I feel like I woke up on the wrong planet, since most of those names are very foreign to me.

Carol,
Ha. You might be seeing some of those names in your mail soon. LOL. I had meant to come back and post a condensed version of my impressions so a person wouldn't have to read my whole review. And also to kick the post off the top. Attended a Lynda Randle concert this morning and just got home. It was great. She is dynamic.

I will list those who have made an impression good or bad so far.

Cherries
Good

Texas Star x unknown cherry - One of if not the best cherries I have ever tasted. Makes it hard to fairly judge the others. I'm going to try to grow out a few plants and see if I can possibly stabilize it and retain the flavor. Size varies some but a very large cherry. 80% of the fruit has a red blush with the Texas Star on the bloom end of many. A real light yellow. Also Black Cherry(very good) and Salisaw Cafe'.

Disappointed -Guernsey Pink Blush, Aunt Ruby's German Green Cherry

Orange fruit

Haven't picked many yet so the jury is still out on most.

Apfelsin and Juane Flammee'

Reds

Atkinson (has some nematode resistance. Which maybe more important to me now.), Glick's 18 Mennonite, Amish Canner, Malinowski and Mr Bruno

Disappointed - Baker Family Heirloom, Campbell's 1327

Darks/Purples/Maroons/Blacks/Browns

Dana's Dusky Rose. A new favorite that may well make my every year grow list. Heavy setter. Also so far Cherokee Purple, Big Cheef

Disappointments - Black Krim, Chocolate Stripes

Green When Ripes

Emerald Evergreen- A reliable great tasting tomato

Pinks

Most of the Pinks haven't matured yet. Barlow Jap has set well this year. Jury is out on most.

Disappointed by the set on Brandymaster Pink so far

There is still lots of time for varieties to rise and fall on this list. Many I didn't mention here have good set so just waiting to mature and taste. The ones I mentioned in each category are the ones that have made an impression is some way. Jay

Jay,

As soon as I saw this thread, I thought "Aha, it is August!" Isn't it always August when we try to assess tomato performance and make the initial list for next year?

Your results seem more mixed this year than last year?

I'm not ready to start thinking too hard about next year, but I need to cut back and grow fewer tomatoes so I'll have more room for more of other veggies. I'm thinking maybe 60 tomato plants next year, so I'll have more room for early crops of green beans, southern peas, melons and winter squash. This year, I had some early beans, but most of my beans and all my southern peas were planted more for fall and I now know I'm unlikely to get many beans this fall (grasshoppers are devouring the plants even as I type this, which is a topic for another thread) so they need to be early next year. Same thing with winter squash and melons...they were squeezed into tiny amounts of space and I need to grow fewer tomatoes in order to have more room for them.

I'll assess individual variety performance in a day or two, but the tomatoes likely to return for sure are these:

Cherry/Grape/Currant types for fresh eating and dehydrating:

Black Cherry
Sun Gold
Ildi
Sweet Million
Tess's Land Race Currant

For salsa/sauce:
Heinz 1439
Santa Clara Canner
Heidi

For fresh eating:
Dana's Dusky Rose
JD's Special C-Tex
Indian Stripe
Cherokee Purple
True Black Brandywine
Dora

Plants I Didn't Grow In 2010 But Will Bring Back in 2011:

Brandy Boy
Royal Hillbilly
Neve's Azorean Red
Arkansas Traveler
Better Boy or Big Boy

My results are very mixed. We had great early fruit set and harvested lots of tomatoes from the last week of April through mid-July. Then everything stalled in the heat--essentially very few tomatoes set in the late May/June heat so once the early setters were harvested, the tomato harvest really slacked off. The July rain (the most we've received in July since moving here) gave us renewed growth and fruit set, so we'll be harvesting quite a few in August and beyond (if they survive the grasshoppers).

A lot of the same-old-same-old red hybrids set fruit well, but I really want better flavor than I get from them.

So, I'll cut back a lot. A whole lot. We've had two decent summers in a row in terms of rainfall. With next year due to be a La Nina pattern, we'll likely have less rainfall and plentiful heat, so that means a bad tomato year. That plays a large role in my decision to plant fewer. I see the handwriting on the wall.

Overall, I'm very disappointed in total fruitset. I don't remember how many jars of salsa I've canned so far. Maybe 28 or 30? At this rate, I'll have to buy tomatoes to make enough salsa for us and for gift-giving.

