I grew it last year for the first time. I have to say the taste and texture really were phenomenal. It's definitely my new favorite tasting red. That said however, production was very low and I only got about 6 tomatoes off of my one plant. Of course, last year was a very bad year for most tomatoes here so that's probably a fluke (I had soil problems).

I believe that Ray also grew Goose Creek and it was one of his favorite. He usaually checks in from time to time and will add more information on it. I've linked to the posting Ed's Millennium tomato posting look at Raybo's 12/14/08 posting plus his pictures are great eye candy at this time of year! I'll have to wait till 2010 to plant Goose Creek. To small a back yard for the 10 + plants my wife asked for in 09.

George

Here is a link that might be useful: Goose Creek

Hi. I have grown Goose Creek for the past two years. I love it. I counted at least 45 tomatoes on one plant this year (probably more but I think I lost count). It was the first to ripen in my container garden and it was a lot like the energizer bunny in that it just kept going and going. I am for sure going to order another one this year. It is a keeper. Cbad

Beautiful, coral rose tomato with the most appealing flattened globe shape, totally blemish free, and a meaty interior with widely dispersed, very small seed cells and a delicious flavor. That was year #1 ... 2006.

Year #2, 2007, smaller, more egg-shaped, smaller, more fruit per vine, softer flesh, larger more open seed cells with more gel, flavor not there, went down in the heat. Did not return in 2008.

For my space, Bradley is comparable with regard to size, shape and flavor, and Traveler and Burgundy Traveler are far superior, and all three aforementioned way outpace Goose Creek in ability to stand up to and produce in the heat and humidity. And all that stuff about "2-stage ripening" in Goose Creek is bunk.

tworivers,

Last year, Goose Creek won First Place when I held my "Great Tomato Taste-off" (in a phone booth)! Seriously, taste is in the eye of the beholder, but I found it to be tops with me.

Having said that for 2008, weather, rain, and other growing conditions can vary from year to year, so while am hoping Goose Creek will pull my "honker" again in 2009, I always will plant Earl's Faux and Ed's Millennium to round out the menu.

p.s. "Goose" me an email if you need some seeds.....

Raybo

Ray,

Thanks for the offer and if you don't mind I will take you up on it. Nothing ventured nothing gained.

Hoosier, Is Traveler the same as Arkansas traveler?

Mark

Anyone have a picture of the fruits? A friend grew one from saved seeds, tomatoes were nice looking blemish free and quite roundish beefsteak-type tomatoes (not flattened, also not overly meaty). They took forever to ripen, and were quite firm when ripe. Taste and texture were not overly spectacular, pretty run of the mill in fact. Found a pic on Lauren's site, but these did not really look like that, and wondering whether his seeds might have been cross-pollenated or simply the wrong seeds.

anthony toronto

I've linked picture of Goose Creek

From Hanna's site

http://www.heirloomtomatoplants.com/What%20M3.jpg

http://www.thisgardenisillegal.com/2006/08/goose-creek-hannas-tomato-tastings.html

http://tomatoaddict.blogspot.com/2008_03_16_archive.html

Here is a link that might be useful: Goose Creek

My Goose Creek plants were memorable as they had the most lush foliage of any of the 25+ varieties that I grew in 2008.

{{gwi:1400075}}

In the picture, the 3 linked tomatoes on the one stem (top left) were Goose Creek. Ed's Millennium is directly below. Big Beef is to the far right.

{{gwi:1400076}}

Raybo

Ray

Those Goose Creek Tomatoes look great!!! Might just need to find more room in my tiny townhouse backyard. They just call out to ya. Thanks for all your help, finished building my Earthtainers II and compiling my notes so I don't make the mistakes for my 2009 growing season.

George

The shape of those pics from Ray look similar to what he had, though the leftover flower leaves did not look like that from what I remember, but maybe it was our horrible weather last summer (his garden was smashed by hail and water worse than mine was). Nothing that either of us grew looked as full as that plant!

Geeboss thanks for the links. The pics from Hanna's Garden look similar on the exterior, but the meat and colour of the exterior don't resemble the ones that he grew. Oh well, one flower were bagged and some seeds were saved, so both of us can give it a try next year and see what we can get. One bonus was the link to tomato addict -- I have been trying to find mojito mint for years, and it looks like Richter's Herbs (which is about 20 minutes away from me) might have some seeds. Nice!

Two Rivers,

Yes, Traveler is called Arkansas Traveler. But the proper name for the tomato is Traveler.

It was bred by Dr. Joe McFerran of the University of Arkansas, and released in 1970.

Dr. McFerran also bred Bradley, which is one of the parents of Traveler, in fact. Bradley was released in 1961.

Even though Bradley has thin skin and tender meat, I've never had a Bradley develop radial or concentric cracks, but I have had the skin split after rainstorms. The Bradley I grew this summer were superior to those I've grown before, and I had none split or crack whatsoever.

Traveler will crack occasionally. But there is another cousin in the line-up called Traveler 76, an improvement over Traveler, and which is "dark pink when mature (with) better fruit size and increased crack resistance" according to Victory Seeds. I've never grown Traveler 76, but have been meaning to for 3 years.

Burgundy Traveler? I don't know where it fits into the line up, but I got some from SelectedPlants.com, and it's a truly wonderful tomato, beautiful deep pink when fully ripe, and more solid inside than Traveler or Bradley. I grew some in a raised bed and some in 10-gallon containers, and it did just as well in containers as Bradley. Great tomato.

And after looking at Ray's Goose Creek tomatoes, I think I'll give it another shot!

BTW, all these tomatoes are good heat setters.

Bill

Hi All,

Here is a Goose Creek that I am growing in Florida that I picked today. In my opinion, flavor is one of the best that I have tried.

Are Goose Creek seeds available commercially anywhere? I've searched, but to no avail.

... maybe what I grew wasn't Goose Creek???

The outside looks the same, basically, but look at the inside ...

The artwork on the paper plate is supposed to give it that festive Gullah ambience.

Is it working for you?

And Carolyn, tell us what you have to say about Jimmy Williams, his anecdotal history of this variety ...
you know, how the seeds were smuggled into the barrier islands of Georgia on his great grandma's apron strings ...
and his attempts to have the tomato patented :::poke poke:::

Never seen it for sale by seed. I got mine from a lady in Southern California.
I think she got hers out of a tomato she bought at the market ... maybe Jimmy's own stand.

Good job on your artwork! LOL
I am also puzzled about this variety. The early tomatoes that I had were about the same taste and size but seeds so small that when I tried to save them, I think they went down the drain even tough I used the finest strainer that I could find.

Now, I am getting same size tomatoes, same taste, different seeds?
I can see seeds! Therefore, I can save them.

Overall, is a good variety for me because is small size and I can keep it in a container. Maybe in the ground gets taller? I don't know...

Raybo-
I was checking out your page for your e-mail to follow up on your kind seed offer, but no e-mail is listed. So I'd love to "shoot you an e-mail" but as to how to do this....?

Thanks so much

Carla in Sac

carla,

Go to this site and click on the "Contact Us" tab, then send my your address and I will get the Goose Creek seeds out to you. No SASE necessary.

Raybo

http://www.earthtainer.org/

Here is a link that might be useful: EarthTainer link