Possible "New" Heirloom Variety

[bigcheef]

Well, new in that it may qualify for heirloom status since it has been grown by the same family for over 100 years.

I know it is extremely rare to actually discover an unknown variety so I am a bit skeptical and will be until I have ripe fruit and can post pictures here for identification. For now all I can provide is what little information I do have:

Just yesterday I was talking to my neighbor who is about 75 years old. He has been curious of my digging in the back yard and came over to investigate. I'm always happy to talk to anyone interested in my tomatoes, so I invited him around the fence for a closer look while I continued to tend to the plants. We talked a while about the different varieties I was growing and he mentioned he had a few Better Boy's growing at his place. Then he said he had some smaller plants he had not set out yet that he had started from seed (interesting) . He went on to say his son had acquired the seed from a guy who's father brought them over from Germany (quite interesting indeed) . Then he said, "Yep, that family has been growing these tomatoes for over 100 years. They're supposed to be real meaty." (BINGO!)

After explaining my interest in those plants he was nice enough to give me one to grow this year. The fruits are supposed to be red or pink and very meaty according to my neighbor. I know it's probably just wishful thinking, but I'm fired-up all the same. If this turns out to be a worthwhile variety I will do what I can to find out the full story behind it and give it a proper name. Maybe something including the family from which it came.

This tomato thing just keeps gettin better all the time!

RIK

Oh, I guess after a build up like that yall might want to see a pic:

[Tania]

What a nice healthy looking tomato plant!

Now that you told us the story, you'll have to save tons of seeds and send them around :wink:

I hope the fruits will live up to the expectations

[carolyn137]

Should I cut and paste my comments made in your same thread at GW, b/c I just don't feel like typing that all again.

[bigcheef]

No need to double post.
I guess I got a little carried away and wanted to make sure everyone herd the news.

I still have trouble finding time to keep up with both forums on a regular basis

RIK

[HeirloomNewb]

Yup,

There are people like me who only read this forum.... guess I'll stay in the dark

If all the nice/cool/interesting people just posted over here i'd look like this... and then

[MtnMaters]

Ditto, Newb, this is my one source for informat(er)ion as well. would someone mind posting a link to the GW thread?

Hope all goes well Rik and it is indeed something "differnt".

[coronabarb]

I don't read very often over there either...so I'd love to read your comments here.

[Lee]

Here, from GW.

can post pictures here for identification

Please don't do that that RIK. LOL

Do you have any idea whatsoever of how many different varieties that originated in Germany are listed in the SSE Yearbook?

Well, there's RL ones and PL ones and red ones and pink ones, and all of those are beefsteaks and there are 100's of them.

So no photo ID will be possible, ever.

But it is exciting to find your first heirloom variety and I know how I felt when I found the first one. it put me on on a search mission that still continues since there's always that thrill of growing out a variety that until you grow it has only been grown within a family.

And there are some families that don't wnat to share what they have, no how. ( smile)

So give that plant some TLC this summer and be sure to come back and tell us all about it and how it compares with others of the same type that you've grown before.

Betcha you'll say it's the best one you've ever grown. LOL And why do I say that? B/c there's a tendency to praise varieties newly discovered and the person doing the praising is the one who discovered it. ( smile)

Carolyn

[bigcheef]

Mtnmater,

Here is your link:
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/l...506867.html?12

And may I ask what variety you have pictured in your avatar? Very nice looking fruit! Almost reminds me of Brandy Boy which is a hybrid I grew last year.

RIK

[MtnMaters]

The mater in the avatar photo is called Nicholaevna Pink, it's a good BW-esque (but different) Russian variety I got from the UK last season. The variety is somewhat "suspect" as SSE catalog lists it as RL, but the ones I grew were PL. It's probably just another BW. The site I ordered the original seeds from said it was more productive than Caspian Pink or BW either, and consistently beats BW in taste tests across the pond.

Andrey has seed to grow out and will hopefully give us a critique and comparison on it to known Russian varieties at the end of his growing season.

It is a tasty feller regardless of origin, and rather handsome as well.

I don't know where you are located in the state, but I am up around the Tri-Cities, and do have some leftover seedlings of that variety, if you are close enough and want to plant some this year.

Thanks for the link, and thanks to Carolyn for the Copy & Paste. I don't feel so much like a mushroom now 8)

[bigcheef]

Thanks for the offer, but I've got more plants than I really need already. Besides, I'm in middle TN and the Tri Cities is a pretty good haul from here.

Good lookin mater though!

RIK

[bigcheef]

I’ve been a little delinquent on my reporting of this variety but here goes.

Foliage seems to be a little on the pale side. Fruit is still small but looks like it will be a medium sized beefsteak. Just waiting on ripe fruit for color and taste reports.






RIK