Is it 2011 yet? I'm ready for a fresh start in Tomato Land.

Dawn

Carol - LOL!!! I kinda thought the same thing! I've never heard of as many different named tomatoes even looking thru the seed catalongs! But that Punta Banda...hmmm....egg size and drought/disease resistant? I might have to check that one out.

I agree with Dawn on cutting back next year but not so I'll have more room for other things. Mine is simply a time issue. I hate to waste anything but I simply don't have enough time to "work" all the harvest for the bigger garden area we established this year. It has been a bad year for insects. The Squash Bugs have darned near destroyed everything that the grasshoppers haven't. And I've NEVER seen so many different colors of grasshoppers!!!! Picking green beans last nite I had a bright orange one hop off of a plant! I think he's been in the sun too much and not used sunscreen. heh!

My list for next year is small & quaint:

Roma Rio - loved them for a "paste" tomatoe. Nice size, little seeds, heavy producer and good cooked flavor. Determinate but still produces a BUNCH of tomatoes.

Italian Goliath - early harvest, nice eating tomatoe, good yeild

Cherokee Purple - yum, yum, yum! Not real good with the yeild - but the flavor is worth the wait.

Black Cherry - great yeild, great flavor, great all around plant even with the foliar disease because of all the early rain.

Santa Clara Canner - (THANKS DAWN!!!) - LOVE THIS ONE! It's not only a great canning tomatoe, but a good fresh eat! You only need one slice on a BLT because they are so large! (or as Carol said - the bread's too small!) Going to have to find the seed for this one...hint, hint...

Of course, this leaves me with room enough to try a few others that I'm sure will tempt me.

Paula

Dawn,
My results may be more mixed this year as last year I only had a couple out of 88 that set well at all. At this point overall my fruit set is a lot better and less loss of plants due to disease. Most of my fruit set and harvest was very late last year. This year the I picked the first fruit in late June. Has slowly increased since then. Should pick up considerably in the next month. That is why I keep a journal. Like Lynda Randle said. She keeps a journal and then goes back and reads it to refresh her memory and sometimes surprised at what she wrote. When I go back and look at the reviews even from last year there is so many things that I had forgot. Fruit set has been very varied and hard to explain. Like I said there can be 2 plants of the same variety one loaded and one with little fruit set. Same garden area, same size when transplanted. Is it a soil issue. I don't think so. I have determined any shade and windbreak makes a difference. And when I say I've yanked 16 plants. I'm sure several of these would of produced. Just didn't want to take a chance after the last 2 years and the loaded plants I have. Most that I have left look good. I did use a Safer spray last week which really seemed to help with the bad insects. Supposed to be as safe and friendly to the beneficials as anything. The grasshoppers have hit here. Reminds me why I need to get some hens. They have been feasting on some of the tomatoes. I may get something for the borders to see if I can decrease the numbers slightly. Like I said I've had my surprises. Both good and bad. Hard to second guess Mother Nature and tomato plants and ever win. Although there are exceptions. Again the best setters are those that produce fruit 8-9 ounces or less. Jay

Jay,

Except for the large ones that set fruit in April and May before the heat arrives, my best setters are always in the same size range as yours. When people tell me that want to grow really big tomatoes, I tell them that they can choose to have a few really large ones or a lot of medium-sized ones. I don't know why the really large ones are not better adapted here. My dad always grew Spring Giant for really big tomatoes although, oddly (considering its name) it was a late season producer. He loved Big Boy and Better Boy too. Still, he grew a lot of the mid-sized ones like Champion, Box Car Willie, Carnival and later on, Celebrity and Merced, because he knew he wanted lots of tomatoes in general and not just a few big ones.

Paula,

I'll check my seed box tomorrow and see where the Santa Clara canner seeds came from and let you know. I don't know if Jay sent them to me or if I ordered them or what, but they've performed wonderfully and everything I heard about them being "more than a canner" is so true. I'm glad you're happy with them as well.

I know that we have had grasshoppers in the following colors this year: black, green, yellow, orange, red and brown. Some have more than one color. Do you have the ones that have wings that look like butterfly wings when they fly? I believe they are black and orange.

I like having a multitude of tomatoes in different colors. A multitude of grasshoppers in different colors is not what I was hoping for this garden season.

Dawn

Paula,
I will check also. I had some and not sure if there is any left. I don't plan on planting them again in the near future. I'm not sure but mine may of came from Tomatofest or TGS. They seemed to of performed better for Dawn than they did for me.

