That is a very pretty tomato. Where did u get the seeds? I would love to grow some.

That is a very pretty tomato. Where did u get the seeds? I would love to grow some.

****

First, don't be misled b'c those stripes disappear as the fruits ripen. ( smile) But the variety had the name of Indian Stripe or Indian Zebra when the seeds were first sent to me and I chose Indian Stripe b'c the variety was said to be possibly a Cherokee variety and possibly related to Cherokee Purple.

Fruits are somewhat smaller, more to the cluster and lighter in color than with Cherokee Purple and yield is high.

Bill, please note the possibles here b'c I don't want to get into the background here for the umpteenth time. LOL

I've been spreading around seeds where I usually make seed offers and I sent some to Glenn Drowns at Sandhillpreservation.com and he lists them.

I haven't checked lately by Googling to see if any other commercial places might now list them from seeds they got thru my SSE listing or from someone who got seeds from there or elsewhere.

Aha, I just remembered that I think Mike at Victory Seeds also lists them.

I'm awake now, thank you. LOL

Carolyn

Looking forward to growing this variety in the spring of 09. If its as good as CP and is more productive, it will easily become a mainstay in my garden

First of all, I've grown Indian Stripe from Victory Seeds for the past 3 seasons. And from 16 vines total have never seen a single tomato with the degree of green striping as shown on Tom8olvr's fruit in the original post in this thread. That's incredible.

Secondly, Indian Stripe is beyond all doubt a superior cultivar to Cherokee Purple. It will withstand more abuse and neglect in both containers and in poor native soils. It will withstand adverse weather conditions better and still set more fruit and less defective fruit. And it's just as meaty and tasty as Cherokee Purple ... maybe even meatier in fact.

Lastly, Tom8ovtr, I'd love some seeds from your stock of Indian Stripe particularly the seeds from any tomato that is as definitively striped as the one you show in the picture. I'd be willing to trade generously for those seeds. I have some pretty ecclectic stuff.

Bill
tomatohead48@hotmail.com

That is one gorgeous tomato. i'd also love to trade for some seeds if you'd be interested in my stuff.

I agree it's beautiful as shown, but please remember that one only sees those stripes on the way to the fruits being totally ripe.

I've seen those stripes on almost every fruit I've seen on every plant I've grown, but the fruits end up looking like Cherokee Purple, as to color, although lighter in color. And you can sometimes see those stripes on fruits of Cherokee Purple as well.

Carolyn, who thinks, Gary, that the fruits you show are darker in color at that stage than anything I've ever seen. Perhaps a photography issue, perhaps not.

Indian Stripe is all that everyone raves... I'm thrilled with it - and although I'd still grow Cherokee Purple, I do think Indian Stripe was better in production than CP. I really havenÂt compared the taste side by side  CP with Indian Stripe  both to me are delicious tomatoes.

Okay, *someone* gave me seed last year and I gave 90% of what I grew away (as plants) and I grew two plants myself. No one that I gave plants to mentioned any overly striped tom, so I don't think any plants I gave away were striped like the one above.

Out of the two plants:

One of my plants was as exactly as Doc Carolyn describes.

The other threw fruit that looked like above - and the stripes did fade, but were still *very* visible (much more than the other plant) when ripe. Taste from both was analogous if not exactly the same. I will have to try and look for another picture of fruit that was RIPE... I could also document how this one ripens on the counter...

Bill, I'm happy to share seed with you... I saved fruit from the toms that looked like above... I'll drop you an e mail.

Thanks,

Tom8olvr,

Thanks for the offer! I can't wait to grow from those seeds. Looking at that tomato, you can readily see why it got the name Indian Stripe or Indian Zebra. Even if some of the chlorophyll is masked or faded when the fruit is entirely ripe, that tomato exhibits way more striping than I've seen at any stage on the tomatoes from my vines.

A fellow named Bart H. in Alexandria, Virginia, posted a picture of a Cherokee Purple tomato earlier this year with much the same green striping as your Indian Stripe. It too looked unusually marked compared to any Cherokee Purple I've seen yet.

Yes, both Cherokee Purple and Indian Stripe have a tendency to retain chlorophyll on the shoulders and extend some striping down into the lower parts of the fruit. But what you show is a little bit beyond the normal, IMO.

