Most impressive so far

[Douglas14]

I realize many of us are at different stages of tomato growth. But I'd like to hear what variety(s) is impressing you most so far, and why.
So far Belize Pink Heart is my most impressive....I have two plants of it, and they have very good fruit set, starting low on the plant. The plants are also quite vigorous. I hope the taste will be as impressive.

[SunnyK]

So far , ny Cherokee Purple are impressing me the most. After a rocky start , and being 4 of the smallest of my transplants that I didnt have much hope for,they are setting fruit like nobodies business.
One of the runts , that I almost didnt plant in the garden, now has caught up and by passed my others. I looked at it this morning and saw a cluster of 7 tomatoes on it, all of pretty decent size as well! I don't think I have ever had a plant with a cluster of fruit like that ...well cherry types and saladette types , but not slicing ones. I am pretty excited!

I have been growing tomatoes for 20 years now, this is only my second year with growing from seed and growing OP/heirloom varieties, but I am totally addicted now LOL

[gardengalrn]

I was given seeds for KBX by a generous gal here and I think that is a really impressive plant and one I'm most anxious to get a taste of. Aunt Ginny's Purple has loaded down with tons of fruit. I have put in a number of new-to-me types that I'm excited to try if they do well.

[gssgarden]

Toms I've eaten -
Cherokee Purple - Best year I've had for it. Six 1lb tomatoes with more coming
Shannon's - Looks like one of the best production for it in years.
Stupice - Never stops for me. Two or three a day. EVERY day!
Purple Haze - ditto!


One's yet to taste -

My Aunt Ginn'y Purple, Gary O' Sena, and 1884 Purple are LOADED!!! but havn't had any yet 1884 has five monsters on it!

All plants mentioned are big, tall, healthy, beutiful looking plants.

Greg

[TZ-OH6]

Out of about 40 varieties, Black Plum is by far the strongest (2 plants, in different gardens). Set fruit early and often. I hope they taste good. Carbon and Black from Tula had strong starts, but now that they are loaded with fruit others are catching up.

[Tomstrees]

3 plants impressing me so far:


Toms Yellow Wonder - obviously impressive to me, lol , but this plant is loaded with fruit! Its been a producer in our patch for years. We did have a red pop out last season, but hopefully we've "culled it out".

Cherokee Purple PL (Spudakee Purple) - loaded with greenies - and I mean loaded - glad its one of our favorites so we can enjoy them all summer ...

NAR X - a cross between Neves Azorean Red & Brandywine (PV creation) - tallest plant in the patch and loaded with fruit -

"SUR" (Suzannes Urban Red working name) - last fall my wife noticed a tomato plant growing on a median in New Brunswick, pulled over the car, and pick a handful of tomatoes so I saved seed. This spring I planted a bunch of seeds: there were many different leaf shapes and plant sizes - so we picked the best 2 out and sent out the rest. The one that she picked and I planted in the patch, has about 30+ plum tomatoes on it! The one in a pot is still flowering and is not nearly as vigorous. We can't wait to try them.

~ Tom

[Gobig_or_Gohome_toms]

I am going to have to agree with a couple of the others KBX is impressive I have one tom larger then a baseball right now (flattend baseball that is) and tons of smaller greenies.

Also Spudakee the first year in the garden for me and it has tons of fruit set.

Brandy Boy is also doing very well with good fruit set.

The ones not setting fruit well are Mexico and Ed's Millenium only two fruit set so far but they are healthy and lots of blooms still so I am hopping to set some more.

[HakaiRah]

For me the most impressive plants have been my Black Cherries and the Cherokee Purples. They are the most vigorous in growth, have the most flowers, and have the highest rate of fruit set per flower.

The most important test will be the taste test, but unfortunately for me that won't begin for another couple weeks up here.

[BigdaddyJ]

I am most impressed with KBX so far but I haven't tasted one yet. If KBX tastes as good as KB then it's a great find! My three KBX plants are laughing at the dseases on my RL varieties and are huge plants over 6' tall now loaded with fruit. Can't wait for that first slice....YES!!!!!