Dawn I have a few larger varieties that set well. Todebusch Pink was one last year. I did transplant it late and taste wasn't great. Others are saying it has great taste. So will grow it again next year and set out a bigger plant earlier. And see if it was the cool late weather that affected the taste or if it is like Brandywine and that taste doesn't come out in my soil. Overall most growers regardless of their location have the same experience and if production is important goes more heavily to the mid sized tomatoes. A few area like PA seems to be exceptions. They can grow the large ones and have tremendous fruit set. Many I see and exchange views with leave the reds and then come back. I have a few in all colors I really like. But reds for me are one of the most reliable setters of fruit and many have what I call that old fashioned tomato taste. You can eat in the garden with no salt. When I taste test a tomato I do it without salt. Many use salt. I feel you mask the real flavor. Jay

Wow you guys, what big lists you have!

I'm having a hard time understanding the "whys" of determining whether or not you'll grow something next year, because next year may be totally different, in terms of weather primarily, from what has happened with this year's crop. Is this year's weather considered the extreme? If it is, then why wouldn't a person want, based on lack of production this year, to include it next year to see if production is better? Especially if the flavor is one you like real well, and disease resistance is reflected in the plant? If next year turns out to be cooler and rainier, plants that do well in the weather we're having this year, might not do very well.

So, I'm confused about what factors you consider in light of not knowing what next year might be like. If you're choosing plants based upon overall production over the course of several years and several different weather patterns, that's a different story, and maybe that's what you're doing in some cases as I can see from some of the histories you discuss on a few of the plants. But, if you tried something new this year to you, and it hasn't done well, why would you not grow it next year to see if you get better results? Then, you'd know, well, it didn't do well in our lengthy, hot, humid summer, but it did do well in the year that was cooler, wetter, etc. Is this how you judge whether or not to grow a variety again? If that's the case, then I would really like to see a list of tomatoes that do well in adverse conditions, and what kind of adverse conditions it did best in/worst in. For newbies like me, that would be fantastic. You could also include if it does better "in ground" or in a container, or whether it is suited to pot culture or not. I mean, there are a lot of variables that could be included.

That said, whew! I don't know really what I am going to grow next year. I think I've decided and then I find something I'd rather grow, or try to grow, and then I go back to the plants I have and will probably grow Rutgers again, but the jury is still out on the others I have, except for Jet Star, which I don't want to grow again. Flavor not as good as Rutgers, not as productive, but could be in another year, but there are just too many others I'd rather try.

I am impressed with everyone's list! Jay has many I've never heard of either.

Production is way down right now since the heat has really set in, and don't expect it to get any better real soon. Sigh......

Hope I didn't make this more confusing than it needs to be, which I have a tendency to do, :)

Susan

Speaking of a wonderful red that I might go back to......

Neve's Azorean Red
Cuostralee
Livingston's Paragon or Livingston's Stone
Martino's Roma

Oh my gosh! I am bookmarking this thread. WONDERFUL info!

Jo

I've been thinking about this same thing. What I want to plant next spring. I've also had problems with set this year, but I tried some varieties and did not like the taste of the tomatoes, so I definitely won't be planting those again.

I've finally gotten my tomato pin worms under control, the only problem is I just don't have very many tomatoes on the vine.

Susan,

I find myself looking for a limited number of heirloom varieties that meet my specific "wants" as to taste, size, color, disease resistance, high yield and something that is important to me: crack resistance.

I have added to that list a consideration of the expected weather pattern, as Dawn eluded to. By sheer luck, it appears I planted hot weather, drought resistant tomatoes this year and my harvest has been spectacular to the point of exhaustion. They are finally taking a pause and I am glad, but there is still plenty of fruit set that will take me into fall.

Rather than bore you with what I want, I am linking a report from the Kerr Center that was very interesting to me. I think you will perhaps find it helpful.