Drop me an email, Tom8lvr, as I can offer you some of Bart's CP seeds and some other germplasm related to both CP and IS.

Bill

The other threw fruit that looked like above - and the stripes did fade, but were still *very* visible (much more than the other plant) when ripe. Taste from both was analogous if not exactly the same. I will have to try and look for another picture of fruit that was RIPE... I could also document how this one ripens on the counter...

*****

Gary I do agree that the stripes do fade near ripeness and I do agree that on some fruits one can still see the stripes, although much faded and not as clear and pronounced as in your picture.

I wonder to what degree environmental conditions make a difference re the striping.

And as I said above, I think, if you or Bill want some seeds that I've maintained from the original seeds sent to me, just e-mail me b'c I do have a few left from my SSE listing. Not a general offer folks.

Carolyn, who mentiones that it was Craig, not me, who sent Indian Stripe to Mike at Victory. But since I sent IS seeds to Craig ASAP after I got them so he could compare with CP they should be close to the original ones as well.

tom8olvr I sure would love to have 8 or 9 of those seeds.
I have 40 Plus varities, I`ll send you a list if you send me your e-mail addy. Thanks Bill

That tomato is gorgeous! And possibly just as good as Cherokee Purple? Sounds like something I need to grow!

tom8olvr, if I have anything that interests you I would love to trade you for a a few seeds. As little as 8 would be perfect.

I couldn't resist asking :)

That tomato is gorgeous! And possibly just as good as Cherokee Purple? Sounds like something I need to grow!

tom8olvr, if I have anything that interests you I would love to trade you for a a few seeds. As little as 8 would be perfect.

I couldn't resist asking :)

Let me start by saying that this is my first year with IS, and I didn't know that this was unusual for IS. Therefore, I did not save a lot of seed... Plus it didn't have a lot of seed... :(

This is a picture of the ripe fruit:

{{gwi:430515}}
Same tom, just the side - you can definitely see the stripes.

So the stripes are there, but pretty faded.

I took some pictures of my ripening tom on the window sill last night. It has some blemishes on it, so I'm actually thinking it will start to rot very soon. Probably will rot before ripening :(

If folks are interested, please leave your e mail and I will check this thread and e mail you for your address.

Thanks.

Tom8olvr,

Okay. Now that you show the more ripened stage, yes, I've had some look like that you show on the window sill.
See ... here are some pictures of Indian Stripe from 2006 showing stripes on fruit about the same stage of
ripeness as yours up there in the original post:

So, as you can see, the striping isn't nearly as pronounced as on your tomato.

Now, here is a picture of the same tomato after it had ripened up almost dead ripe:

Here's a cluster still green:

So, you can see why I'm wanting some seed. Especially since your plants and mine are from the same original source! Maybe it's environmental, maybe not. I can't take a chance. Gotta hope I can come by and select out a more striped "strain" or whatever from your seed.

In any case, I'm really pleased to see you getting what you got. By the way, the ones I grew this year
are substantially bigger than the ones shown here from 2006. Maybe that's because I've been selecting
from the best plants. Maybe it's because the ones I grew this year were in great potting mix. Dunno really.

Bill

Are you sure that one beautifully striped IS isn't one of the Wild Boar tomatoes that might have got a mislabeled package?

I grew Indian Stripe this year. Fantastic flavor. No stripes for me, but I'm in southern California, so the climate may have some bearing on it. The coloring was like a washed-out Cherokee Purple, but I'd gladly sacrifice a little color for a smoother shaped tomato than CP puts out. Indian Stripe is going to be back for me next year.

That's a good question, Doof - but no, it's not. I DID grow
a few from Wild Boar this year - Berkeley Tie Dye:
{{gwi:430517}}

These striped gals were all that Bill describes - they were earlier than anything I grew and they
are some of the last I have going. I really can't say enough
about them! They were very prolific... #1 in production for me
AND they were top 4 in taste. I was sorry I only grew TWO plants... :)
My source is fine with me sharing seed, so I'm okay with
sharing what I got... :)

Thanks!

These striped gals were all that Bill describes - they were earlier than anything I grew and they
are some of the last I have going. I really can't say enough
about them! They were very prolific... #1 in production for me
AND they were top 4 in taste. I was sorry I only grew TWO plants... :)
My source is fine with me sharing seed, so I'm okay with
sharing what I got... :)

*****

Gary, I'm sitting here smiling b'c while you say you can't say enough about them you and Bill have said plenty and I couldn't be happier as more and more folks discover Indian Stripe and like it.

