Are these really tomatoes?

[Starlight]

Because they sure do look like peas to me.

Another new one for me this year. This is supposed to be Burgess Lemon and pics I have seen show a nice size cherry type tomato. Just big enough to pop into your mouth and get a good bite.

I have several of the Burgess Lemon plants growing, but they all have these pea size clusters all over them. It's been almost a month and they haven't gotten any bigger and while the plants are producing like crazy, I think the biggest tomato is a half inch.

They also are striped. They have like dark green and light green stripes. Is this normal for this tomato? These guys fruit looks smaller than the micro tomatoes.

[digsdirt]

They sure don't look like Burgess Lemon. See: http://tatianastomatobase.com/wiki/Burgess_Lemon

Dave

[shelleybean]

The stripes you describe remind me of a tiny, pea sized tomato I grew years ago, Cerise Orange. They split like crazy and they were difficult to pull off the plants. But they were sweet and a little crunchy. Interesting, but I never grew them again. The stripes remained, even when they were fully ripe, though they were pretty faint. Let us know what it looks like when it finally ripens.

[AlittleSalt]

I think the green part of the tomato flower is called the, "Sepal" Seeing how big it is compared to the tomato - it looks like that tomato should grow larger.

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by digsdirt

They sure don't look like Burgess Lemon. See: http://tatianastomatobase.com/wiki/Burgess_Lemon

Dave

I wonder what Burgess Lemon should be b/c while Tania describes it as a small cherry/salad tomato, when I look at the pictures I see fruits of very large sizes to small and different shapes and even some with different colors.

And when I Google it I see everything from cherry tomatoes to large ruffled beefsteaks.

And even a different desciption of it from Tania who says large ruffled beefsteaks.

https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q...s+lemon+tomato

I tend to go with the description that Glenn at Sandhill Preservation indicates, mainly b/c he has spent much time in PRESERVATION of old varieties and indicates it should be a yellow cherry.

Starlight, what was the source of your seeds?

Yours look small, perhaps cherry size, and I wouldnt pay that much attention to those faint green stripes, they should go away if it's truly Burgess Lemon, but if not, than all bets are off IMO.

Carolyn

[Starlight]

Originally Posted by digsdirt

They sure don't look like Burgess Lemon. See: http://tatianastomatobase.com/wiki/Burgess_Lemon

Dave

Dave.. Thanks for the link. Appreciate it. Your right. No way will mine look like anything in the pics you sent from the link.

Originally Posted by shelleybean

The stripes you describe remind me of a tiny, pea sized tomato I grew years ago, Cerise Orange. They split like crazy and they were difficult to pull off the plants. But they were sweet and a little crunchy. Interesting, but I never grew them again. The stripes remained, even when they were fully ripe, though they were pretty faint. Let us know what it looks like when it finally ripens.

I googled the Cerise Orange. Boy they are cute tiny tomatoes. I bet kids would get a kick out of eating a cupful of them. Me too for that matter. I'll be sure and take pics later and maybe you can tell me if they look like what you grew.

Originally Posted by AlittleSalt

I think the green part of the tomato flower is called the, "Sepal" Seeing how big it is compared to the tomato - it looks like that tomato should grow larger.

You would think so. Makes them look like they wearing too big of hats. I been gently squeezing them on and off to make sure that they are staying firm and maybe not something in the green family by mistake.

Originally Posted by carolyn137

I wonder what Burgess Lemon should be b/c while Tania describes it as a small cherry/salad tomato, when I look at the pictures I see fruits of very large sizes to small and different shapes and even some with different colors.

And when I Google it I see everything from cherry tomatoes to large ruffled beefsteaks.

And even a different desciption of it from Tania who says large ruffled beefsteaks.

https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q...s+lemon+tomato

I tend to go with the description that Glenn at Sandhill Preservation indicates, mainly b/c he has spent much time in PRESERVATION of old varieties and indicates it should be a yellow cherry.

