Some folks on this forum are spending the time and effort to genetically resurrect or rediscover the original "Rutgers" variety or cultivar. I'm not sure of the correct terminology to describe it. I wish them good luck, but some things when lost are simply lost. I'm not sure how anyone could verify an accurate comparison of a Rutgers grown today to an "original" Rutgers. That is why I usually grow a few old open pollinated varieties in my garden each year and save fresh seed. Hopefully someone in the future will ask if anyone has seed from one of the varieties I've grown.
I grew a Rutgers a few years ago which I had purchased from a nursery. I really wasn't aware of the discussion about new Rutgers versus old Rutgers. When I grew it, I wasn't very happy with it. It was a medium height plant that grew and bloomed well in the spring. I could see a few tomatoes on the plant. One day, I noticed the plant was looking a little sickly. Within three or four days, the plant had died and the leaves had fallen revealing a huge crop of bright red, perfectly formed. tennis ball sized tomatoes. The way the plant had died made me believe it was diseased. After I disposed of the "diseased plant and tomatoes without saving seed or eating one, I discovered the Rutgers variety is supposed to be determinate and I had destroyed the plant and fruit for doing what commercial growers wanted the original Rutgers to do. The plant died according to it's genetic schedule leaving a very good harvest of commercially valuable tomatoes on the dead vines waiting to be harvested and used. I think I may been to stupid to recognize what I had grown, I hope I get another change to accidentally grow an "original" lrutgers If my nursery has Rutgers from the same grower this year, I will try again..I harvested some fresh compost last week from my compost pile. The compost i harvested is about three years old and probably contains seed from the tomatoes I tossed. If I get any volunteers from the compost pile, I will grow them out and see if I can save seed from them if they look like the tomato i grew on my Rutgers vine.
Ted
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