Hillbilly Tomato

dpurdy · April 13, 2013

I've started some Hillbilly tomatoes from some seeds that I received from a friend. I've never tried these before and would like some to get some feedback from anyone who have tried this variety. My friend said that they are one of the sweetest tomatoes that he grows and that they grow to average 1 to 2 pounds each. I know they're a beefsteak OP tomato, and that's about all I know about them. Any info about these would be appreciated.
dpurdy

April 13, 2013

They are one of my favorite multicolored tomatoes. For me, they have been a good producer of large tomatoes. When you slice one, the slices appear marbled with pink. yellow, orange, and light green colors. They are sweeter than I usually prefer, but they are still good tasting.

Ted

Worth1 · April 14, 2013

I have grown them three times in three years.

Of those three times I got one tomato.

It was one of the best tomatoes I have ever had.

What a drag.

I hope everyone does better than me with this tasty hillbilly.

Worth

COMPOSTER · July 10, 2013

Quote:

Originally Posted by Worth1

I have grown them three times in three years.

Of those three times I got one tomato.

It was one of the best tomatoes I have ever had.

What a drag.

I hope everyone does better than me with this tasty hillbilly.

Worth

Thanks for sharing your failures. I have a lot of plants showing a good amount of tomatoes, but for some reason I have a Brandywine yellow and an Aunt Gerties gold that both have exactly one tomato.

Glenn

edweather · April 14, 2013

I'm in New York like you, and have tried to grow them 2 or 3 times with poor results. My complaint is that they are very late and the shoulders tend to crack. So I'm usually fighting trying to get them ripe before they rot. The ones I have tasted are great! I really like sweet tomatoes and I think the bicolor is really cool looking. Have given up on Hillbilly though. This year I am trying Hawaiian Pineapple, and if they don't work, next year I'll try either Northern Bicolor or Big Rainbow. I'm a sucker for a red/yellow bicolor and will keep trying 'til I grow a decent one.

**carolyn137** · April 14, 2013

Hillbilly is one of over maybe 200 known gold/red bicolors and first, a link from Tania's site:

http://t.tatianastomatobase.com:88/wiki/Hillbilly

And now a link to Google IMAGES and when looking at the various pictures click to enlarge to be sure it's Hillbilly you're looking at sijnce sometimes other ones get mixed in:

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&s...mg.O0NLHszSSlA

I have mixed feelings about the gold/red bicolors. When they're good they're very good but when bad, really bad. Meaning, given one variety, one year they can be sweet and delicious and the next year bland and mealy, at least in my experience having grown many of them over the years, THey are very influenced by weather IMO.

In my area in upstatge NY the ones that have done well might include the following.

Big Rainbow
Lucky Cross
Virginia Sweets
Mary Robinson's German Bicolor

....... to name a few

And yes, I've grown Hillbilly and its PL variant.

These gold/red bicolors are felt to have originated in Germany or nearby and many were brought from there initially to the SE of the US.In the SE there are many that are grown that have no name and are generally referred to as Candystripe as a generic name.

My brother lives in NC and hisneighbor down the road has grown one all his life and my brother asked me if I wanted him to get seeds from him for me and I politely said no, b'c there's really not that much difference between them as I see it. Taste,, yes, sometimes, depending on where grown, soil,fertilizer and all those variables at work, the degree that the secondary exterior color extends from the blossom end upwards to the stem end, also yes.

Best thing I can suggest is to try them, several varieties over the years and see which ones do best.

A last link from Tania's site with a listing of some gold/red ones but a few other kinds of bicolors mixed in:

http://tatianastomatobase.com/wiki/C...Color_Tomatoes

And there are many many more of the gold/red ones listed in the SSE Yearbooks.

Hope that helps,

Carolyn, who can't help herself but there's one gold/red bicolor that's praised by a few and NOT praised by MANY and that's Mr. Stripey, the large beefsteak one, not Tigerella, aka Mr. Stripey, which is a small red with gold stripes and was bred in England along with Tigerella and Craigella from the same cross, but I do like the last two.

dipchip2000 · April 14, 2013

I dont know how it is related but the Royal Hillbilly from Darrell Merrill is one I grow every year, I have never had a bad year with it. It my all time favorite, even better than Brandywine in my opinion.

ron

**carolyn137** · April 14, 2013

Quote:

Originally Posted by dipchip2000

I dont know how it is related but the Royal Hillbilly from Darrell Merrill is one I grow every year, I have never had a bad year with it. It my all time favorite, even better than Brandywine in my opinion.

ron

Here's what Royal Hillbilly is,a selection from different ploants/fruits, that Darrell grew out from a Hillbilly that was given to him, so I don't know how much Hillbilly is left in it since it appears the seeds were crossed when he got them.

