Harry Klee's new lines available for a price

[Zenbaas]

Thanks for the update Barb. How would you say they tasted?

[Barb_FL]

Actually, my husband made a wrap yesterday and sliced them on the wrap so I pulled off to try.

I'd say tomato-y vs sweet; I have several more turning color now so will focus more on flavor vs just tasting good.

[kurt]

Florida's plant breeder's rights applications, for “Garden Gem” and “Garden Treasure”, are pending at the US Plant Variety Protection Office and may be filed elsewhere(16). Florida's patent applications, one of which claims both breeding methods and use of volatiles to enhance sweet taste, with the other claiming a volatile-related gene and its use, were filed in the United States and international applications have recently been published(17). The University is presently seeking to sell licenses to the tomato volatile compounds that it identified in heirloom varieties, and for which it has filed patent claims(18).



What rights and data that Monsanto has obtained, as partial funder of the research, are not known and, due to lack of a disclosure or origin requirement in plant breeder's rights laws, may never be known.

Full article here:

http://www.twn.my/title2/biotk/2015/btk150501.htm

[Barb_FL]

Garden Gem produced tons of tomatoes and early. My plants were definitely determinate and are long done; I stopped watering them 3 weeks ago; just waiting for the last fruit to ripen. They are in an earthbox.

We had an extremely warm fall, most nighttime lows still not cool enough (<72) for fruit set. Several of us on the Florida Thread have been buzzing the tomato flowers for fruit set.

The fruit lasts a long time after being picked (2+ weeks without being refrigerated). I left lots on the plant to see how long it lasted before picking and if it split. It took awhile, but the tomatoes did split.

Once other tomato varieties were available, I lost interest in eating GG.

For me, I see using Garden Gem for an early variety and a late variety. Early is obvious, but a late planting would prolong having tomatoes later in the summer.

I ended up making sauce (a modified SunGold recipe - mainly other tomatoes and tons more tomatoes) with my remaining GG tomatoes. Sauce was good.

I saved (fermented) a lot of seeds for F2s.

Garden Treasure - one plant also grown in an EB. First 2 fruits were really large and split long before ripening. None of the others split; finally picked some ripe fruit; will taste later today and report back. So far unimpressed with fruit production. Also growing other F1s - Big Beef and Park's Whopper and both out producing GT by a lot; both grown in a Root Pouch.

The 2nd GT plant germinated a lot later and was a runt. I was going to pull it, but planted it and it has finally taken off and looks like it will flower soon.

[Gerardo]

ThanKs for doing this field trial Barb. Now we can all say a very reliable gardener in FL has produced REAL results, and they do not back up the claims.

I'm trying to like this guy, but listening to his lecture and now seeing his patent moves it's getting harder. .

I'm for everyone having a 2nd chance at redemption...it seems Dr Klee is squandering his. I hope his next generation can back up the rhetoric.

[Barb_FL]

Geraldo - I didn't want to come over as negative because I would definitely grow Garden Gem again. I'm going to try the F2s also. I had no luck with the parent Maglia Rosa this fall.

I found this to be true:

1. Early
2. Produced a lot of tomatoes
3. Small Plant
4. Long Shelf Life
5. Taste is good. I only lost interest when I had ripe PBTD, Rebel Yell, others to try.

I don't know what the claims were; I wasn't going to listen to a 60+ minute presentation.

It's been a trying season even for the best tomato growers in Florida. I was more affected with the night time lows being too high, but in S. Florida, they had constant rains for 2 weeks at a time.

[Zenbaas]

Originally Posted by Barb_FL

Geraldo - I didn't want to come over as negative because I would definitely grow Garden Gem again. I'm going to try the F2s also. I had no luck with the parent Maglia Rosa this fall.

I found this to be true:

1. Early
2. Produced a lot of tomatoes
3. Small Plant
4. Long Shelf Life
5. Taste is good. I only lost interest when I had ripe PBTD, Rebel Yell, others to try.

I don't know what the claims were; I wasn't going to listen to a 60+ minute presentation.

It's been a trying season even for the best tomato growers in Florida. I was more affected with the night time lows being too high, but in S. Florida, they had constant rains for 2 weeks at a time.

Thanks for all the info and feedback Barb. How tall would you say it got..? (Garden Gem)

[Fred Hempel]

What happened to the Maglia Rosa? Let me know if you need more seed.

Originally Posted by Barb_FL

Geraldo - I didn't want to come over as negative because I would definitely grow Garden Gem again. I'm going to try the F2s also. I had no luck with the parent Maglia Rosa this fall.

I found this to be true:

1. Early
2. Produced a lot of tomatoes
3. Small Plant
4. Long Shelf Life
5. Taste is good. I only lost interest when I had ripe PBTD, Rebel Yell, others to try.

I don't know what the claims were; I wasn't going to listen to a 60+ minute presentation.

It's been a trying season even for the best tomato growers in Florida. I was more affected with the night time lows being too high, but in S. Florida, they had constant rains for 2 weeks at a time.

[Gerardo]

Your review was pretty far from negative, simply truthful. There was a lot of hyperbole in his talk, both in praising and in trashing tomatoes, that's all.

I'm sure his next offerings will be improved, and that'll bump them from the good to great range. Perhaps a better FL growing year might be needed for GG and GT to live up to their fullest potential.

In my case I find I'm always waiting for blushes to appear on certain plants, especially on the NAR, PRs, etc.

Originally Posted by Barb_FL

Geraldo - I didn't want to come over as negative because I would definitely grow Garden Gem again. I'm going to try the F2s also. I had no luck with the parent Maglia Rosa this fall.

I found this to be true:

1. Early
2. Produced a lot of tomatoes
3. Small Plant
4. Long Shelf Life
5. Taste is good. I only lost interest when I had ripe PBTD, Rebel Yell, others to try.

I don't know what the claims were; I wasn't going to listen to a 60+ minute presentation.

It's been a trying season even for the best tomato growers in Florida. I was more affected with the night time lows being too high, but in S. Florida, they had constant rains for 2 weeks at a time.

[Labradors2]

Kurt wrote:

"What rights and data that Monsanto has obtained, as partial funder of the research, are not known and, due to lack of a disclosure or origin requirement in plant breeder's rights laws, may never be known."

Full article here:

http://www.twn.my/title2/biotk/2015/btk150501.htm

Everyone should read this. It is rather shocking!

Linda