2013 production report

[PaulF]

I know this pretty boring, but it is a tradition for me to report the tomato season. Sorry in advance.

With a two week late start in planting outdoors, many of this year's varieties did not begin to produce when they should have. Several varieties produced less than ten pounds of fruit: Helen's German, West Virginia Straw, J.D.'s Special C-Tex, Mammoth German,Magnum Beefsteak, Fish Lake Oxheart, Provenzano, Yellow Oxheart, Glazer's Giant and Watermelon. Most of those were first time for me varieties.

Production winners were Joe's Pink Oxheart, Red Butter Heart, Church, Black Brandywine, Grandfather Ashlock, Volovie Ukho (Ox Ear) and Dora.

Single plant production by weight was Red Butter Heart with 39 pounds. Largest average weight per tomato came from Joe's Pink Oxheart at 16 ounces and Church at 15 ounces. Red Butter Heart had the largest single fruit weighing in at 34 ounces.

Even with the low growers, the 30 plants in the garden gave 400 pounds of ripe tomatoes; there are maybe 50 more pounds of greenies that may or may not ripen indoors. The seven year average in total weight is 433 pounds, so this was a fairly average year. Frost date is about ten days later than average.

The best part of this year's crop is that there wasn't a spitter in the group and I found some gems. Next year it is back to the early years and some of the old favorites rather than trying to grow what is newly popular in the tomatoville world.

[bower]

It's not at all boring, Paul! Thanks for collecting and sharing the production data. So far I haven't done that, it's all grab and go, eyeball and estimate on memory of fruit that vanished so quick...

[matilda'skid]

Why would you think a tomato report would be boring on this forum? I hadn't heard of Red Butter Heart. What old favorites are you going to plant next year? I had my first frost this morning and I am already looking up tomatoes that others like so your report is not boring to me.

[Durgan]

Originally Posted by PaulF

I know this pretty boring, but it is a tradition for me to report the tomato season. Sorry in advance.

With a two week late start in planting outdoors, many of this year's varieties did not begin to produce when they should have. Several varieties produced less than ten pounds of fruit: Helen's German, West Virginia Straw, J.D.'s Special C-Tex, Mammoth German,Magnum Beefsteak, Fish Lake Oxheart, Provenzano, Yellow Oxheart, Glazer's Giant and Watermelon. Most of those were first time for me varieties.

Production winners were Joe's Pink Oxheart, Red Butter Heart, Church, Black Brandywine, Grandfather Ashlock, Volovie Ukho (Ox Ear) and Dora.

Single plant production by weight was Red Butter Heart with 39 pounds. Largest average weight per tomato came from Joe's Pink Oxheart at 16 ounces and Church at 15 ounces. Red Butter Heart had the largest single fruit weighing in at 34 ounces.

Even with the low growers, the 30 plants in the garden gave 400 pounds of ripe tomatoes; there are maybe 50 more pounds of greenies that may or may not ripen indoors. The seven year average in total weight is 433 pounds, so this was a fairly average year. Frost date is about ten days later than average.

The best part of this year's crop is that there wasn't a spitter in the group and I found some gems. Next year it is back to the early years and some of the old favorites rather than trying to grow what is newly popular in the tomatoville world.

Pictures! Pictures! The growing year of 2013 was so poor that I didn't even attempt to take pictures.

http://www.durgan.org/URL/?XZHCV 16 September 2012 . 214 pounds of tomatoes picked 2,5,9,16 September
A total of 513 pounds of tomatoes was picked from about 32 plants over the season.Average 16 pounds per plant. There are probably another 100 or so pounds remaining if the weather holds with no frost.This is my best year ever for tomatoes.

http://www.durgan.org/URL/?BBHDE 2 September 2012 Tomato picked Twelve pounds. Total to date 311 pounds.

http://www.durgan.org/URL/?CAXRK 23 August 2012 Tomatoes picked today. Total to date 299 pounds.

