What to grow in Zone 5A/6 CT

ac21686 · March 3, 2016

Hi all! My first post here. My family runs a landscaping and nursery business in western Connecticut and are fortunate enough a lot of growing room. We do this mostly for ourselves and family, but last year we began selling produce at our store and it was quite a hit! We have a good bit of room. I would really like a great large, red tomato that we can sell and keep for ourselves - many of the larger red tomatoes we grew were quite bland (I'm guessing it was some type of commercial tomato prized for yield and disease resistance).

This is what I grew (mostly from Baker Creek) with my thoughts. If possible, for the ones I had terrible luck with, I'd like something with a similar color and size profile but with better growing experiences.

Pearly Pink -- These were awful. The yield was non-stop but they had absolutely no taste no matter how many different stages of ripeness I tried to pick them. I would like a tomato in this size, though (I would guess it was 2" wide and 2" tall).

Sungold -- Great! No complaints. Will grow again.

Black Cherry -- These were pretty good, but maybe I had my expectations a little out of whack based on the reviews. I'd grow these again however.

Black Chocolate cherry -- Meh. The black cherry had far more flavor.

Grappoli D'Inverno -- I chose these for my dad and uncle, who grew up in Italy. Bland bland bland.

Sara Black -- A total nightmare. Cracks, splitting, disease.

Principe Borghese cherry - Quite good! Yield was just ok for me.

Black Krim -- Great flavor but really terrible producer for me. Not sure if this is common or not.

Mortgage Lifter -- Great taste and production, but lots of deep cracking that rendered the top third of every tomato inedible.

I'm looking for the following. I tend to like tomatoes on the sweeter side, but a good bit of acid like in the black cherry is great as well. Mixed color cherry and grape tomatoes tends to be quite popular when we have our little stand.

A striped medium to large tomato
Beefsteak-size red tomato
Red cherry (I've heard the Nectar Hybrid is supposed to quite sweet with high yield and good disease resistance)
Yellow cherry
Green of any size
Grape tomato, any color
Orange large tomato

Apologies for the long-winded post. Look forward to hearing your thoughts!

oakley · March 4, 2016

We have similar growing conditions i think. Lots of land and full sun i would guess by your description. I'm growing on a slight slop, minor but gives good drainage and plenty of water, fed by gravity hooked up to a stream up-hill.

I do grow over 75 varieties...some still in trial as i don't give up so easily as each year is different, though a few standouts are returning...

For beefs,
-Neves Azorean Red
-Dester, (new to me but have high hopes)

Blacks,
-Cherokee Chocolate
-Paul Robeson

Oxhearts,
-Kosovo
-German Red Strawberry
-Anna Russian

Bi-Color,
-Ananas Noir
-Berkeley Tie-dye...pink and green

Grape,
-Cuban Yellow
(love this one...best picked transparent yellow, just under-ripe)

Just a few stand-outs of the top of my head. They get prime real estate and a few plants of each...

I also like Sun Gold, and like you, it does so well here.
I've not found a paste type so far that is worth the garden space. (i keep trying)
I do have a Rutgers type Jersey for sauce and good fresh, ...saved seeds form an elderly neighbors yield years ago. Big producer but no name.

Seems you need something in that category. My local farms stands all have a good juicer that is not only 'farm stand fresh and ripe' but an economical seller since they produce a higher yield over a longer period of time.

swamper · March 4, 2016

ac21686, I am in Litchfield. Perhaps I can help you out. Try to send me a p.m. here or email at polecanoe(at)yahoo.com

There was no link to send you a p.m. perhaps because your account is new.

LindyAdele · March 4, 2016

My growing conditions are similar, perhaps a slightly shorter season than you.

I had a great experience with Coustralee, it is a large red that was extremely hardy and productive. It is, I believe, an older French culinary heirloom.

For yellow cherry, check out Snow White, it is a pale yellow,to my family and friends consistently sweeter than sungold. Ildi is another excellent option. It is a grape shaped yellow multiflora. Very productive, very nice taste.

There are some great bi colours that are yellow-orange, I like Old German, or Virginia Sweets.

oakley · March 4, 2016

ac21686, I am in Litchfield. Perhaps I can help you out. Try to send me a p.m. here or email at polecanoe(at)yahoo.com

There was no link to send you a p.m. perhaps because your account is new.