Ultimate thanks go to Mr. Burson in Arkansas in whose garden my TX friend Donna Nelson found them and sent the seeds to me and I've tried my best to spread them around as well, primarily thru my seed offers as well as sending seeds to Glenn at Sandhill and of course listing IS in the SSE Yearbooks for the last few years so many SSE folks have access to them and since quite a few seed co owners are SSE members that's another way that they get around. And in another month or so I'll be sending seeds of several newer varieties to a couple of other commercial places that I trust for trial and I think I have enough IS seeds to include with those newer ones.

Carolyn, who has no human kids so likes it when some of the tomato varieties she introduced make it in the larger tomato world. LOL

It may be worth noting that Donna Nelson, while she lived in Texas when she retreived seeds for Indian Stripe from Clyde Burson's collection, she actually grew up down the road from Burson the entire time he was growing the tomato in his garden.

Doc Carolyn, I'm glad I got you smiling then! I'm sure I
speak for many when I say we're all thankful to you and
others who share these special toms that make it to the
larger tomato world.

Say, I was wondering last night about your health... how've
you been feeling lately?

Bill & I have said plenty but it's still not enough! :)

:)

I was looking forward to trying Cherokee Purple next year. Now I am going to have to get some of those Indian Stripe seeds. I usually get seeds from Victory--guess I'll try their strain.
This thread has me convinced that I should start saving seeds.

Pete

I was looking forward to trying Cherokee Purple next year. Now I am going to have to get some of those Indian Stripe seeds. I usually get seeds from Victory--guess I'll try their strain.
This thread has me convinced that I should start saving seeds.

****

Pete, as I use the word strain there are none for Indian Stripe so what's at Sandhill and Victory are seeds sent to the former by me and the latter by Craig, who got his seeds from me to compare with Cherokee Purple since I wanted his input as well.

A strain can mean a given variety with someone's name attached, witness all the Mortgage Lifter and Brandywine such strains and it can also mean a variation of a particular variety that is minor, yet still allows for the variety to be Ided as the original and Yellow Brandywine ( Platfoot) would be an example of that to me. ( smile)

Good growing for I'm sure you'll like IS as well.

Carolyn

It may be worth noting that Donna Nelson, while she lived in Texas when she retreived seeds for Indian Stripe from Clyde Burson's collection, she actually grew up down the road from Burson the entire time he was growing the tomato in his garden.

****

So true Bill but that was way way before I got Donna turned on to tomatoes and more specifically got her growing Cherokee Purple and other so called black ones and many others so I bet she never paid that much attention to what was growing there in terms of his tomatoes. LOL

Luckily for us she did notice it just a few years back when visiting her reltives there and emed me about it wanting to know if I wanted seeds that she brought back with her or maybe it was fruits she brought back; I never did ask her about that.

Carolyn

Say, I was wondering last night about your health... how've
you been feeling lately?

****

This really isn't the time or the place so I'll summarize briefly.

Still in the walker despite the two new hips, b'c one of the 4 severed and repaired quads never returned to function and won't.

House hit by lightning June 24th, fried my DSL modem, knocked out the phone and the TV and the Microwave was singing a song. Lighning came into the house and my knees turned to jelly as it passed in front of me.

One week later the Black Bear problem started. Up close and personal on the deck and around the yard. Mainly after the bird feeders but did damage as well.

Starting July 7th a new/old medical problem started that turned out to be kidney stones, again, but they wanted to rule out bladder CA so it was this test and that test and then I was told on Aug 28th I had to have ASAP surgery the next day or risk kidney failure of loss of a kidney. The rehab period was awful and I won't go into that. All is well now.

Started a new diabetic pill and have put up with the side effects for almost two months now but called a halt to that last week. Will switch to insulin cartridge next Tuesday if the weather is OK, meaning, if it's raining or whatever I don't go b'c it's too risky to hand walk along the car to sling the walker in the backseat and retrieve it..

Other than that last I knew my brain was OK as well as my fingers and mouth but the rest of my bod is going south. LOL Need to have some of those south moving body parts checked out, including the cataract in the right eye, but I['ve had more than my share of medical crap this summer and will put off that and other stuff until next Spring.