And how I do miss Darrell.

http://tatianastomatobase.com/wiki/Royal_Hillbilly

What Darrell selected was pink, no longer a gold/red bicolor.

Hope that helps,

Carolyn

April 14, 2013

From a "Won't grow again" post in 2010, read post #22.

http://www.tomatoville.com/showthread.php?p=150415

Ted

Cole_Robbie · April 14, 2013

I've got Hillbilly and Lucky Cross for the first time this year. Last year, Mr Stripey was on my 'never grow again' list. It made about four tomatoes in the excessive heat, and the deer ate 3 1/2 of them. The 1/2 that I shared with a deer was not bad, though

**carolyn137** · April 14, 2013

Quote:

Originally Posted by tedln

From a "Won't grow again" post in 2010, read post #22.

http://www.tomatoville.com/showthread.php?p=150415

Ted

From page #22;

(Heirlooms I wouldn't bother with again include Nyagous, Yellow Pear, Large Red Cherry, Hillbilly Potato Leaf, Dixie Golden Giant, Shah Mikado and Dwarf Gold Champion.

$$$$$

That's Bill's opinion from 2010 and since Shah itself has been long since extinct, see the Legacy Forum for that one, since Craig has the seed catalog where Shah itself was introduced, Weaver was distripbuting seeds of White Potato Leaf and called it Shah Mikado, I know Bill won't be growing it again.

What a ridiculous sentence I just wrote in terms of length.

Anyway, one man's opinion does not a consensus make and that's seen here in this thread as posted by others as either positive or negative comments.

Carolyn

PaulF · April 14, 2013

For me, Hillbilly is very large, first ripe fruit in 90 days, very sweet and not a great producer after the first three weeks. The flavor reminds me of Kellogg's Breakfast and Orange Russian 117. My average size the last time it was grown was over 16 ounces per fruit. The flavor and texture make it a favorite of mine.

livinonfaith · April 14, 2013

Hillbilly didn't do that great, production wise, the last time I grew it. But since I got a really tasty one and am trying grafting this year, it got a second chance.

I don't know why I chose it again, when I have so many other promising seeds left to explore. Guess I don't like to give up on something without giving it a fair chance.

I'm a real sucker for the underdog, too.

kellyst · April 15, 2013

Hillbilly description in three words - bland and mealy

macbettz · April 17, 2013

I amin zone 5b and expanded my garden last year so I had 2 Hillbilly plants in virgin ground (prime real estate) that i picked up from an organic seedling sale along with other varieties in the plot. I got a total of 3 or 4 snmallish tomatoes from both Hillbily plants. All other varieties performed well. Hillbilly was a wasted effort.

April 13, 2013	#1
dpurdy Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Norwich, New York Posts: 255	Hillbilly Tomato I've started some Hillbilly tomatoes from some seeds that I received from a friend. I've never tried these before and would like some to get some feedback from anyone who have tried this variety. My friend said that they are one of the sweetest tomatoes that he grows and that they grow to average 1 to 2 pounds each. I know they're a beefsteak OP tomato, and that's about all I know about them. Any info about these would be appreciated. dpurdy

April 14, 2013	#5
edweather Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Southeast GA, USDA 9a, HZ9, Sunset Z28 Posts: 396	I'm in New York like you, and have tried to grow them 2 or 3 times with poor results. My complaint is that they are very late and the shoulders tend to crack. So I'm usually fighting trying to get them ripe before they rot. The ones I have tasted are great! I really like sweet tomatoes and I think the bicolor is really cool looking. Have given up on Hillbilly though. This year I am trying Hawaiian Pineapple, and if they don't work, next year I'll try either Northern Bicolor or Big Rainbow. I'm a sucker for a red/yellow bicolor and will keep trying 'til I grow a decent one. __________________ You'll be surprised what you'll never have to do, if you put it off long enough.

