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Growing Tomatoes

Please help me choose varieties for next year!

16 years ago

If you could only grow six plants, which of the following varieties would you choose and why:

Opalka

Black Prince

Stupice

Brandywine Sudduth

Kellogg's Breakfast

Cherokee Purple

Jaune Flammee

Rostova

Heidi

Paul Robeson

White Queen

Riesentraube

Olena Ukranian

Coustralee

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Comments (11)

carolyn137
16 years ago
If you could only grow six plants, which of the following varieties would you choose and why:

******

I don't currently make sauce so would not be growing the ones I indicated, and for an early I'd probably grow Matina instead of Stupice, just personal preference re taste. I've grown all on your list and have simply starred the ones that **I** would prefer. And I'm not a great lover of so called blacks, but do like Cherokee Purple and Black from Tula.

And yes, I starred 7, not 6. ( smile)

Opalka ( for sauce)
Black Prince ( see above)
Stupice ( see above)
*Brandywine Sudduth ( does well where I live)
*Kellogg's Breakfast ( ditto)
*Cherokee Purple ( ditto)
*Jaune Flammee ( lovely color and taste)
*Rostova ( decent taste and production)
Heidi ( for sauce)
Paul Robeson ( see above re blacks)
White Queen ( best white for me,but I like others here better)
Riesentraube ( these days prefer non-cherry size)
*Olena Ukranian ( does very well for me)
*Coustralee ( does very well for me)

Carolyn
feraltomatoes
16 years ago
Seedboy,

I also live in Napa and could share some seeds with you that are not on your list that I think are good.
Also noticed your birthday is 2 days after mine while looking at your home page.

Let me know.

Brad.
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IÂve grown some of those, and the only ones I would grow again are Brandywine Sudduth and Cherokee Purple. Maybe worth the bother, even if you only get one or two tomatoes per bush for the season. As commented above, Stupice produces lots of supermarket flavored fruit. Jaune Flammee never sweetened up for me, stayed sour the whole season. Heidi was okay, but there are better tasting red cherry tomatoes. White Queen was pretty blah. Coustralee didnÂt produce anything. Other tomato varieties are just better. Goose Creek produced the earliest crop of large, flavorful tomatoes, took a short summer break, rebloomed in the fall, and is still green, loaded with medium and small fruit, while most everything else is frozen dead. San Marzano Redorato produced a small but steady crop of pasta tomatoes that made the most wonderful dried tomatoes in the dehydrator, for my sonÂs "sun dried tomato" recipes popular now. The flavor is far superior to the expensive bottles of dried tomatoes in the store. IÂve been ordered to plant lots of bushes again next year. Sun Sugar is the most wonderful yellow cherry tomato- one I would never be without. Momotaro has the best flavor for me of the large tomatoes, but doesnÂt produce much. The next best large tomato is Brandy Boy. It produced a good crop of large, tasty tomatoes early and consistently throughout the season. Your tastes may differ.
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malbrecht58
16 years ago
I live about two hours north of you in Mendocino County, but I'm not sure how similar your weather is to ours. I have grown some of the tomatoes on your list.

Stupice: great production all season; average taste (for an heirloom, that is).
Brandywine, Sudduth's: poor production; wonderfully complex taste more than compensates.
Kellogg's Breakfast: great production in mid-season; superb taste and amazing color.
Cherokee Purple: perhaps the most popular heirloom up here;
great production and taste.
Riesentraube and Olena Ukrainian: spectacular plants, no disease problems, and great production and taste.

Most of us--well, I at least--owe Carolyn a debt of gratitude for her book, which introduced us to these and other varieties.
seedboy
Original Author
16 years ago
Thanks to everyone for your advice.

Scott
tomatoesaretops
16 years ago
I grew Riesentraube last year - they were WONDERFUL. Paul robeson is also wonderful.

A big thumbs down to Flamme. I had a difficult time with White Queen this year - but there was a terrible drought this year so I don't know if that was the problem. Didn't love the taste of stupice.
seedboy
Original Author
16 years ago
"Didn't love the taste of stupice."

I grew Stupice this year and didn't love the flavor either, but I liked it enough to grow it again. It's very productive for me. Also, I like it better than Early Girl. If you know of a better early tomato than Stupice, I'd like hear about it. I might take Carolyn's advice and grow Matina instead.
neoguy
16 years ago
Seedboy,

If I were you I would jump on that offer from Feraltomatoes (Brad),
tomatogreenthumb
16 years ago
has anyone tried Early Goliath for a replacement for Early Girl??
seedboy
Original Author
16 years ago
"If I were you I would jump on that offer from Feraltomatoes (Brad)"

You're right. I sent him an email, but he hasn't responded yet. He's probably been busy. He's certainly got a number of interesting varieties.
tom8olvr
16 years ago
I gotta say, I'd be all over that Feraltomatoes offer too...
Also like to add that I've grown:

Opalka (good for canning, eating fresh, sauce - anything)
Stupice (liked the taste but didn't produce well for me)
Brandywine Sudduth (YUM, enough said)
Cherokee Purple (Again, YUM!)
Heidi (Didn't produce well for me)
Paul Robeson (Didn't produce well for me)
Riesentraube (tasted great, but had TONS of seeds)
Olena Ukranian (Yum)
Coustralee (large and Yum)

I think you've made some great choices! :)

Tom
lewinkc
16 years ago
tomatogreenthumb

I've grown Early Goliath, and it's not that early for me. But it is productive, and has larger fruit, with better taste than Early Girl. Although I primarily grow heirlooms, I think the Goliath hybrids are pretty good.

Lew

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