Marcy

Here is a link that might be useful: Kerr Center 2010 Tomato Report

Susan,
You make some very good points. Most of them I've considered. When I got interested in op/heirlooms the first I tried were from greenhouses and big box stores and I had limited success. At that time every place that carried op/heirlooms had Pink Brandywine PL. And not a one carries it now. I grew it for 6-7 years, 1-3 plants per year and a total over that time of less than 15 fruit. At the end of this time period is when I started growing most of my own plants. And then found the forums and searched the internet. I decided I wanted to find some that would do well here over several years in different conditions. My aim is to start growing and selling more at the local farmers markets. So decided to grow a large number of variteties over 2-4 years and would regrow those I felt deserved it. Ideally you would grow 3-4 plants of a variety at least 2 years before making a decision. I was limited to around 100 plants per year and had several varieties I wanted to try so decided to go with 1 plant in many instances till I found some I liked. My main considerations have been flavor, disease resistance, reliability and production. If one area is great it might be enough to overcome a weakness in another area. This year I did try to grow at least 2 plants of some. Next year it is my goal to grow at least 2 plants of most. I know I've culled some good varieties. I also knew when I started I would sacrifice yield average while growing so many different varieties. I had averaged 15-20 lbs per plant for 3 years before I started this. My average has been in the 5-8 lbs per plant since. I knew this going in. I feel it will rise a little this year. And more next year if I grow more of the proven producers. I understand one grower who used to grow up to 1000 plants per year and 4-5 hundred varieties used to average 5 lbs or less. Like any crop including hybrids they perform better in certain weather conditions. Finding those that like your climate and garden conditions is the trick. Then like I've mentioned before you will have one plant of a variety that produces heavy and another not set. Then like Atkinson every plant sets well. I will grow it again to see how it will do over a period of a few years. This is the 3rd year for Glick's 18 Mennonite. So far it has proven itself. Overall good disease resistance, good to very good production and good taste. Amazon Chocolate failed to disease the first year I tried it, set and produced well till late August last year and then became diseased. And this year had a heavy set and fell victim to disease again. And never to an insect vectored disease. So this is probably my last year to grow it. At least for a while. Others I cull the first year. I have too to make room for more. I weigh the factors I mentioned above and then sometimes go by gut decision. As I cut down on numbers of varieties I grow every year each variety will get more of a fair chance. But in the end don't want to waste time and water on a plant that won't produce and that doesn't taste good. I also have found if I Iike a plant and will select and save seeds from those with the qualities I like for a few years they tend to acclimatize and improve.

I do keep notes and have found some do better in cages, others in ground and others in containers. Some are natural sprawlers. They won't to lay on the ground and others want to grow upwards and take forever to fall over if not caged. I try to keep notes and if I grow that variety a second time I will grow it where I feel is most natural for it.

My end goal is to find several varieties whether op/heirlooms or hybrids that will fit certain needs and be consistent over a period of years. I like a wide range of tastes, sizes and types. I also have grown a variety that I liked but felt another better fit my needs and personal preference. Basically this is no cut and dried way. And no right or wrong way. It is what works for you. I do try to keep notes. How they produced, taste, disease issues,ect. And I go back to them when making cuts. Like I said Amazon Chocolate got 3 chances. And had the same type disease issue each year. So no reason to feel it will change. Jay

I've been really happy with a few varieties this year:
Black Cherry
White Currant
Coyote
Fox Cherry
Black Plum
Wapsipinicon Peach
Black Russian

Those will all definitely be grown again. In fact, I've taken cuttings of all of them for fall. The Black Plums make such delicious salsa and produce so well. And EVERYONE who has tried them has loved the White Currants and Coyotes--both are yellow, currant sized and really sweet.

There are a few others that have just started setting fruit, so it's hard to tell with them so far. I got the San Marzanos and Reisentraubes in very late, so I'll give them another chance next year regardless of how they do this year.

It surprised me a little, but the seeds I started myself did much, much better than any of the ones that I bought. I think I bought from four or five different sources and only a few of those plants have set well. Of course, it's hard to tell why since they are all different varieties, but I think I'll be starting all of my own next year.

Somehow, I ended up giving away all of the Arkansas Travelers that I started. I don't know how that happened, but I am surely disappointed about it. My aunt had a lot of luck with the ones that I gave her this year.

We'll be increasing the number of plants that we grow next year to 80-100, but I'll probably decrease the number of varieties that we try to 20-30.

Jay, I am married to a former Pennsylvanian and he still has relatives there who garden and every summer I envy their cool temperatures (you know, they think 85 degrees is hot) and their usually abundant rainfall. When we go there to visit in summertime, everything is so lush and lovely that it blows my mind, especially compared to how roasting hot and tired everything looks in this part of the country at the same time. On the other hand, Late Blight seems to be on a tear there the last few years, so their beaufiful crops can fail suddenly.

