Thread for posting assessment of the new Dwarf Project varieties - Page 5

May 10, 2011

Bubba,

I think these would be great greenhouse tomatoes due to their stature. I am waiting to determine productivity and taste. Since most of us are simply gardeners and did not participate in the development process, we have no idea how they taste. Since taste is subjective, we will probably get a lot of differing opinions. Considering the number of varieties released, there should be something for every taste. So far, the varieties I am growing are demonstrating good disease resistance. I have some minor diseases popping up now that the summer heat is arriving, but not on the dwarfs.

Ted

bigbubbacain · May 10, 2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by tedln

Bubba,

I have some minor diseases popping up now that the summer heat is arriving, but not on the dwarfs.

Ted

Ted, this is good to know. Yes I know taste is subjective but I think most of us agree on what a good tasting tomato is NOT.

Please keep us posted on your impressions of what you're growing.

**Lee** · May 10, 2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigbubbacain

Ted, this is good to know. Yes I know taste is subjective but I think most of us agree on what a good tasting tomato is NOT.

Please keep us posted on your impressions of what you're growing.

Believe me when I say that taste was the number 1 criteria
used in selecting these dwarves. Next was size, then color/shape.... There were quite a few that got thrown out
early on since they didn't measure up taste-wise.
Also, most if not all of these were trialed each year at Tomatopalooza[tm]. So they also got the multiple taste impressions and all fared quite well!

Very few varieties can come close to the taste of Rosella Purple or Summertime Gold. These are both easy 9~9.5s each
year.

Lee

bigbubbacain · May 11, 2011

Thanks Lee. Well that's at least two that I'm trying. What about productivity? I assume dwarves have fruiting/growth habits like determinates, yes?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lee

Believe me when I say that taste was the number 1 criteria
used in selecting these dwarves. Next was size, then color/shape.... There were quite a few that got thrown out
early on since they didn't measure up taste-wise.
Also, most if not all of these were trialed each year at Tomatopalooza[tm]. So they also got the multiple taste impressions and all fared quite well!

Very few varieties can come close to the taste of Rosella Purple or Summertime Gold. These are both easy 9~9.5s each
year.

Lee

jhoganaz · May 11, 2011

This is a question to all of you that are raising dwarf heirloom tomatoes: I raise tomato seedlings for sale to local gardeners in Scottsdale, AZ. We have a 90 day season for tomatoes in the fall/winter. What dwarf - early season, cold weather tolerant varieties could you suggest. These dwarf plants would be used in containers for patio gardening.

gardenpaws_VA · May 12, 2011

"I assume dwarves have fruiting/growth habits like determinates, yes?"

Craig can say much more about this, Bubba, but the whole point of the dwarves (besides size) was that they could bring the flavor and on-going production of the big indets into a small pot-friendly plant. They should keep going, rather than producing a lot at one time and then quitting as most determinates do.

jhoganaz · May 12, 2011

Thanks, I may be chasing a long shot, but my success with Lime Green Salad has encouraged me to look for others. Thanks.

delltraveller · May 13, 2011

Does anybody have a suggestion for how far apart to plant these dwarves when planting in the ground, as opposed to pots? Plants will be staked, of course, that's a given.

**nctomatoman** · May 13, 2011

A few things - just catching up.

There is no way a dwarf tomato can challenge an indeterminate as to yield - think of the area that the plant takes up and the size of the vine. So the primary goals were getting good flavored tomatoes suitable for pot growth for those space challenged or with issues with the volume of vine for indeterminates.

It was the taste of New Big Dwarf that convinced me that dwarf tomatoes can approach indeterminates in flavor - and as Lee said, we believe we've succeeded very well in the flavor department (having gone through many, many selections that didn't make the flavor grade). New Big Dwarf's size also convinced us that we can aim for good sized fruit on the dwarf plant - and we've succeeded well there, too.

What you who are the first to purchase and grow the initial releases will be telling us all and sharing with the gardening world will be assessments of yield, flavor, days to maturity, disease tolerance, etc - all based on your individual experiences in your various locations. We are going to learn an awful lot about these new varieties this year, which really excites me! I am sure we won't get 100% success/raves with everyone everywhere. We may find a few aren't as stable as we hoped. But whatever you tell us will help us to refine and refocus.

By the way, I've just finished planting in 5 gallon grow bags all of the dwarfs I am growing this year - including one plant each of the very same seed sample that the various companies are selling. So I will have a lot of info to share as well!

Oh yes, the question on how close to plant them - I think you can get away with 2 foot spacing, if not a bit closer. I've got the grow bags lined up against each other.

geeboss · May 13, 2011

Well I just lost 5 of my 6 Summertime Green seedlings and crossing my fingers that the sole surviver will at least join the others in the grow bags.

George

delltraveller · May 14, 2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by geeboss

Well I just lost 5 of my 6 Summertime Green seedlings and crossing my fingers that the sole surviver will at least join the others in the grow bags.

George

George,

What happened?

roper2008 · May 14, 2011

Tedlin your plants are looking really nice. I'm growing Rosella Purple and
Tasmanian Chocolate. So far my Tasmanian chocolate is doing better because
I repotted it sooner. The Rosella Purple is smaller but the stem is thicker. The
dwarfs are very attractive plants.

cbadcali · May 14, 2011

Just want to report that Beryl Beauty has two tiny tomatoes and Emerald Giant has flowers. They seem to be the answer to my quest for patio tomatoes. These are great little tomato plants. cbad

jhoganaz · May 17, 2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by geeboss

I grow them in a mix of 2/5 worm castings, 1/5 MG potting mix, 1/5 Turface MVP,
1/5 perilite.