Aren't you glad you asked? LOL

Carolyn

>>"Pete, as I use the word strain there are none for Indian Stripe so what's at Sandhill and Victory are seeds sent to the former by me and the latter by Craig, who got his seeds from me to compare with Cherokee Purple since I wanted his input as well."It may also be worth noting that I got more than one expression of Indian Stripe from the seeds I bought from Victory and grew out in 2006.

I grew a total of 12 plants that summer. Ten grew in a remote garden I planted six miles or so from my house. Out of those ten plants, I destroyed two vines that punked out early. Two other vines produced fruit that was colored differently than the remaining vines.

One vine made off color tomatoes that were pink and looked very similar to Bradley. I saved seeds from that vine separately, labelled them "Sam Houston," regrew seeds from that fruit this year and they remain the same ... pink with large seed cells (more gel) pinwheeled around the core and looking and tasting like Bradley. The normal Indian Stripe fruit is much meatier, with much smaller seed cells, and has the seed cells located way out at the very edge right under the exterior wall. The tender, meaty core ripens from the inside and is fully 7/8 of the total diameter of the cross section.

The other off color tomato was deep brick red and did not have the extent of green shoulders or the expression of striping that the rest of the vines produced. In fact, the tomatoes on that vine were indistinguishable from normal Cherokee Purple. I also saved seeds from that vine separately and labelled them "Stripeless."

The rest of the vines produced what I presume to be true Indian Stripe as they closely resemble Cherokee Purple in coloration, except for the stripes, are even meatier than Cherokee Purple, set fruit earlier and in greater abundance, and ripened up substantially earlier than Cherokee Purple. In 2006, I saved seeds from only four plants that were the best of what appeared to be true to type. And those are the seeds I've been distributing.

I have sent seeds to folks who say they want to grow Cherokee Purple but that it matures too late for their zone. I've sent them to Colorado, Montana, Toronto, Massachusetts, etc., and folks tell me they get good yields within their tomato growing season. I got ripe tomatoes on my 2006 vines within 73 days ... having transplanted mid-April followed by 2 weeks of cool rain and harvest beginning the last few days of June. That's pretty doggone early for this type of tomato.

Now, I have no idea where the variants (note I did not say "strains") entered the picture. But they were there in that initial 25 or so seed I bought from Victory Seeds. I still have the original pack with a few seeds that I didn't plant. But I'm not going back to them as I have some really great selections going here.

"Strains" I don't know about. Selections I'm learning about.

Bill

Carolyn, hope you are feeling better soon. :) You were very helful to me in recommending some tomato choices to me a few months ago for Florida, I do have a purple cherokee growing along with some you & Dave recommended, doing nicely too! This is pretty tomato & if it does a bit better in adverse climates than the CP, do you think it would do okay here in Central Florida/Space Coast? Thanks for mentioning where to get it (Sandhill).
By the way, I took Glyburide pill before & hated it! Prefered insulin in the pen type injection. Take care, thanks for the info/advice. The ripening tomato was still very pretty although the stripes faded & since the kids love the CP, maybe they would find this one with the bright stripes on the vine intereting too...... Have great weekend!

Carolyn,
I had the cataract surgery done on both eyes in 2007, I was nearly blind (was scaring myself driving). The surgery took only a couple of hours total, including recovery, no pain, no further problems. I don't even need my glasses for anything but very close work or reading small text (and I did not get the fancy lenses, $3000/eye extra). It was well worth it, really no problem, and mine were BAD. One of the doctors told me he would normally have to go to Somalia to find a case as bad.
Just a note of encouragement.
Tom

Tom, my brother had both done as well, but not at the same time b'c that's not advised. And he's happy as a clam as they say. I didn't know clams were happy. LOL

But I will wait until next Spring for followup to be sure the right one is ready and wait b'c I've exhausted the folks I have to ask to drive me places b'c I can only drive within about a 20 mile radius b/c of the quad problem and the eye surgeon I've chosen is about an hours drive away. I do live in the boonies youknow. LOL In addition it's getting colder and I'm not allowed out during the winter lest I fall with the walker, unless of course it's an emergency.