[where_with_all]

It looks like it is a good year for cherokee purples- my plants are loaded with tomatoes. The plant is easily the most productive beafsteak I have ever grew.

[jcmorse33]

Without any tasting yet (since I've only gotten to tasting cherries and one Dwarf Rosella Giant that ripened prematurely due to BER) the large fruited varieties that are impressing me the most are:

Red Brandywine (TGS, sold as Landis Strain aka the "Real" Red Brandywine) -- this thing is a machine for me. It has more fruit than anything outside of the cherries in my garden and has thumbed its nose at the heat and humidity setting fruit throughout. It looks like it is going to out produce any slicers I grew last year including Big Beef and Lemon Boy, and this in a year when most of my tomatoes are doing worse rather than better.

Stump of the World -- Of my reputed flavor heavyweights this one is setting fruit the best. It had some trouble during the freak heatwave that hit Virginia in late May, but since then its been loading up. I hope this one tastes as good as it is supposed to (it is my first time growing it).

German Red Strawberry -- Was the only "heavyweight" to set fruit during the freak May heatwave. Has four big fruit I am looking forward to hopefully in the next couple of weeks. Sadly its upper branches got smashed by the hailstorm and its only now starting to fill out like the rest of my plants and put out a significant number of new flowers.

The not so hots...

Aker's West Virginia -- so this variety is supposed to be prolific and heat / humidity tolerant? So far it has only set one fruit, despite spraying out clusters of big blossoms on a regular basis. Even with tapping it doesn't seem to be responding.

Brandywine (Suddeth's Strain) -- Ok, so this one *is* living up to its reputation. Like my AWV it is only showing one fruit thus far.

Aunt Gertie's Gold -- No fruit set yet.

Yellow Oxheart (Southern Seed Exchange) -- No fruit set yet.

All in all this season has been a little challenging with a much earlier onset of high temperatures and humidity inhibiting blossom setting soon than happened last year. With the freak hail storms thrown in I am actually pleased with how things are doing, considering. In any case I certainly am getting to see how alot of varieties respond to less than ideal conditions that can occur in my area which was my goal at the start of the year.


--Justin

[gssgarden]

Here's a pic of the last four off my CP. Starting at 6 o'clock and going clockwise - 1.4lb, 1.2lb, 14.5oz, 12oz.

Had about three before these too. Now the big ones are gone so the size goes down but what a showing this year

Greg

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[gssgarden]

Oh yeah, Don't know how they taste yet but 1884 Purple is setting monsters. These five in the pic should be around the pound mark with most a little bigger. There are large ones up high. Not as big but big enough.

Greg

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[sic transit gloria]

Aurora, Arbalet, Yaponskiy Tryuffel, Lime Green Salad, Samurai, Stupice and a yellow cherry variety I received as "Red Barn" all have a tremendous fruit set. I have tried Aurora, Arbalet and the yellow cherry so far and was very impressed with Aurora (it actually had a bit to it, which I was suprised by, what with it being an early variety), Arbalet had a nice flavor, and the yellow cherry has a suprisingly good flavor (I don't really care for cherry varieties).

[clara]

Due to the cold and rainy weather here, only a few toms are ripe, but Whippersnapper (3 plants) is overloaded with fruits and blossoms (without counting excactly: 200 fruits each plant and 100 blossoms); Miss Kennedy looks very good and the taste: first class! White and Red Current: overloaded with nice tiny fruits (if my daughtors were younger, they would surely take them for their doll's house); Humboldtii seems to be a very good producer - taste? Green Zebra: We love them and we'll have a lot of them! Red Fig: They DO look nice, hope we can taste them soon. Very prolific: Stabobsttomate aus Taiwan.
There are still many others doing quite well - I'll poste later. But still no fruits on Peppermint and Marzipan Gold (I couldn't bring them into the soil in time due to a longer lasting illness) ans I am so curious about the taste...
Have a great gardening year! clara