George

Do you sterilize any of your seed starting mix? If so how and to what temperature? Your plants look outstanding.

travis · May 17, 2011

I started some Dwarf Beryl Beauty seeds for late crop patio containers, and they sprung up vigorously and show the potato leaf shape. I started them alongside several other dwarf varieties, and they are the second most aggressive so far. I also started the Mr. Snow dwarf, and they seem to be doing well. The old Sneezy line I got a few years ago still show the most dwarfed (squat) sprouts, if that means anything at this initial stage when the first true leaves are peeping out.

May 12, 2011	#67
jhoganaz Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Scottsdale, AZ - Zone 8b Posts: 22	Early Dwarf's Thanks, I may be chasing a long shot, but my success with Lime Green Salad has encouraged me to look for others. Thanks.

May 13, 2011	#69
nctomatoman Tomatoville® Moderator Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Hendersonville, NC zone 7 Posts: 10,385	A few things - just catching up. There is no way a dwarf tomato can challenge an indeterminate as to yield - think of the area that the plant takes up and the size of the vine. So the primary goals were getting good flavored tomatoes suitable for pot growth for those space challenged or with issues with the volume of vine for indeterminates. It was the taste of New Big Dwarf that convinced me that dwarf tomatoes can approach indeterminates in flavor - and as Lee said, we believe we've succeeded very well in the flavor department (having gone through many, many selections that didn't make the flavor grade). New Big Dwarf's size also convinced us that we can aim for good sized fruit on the dwarf plant - and we've succeeded well there, too. What you who are the first to purchase and grow the initial releases will be telling us all and sharing with the gardening world will be assessments of yield, flavor, days to maturity, disease tolerance, etc - all based on your individual experiences in your various locations. We are going to learn an awful lot about these new varieties this year, which really excites me! I am sure we won't get 100% success/raves with everyone everywhere. We may find a few aren't as stable as we hoped. But whatever you tell us will help us to refine and refocus. By the way, I've just finished planting in 5 gallon grow bags all of the dwarfs I am growing this year - including one plant each of the very same seed sample that the various companies are selling. So I will have a lot of info to share as well! Oh yes, the question on how close to plant them - I think you can get away with 2 foot spacing, if not a bit closer. I've got the grow bags lined up against each other. __________________ Craig

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May 10, 2011	#61
tedln Guest Posts: n/a	Bubba, I think these would be great greenhouse tomatoes due to their stature. I am waiting to determine productivity and taste. Since most of us are simply gardeners and did not participate in the development process, we have no idea how they taste. Since taste is subjective, we will probably get a lot of differing opinions. Considering the number of varieties released, there should be something for every taste. So far, the varieties I am growing are demonstrating good disease resistance. I have some minor diseases popping up now that the summer heat is arriving, but not on the dwarfs. Ted

May 11, 2011	#65
jhoganaz Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Scottsdale, AZ - Zone 8b Posts: 22	This is a question to all of you that are raising dwarf heirloom tomatoes: I raise tomato seedlings for sale to local gardeners in Scottsdale, AZ. We have a 90 day season for tomatoes in the fall/winter. What dwarf - early season, cold weather tolerant varieties could you suggest. These dwarf plants would be used in containers for patio gardening.

May 12, 2011	#66
gardenpaws_VA Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Northern Virginia, USA - zone 7+ Posts: 161	"I assume dwarves have fruiting/growth habits like determinates, yes?" Craig can say much more about this, Bubba, but the whole point of the dwarves (besides size) was that they could bring the flavor and on-going production of the big indets into a small pot-friendly plant. They should keep going, rather than producing a lot at one time and then quitting as most determinates do.

May 13, 2011	#68
delltraveller Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Iowa Posts: 481	Does anybody have a suggestion for how far apart to plant these dwarves when planting in the ground, as opposed to pots? Plants will be staked, of course, that's a given.

May 13, 2011	#70
geeboss Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Fairfax, VA Z7 Posts: 524	Well I just lost 5 of my 6 Summertime Green seedlings and crossing my fingers that the sole surviver will at least join the others in the grow bags. George

May 14, 2011	#72
roper2008 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Virginia Bch, VA (7b) Posts: 1,337	Tedlin your plants are looking really nice. I'm growing Rosella Purple and Tasmanian Chocolate. So far my Tasmanian chocolate is doing better because I repotted it sooner. The Rosella Purple is smaller but the stem is thicker. The dwarfs are very attractive plants.

May 14, 2011	#73
cbadcali Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: carlsbad california Posts: 6	Just want to report that Beryl Beauty has two tiny tomatoes and Emerald Giant has flowers. They seem to be the answer to my quest for patio tomatoes. These are great little tomato plants. cbad

May 17, 2011	#75
travis Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Evansville, IN Posts: 2,984	I started some Dwarf Beryl Beauty seeds for late crop patio containers, and they sprung up vigorously and show the potato leaf shape. I started them alongside several other dwarf varieties, and they are the second most aggressive so far. I also started the Mr. Snow dwarf, and they seem to be doing well. The old Sneezy line I got a few years ago still show the most dwarfed (squat) sprouts, if that means anything at this initial stage when the first true leaves are peeping out.