Carolyn, whose ortho surgeon says, don't go out in the winter b/c it's too risky and if you do fall at anytime be sure you don't tear anything, make it a clean break and not a compound fracture. ( smile)

tom8olvr,

If you can forgive me for changing topics back again, I just have to ask...

As tasty as Cherokee Purple, with better production and disease resistance? And a beautiful tomato to boot... Where do I sign up??

My email is loribleau@yahoo.com ... I would love even just a half-dozen of these seeds to try... check out my trade list if there's anything that would interest you. You won't find too many tomatoes though... I am very new to heirlooms. I only had a Cherokee Purple this year, but I can't wait to try more next year!!

Lori

tom8olvr,

My e-mail is dancemypretty [at] yahoo.com
If there's anything I have that interests you I'd be more than happy to trade for a few seeds of your Indian Stripe.

And Carolyn, hope you're feeling better soon as well :)

If you can forgive me for changing topics back again, I just have to ask...

****

No apologies needed Lori b'c I was only answering the question put to me by Gary and responded:

This really isn't the time or the place so I'll summarize briefly.

Normally such personal information would be posted in the Conversations area, not here in the Discussion area, but when I'm asked a question out of courtesy I answer and of course I have no control over others commenting. (smile)

(And Carolyn, hope you're feeling better soon as well :))

I'm feeling just fine Lemonwater, I just have some medical issues to deal with and I'm doing so. ( smile)

If Gary runs out of seed may I please make a plea that some of you buy some of your seeds from the small tomato seed companies that are so important in keeping going so many of the heirloom varieties. Many of them operate right on the edge and I'd very much like to see folks support them with purchase of at least *some* of their seed rather than trading.

Just my opinion and yes, I do feel strongly about it or I wouldn't have commented. ( smile)

In this thread I think we've IDed the following for Indian Stripe:

Glenn at sandhillpreservation.com
Mike at Victoryseeds.com

....and I just Googled but didn't see others so if I've missed a commercial source for Indian Stripe, please add it if you know it to be a reliabe source.

SSE members have access to it through the Yearbook.

Thanks,

Carolyn

Hi there, and HAPPY BIRTHDAY TOM8OLVR!!!! Im a bit early, but since Im in New zealand its well into the 27th by now. I only just joined GW (through advice from friends at DG) and saw this thread and your AMAZING looking tomato, WOW! So I rushed to your member page to send you a mail but couldnt find how to (?) but I did notice its your birthday. I hope your having a fantastic day :-)

I would just love to grow some seeds of your stock. Indian Stripe is one Ive wanted for a while now, as CP is one of my favourites. My growing season has just started, Ive got the first 100 or so plants out there, but still keenly collecting seeds of more varieties. I have about 50 varieties to trade with.

If by any chance you have a few seeds left to share Id be very grateful. hooverwing@hotmail.com

Thanks,
Lena

I will add another recommendation for IS. I got my seeds from Carolyn. I do think the weather conditions affect the color. Last year mine were a lot lighter than this year. This year they were very close to CP. I liked both this year. I know there is only one strain of each. But I will say the commercial seeds of CP I bought and grew are nothing like the ones Craig sent me. When I was describing them and the size and that the taste was average at best he sent me some. Growing side by side they are totally different tomatoes. If you have the real McCoys of each they are very good. We had a record drought and most growers had a bad year but both of these did well for me. The PL CP bit the dust though. You can't go wrong growing this tomato. Will also put a plug in for another Carolyn sent me Chapman. A red you can't go wrong with. Jay

I grew Black From Tula this year, and the one that is left that we pulled before the killing frost has stripes. Wonder if all "black" or "purple" tomatoes have a genetic disposition to striping?

****

Caroline, I'm so glad that you are stll able (and willing) to help so many of us out with perplexing questions. I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Edie

It should be interesting to see what happens next year -whether or not it is environmental (I did have some 'stripey' cherokee greens late in the season too). I think I've gotten back to everyone interested in seeds that provided me an e mail.

I do have an update. The love died a slow death on the counter. Last night I gave up all hope of eating it, (OH ALRIGHT, the S/O got sick of the fruit flies and told me to get the thing out of the kitchen window!) before I tossed it I took a few shots and cut it to see it's interal structure. :) It was beaut inside and out as far as I'm concerned.

