Favorite Tomato

[Chris09]

Thanks Chris09. I will have to give it a try. Maybe we need to get a tomato seed swap going. I would be more than willing to get my list together!
Christie

We will, I'm on the list at Rutgers for a couple of there tomatoes but until then I'm going to order some of the seed through another sources.

 

[gladahmae]

We really enjoyed the brandywines last year, as well as black prince (which is a Russian variety). Very very different flavors.

I wintersow all my tomatoes and they always do very well even with our shorter growing season

 

[donrae]

I'd never heard of Pineapple tomatoes before this thread. Then, I'm reading Mother Earth News, and they've got a little article about lycopene (found in tomatoes) and a variation they've found called cis-lycopene that's easier for our bodies to digest. It's apparently an "orange" tomato thing, and which was second on the list for highest amount? The Pineapple. I'm going to have to hunt some down and give them a try this year, sounds intriguing.

 

[Serenashome]

I only grow heirlooms, this year it's bonny best, roma, and gypsy's.

 

[RBishop1965]

Amana Orange is by far the best orange I have ever had, a great heirloom. As far as eating tomatoes the best I have ever came across is the Burpee Super steak. There where two old men in my town who always competed as to the biggest and best tomatoes. Everyone around knew of those guys and their tomatoes. When they both got to old to do there own I would start their plants for both of them. I had to promise not to tell anyone what type they grew. They are both gone now and I don't think they ever knew they both grew the same tomatoes.... Super steaks

 

[TNBielefelder]

Amana Orange is by far the best orange I have ever had, a great heirloom. As far as eating tomatoes the best I have ever came across is the Burpee Super steak. There where two old men in my town who always competed as to the biggest and best tomatoes. Everyone around knew of those guys and their tomatoes. When they both got to old to do there own I would start their plants for both of them. I had to promise not to tell anyone what type they grew. They are both gone now and I don't think they ever knew they both grew the same tomatoes.... Super steaks

Never grew the burped super steaks may give those a try next year.

 

[BBQJOE]

Anything, and everything we grow is heirloom.

Last year we saw a lot of blossom rot. Any idea what we need or are doing wrong?

 

[SittinDuck]

Anything, and everything we grow is heirloom.

Last year we saw a lot of blossom rot. Any idea what we need or are doing wrong?

Classic sign of calcium deficiency. I would use gypsum.

 

[SittinDuck]

What is your favorite kind of tomato? Do you buy plants or start from seeds?

I prefer heirloom so I can save the seeds. One pack of seeds is all I will ever need.

My favs are Brandywine and Amish Paste.

Brandywine is very similar to Mortgage lifter. Both are very large plants that grow very quickly and are hardy. The fruits are the same size and shape. I think the Brandywine has a slightly better flavor and I like the name.

Amish Paste was the most hardy and reliable tomato plant in my garden. It grows quickly (not as fast as BW or ML), resistant to fungal attacks that other varieties aren't, and produces all the way to frost. It has an excellent flavor, very meaty with few seeds, easy to remove skin, and bigger than Roma, San Marzano. Amish Paste is my favorite tomato overall, but I also want a beefsteak type, so Brandywine it is.

I found Rutgers to be hardy, but similar to a supermarket type tomato. It's bigger than Amish Paste, smaller than brandywine, a bit more orange in color, and doesn't stand out in any one area.

Cherokee Purple is purple. It tastes ok, but was prone to disease in my garden.

San Marzano is the most difficult I've found to grow. It's slow, gets sick, and not much fruit. And I really couldn't taste much difference between it and Roma.

Everyone around here likes the BetterBoy. I'm not much of a fan. It's about like Rutgers, but slightly bigger (both fruit and plant). A guy across the street farms those types. His garden is a giant disease patch, but he does get enough decent ones to sell and has a lot of loyal buyers each year... and every one says his are the best. Tomatoes are very subjective.

 

[crazybirdlady79]

What is your favorite kind of tomato? Do you buy plants or start from seeds?

I've always been a beefsteak fan.....and then I discovered oxhearts. Omg I can slice them daily and eat if I could. I just started my seeds indoors for the garden later