Marcy, That's a great list from the Kerr Center. Thanks for linking it.

Susan, I think each of us adds/drops varieties for many reasons. After growing tomatoes for 25 years on my own and for at least 15 years with my dad prior to that, I'm just through with the massive experimentation. The truth is that out of every 20 or 25 new (to me) varieties that I try, maybe one or two is worth putting into the permanent growing rotation. So, rather than constantly looking for something new, I'm trying to refine the grow list and weed out those that perform least well in a broad range of conditions. I've reached the conclusion that there really aren't many, or maybe not any, incredible undiscovered varieties out there that taste/perform significantly better than what I've already tried....so I've stopped looking. I had high hopes for the Brandymaster series, likely because it is so tempting to believe there could be anything that could match Brandywine's flavor. They've performed so poorly here that I doubt I'd see a better performance next year or the year after.

While many of you may be seeing significantly hotter or drier weather this year than in your average year, for us here in southcentral OK, our rainfall has been exactly 'average' for the year to date and so have our temperatures. If anything we've had slightly lower temperatures, in general, in Love County than we usually have although higher than average heat indices. So, for me, this is a pretty typical year except the real heat arrived in mid-May instead of late June so we got hot earlier, but not necessarily hotter than average...just earlier than average. A tomato variety that didn't perform well in what was a fairly typical year here at our place this year likely wouldn't perform any differently next year.

In Oklahoma we have a wide range of average annual rainfall....some folks may average 15" of rainfall per year in western OK while others in eastern OK may average 50-60" or more. Humidity varies widely as does soil type and pH. So, what grows well for someone in highly alkaline soil and water in western OK may not grow nearly as well for someone in eastern OK with entirely different weather and soil. I enjoy looking at everybody's lists and hearing how different tomatoes perform for different people but I know that works well in areas drastically different from mine may not work well here.

Growing in containers is much more complicated. First of all, nothing that I grow performs as well in containers as in the ground. Heat and pests hit container-grown plants much harder every year than those in the ground. The grasshoppers have completely stripped my container tomatoes of every leaf and fruit, but have only done sporadic damage to in-ground plants. It is the same thing with spider mites....only the container plants have had issues with them this summer.

For me, container-grown tomatoes are great from Jan. or Feb. through the end of June or early July. After that, I might as well yank out those plants and toss them on the compost pile because they're toast. Last year, the tomatoes in containers did somewhat better than they usually do....but we had much higher than average rainfall and much more rain/clouds/cool weather than we see in an average summer. I'm looking for plants that perform best in the worst of conditions, not the best ones, because more often than not, we get the worst conditions every July and August.

In containers, I plant tomatoes that can tolerate the heat and the restriction of their root growth and still perform. That means I often grow tomatoes in containers that I don't consider 'good enough' to plant into the ground....stuff like Better Bush and Husky Red Cherry.

I can't speak for anyone else, but I'm just at the point that I want what produces best for us here, and I don't want to keep looking for something 'better' because I don't think there is anything out there that's really that much better than our tried and true varieties that make our grow list most years.

For a long time, I gardened for fun....trying any and every thing that interested me. We ate all we wanted fresh and gave tons away and didn't care if we put up much for the non-gardening season or not. In recent years, though, I've developed a deeper appreciation for the truly superior flavor of anything/everything that's grown locally and picked/prepared/preserved at its peak of perfection. Thus, I give away little and try to raise as much of our annual food supply as possible. In a good year I fill up three freezers, a root cellar and manage to can 2 or 3 or 4 hundred jars of 'stuff'. Since that is what is important to me now, I want plants that produce well, that provide tasty food we like and that are not prima donnas requiring a lot of pampering. Thus, I'm less inclined to experiment and more inclined to plant what produces really well with little fuss.

In a lot of ways, the 'experimentation years' were a lot more fun, but the farm-garden-preserving years have been much more productive. Now my family is spoiled and I must produce as much home-grown food as possible because they don't like grocery store stuff as much as they used to. Even DS's firestation co-workers prefer fresh, home-grown and I'm going to try to plant a lot more for them next year so I can send them all the tomatoes, peppers and other yuummy things they're craving. There just isn't room, or enough improved soil, to experiment with varieties now as there used to be. I don't mind that, really, because as long as what I'm growing is producing well, I've gotten over thinking there are incredible varieties out there just waiting for me to find them.

