Quote:
Originally Posted by PaulF
I have grown each of those varieties and they are no more resistant than any other variety in a home garden. Maybe a couple days more resistant but not enough to really make a difference unless you have 400 acres planted and a couple days lets you get your harvest in to save the farm.
For most of us cultural practices make more difference that any resistances bred into a tomato. Chef's Choice and the Mountain Series being hybrid have the resistance bred in. Old Brooks is an older commercial open pollenated variety (one of my favorite varieties). They may be listed as being resistant but not so anyone could notice any different than any other variety. Grow what sounds ands and tastes good I say.
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I am not sure if what I am going to say also applies to alternaria (early blight), as my greatest problem has always been phythophthora (late blight), but focusing on resistant varieties pays off. There's one problem though. If the seller says a variety is resistant, it may or may not be quite true. Resistance sells seeds. It's really necessary to verify the claims.
I had a serious problem with lb last year. I don't use any chemical prevention and the result was that if I hadn't had lb resistant varieties (Mountain Magic, Crimson Crush, Cocktail Crush) my season would have finished at the beginning of September. The resistant ones lasted until the first frost, i.e. the beginning of November. I still have a few tomatoes ripening in my pantry at the moment. And the taste? Now it's nothing special, but in the summer and fall they were excellent - nine on a scale 0 - 10.
Yes, alternaria is not as deadly as phythophthora and yes, my climate conditions are different from those in Missouri. However, looking for resistant cultivars is not a bad idea. They can save your day.
Milan HP