Starlight, what was the source of your seeds?

Yours look small, perhaps cherry size, and I wouldnt pay that much attention to those faint green stripes, they should go away if it's truly Burgess Lemon, but if not, than all bets are off IMO.

Carolyn

Carolyn... I got my seeds in a swap. The person who gave them to me had gotten them as a SASE from Wintersown.org . On the package from Wintersown it says "Pretty lemon-yellow cherry tomato, great for salads or snacking. Delicious. IND 72 DTM"

They are so tiny. I've eaten raisins bigger than these guys. If you didn't know they were there you would probably miss them they so small.

[Worth1]

Give them time they will grow.

Worth

[FredB]

The foliage is definitely regular old domestic tomato, not another Solanum species. The variety Coyote has tiny yellow tomatoes, but I don't recall it as being striped when green.

Fred

[zipcode]

By the looks of them they are just very Young ( the matte look means they are young. Almost all tomatoes I've seen get shiny a bit before reaching full size). Those stripes are normal for very young tomateos, especially cherries. They will disappear.

[Starlight]

Originally Posted by zipcode

By the looks of them they are just very Young ( the matte look means they are young. Almost all tomatoes I've seen get shiny a bit before reaching full size). Those stripes are normal for very young tomateos, especially cherries. They will disappear.

Thank you for that information Zipcode. Learned something new. So now I am looking at all my young tomatoes to see which ones are shiny.

[Starlight]

Originally Posted by FredB

The foliage is definitely regular old domestic tomato, not another Solanum species. The variety Coyote has tiny yellow tomatoes, but I don't recall it as being striped when green.

Fred

Fred.... How can you tell the foliage is old domestic? What does a person look for to try and learn?

[Wi-sunflower]

I grew Burgess Lemon maybe 35 years ago and NONE of the pics at Tanias site look like what I had back then. I believe I got my seeds from Burgess back then and they were about roma sized but very plump in the middle (like a lemon).

Since what Tania lists went thru the USDA and back out, my bet is it got mixed up several times.

Carol

[Starlight]

Originally Posted by Wi-sunflower

I grew Burgess Lemon maybe 35 years ago and NONE of the pics at Tanias site look like what I had back then. I believe I got my seeds from Burgess back then and they were about roma sized but very plump in the middle (like a lemon).

Since what Tania lists went thru the USDA and back out, my bet is it got mixed up several times.

Carol

Ahhhh... That might explain it. You maybe right. Appreciate the information. At least we know now what to look for. Do you remember whether you liked it or not? Must not be too popular since it doesn't look like it has been grown on Tania's site for awhile, but that is ok, I am enjoying growing the oldies and discovering what I have missed.

[Wi-sunflower]

I really don't remember it much other than the shape. That was way before I got into seed saving too. I don't think I grew it more than once or twice.

I probably grew it because I really don't like the taste of red tomatoes. Back before the Sungold type tomatoes, yellow plum was my tomato. But now it seems so blah compared to all the great orange/yellows, pinks and purple/blacks.

Carol

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by zipcode

By the looks of them they are just very Young ( the matte look means they are young. Almost all tomatoes I've seen get shiny a bit before reaching full size). Those stripes are normal for very young tomateos, especially cherries. They will disappear.

I said the same about the stripes disappearing in my post above.

I've also grown Cerise Orange, which was one of the varieties that we got with that huge trade with Norbert from France in 1992, and yes, I've grown it.

http://t.tatianastomatobase.com/wiki/Cerise_Orange

I had said that I'd go with the description that Glenn at Sandhill Preservation has and not just this one, but for many of the ones from older seed companies, and here's his description.

Burgess Lemon: early, ind, RL, tiny very high yielding bright yellow cherry.

Glenn started back in the early 80's getting MANY older varieties from various seed companies so they wouldn't go extinct, thus the word Preservation, as part of his and Linda's seed company. Which makes it a treasure trove of older varieties.

Carolyn