Tomatoes similar to Red Brandywine

[uno]

I grew Red Brandywine the regular leaf variety last season and my Dad really liked them. I will grow them again this season but I'm open to trying new varieties that are similar.

The only drawbacks to them was that they looked sickly as seedlings relative to the other plants and were also slow growing and not very vigorous and some of the plants did not yield very well.

Just wondering if anyone could offer some suggestions on tomatoes that would be similar to Red Brandywine? I might give them a try this season.

Thanks

Jim

[Hermitian]

For Brandywine, I like Brandywine Sudduth Strain. Then there's the Paul Robeson tomato which is a similar size and shape, but dark and an outstanding taste.

[Douglas14]

When I've grown Red Brandywine, it produces some of my healthiest and heartiest looking seedlings.

Nepal is a variety that I'd put in a similar category with Red Brandywine.

[mecktom]

Brandywine Red is one of my favorite and also most dependable tomatoes. It yields well throughout the season. I think you would be happy with Box Car Willie. They are very similar to me.

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by uno

I grew Red Brandywine the regular leaf variety last season and my Dad really liked them. I will grow them again this season but I'm open to trying new varieties that are similar.

The only drawbacks to them was that they looked sickly as seedlings relative to the other plants and were also slow growing and not very vigorous and some of the plants did not yield very well.

Just wondering if anyone could offer some suggestions on tomatoes that would be similar to Red Brandywine? I might give them a try this season.

Thanks

Jim

Jim, similar to Red Brandywine in what ways?

Color, size,leaf form, plant habit as to indet or det, and heaven forbid taste since that's so variable, time to first ripe?, etc.

I'll wait for what you say before I make any suggestions.

Carolyn

[travis]

I found Red Brandywine, Landis Valley Strain to be unique in a few ways. I'm sure you could find other varieties that share one or two significant attributes, like Druzba reminded me of Red Brandywine, LVS in fruit size, shape, color, and flavor. But still, with regard to characteristics like vine structure, disease tolerance in cool/wet weather, overall plant health, robust growth, overall yield, and fruit quality, Red Brandy, LVS is heads above Druzba.

So, I suppose like Carolyn, I'd need to know exactly what attributes you are looking for to be nearly identical to Red Brandywine and which attributes you are looking to for improvement.

[uno]

Thanks Richard, Douglas14, Mecktom, Carolyn, and Travis.

Richard

Brandwine Sudduth is my Dad's all time favorite tomato.

Carolyn

I was just looking for a tomato about the same size and color and indet that tastes similar...and I know the taste is subjective.


Douglas, Mecktom and Travis

I'm wondering if I got a different strain than what you guys are growing. Because mine were so pathetic looking when I finally put them outside that I thought they would not make it. And they took a long time to get going when outside.

Jim

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by uno

Thanks Richard, Douglas14, Mecktom, Carolyn, and Travis.

Richard

Brandwine Sudduth is my Dad's all time favorite tomato.

Carolyn

I was just looking for a tomato about the same size and color and indet that tastes similar...and I know the taste is subjective.


Douglas, Mecktom and Travis

I'm wondering if I got a different strain than what you guys are growing. Because mine were so pathetic looking when I finally put them outside that I thought they would not make it. And they took a long time to get going when outside.

Jim

Jim, there are no different strains of Red Brandywine, but there are different seed sources.

Where did you get yours?

http://t.tatianastomatobase.com/wiki...b=General_Info

Above is the link to RB at Tania's site and click on Seed Availability to see who is listing it. I could make some suggestions if you want me to.

On the main RB page look at the history below and you'll see it was Tom Hauch who first got RB out of SSE and commercialized it, his site is one of them but there has been some illness in his family and some have not been able to get any seeds. Hopefully that situation has been resolved. And that he sent seeds to Steve Miller at the Landis Museum and it was Steve who got the background info on RB

Linda at TGS lists a RB she Ids as a strain she calls Landis, but there are no strains of RB and all that should mean is that she got the seeds from the Landis Museum/

Does that help?

Carolyn, who first grew RB back in maybe 1990, from a person who listed it in the SSE YEarbooks and it's always done great for her and I know the same can be said for most who grow RB, so I'm not so sure why your plants were sickly.

[Fred Hempel]

For me, Neves Azorean compares well with Red Brandywine (but I wouldn't call it better).

[Douglas14]

My Red Brandywine source was the SSE public catalog. I mentioned Nepal, because it's another good tasting medium-sized red globe. I'm sure there are many more, if that's what you are looking for. I'm trying Abraham Lincoln this season, because from what I've read about it, it sounds promising. I probably should grow a Red Brandywine plant this year as well, as it seems like a good benchmark to compare others to.

[AKmark]

I second Neves Azorean Red, good producer and has a great taste. Brandywine OTV is also very good

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by AKmark

I second Neves Azorean Red, good producer and has a great taste. Brandywine OTV is also very good

Since I was the first to introduce Neves Azorean Red, I like it a lot,and did the dehybridization that led to OTV Brandywine, I like that one a lot too.

But it seems to me that the original poster is looking for alternative sources for Red Brandywine seeds or I'd be making a very long list here of red fruited varieties that I also like.

But I'm not going to do that.

Carolyn

[b54red]

One of the few new to me varieties I am going to try this year is Red Brandywine because it is one of those tomatoes that gets good reviews from most gardeners. I hope I can graft it to a hardy rootstock that will give it better resistance to fusarium and nematodes down here. I love Neves Azorean Red but it has been one of the more difficult varieties for me to successfully graft; but I hope to get a few good ones this year.

Bill

[uno]

Thanks Carolyn, Fred Hempel, Douglas14, AKMark and b54red.


Carolyn

Someone sent me the seeds for the Red Brandywine. It was supposed to be originally from Victory Seeds. I think the seeds were kind of old by the time I got around to trying them...I don;t know if that made any difference.

Thanks for the info and I'm open to any suggestions and I am looking for other tomato varieties that are similar to Red Brandywine....not only different seed sources.


Jim

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by uno

Thanks Carolyn, Fred Hempel, Douglas14, AKMark and b54red.


Carolyn

Someone sent me the seeds for the Red Brandywine. It was supposed to be originally from Victory Seeds. I think the seeds were kind of old by the time I got around to trying them...I don;t know if that made any difference.

Thanks for the info and I'm open to any suggestions and I am looking for other tomato varieties that are similar to Red Brandywine....not only different seed sources.


Jim

OK Jim, we're back to similar to Red Brandywine and I ask the same questons again.

Taste can't be a criteron since taste is personal and perceptual and many uncontrolable variables are involved.

So how about leaf form, plant habit, fruit size and color and a midseason variety or later.

As much as I love Neves Azorean Red and OTV Brandywine and Aker's West VA and Chapman and Red Penna, and Cuostralee, etc., their fruit size is much larger, days to ripe fruits generally later, plant habits would be the same and not all have RL foliage and about the only way that they are similar is that they have red fruits.

So please help us by defining what specific attributes you're looking for.

Carolyn