Why pm or private message.? Please post information that helps others.
I am no different wanting to help and share our climate...

swamper · March 5, 2016

It wasn't my intention to withhold information. I have some shade from trees and not the best soil here. I'm interested in collaboration. Here are a few I would recommend:

RED
big beef
druzba
sakura (cherry)

RED SAUCE
marys best
Prue
manny

PINK
Chianti Rose
dora
prudens purple
stump of the world
sweet treats (cherry)
berkeley pink tie dye (striped)
grandpa charlie

PURPLE/BROWN
Bear Creek
Owens Purple
Black Mystery
Pierces Pride
JDs Special Ctex
Big Cheef
Indian Zebra
Striped Sweetheart Dark (striped)
pink boar (striped)

YELLOW ORANGE BICOLOR
Little Lucky
Valencia
yellow brandywine platfoot

ac21686 · March 5, 2016

Thanks for the responses so far, everyone! Swamper, we're about 25 minutes west of you, so similar temps, though all of our produce is grown in full sun.

oakley, I've seen Paul Robeson mentioned many times so I think I will try that. I love the rich, kind of smoky flavor of Black Krim but it's been bad for me two seasons in a row, sadly. Seems like a similar flavor profile? Have also seen Anna Russian mentioned a lot as well, so I think I'll try that too and read up on the others.

swamper, thanks for the list! if you don't mind: if you had to narrow it down to say, 2-3 from each category, which ones would you pick?

we grow a ton of sauce tomatoes, but I will look into the ones you've listed. my uncle and father grow a sauce tomato from seeds they got from a friend of ours outside Rome. no idea if it's an heirloom or anything like that, they simply call it "lunghi" and it looks similar in shape to a San Marzano tomato but larger. it's perfect for sauce but pretty much useless for any other application.

TightenUp · March 5, 2016

hi Ac

While reading your descriptions and opening post I had a thought. I could be completely wrong but it sounds like over watering. Too much water will cause everything I made bold happen to even the best tasting tomatoes

'Mortgage Lifter -- Great taste and production, but lots of deep cracking that rendered the top third of every tomato inedible.

Grappoli D'Inverno -- I chose these for my dad and uncle, who grew up in Italy. Bland bland bland.

Sara Black -- A total nightmare. Cracks, splitting, disease.

Pearly Pink -- These were awful. The yield was non-stop but they had absolutely no taste no matter how many different stages of ripeness I tried to pick them. I would like a tomato in this size, though (I would guess it was 2" wide and 2" tall)."

ac21686 · March 5, 2016

I thought that too, but we kept a pretty strict and typical watering schedule. A few of those plants were planted towards the back of the garden where it slopes and keeps water, however (Sara Black was in this area for sure, some of the Pearly Pinks as well). I remember the ground turning into sludge in the back later in the season when it cooled down slightly and started to rain hard, though, so you very well could be right.

swamper · March 11, 2016

Preferences depend on what qualities you value most. For me flavor and hang time / shelf life are valued. Yield disease resistance and earliness also factor in.

Quote:

Originally Posted by swamper

Here is a condensed list:

RED
druzba
sakura f1 (cherry)

RED SAUCE
manny

PINK
Chianti Rose
prudens purple
sweet treats f1 (cherry)

PURPLE/BROWN
Black Mystery
Striped Sweetheart Dark (striped)
pink boar (striped)