April 14, 2013	#6
carolyn137 Moderator Emeritus Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Upstate NY, zone 4b/5a Posts: 21,169	Hillbilly is one of over maybe 200 known gold/red bicolors and first, a link from Tania's site: http://t.tatianastomatobase.com:88/wiki/Hillbilly And now a link to Google IMAGES and when looking at the various pictures click to enlarge to be sure it's Hillbilly you're looking at sijnce sometimes other ones get mixed in: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&s...mg.O0NLHszSSlA I have mixed feelings about the gold/red bicolors. When they're good they're very good but when bad, really bad. Meaning, given one variety, one year they can be sweet and delicious and the next year bland and mealy, at least in my experience having grown many of them over the years, THey are very influenced by weather IMO. In my area in upstatge NY the ones that have done well might include the following. Big Rainbow Lucky Cross Virginia Sweets Mary Robinson's German Bicolor ....... to name a few And yes, I've grown Hillbilly and its PL variant. These gold/red bicolors are felt to have originated in Germany or nearby and many were brought from there initially to the SE of the US.In the SE there are many that are grown that have no name and are generally referred to as Candystripe as a generic name. My brother lives in NC and hisneighbor down the road has grown one all his life and my brother asked me if I wanted him to get seeds from him for me and I politely said no, b'c there's really not that much difference between them as I see it. Taste,, yes, sometimes, depending on where grown, soil,fertilizer and all those variables at work, the degree that the secondary exterior color extends from the blossom end upwards to the stem end, also yes. Best thing I can suggest is to try them, several varieties over the years and see which ones do best. A last link from Tania's site with a listing of some gold/red ones but a few other kinds of bicolors mixed in: http://tatianastomatobase.com/wiki/C...Color_Tomatoes And there are many many more of the gold/red ones listed in the SSE Yearbooks. Hope that helps, Carolyn, who can't help herself but there's one gold/red bicolor that's praised by a few and NOT praised by MANY and that's Mr. Stripey, the large beefsteak one, not Tigerella, aka Mr. Stripey, which is a small red with gold stripes and was bred in England along with Tigerella and Craigella from the same cross, but I do like the last two. __________________ Carolyn

April 14, 2013	#12
PaulF Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Brownville, Ne Posts: 3,285	For me, Hillbilly is very large, first ripe fruit in 90 days, very sweet and not a great producer after the first three weeks. The flavor reminds me of Kellogg's Breakfast and Orange Russian 117. My average size the last time it was grown was over 16 ounces per fruit. The flavor and texture make it a favorite of mine. __________________ there's two things money can't buy; true love and home grown tomatoes.

April 13, 2013	#2
tedln Guest Posts: n/a	They are one of my favorite multicolored tomatoes. For me, they have been a good producer of large tomatoes. When you slice one, the slices appear marbled with pink. yellow, orange, and light green colors. They are sweeter than I usually prefer, but they are still good tasting. Ted Last edited by tedln; April 13, 2013 at 10:09 PM.

April 14, 2013	#3
Worth1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Den of Drunken Fools Posts: 38,539	I have grown them three times in three years. Of those three times I got one tomato. It was one of the best tomatoes I have ever had. What a drag. I hope everyone does better than me with this tasty hillbilly. Worth

April 14, 2013	#7
dipchip2000 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Muskogee, Oklahoma Posts: 664	I dont know how it is related but the Royal Hillbilly from Darrell Merrill is one I grow every year, I have never had a bad year with it. It my all time favorite, even better than Brandywine in my opinion. ron

April 14, 2013	#10
Cole_Robbie Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Illinois, zone 6 Posts: 8,407	I've got Hillbilly and Lucky Cross for the first time this year. Last year, Mr Stripey was on my 'never grow again' list. It made about four tomatoes in the excessive heat, and the deer ate 3 1/2 of them. The 1/2 that I shared with a deer was not bad, though

April 14, 2013	#13
livinonfaith Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina Posts: 1,332	Hillbilly didn't do that great, production wise, the last time I grew it. But since I got a really tasty one and am trying grafting this year, it got a second chance. I don't know why I chose it again, when I have so many other promising seeds left to explore. Guess I don't like to give up on something without giving it a fair chance. I'm a real sucker for the underdog, too.

April 15, 2013	#14
kellyst Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: West Central Ohio Posts: 32	Hillbilly description in three words - bland and mealy

April 17, 2013	#15
macbettz Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: CT Posts: 40	I amin zone 5b and expanded my garden last year so I had 2 Hillbilly plants in virgin ground (prime real estate) that i picked up from an organic seedling sale along with other varieties in the plot. I got a total of 3 or 4 snmallish tomatoes from both Hillbily plants. All other varieties performed well. Hillbilly was a wasted effort.