Megan, Black Plum grew very well for me for a long time and then for 2 or 3 years it didn't and I dropped it. It is odd how that happens....and I loved Coyote too. If my garden were twice as large as it is, I'd bring it back to the grow list. So many varieties, so little time (and improved soil).

The tomatoes I grow from seed invariably outperform storebought ones and I don't know why, but I've seen it enough years to know it is true.

Dawn

"I also have found if I Iike a plant and will select and save seeds from those with the qualities I like for a few years they tend to acclimatize and improve."

Jay, that is really good to know, that they will acclimatize and improve as you say. I am assuming they must have some virtues, though, as you also say, in order for you to select them for continued planting. I really do appreciate your input as to the reasons behind your selection process. It is very helpful for us beginners to know the "whys, hows, and whats" about tomato gardening, and I thank you.

Jay, you didn't mention Lucky Cross - will it be back next year? And how about it's kissin' cousin, Little Lucky?

Dawn, also thank you so much for your explanations as well. Everything you say makes perfect sense, as usual. And altho I can pretty much guess what you're going to say some of the time, I like to see it in black and white from direct from the source. :)

As far a containers, I'm sure tomatos don't perform as well as they do in the ground. But for some of us, that is the only option for growing them. That is also the reason why I am trying out the new growing medium, fertilizers, etc., in order to grow them the best that I can. Right now, one couldn't tell I am doing ANYTHING the best way that I can because this oppressive heat, and the past heat and humidity have certainly done their thing to the detriment of my tomatos. I think they are doing "as well as can be expected", but I'm still not quite as happy with them as I think I can be eventually with tweaking here and there on container size, color, medium, watering schedule, fertilizing, staking, and just a myriad of little things that all add up to what can be a successful tomato plant.....I hope. And when I was talking about the heat, I meant the sustained heat from May forward this year, not just our typical July/August heat. I feel like I should be looking at the Florida forum to see what has done well there this year.....LOL! Altho, I think their best tomato production occurs during our cooler months.

Also, as I mentioned in another thread, the grasshoppers have left the tomatos alone, and have spent their time munching the Cosmic Orange Cosmos.

I did not know that about seeds versus purchased transplants either. Will have to keep an eye out for that. Altho my seeds threw me a curve ball this year by not growing enuff to spring plant, so that I did a fall planting of them. A couple are doing well - Black Cherry and Jelly Bean. I think Lime Green Salad is in decline, Victorian Dwarf all leaves are curled up so that it doesn't even look like a tomato plant anymore, and Burpee Super Beefsteak is kinda just sitting there. I do hope I at least get enuff Black Cherry tomatos to decide if I will grow it again, but probably will either way since everybody really has good things to say about it.

All in all, I really thank you both for your allowing us to "get inside your heads" on this topic, and hope to see more of your analyses in the coming days.

Susan

Susan,
I'm not sure when and if I'll bring back Lucky Cross again. Sure I will. As it is by far the best tasting tomato I've ever grown and I've grown several. I've thought about growing it and doing selections to see if I can get one that will set better. But others have tried and not sure I want to tie up the room in my garden and the water. But may squeeze 1-2 in for fresh seeds. Little Lucky hasn't done any better here. I don't know if I will give it another chance. I have some Brandywine crosses that are setting better. So if I find one with flavor I really like I may just grow it. My goal when I accumulated so many varieties was to have enough so I could find several that I liked that performed well here. I've found enough now I don't need to grow as many new to me every year. My goal is too grow 5-10 new ones each year and the rest will be those which have proved they will do well here in varying conditions. So why I intend to cut back on my inventory. I will save seeds from those I grow every year. I will continue to grow a few hybrids and some will be crosses friends of mine create and send me. I plan on growing a Sungold x Juane Flammee' F1 cross next year. I will also continue to look for and try those varieties that have proved they perform well in this general area. By that I mean OK, TX, KS, CO, NM and even Arkansas. It seems many of the varieties developed in AR does well here. I will be trying 2 more next year. A bi color Arkansas Marvel and a pink Ozark Pink next year.

