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Old August 21, 2018   #14
Cole_Robbie
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Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Illinois, zone 6
Posts: 8,407
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Rutgers is a good suggestion. And I like that description of it as "classic red determinate." There are a few different Rutgers varieties out there. It may have changed a bit over the decades. Celebrity is another variety that may also have changed over the years. Many people have shared good experiences with it, but mine were like red rocks.

When you look at determinate varieties in a catalog like Johnny's, they are catering to small farmers and market growers. Shelf life and firmness are a priority. The vendor across the way from me at market might sell a thousand bucks worth of tomatoes on a good day. But they are all those firm hybrids from Johnny's. They store them in plastic flats that would leave imprints on anything I grow, but it's ok because they are so firm. I've seen their workers pour out buckets of them with little worry of damage. Customers seem to love those big, firm tomatoes, but they are not to my liking at all as far as something to eat.
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