That tomato either is not ripe or it is a mutation toward green-when-ripe. I hope it is the latter. Looks awful juicy for a late breaker stage tomato. Were all the tomatoes on that plant the same? Did they all retain a lot of green inside when ripe and have that streaky blush through the meat?

Tom8olvr
Please email me at N_J_Gillard@sympatico.ca
Thankyou

That tomato either is not ripe or it is a mutation toward green-when-ripe. I hope it is the latter. Looks awful juicy for a late breaker stage tomato. Were all the tomatoes on that plant the same? Did they all retain a lot of green inside when ripe and have that streaky blush

****

Agree with Bill.

That's not what Indian Stripe looks like inside.

In addition to Bill's questions did all the other Indian Stripes that you cut open this season look like that?

Indian Stripe looks like CP on the inside when ripe and I don't know what they look like inside when not ripe b'c I cut them or eat them when ripe. ( smile)

Carolyn

Are you saying that the internal structure of that tomato
does not look like that of IS? You¡¦re just saying the COLOR is not representative of IS, right? My picture (or the reason for my picture) was to illustrate the internal structure and how few seeds there were¡V not the color, I¡¦m
sorry. My bad. º

The ¡¥stripey¡¦ IS I had/have was/is not GWR. I didn¡¦t treat any of the tomatoes I had early in the season like I did this one. I didn¡¦t have any that rotted like this one ¡V and I never picked any in that funky stripey green stage either (and tried to ripen it on the counter).

The thing that strikes me is Bills picture of the green IS tomatoes on the plant, mine never looked like that. Mine always had stripes on them (this one plant). The deep dark stripes were always on the toms from this plant. I¡¦m sure you saw the picture of it ripe (above).

Gary, what I'm saying is that the internal color of that last photo you showed is not right for a ripe Indian Stripe which should not have greenish areas with a ripe fruit.

I don't remember the internal structure of IS but presume it's close to CP.

I just looked ar cut sections of CP and Cherokee Chocolate and I can count 9-10 smallish seed locules around the periphery but your picture is too large for me to clearly try and count the locules. And there's no green showing in either of those two cut sections from ripe fruits that I looked at.

Carolyn

Tom8olvr,

I guess I jumped to a conclusion regarding the "green when ripe" comment.

It just looked like the gel in the seed cells had ripened up nice and juicy as if the entire interior were soft enough to eat while still remaining largely green in color.

In my experience, the Indian Stripe looks generally the same per structure of the interior, and the flesh ripened from the inside out ... like the core will color up first and the color move out from there. Maybe that's what's showing on your tomato. I just thought it looked a little "streaky" as in a green when ripe with a blush. But in the case of my Indian Stripes, by the time the flesh got to looking that soft and juicy, the entire interior was colored up.

Either way ... good growing ... and I'll be mailing some more different seeds soon.

Bill

I didn't take any more pictures of that dying tomato... sorry.

I hope the 'stripes' show up for you as much as they did for me, Bill. I do have to say again that your greens above don't lool like the greens I had this year on IS.

Should be interesting to see what happens.

Thanks.

Wow....talk about tomato lust...i'm getting the shakes...brother, can you spare a seed?

I order from Sandhill (seeds and chicks!) but it doesn't sound like this trait is universal. I promise to save and pass along anything that turns out looking as throwback/primordial tomato as those babies! Please?? I'd offer a trade, but i'm sure your seedbox is better than mine. I do have tons of tri-color Baby Belle pepper seed, very early, tasty, crazy prolific and downright ornamental ...they were pretty pricey and I gar-own-tee you'll love them.

lynn

On the inside and the outside those tomatoes look like Berkeley Tie Dye tomatoes. If you like the look of those tomatoes in the pictures, you might want to try some Tie Dyes. If anything, they are more striking then the ones pictures. They have a great taste too....very sweet.

Sorry for not getting back to ya.

Lynn, happy to share - please leave your e mail address,
I'll get back to you and send them off..

Bart, I grew BTD, pictures were above also - and this is not
BTD... I agree BTD is a beauty, but in MY garden it was too
late for a repeat - and didn't TOUCH Indian Stripe for taste
and prolific nature. IS WERE much smaller than BTD also.

I order from Sandhill (seeds and chicks!) but it doesn't sound like this trait is universal

****

I'd like to gently disagree .

