"Babe's" Garden

Vicki Wisener wrote: 

  My name is Vicki.  I live outside of Wichita, KS.  Zone 6 is our planting zone.

  For the past 4 years I have been planting Enterprise tomatoes.  I prefer Enterprise 
 for one reason:  They are the only single tomatoe that I can count on to be
 1) meaty for salsa
 2) delicious on the table
 3) abundant producer
 4) attractive looking tomatoe to give to friends!

  Need I say more.  I have a nursery in Wichita order the seed, then they start 
 the tomatoes and sell seedlings.  I don't know if other nurseries have caught 
 on yet.  It would take quite a tomatoe to get me to change my mind.

Karen Fairfield wrote: 

  I don't think I ever had any tomato that I did not like, however I just
  love Brandywine.  We live in Northern Indiana and that tomato seems to
  adapt well to our soil and weather conditions.  Heirlooms are my
  favorite in general.  Just think the flavor is usually better.  Goliath
  is a good hybrid that also performs well in our area.  Love your web site. 
  Thanks,
  Karen Fairfield

  

SAKS wrote: 

  mine is also the sweet 100
  very hardy, relatively disease free
  abundant fruit grows well in south africa and new zealand
  just great in salads and needs little attention
  my all time favorite!!!!!!
  nice site many thanks
  al in new zealand

  

DAVEINBHAM@aol.com wrote: 

  My favorite tomato is red brandywine
  Dave

SMaclin wrote: 

  My favorites for both taste and production are:  Dona, Goliath & Champion.

Dennis or Janice Johnson wrote: 

  Hi,

  I have really enjoyed your web page and have made it a link on my home page,
  which is:
    volcano.net/~pinetown



  This was my first year to grow tomatoes at my new home.  I tried 34 early
  varieties: Siletz, Gold Dust, Principe Borgese, Taxi, Kotlas, Ruby (a test
  variety from Johnny's), Santiam, Big Beef, Odorika, Milano, First Lady,
  Pruden's Purple, Matt's Wild Cherry, Early Cascade, Tigerella, Stupice,
  Moskvich, Ruby Cluster, Sun Cherry, Black Plum, Ruby Pearl, Bellstar,
  Oaxacan, Sun Gold, Daybreak, Golden Pearl, Whippersnapper, Johnny's 361,
  Oregon Spring, Super Bush and Red Currant.  There were a couple more, but
  there names a in question.

  I started all the plants from seed and I was pleased to have no problems
  with disease or pests.  They were all grown in raised beds with container
  mix for soil (something the local dirt guy made up), except the last 5
  plants which were grown in pots.  The plants in pots were not on the drip
  system, so they were at my mercy for water, and they did not do as well.  I
  added bone meal at planting, and fertilized twice with fish emulsion.  No
  other special care was given.

  Pruden's Purple was also one of my favorites.  I was disappointed with the
  flavor of most of my tomatoes.  Maybe that is because most of them were
  "early tomatoes".  My cherry tomatoes had the best tomato taste, with both
  Ruby Pearl and Ruby getting a score of 73 (out of a possible 80) at the
  tomato tasting held in September at the local farmers market.  I also like
  Matt's Wild Cherry but that opinion is not share by everyone, as it only
  scored 64.  Dona won the red tomato catagory with a score of 70, and Kotlas
  followed with 68. In the not red catagory taxi won with 59, and then Big
  Belgium Gold with 58.  Two real dogs in this category were Evergreen 41 and
  Oaxacan 39 (which is also just an ugly tomato).

  If you would like to try any of these tomatoes I still have extra seeds of
  most of the.  I am now working on my list of tomatoes for '98.  My goal is
  to find 5 or 6 outstanding tomato to grow in my area (zone 7).

  Thanks for the great web page,

  Janice

bing smith wrote: 

  I live in zone 13 and think I have had great resuls with Champion,  they
  are not too large but the flavor and texture are what a tomato is all
  about. GREAT TASTE.