Dawn yes I knew you had said Time was from PA. I'm sure you know that my good friend who sent me the Cowlicks and Dana's Dusky Rose seeds is from PA. He talks about getting 75 Brandywines from one plant. I would be lucky to get that many from 75 plants. I know they have their problems also like the Late Blight. And as him and I have learned exchanging seeds what grows well in one location doesn't necessarily in the other. KB does well here with great taste. He has to limit water to get a good taste. Another example of the difference location makes is Cherokee Purple and Indian Stripe. Last year was the only year Indian Stripe has out performed CP and that was because I only planted one plant and disease got it. But others get better production from Indian Stripe. Another example is Brandywine. I have never had the great taste you and others have experienced in your gardens. I think it is one that may not taste as well in well drained sandy soil. But I keep trying a few every year looking for that Brandywine flavored rainbow. I keep adding more productive mid sized all around types that have proved themselves and less of the beefsteak types every year. But hard to cut back on the beefsteaks. I was breaking down my list for next year tonight. And already have that class full. So will need to do some shuffling. I like to grow a few new ones every year. But my interest is turning now more towards market gardening and extending the season on the spring side with containers in the greenhouse. Jay

Wow, growing 8-10 new varieties a year to me is phenomenal, when you bring it down to my scale anyway. I will only, as of now and next year, be able to grow 8-10 maximum. So, selection is going to be a tough decision for me. I wish someone that consistently grows in containers every year, for production solely in containers; that grows tomatos in our type of climate, could give me a heads up on some "proven" varieties. I realize there are always going to be variables, but at least I would have a starting point.

I know that Craig grows a lot of his tomatos in containers, and his conditions are probably somewhat similar to ours (North Carolina) what with the heat and humidity, especially in the Grow Bags that Dawn has spoken of, and perhaps I could look at his recommended list. I know he is participating in the Dwarf Tomato Project, and this could ultimately be the best direction for my tomatos - Grow Bags and Dwarf Tomatos. But, I have yet to see a dwarf touted as having Great Taste (GT). I have read that a few have performed well, as far as production, but the GT still seems elusive. I mean, GT in dwarfs may be less taste when compared to an indeterminate or even a determinate. I mean, I assume it will be a different class from DET's and INDET's. Nevertheless, I am keeping an eye on the tests. Last time I checked the results page, nothing had been reported yet.

I've kinda figured out what "types" I want, and they include:

Cherry (2) so far Sungold and Black Cherry on the list
Cherry for sundrying (1 or 2)- like Jelly Bean or Juliette
Canning (2)
Slicing/freezing (3), etc.

That's 8 or 9 total and that's my limit-to-space. I may include an additional "just for fun" as Dawn puts it, and that would bring me to a total of 10 for my max #.

Susan

Jay,

I'd love to live in Pennsylvania ONLY during the tomato-growing season and live here the rest of the time. I couldn't take their cold winters or, for that matter, their really short growing seasons though. If I could get 75 Brandywines from one plant, I'd plant 12 Brandywine plants and that would be all I'd plant and I'd be perfectly content.

Susan,

Don't get me wrong...I loved all the experimentation, but I'm over it now. As I get older, I'm trying to garden more efficiently and that leaves less room for experiments.

I would love to grow all my tomatoes in containers so I could better control their soil fertility, moisture, etc., but that would mean my production would halt in July, and as pitiful as my in-ground plants look now, they at least are alive and still producing....and will continue to do so until the grasshoppers finish eating all their foliage.

One tomato that is a dwarf (more or less, but probably not in terms of what the Dwarf Tomato Project is shooting for) that did very, very well in containers for me is New Big Dwarf. It was surprisingly early in producing ripe fruit...about 65 or 70 days and they were big and tasty in hot weather, though the earlier ones that ripened in pretty cool and cloudy weather weren't quite as well-flavored. I'd forgotten about it. I also have had pretty good production from Jaune Flammee in containers and from Little Lucky as well, but both still do better in the ground than in containers so when I grow them, I tend to put them in the ground.

Dawn

Here is a link that might be useful: New Big Dwarf

Yes, now that I recall, I have read quite a number of reports on New Big Dwarf, I had just forgotten. Thanks for the reminder!

Well, as far a containers, I am still holding out some hope for the Black Cherry and Jelly Bean. Not sure any of the others will make it thru. I have made some mistakes, or lapses in judgment that may have affected them, too. One is I planted in "black" pots - 2 of them. I looked for spray paint to paint them, but was just being too picky, not finding the right color - I know, stupid of me. So the end result was that I didn't get ANY spray painted and they are still black. Too much heat for them, I'm sure. Secondly, I am beginning to note the differences in potting mix as well. Next year everything will be in the modified 5:1:1 mix. Thirdly, my fertilizing program has not been consistent like I would like. Fourth, plan for some shade beginning in August, so siting of plants is another issue to resolve for next year. Fifth - only plant good strong seedlings, and Sixth, pray for a good year!