YELLOW/ORANGE
yellow brandywine platfoot

March 3, 2016	#1
ac21686 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2016 Location: CT Posts: 68	What to grow in Zone 5A/6 CT Hi all! My first post here. My family runs a landscaping and nursery business in western Connecticut and are fortunate enough a lot of growing room. We do this mostly for ourselves and family, but last year we began selling produce at our store and it was quite a hit! We have a good bit of room. I would really like a great large, red tomato that we can sell and keep for ourselves - many of the larger red tomatoes we grew were quite bland (I'm guessing it was some type of commercial tomato prized for yield and disease resistance). This is what I grew (mostly from Baker Creek) with my thoughts. If possible, for the ones I had terrible luck with, I'd like something with a similar color and size profile but with better growing experiences. Pearly Pink -- These were awful. The yield was non-stop but they had absolutely no taste no matter how many different stages of ripeness I tried to pick them. I would like a tomato in this size, though (I would guess it was 2" wide and 2" tall). Sungold -- Great! No complaints. Will grow again. Black Cherry -- These were pretty good, but maybe I had my expectations a little out of whack based on the reviews. I'd grow these again however. Black Chocolate cherry -- Meh. The black cherry had far more flavor. Grappoli D'Inverno -- I chose these for my dad and uncle, who grew up in Italy. Bland bland bland. Sara Black -- A total nightmare. Cracks, splitting, disease. Principe Borghese cherry - Quite good! Yield was just ok for me. Black Krim -- Great flavor but really terrible producer for me. Not sure if this is common or not. Mortgage Lifter -- Great taste and production, but lots of deep cracking that rendered the top third of every tomato inedible. I'm looking for the following. I tend to like tomatoes on the sweeter side, but a good bit of acid like in the black cherry is great as well. Mixed color cherry and grape tomatoes tends to be quite popular when we have our little stand. A striped medium to large tomato Beefsteak-size red tomato Red cherry (I've heard the Nectar Hybrid is supposed to quite sweet with high yield and good disease resistance) Yellow cherry Green of any size Grape tomato, any color Orange large tomato Apologies for the long-winded post. Look forward to hearing your thoughts!

March 5, 2016	#8
TightenUp Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Jersey Posts: 1,183	hi Ac While reading your descriptions and opening post I had a thought. I could be completely wrong but it sounds like over watering. Too much water will cause everything I made bold happen to even the best tasting tomatoes 'Mortgage Lifter -- Great taste and production, but lots of deep cracking that rendered the top third of every tomato inedible. Grappoli D'Inverno -- I chose these for my dad and uncle, who grew up in Italy. Bland bland bland. Sara Black -- A total nightmare. Cracks, splitting, disease. Pearly Pink -- These were awful. The yield was non-stop but they had absolutely no taste no matter how many different stages of ripeness I tried to pick them. I would like a tomato in this size, though (I would guess it was 2" wide and 2" tall)." __________________

March 4, 2016	#2
oakley Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: NewYork 5a Posts: 2,303	We have similar growing conditions i think. Lots of land and full sun i would guess by your description. I'm growing on a slight slop, minor but gives good drainage and plenty of water, fed by gravity hooked up to a stream up-hill. I do grow over 75 varieties...some still in trial as i don't give up so easily as each year is different, though a few standouts are returning... For beefs, -Neves Azorean Red -Dester, (new to me but have high hopes) Blacks, -Cherokee Chocolate -Paul Robeson Oxhearts, -Kosovo -German Red Strawberry -Anna Russian Bi-Color, -Ananas Noir -Berkeley Tie-dye...pink and green Grape, -Cuban Yellow (love this one...best picked transparent yellow, just under-ripe) Just a few stand-outs of the top of my head. They get prime real estate and a few plants of each... I also like Sun Gold, and like you, it does so well here. I've not found a paste type so far that is worth the garden space. (i keep trying) I do have a Rutgers type Jersey for sauce and good fresh, ...saved seeds form an elderly neighbors yield years ago. Big producer but no name. Seems you need something in that category. My local farms stands all have a good juicer that is not only 'farm stand fresh and ripe' but an economical seller since they produce a higher yield over a longer period of time.

March 4, 2016	#3
swamper Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2009 Location: CT Posts: 219	ac21686, I am in Litchfield. Perhaps I can help you out. Try to send me a p.m. here or email at polecanoe(at)yahoo.com There was no link to send you a p.m. perhaps because your account is new.

March 4, 2016	#4
LindyAdele Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Ontario Canada Posts: 323	My growing conditions are similar, perhaps a slightly shorter season than you. I had a great experience with Coustralee, it is a large red that was extremely hardy and productive. It is, I believe, an older French culinary heirloom. For yellow cherry, check out Snow White, it is a pale yellow,to my family and friends consistently sweeter than sungold. Ildi is another excellent option. It is a grape shaped yellow multiflora. Very productive, very nice taste. There are some great bi colours that are yellow-orange, I like Old German, or Virginia Sweets.