Eric Yendall wrote: 

  I brought back some tomato seeds from Australia last year and grew a
  variety called "tommy toe". Cutesy name but very nice small round
  tomatoes. Good colour and flavour, and prolific. Indeterminate. About 3
  times the size of a sweet 100 cherry tomato. They grew well up here in
  Ottawa zone 4-5. I think I still have a few seeds left if anyone is
  interested.

  Eric Yendall

jess@mcmedia.com.au wrote: 

  hi,
  I am fairly new to growing tomatoes. I put is about 10 varieties this
  year and the winner was the Black Russian Heirloom for me. Hard to get alot of
  fruit out of them but next year I will add more.
  How can I get my hands on a Brandywine tomato plant it look as if its
  one of the best in America. The gross lisse is a favorite here.
  Thanks

  

Fiona Galbraith wrote: 

  We are in Zone 3 in Manitoba, Canada.  Last  year we grew some Ultra
  Sweet and really liked them, so planted some again this year.  They are
  listed as 3" tomato but actually were smaller, but very nice shape and
  size.  They are somewhat similar to Celebrity which we also grew last
  year but a bit smaller.  I always grow Sweet 100's also, and this year
  have planted a Sweet Million to try.

  I have never seen Red Brandywine which a lot of people on the favourites
  listing mention, but will keep an eye out for it.

  Cutworms got a couple of our tomatoes this year before we took action to
  stop them and one of the replacements we got is called "Believe it or
  Not" Tomato (that's all).  It will be interesting to see what we get.  I
  haven't heard of this type before, although it may not be an actual
  variety.  In one store here, the tags said only 4" tomato for many of
  them, so there's no telling what type they actually are.

Mora wrote:

 I am trying 23 varieties this season.
 Last season, the winners when taste AND yield were considered were Early
 Girl and Husky Gold. Brandywines are very tasty but yield is very low.
 Nevertheless, I've got 3 Brandywines going this season.
 chile katz

As growers and sellers at the Placerville, CA Farmer's Market, we have
introduced the "Pomodoro" tomato with great success.  It is an all
purpose type...great for everything!  For location and more information,
just contact us at our e-mail address tmatomn@pacbell.net.

Darrell and Alauna Bray
Shingle Springs, CA

Ted Fairfield wrote: 

  Love Golith for a hybrid and the best every is the good old Brandywine
  heirloom.In general I prefer the open pollinated over the hybrids.

Tina M. Didyoung wrote: 

  My favorite tomato is called a polish tomato. It is a very large tomato
  with a pinkish hue. It's very juicy and sweet. One slice fits nicely on
  a hamburger. I grow these every year and have many requests from friends
  for these tomatoes.

Jj22391 wrote: 

  The Cape Cod Master Gardeners had a taste test last year. Of the 22 varieties
  tasted, celebrity and Yellow Brandywine were just best tasting.

Angela Sterry wrote:

   I live in Madison,Tn. Last year I grew 125 tomato plants of 12 different varites. My garden 
  is approx. 90ft by 40ft. All were staked (mistake) and out of the 12 two stood out from the 
  rest. They were supersonic & floramerica. both were high producers with excellent flavor. I 
  use a minimum of fertilizer. (ironite) 

Rose Alene McArthur wrote:

 Orange banana is a prolific bearer of paste tomatoes.  I grow it on a trellis of hog wire as it has a sprawling vine.
 Amish paste has a very large fruit for a paste tomato.  It has very few seeds and little juice. 
 Pineapple has huge fruits, low acid, yellow with some red striping on the bottom of the fruit.  Distinctive flavor.
 Prairie fire was developed under a different name by the University of Idaho.  It will stand cool growing conditions
 and gives a very good crop of flavorful tomatoes slightly larger than a golf ball.  In spite of being a cool weather 
 tomato, it withstood a month and a half of hundred degree weather this summer and is still doing well.  It could 
 have a little more leaves to shade the fruit.
 
