I have looked through all those lists of tomatoes, and I know nothing except what I was told.

This summer when you go to the grocery store that sells heirlooms tomatoes buy one that looks good to you and see what it tasts like. If you like the taste you can save the seeds. Of course it may not be vine wripened.

Karyl
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Are you missing any essentials? Well I could give you 4 or 5 and likely so could everyone else. ;) "Best" is subjective so you'll never get any agreement but you have a great list so far. Were you able to find all of those as plants? If so, that's great as heirloom plants are hard for many to find - why so many of us grow from seed.

Personally, I'd skip the Mr. Stripey, Early Girl, and Sweet 100. Tried them all in the past and not impressed. But I would add, if you can get any of them - Opalka, Brandy Boy, Giant Belgium, Bloody Butcher, Arkansas Traveler, or Kellogg's Breakfast. But that's just my opinion. ;)

If we could all plant all the ones we love the garden would be something like a mile square! ;)

Dave

Scrollo--thanks for the site. Too bad so few people have rated their favorites

Dave--why would you add Opalka to the list? This is something I see every summer and, if I remember correctly, this is supposed to do well in the heat and I always kind of thought those that do well down in Florida during the summer don't taste that great. Would love to hear what you say

Dave--why would you add Opalka to the list? This is something I see every summer and, if I remember correctly, this is supposed to do well in the heat and I always kind of thought those that do well down in Florida during the summer don't taste that great. Would love to hear what you say

*** And I'm sure Dave will reply.

But as the person who first introduced Opalka I've not seen any comments about it doing especially well in the heat. Looking at those who list it in the SSE YEarbook and looking at the comments online from those who have grown it, from many different parts of the country, it seems to do well almost everywhere.

Opalka is basically a paste tomato and one that is not grown for taste alone, but it's also a paste variety that does have a good taste, which most don't, and some folks feel comfortable using it as a fresh tomato in salads, etc.

Carolyn

Some folks might consider Taste as a means of selecting a tomato variety. The following link has been operating for about a year. I hope you find this information helpful.
Gary

http://www.tomatoIndex.com

This is Tim's website designed to collect tasting opinions on over 2,700 varieties of tomatoes. Users may post comments, rate flavor on a scale of 1 to 5, upload photos (soon), track their own personal inventory of plants and seeds (soon), and use tools to help them trade seeds with other members (soon).

Dave--why would you add Opalka to the list? This is something I see every summer and, if I remember correctly, this is supposed to do well in the heat and I always kind of thought those that do well down in Florida during the summer don't taste that great. Would love to hear what you say.

Hi tomatonut - is it possible you might be thinking of a different variety? Maybe one with a similar name?

Like Carolyn said I've never heard about any special heat tolerance associated with Opalka although I know many of the Texas-based regulars here rave about it's taste/performance too.

But the main reason I recommended adding it to the list (other than the fact that I like it for both canning and fresh eating) is that it consistently comes up on all the "what's your favorite" posts here and has for years. Many regulars here have only good things to say about it...unlike many other varieties. ;)

Dave

Brandy Boy definitely! Lemon Boy, too (it may be a hybrid though). I had Early Girl once, and that was enough- the earliest tomato that tastes like cardboard- to me anyway. Good luck! Brandy

Cherokee Purple is still my favorite to date and its already on your list, which is a pretty good list IMO

"Some folks might consider Taste as a means of selecting a tomato variety. The following link has been operating for about a year. I hope you find this information helpful. Gary
http://www.tomatoIndex.com";

YES, I pretty much think taste is the holy grail. I can put up with low yields, sluggish growth, catfaced, scarred, lopsided fruit, even some diseases, all for a delicious tomato. But I will take color into consideration. There's the psychological effect of colors and color mixes that of course affects how we perceive our food. And shape is nice too - I always thought Purple Calabash was beautiful, tho not the best purple I've tried.

I planted Early girl because it was a big plant and I can hardly wait for the first ones. Kellog's Breakfast is one everyone seems to love, and I will try it next year. Anna Russian, Goliath, Sunsugar, Earl's Faux, and Hawaiian Pineapple also show up.

I'm lucky that in the LA area there are so many yuppy nurseries with more heirloom plants than they can sell. One nursery swears by Carbon, Sweet Olive, and Black Plum.

Obviously different varieties must do better in different climates, so I wonder what other Southern California gardeners like, and if there is a local thread on here.