One good thing, I'm going to have some potting soil to compost - or should I? As long as I don't use it for tomatos or other veggies, it should be okay, right? I can turn it into my ground for some added tilth.

Somebody here mentioned Arkansas Traveler as a good tomato for Oklahoma. I planted it one year but didn't really care for the flavor, which I thought was kinda bland, without any real burst of intensity that I like in a tomato. But, maybe I should give it another chance? Nah, too many others to choose from. I think I will add Juane Flammee to the list, Dawn, thanks for the reminder on it, too.

I guess I need to face the fact that I'm not going to be growing any really huge tomatoes in pots either. So nix the really big guys. Does anyone allow their container plants to send roots into the ground thru the drainage holes, and if so, is that more helpful than harmful, or vice versa?

Susan.....still thinking.....still pondering the wily tomato!

I am trying to catch up on all of the postings so I haven't read everything from the last few days, but I will be changing some things as well.

First of all, I will plant more tomatoes in the ground and little or none in containers. In reverse, I will plant squash in containers instead of in the ground, with the possible exception of Zuchetta. This is the first year that I have had an SVB problem and they were in the ground and mulched with straw. They were pretty much a waste of time. The winter squash that were volunteers, were also hit by SVBs and produced only one squash. Last year I planted winter squash in late July and nothing bothered them. Next year I hope to plant them in early July but keep them covered for the first few weeks.

I think that every plant produced fruit except Anna Russian. Cherokee Purple did better this year than it ever has before. I was happy with the taste of all of the blacks that I planted. Although Aunt Gerties Gold started late, it produced pretty good and I like the taste for a gold.

I planted three hybrid plants that I expected to be big producers, and they didn't produce as well as most of my heirlooms.

Royal Hillbilly will be increased in number because of the size of the fruit plus good fruit set.

I tried to dry cherry tomatoes and it was a bust for me. They are brown and ugly and took forever to dry. Of course, our humidity was horrible this year which I'm sure played a part.

I took my aunt a box of tomatoes and the first thing she did was refrigerate them. I told her they would taste better if they weren't refrigerated. She said that she liked them cold. She is in her 90s and this morning she said, "Those are the best tasting tomatoes that I have ever tasted in my life." I wanted to say, "Welcome to the world of heirlooms....and next time don't refrigerate. LOL

I wonder if the tomato experts would be willing to start a "top ten" list? If you could ONLY grow 10 varieties next year, what would you grow? I am also a small gardener with room for about 20 tomatoes, and would like to see the "ALL STARS" lists.

Jo

Jo,
First I'm no experts. Last year we had this same discussion. A top ten for cherries, Pinks,Red, other colors,canners, slicers, ect Now that I might be able to do.

I will name a few that come to mind first that I either grow every year or most years. If I could only grow 10 varieties it would probably be 4-5 hybrids for production and disease resistance and 5-6 op/heirlooms for taste. I would choose those that have shown good production and disease resistance in most cases. As I wouldn't want to grow many if any that were poor producers.

Cherokee Purple great flavor. A better producer here in most years than Indian Stripe. I like the flavor better. But nothing wrong with IS. Spudakee is an PL version that is good.

Glick's 18 Mennonite for production and disease resistance. Atkinson, Mr Bruno and Heinz 1439 are also in this group. All of them are good.

For Pink Beefsteaks Florida Pink, Hege's German Pink, Caspian Pink

For Reds Chapman, Neves Azorean Red

Pinks,Purples, Blacks

Dana's Dusky Rose. First year to grow it but a good producer with good taste.

Vorlon

Other colors

Emerald Green - A great green when ripe

Kellogg's Breakfast- KBX(PL version or KB) - A must grow orange slice

Juane Flammee' - Another must grow every year.

Bi Colors - Texas Star, Pineapple

In hybrids they would probably include most of the following. Brandyboy, Sungold cherry, Goliath, Porterhouse, Big Beef, Ramapo, Old Fashioned Goliath or Jetsonic

In another 30-45 days assuming I get to taste a few if the grasshoppers don't ruin them all this list will probably change. I almost added a few of the new ones to this list but decided I should wait a little longer. Know this isn't a cut and dried ten but I could grow a mix of ten varieties from this list and be happy. Jay