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Old July 14, 2010   #1
TomatoDon
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Default Goliath Tomato

We've discussed the Goliath variety seveal times, and I've also mentioned the local growers in my home town that sell tomatoes. I posted a similar thread in "Growing for Market," but here I wanted the focus to be more on these really nice Goliath's. And yes....a dollar a pound. Or sixty-five cents a pound if you buy a 30 pound bucketfull. The more I see of Goliath, the better I like them. The size is very good, uniform in shape, basically blemish free, nice looking, and great tasting.

DS





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Old July 14, 2010   #2
roper2008
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They look really good. Even though I have tomatoes in my garden. I would
buy a bucket of those.
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Old July 14, 2010   #3
TomatoDon
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I had heard the tomato growers here talk about Goliath for a few years but I didn't know anything about them. Now I do! I'm really impressed with this tomato, especially how good it does for the home grown garden and also the small comercial market. The guy told me he's picked and sold 3,000 pounds of them so far and can't keep up with how fast they are producing. His problem is having the time to pick enough for market and still having enough "selling" time once he gets there. I believe he has 120 plants. I couldn't resist stopping for a picture today. I have plenty of tomatoes too, but like you said, at this price I may buy a bucketful to take to friends out of town this week-end.
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Old July 15, 2010   #4
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I may have to add this one to the grow list for next year!
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Old July 15, 2010   #5
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Do you know which Goliath it is? (Isn't there a hybrid and an OP? Plus "Early" and maybe some others?)
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Old July 15, 2010   #6
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Yes, Goliath is a very good one to add to the grow list, and yes there are several names, or types of Goliath. I think these are called the Original Goliath Hybrid Tomato. If you google "Goliath Tomato" you will find several seed sites that carry it and that have pictures.

Every year I get more and more interested in Goliaths, but have never taken them seriously enough to plant more than about two a year. I know that the tomato farmers in my area grow them, and the Amish about 45 minutes away grow thousands of them -- seedlings to sell and seedlings to plant. I wonder if this is something the Amish popularized here in the last few years. People in my town will drive to Amish country to buy seedlings, and I know that's where a lot of these plants around town came from.

I'll ask the guy tomorrow and will check with the Amish sometime in July. Every year there seems to be something that sparks my interest in Goliaths. And if the guy's stand in the picture has sold 3,000 pounds of them this early in the season on just 120 plants...well....as they say, I can do the math. It's just a really good tomato and might prove to be one that is good for commercial growers and backyard gardeners too.

Don
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Old July 15, 2010   #7
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double post by mistake....delete
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Last edited by TomatoDon; July 15, 2010 at 04:14 AM. Reason: double post
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Old July 15, 2010   #8
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At .65 a pound for a bucket full, I can understand why this guy sold 3,000 lbs. worth! Great deal for canning.
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Old July 15, 2010   #9
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It appears there are quite a few versions of Goliath...scroll down to "2007 MILLENNIUM DEMONSTRATION GARDEN" section on this site:

http://gardeningfromthegroundup.us/Joe's%20Tomatoes.htm
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Old July 15, 2010   #10
b54red
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How do they taste? Are they determinate or indeterminate? How do they compare to Big Beef?
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Old July 15, 2010   #11
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The taste is good, never heard anyone complain about the taste. The Goliath's I have this year are straight off from the Wal-Mart garden section and are indeterminate, but there is also a bush variety that is widely available. From what I can tell Goliath is very similar to Big Beef. Big Beef is grown here also, but the variety I hear more about than any now is simply Goliath. I assume they are referring to the Original Goliath Hybrid. I'll see if I can find the tag from the ones I planted.
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Old July 15, 2010   #12
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TD, look at the link I posted above. DD
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Old July 15, 2010   #13
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Hi DD,

Thanks for the link. It seems to be in line with other discussions here on the taste, production, appearance, and overall quality of the Goliath Hybrid.

I stopped by the stand before I left to get more info and pictures. The planting is very similar to the Earl's Hole Method for growing tomatoes.

I understood him to say Original Goliath Hybrid, but I'm going to verify that to be sure. Don't want to mistake "Original" for "Old Fashioned," which is a bit confusing in terminology, especially after I looked at the seed web site.

They are started them from seed that he gets from TotallyTomatoes. I know there are other good seed sources and some of the owners are on this forum so I'm not plugging any company, I'm just relaying information because I imagine some here will want to know. This year he planted 120 plants and has picked over 3,000 pounds and expects to get 1,000 more, for a projected minimum season total of 2 tons.

http://www.totallytomato.com/sp.asp?c=49

He digs a hole about the diameter of a five gallon bucket, and about a foot deep. He fills it with compost and a little horse manure, and was careful to emphasize horse and not cow. He also adds a handful of Rainbow 5-10-15 fertilizer and insists on that brand and formula. Once the plants are up and growing he sprinkles a tablespoon of Epsom Salts a few inches from the plant and around it. I was surprised to learn he cages every plant.

He has a drip irrigation system with emitters on a spaghetti line from the main line to each plant. The fertilizer is simply Miracle Grow for Tomatoes. He uses a fertilizer applicator that runs the fertilizer through the irrigation system. He changes planting location every year so not to plant new seedlings where the previous crop was.

No magic secrets, pretty basic stuff, but the one thing it shows is what a fine tomato Goliath Hybrid can be for home and market.





Don
Thanks Feldon for the use of your photo hosting site.
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Old July 16, 2010   #14
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anyway you can get some of the seeds from that roadside stand and send them to me? i can pay shipping.
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Old July 16, 2010   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by freelancer79d View Post
anyway you can get some of the seeds from that roadside stand and send them to me? i can pay shipping.
Goliath is a hybrid. Unless you want to grow it out & try to stabilize it, your best bet would be to order seeds from the link Don provided or any other reputable supplier.
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