has it there to take care of those pesky tomato worms.

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## XNavyNuke

> Looking good.  It's been so dry, I have to remember to water mine daily.
> 
> Is that a pistol grip I see on the lower left?


You betcha. Ruger Blackhawk. The tomato plants are about 5 feet tall. I use cages made of concrete reinforcing wire. The base of the plants are mulched with bedding straw from the barn. Insect pests are controlled with a pyrethrin spray and BT dust. Each plant gets five gallons of water every 3-4 days. Can't buy a drop of rains this year, it seems.

XNN

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## phill4paul

This year. 

  Cherokee Purples. <Sandich>
  German Johnson. <Sandich>
  Marions. <Salads>
  Better Boys. <Canning>

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## oyarde

> This year. 
> 
>   Cherokee Purples. <Sandich>
>   German Johnson. <Sandich>
>   Marions. <Salads>
>   Better Boys. <Canning>


I have been growing some Better Boys . Mrs likes them.

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## XNavyNuke

For the second year I'm growing Dix Doigts de Naples.

http://tomodori.com/fichephoto.php?n...%20de%20Naples

XNN

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