Tomatoville® Gardening Forums - View Single Post - Stupice sent from Prague with three other varieties?

hl2601 · May 3, 2018

I really like the earliness of Stupice and grow it every year. I was researching it's background for a friend and came upon this from the Victory Seeds site.

"Forest Shomer, founder of the Abundant Life Seed Foundation (ALSF), received this variety from Czechoslovakian tomato breeder named Milan Sodomka in 1976. It seems that Mr. Sodomka read an article about the ALSF in a copy of Rodale's "Organic Gardening Magazine" and was inspired to reach out. And this was during the Cold War. He wrote:
"Prague, 24/3 1976

Dear Sir:

I am a permanent reader of 'The Organic Gardening and Farming' and the January issue I have read a very interesting article: 'Special seeds for special needs' and your successful undertaking. I beg to ask you for your catalog and some trial seeds esp. of your tomatoes, onions, lettuce, Marigold and Verbena for now. In the contrary I am enclosing four varieties of our Czechoslovak tomatoes and two East German bush varieties which proved here very well. And one Bulgarian variety too.

I am 70 and in spite of this I am most happy when I can try something new in my garden. Please to write me if you have some wish I could accomplish. I thank you in advance!

Very sincerely yours,

Milan Sodomka"[1]"

Do any of you wise TV people know what were the other three varieties he sent? Have they flourished and become well known varieties here as well? Just wondering.. it's a great story.

May 3, 2018	#1
hl2601 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2017 Location: Metro Denver Posts: 760	Stupice sent from Prague with three other varieties? I really like the earliness of Stupice and grow it every year. I was researching it's background for a friend and came upon this from the Victory Seeds site. "Forest Shomer, founder of the Abundant Life Seed Foundation (ALSF), received this variety from Czechoslovakian tomato breeder named Milan Sodomka in 1976. It seems that Mr. Sodomka read an article about the ALSF in a copy of Rodale's "Organic Gardening Magazine" and was inspired to reach out. And this was during the Cold War. He wrote: "Prague, 24/3 1976 Dear Sir: I am a permanent reader of 'The Organic Gardening and Farming' and the January issue I have read a very interesting article: 'Special seeds for special needs' and your successful undertaking. I beg to ask you for your catalog and some trial seeds esp. of your tomatoes, onions, lettuce, Marigold and Verbena for now. In the contrary I am enclosing four varieties of our Czechoslovak tomatoes and two East German bush varieties which proved here very well. And one Bulgarian variety too. I am 70 and in spite of this I am most happy when I can try something new in my garden. Please to write me if you have some wish I could accomplish. I thank you in advance! Very sincerely yours, Milan Sodomka"[1]" Do any of you wise TV people know what were the other three varieties he sent? Have they flourished and become well known varieties here as well? Just wondering.. it's a great story.