Did you see the pictures of IS above when the fruits were actually ripe? The stripes were nowheres near as prominent as what most of the photos show which were less ripe fruits.

And as I think I pointed out in a post above CP also can have those distinct stripes which also fade when the fruits are ripe.

I don't think there's any "strain" of IS that's particularly "stripey". ( smile)

And don't forget that weather can also influence gene expression as well.

I've grown IS longer than anyone else in several different seasons and from a couple of different batches of saved seed and I do see prominent stripes when fruits are immature, just as I often see with CP, but they become much less distinct with fruit maturation as was shown above.

Carolyn, who is so very pleased that so many folks like Indian Stripe but is uncomfortable with the suggestion that there's some kind of more "stripey" strain around.

Carolyn, have you ever seen stripes on Indian Stripe as prominent as those shown on Tom8olvr's pictures in this thread?

I'd also like to ask Clyde Burson, Jr. if he remembers seeing such prominent striping on mature or nearly mature Indian Stripe fruit in his father's garden.

Bart, didn't you get stripes like those on some Cherokee Purple tomatoes you grew in Virginia this summer? I think I remember you posting some pictures in another thread. And I got some seeds from you, too.

hoosier -
Yes! I got stripes just like those on a Cherokee Purple that I grew last year. I saved the seeds from that tomato and re-grew them this year and I didn't get any stripes at all! Bummer.

Did you grow any plants from the seeds I sent you?

Bart

Carolyn, have you ever seen stripes on Indian Stripe as prominent as those shown on Tom8olvr's pictures in this thread?

*****

Only on immature fruits Bill.

There's a reason why Clyde Burson Sr. told Donna, my source of seeds, that the variety was known locally as Indian Stripe or Indian Zebra, isn't there, as the pictures in this thread have amply shown. ( smile)

And yes, I also can see prominent stripes on Cherokee Purple as well, but again, on only immature fruits.

And Craig sent me seeds for CP right after he got them from John Green in TN, so my line of CP goes back to pretty much the beginning.

Are the stripes on the immature fruits of both CP and IS as distinct each time I've grown them? Nope, but most of the time. That's why I mentioned weather above, b'c I do know that variations in same can alter gene expression.

Carolyn, who might mention that the dark wedges of green seen near the stem on immature fruits of the variety Variegated also show varability and I do think that's due to weather variables, mainly the cooler it is the darker the wedges and the size of them on the fruit and the distinctness of the cream variegation on the foliage and stems. But the fruits have always ripened up full red as I know others have experienced as well.

Boy, I'll be glad when I've given all this seed away and
we can forget this tomato! ha ha ha!

I'm not suggesting anything to make anyone uncomfortable - I
hope! :)

I only know that this is my first year with IS. I grew two
plants from the seed I rec'd. The plants were right next to
one another (I say that b/c I grow tomatoes in any spot I
can possibly find - some are planted on the other side of the
house nearer the water).

One of the plants had fruit with
that striping through it's immature stage and when ripe - and
Carolyn is absolutely right - they did fade significantly
when ripe. The immature fruit on that tomato plant did NOT
look like anything that Bill showed with his green fruit. It
never looked like that - not ever. We also have to keep in
mind I picked that fruit GREEN in hopes that it would ripen
on the counter (which it did not do). I didn't have any others
that riped like that (b/c I left them on the vine!) :)

The OTHER plant had little to no striping. The immature toms
looked like what Bill posted above.

All this being said: this was also my first year with Cherokee Green. It was
grown also in the same patch. It was also VERY striped for
me. I saved seed from that also. It was not like ANYTHING above (not that it would
even be that pronounced because it doesn't redden up like
IS) but it was striped.

The cherokee green stripes would suggest to me that the striping
was environmental... but that does not explain why 2 IS's
grown right next to one another were so different... :)

Good luck.

Thanks Gary, I would still like to try this one...instar8@verizon.net. The offer of the pepper seeds still stands, if you like sweet peppers, you'll adore these, I think they'd do great in containers too. I was also impressed with Polfast tomato this year, it was earlier than Stupice for me, and just kept on pumping out nice fruit til frost, i don't see much mention of it here.

I'd love to try the BTDs, too. I couldn't find them anywhere, I'd be happy to trade for a few seeds as well!