                                  Sincerely yours,  Rose Alene McArthur obmcarthur@clearwater.net
                                  in the bottom of the Clearwater River Canyon in Idaho   Zone 6

Steve Strickler in Dayton, OH  Zone 5B wrote:

 3 weeks ago, we held our annual Tomato Tasting.  We tasted 18 of the 38
 varieties I am growing this year (the better ones of course).  Aunt Ruby's
 German Green won, followed by Black Krim, Green Zebra & Georgia Streak..
 My e-mail address: Bogeymeister@MSN.COM

Stuart Dunlop wrote:

 It has to be Brandywine : - large, juicy, firm, fleshy, tasty. A star all round.

Eamonn Burke wrote:

 growing tomatos in bracknell can be a bit of a challenge . but I quite like
 sweet 100 as well it croped very well last year and gave lots of lovely cherry
 tomatos . My father in law who got me onto growing them in the first place
 always grows moneymaker and always does well no matter what the weather . This
 year I tried gardeners delight and golden sunrise (yellow) Ok but light
 intensity was low in bracknell this year and so far yields disappointing .
 Gardners delight does not crop nearly as well as sweet 100 . however in my
 allotment What I suspect is verticullum wilt has struck so next  year its the
 F1 hybrids for me . There is a tomato growers club here . They claim to even
 have one variety (lylia ) which shows good resistance to blight . What is
 Typhoon F1 like ?

Eamonn - berkshire England

Steve Brock wrote:

 I'm here in North Alabama. I have had good luck with the Park's Whopper, the
 Sweet 100, and my top favorite the Better Bush. It is a bush variety of the
 Better Boy. It is strong and compact vine and produces good flavorful fruit
 and is resistant to most tomato diseases. Staking is minimum to none.

 Steve Brock
 Boaz, Al

Rex W. Ulmer wrote:

 If I may, I wish to add my 2 cents worth concerning my favorite tomato.

 I live in East Texas, and we must have early season tomatoes here, like
 many in the south.  Last frost is near April 1st here, and for 1998 I
 planted 3 CELEBRITY, 3 SILETZ, 3 HEATWAVE, 3 SUNMASTER, and 3 FLORIMERICA
 plants.

 I planted 4-1-98, these from homegrown seedlings, and mulched with 8 - 12
 inches of mixed leaves and grass clippings at planting time.  I did not
 know it at the time, but the rain ended this year the week I planted and
 got nary a drop until August 5th, and then only an 1.5".

 We had 100 degree temps from before Memorial day until mid-September.  I
 didn't expect much returns.

 I was surprised to see that CELEBRITY AND SILETZ were the only ones who set
 several dozen fruits per plant during the 100 degree temps.  My plants were
 in full sun from 9 until 4 each day.  I was sorely disappointed in the
 newer heat-set varieties, but will give them one more try.  I learned the
 hard way, one year, that you can sometimes get packets with the wrong
 label, and you don't get what you thought you did!

 I grow organically, and they were all green and healthy, no inscects or
 diseases to speak of, so the intense heat was the determining factor.  I
 watered once every-other week.

 In the past, I have grown in this area with great success -- and I will go
 back to them -- LEMON BOY, and RUTGERS.

 My vote and choice for 1999 in my garden here in East Texas will be more
 CELEBRITY, (and his sister CARNIVAL), RUTGERS, LEMON BOY, and SILETZ.  

 (I suppose that cherries do well here, but I don't like the "automatic
 seeding" they do! , and beefsteak types almost can't do well because
 too much heat way too early!)

 Thanks for the opportunity to write, and "vote!"

 Rex W. Ulmer
 rexulmer@acnet.net
 rexulmer@juno.com

Chris Gellrich wrote:

  This one is an unknown among my friends until, of coarse, they taste it.
  My favorite is called Fourth of July and is advertised as an extra early
  variety. I bought it as seeds from Burpee.

  It produces small tomatoes, certainly larger than cherry tomatoes but
  smaller than Early Girls. The skin is very thing and the fruit is
  susceptible to splitting. The flavor is incredible. I don't care about
  the earliness (it's like Early Girl) but the flavor is unique. It is
  rather sweet but I hate to say that because I normally don't like my
  tomatoes to be sweet. I really must emphasize that even long time tomato
  growers and lovers are very impressed at the Fourth of July's flavor.

  Another far less important and remarkable fact is that the plant is the
  most prolific of all the many types of tomatoes I have grown. It
  produces right up to frost. Because of the flavor I would grow it even
  if it were a poor producer.

  I live in the hillsides of the San Francisco peninsula. I am not sure
  but I believe the Sunset Zone is 24. We have very light frosts if any.
  Summers are not as foggy as San Francisco but not very hot either. (100
  degrees is rare but we have dependable 80's in midsummer bracketed by
  long springs and falls in the 70's.) The other top performing tomato in
  this area tends to be Early Girl.

  I hope you try this truly remarkable tomato. Let me know if you like it.

  Chris Gellrich
  chris_gellrich@excite.com

Kate Coombs wrote:


  Zone 7B, near Atlanta, Ga.

  Thought I had old time favorites until I started growing heirlooms.  The taste of the 
  heirlooms are remarkably better.  My husband who normally can take or leave 
  tomatoes is eating the heirlooms every day and asking for more.  In our house, 
  this is amazing.  He said until   this year the tomatoes were just ordinary.  
  Have not tried enough to really give an experienced opinion yet but this year's 
  favorites are:

  Pink Brandywine - going to try red Brandywine next year
  Yellow Brandywine 
  Pineapple
  Druzba
  German Johnson

  I have 15 varieties and these are the large fruited favorites of the year. 
  Have 3 cherries and still like the sweet taste of Sungold.

  Kate

Barbara Collins wrote:


  Having explored over 25 varieties of tomatoes in the past 7 years I have a
  few favorites that work well in my area.  I'm still into trying all these
  exciting new heirlooms! Here are some of the best I recall...
  
  OPEN POLLINATED:              HYBRID:
  1. Pruden's Purple!                  1. Big Beef (EXCELLENT and many on a plant)
  2. Rutgers                              2. Fantastic
  3. Celebrity                             3. Early Girl
  4. Bonny Best (John Baer)        4. Kootenai
  5. Brandywine (pink)                5. Siletz
  6. Stupice                              6. Oregon Spring
  7. Golden Jubilee                    7. Early Cascade (productive, but flavorless)
  8. Lisa King                            8. Sungold (good, but far over-rated)
  9. Ponderosa Pink (great taste but difficult to grow here; blossom drop)
  
  Barbara writes from the Pacific Northwest

Hi !
 My favorites so far are Old Flame, Snow Ball, Yellow Brandywines, Brandywine, 
 Pineapple, Prudens Purple, and for a sweet cherry, Matts wild Cherry, also a 
 good new one for me this season, Goliath and Big Beef.

                  Gardening Friend, Ivy
 zone 5 Indiana

SEAGUNNER@aol.com wrote:

  GRAINGER COUNTY TOMATOS ARE THE BEST.WORLD KNOWN

I hope Andrew Skier reads this.  I would really appreciate knowing where he acquired his Atkinson tomato seed.
This is a tomato I would really like to try here in Marietta GA (zone 7B).  It was developed right down I-85 at Auburn.

Tomatoes I will be growing this year include Cherokee Purple, Druzba, Lucky Cross, Anait, Legend, Ozark Pink,
Mule Team, Kewalo, Pale Perfect Purple, Anna Russian and Traveler 76.

I always grow Cherokee Purple and at least one of the Arkansas pink varieties (Bradley, Traveler, Traveler-76, Ozark Pink)

Gary Smith   gars@speakeasy.org 

I live in Alabama, & my favorite heirloom that has always done well & tastes great is Quarter Century. 
I have never grown Brandywine because I've heard it can't take the heat in the lower South---has anyone tried it here?