http://www.durgan.org/URL/?SWRYQ 12 August Tomatoes Collected 50 Pounds Tomatoes Picked today.Total from the 32 plants to date is 284 pounds.

http://www.durgan.org/URL/?ACNRH 4 August 2012. Tomatoes Picked today.Twenty four Pounds
Total from the 32 plants to date is 234 pounds.

http://www.durgan.org/URL/?BANUP 2 August 2012 Tomatoes picked today. Total form the 32 plants is 210 pounds to date.

http://www.durgan.org/URL/?NZTOO 31 July 2012 Tomatoes Picked on 24,29, 31 July.Total 65 Pounds.
Total Picked from the 32 plants so far this season is 186 pounds.

http://www.durgan.org/URL/?COHIS 22 July 2012. Tomatoes picked today.
Forty one pounds of tomatoes were picked today from the main tomato patch consisting of 32 plants suspended by ropes, free growing.Fifteen pounds were processed into juice and the remainder was spread amongst neighbours.Total tomatoes from the garden so far this year is 121 pounds.Types are: Bonny Best(5), Celebrity(5), Big Beef(5), Better Boy(5), Black Krim(Purple fruit)(10), and Lemon Boy (2).

[Heritage]

Paul, thanks for posting your final tallies. I always have good intentions of keeping such records, but I always poop-out mid season

How's the flavor of 'Red Butter Heart' and 'Joe's Pink Oxheart'? Are they more of a drier heart (for paste) or are they slicer types.

btw... what are the best tried-and-true, old-time favorites you are going to grow next year?

Steve

[AKmark]

I find this stuff very useful, I wish more folks reported like you. Thanks for the report.

[kath]

Very interesting- not boring! Thanks for posting your results, Paul. Red Butter Heart may have to go on my grow list sometime.

kath

[frankbenjones]

Thanks for sharing and for taking the time to track and post this. I will have to try out Red Butter Heart, Joe's Pink Oxheart and Church.

[Lee]

Almost 40 pounds from one plant! Wow!
Maybe I need to find some good tomato growing land in Nebraska, 'cause I ain't ever gonna get that much in NC!

Great job Paul and thanks for the post.
So, would you be up for a trade for some of those Red Butter Heart seeds?

Lee

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by Lee

Almost 40 pounds from one plant! Wow!
Maybe I need to find some good tomato growing land in Nebraska, 'cause I ain't ever gonna get that much in NC!

Great job Paul and thanks for the post.
So, would you be up for a trade for some of those Red Butter Heart seeds?

Lee

Lee, if Paul is up for a trade for those seeds I'm sure he'd do so in the Trade subforum of the seed exchange so that anyone interested would see it, as opposed to a trade being buried within a specific thread.

I was curious about Red Butter Heart, so fetched the page for it from Tania's database:

http://tatianastomatobase.com/wiki/R...b=General_Info

For 2013 I see just two seed sources, Tania herself as well as Tomatofest, in case Paul doesn't have that many seeds to offer or to trade.

Hope that helps,

Carolyn

[PaulF]

Heritage: Red Butter Heart and Joe's Pink Oxheart are both excellent tasting, juicy, solid slicers. Both are gems and are huge in fruit size and flavor.

I am not sure what seeds I have "left over" right now, but surely it will be Cherokee Purple, Cuostralee, Kellogg's Breakfast, Brandywine (Suddath), several of the hearts I love so much, Marianna's Peace, Wes; my old standards.

Lee: There are a few RBH seeds drying in the garage right now. I will get with you when I have a chance.

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by PaulF

Heritage: Red Butter Heart and Joe's Pink Oxheart are both excellent tasting, juicy, solid slicers. Both are gems and are huge in fruit size and flavor.

I am not sure what seeds I have "left over" right now, but surely it will be Cherokee Purple, Cuostralee, Kellogg's Breakfast, Brandywine (Suddath), several of the hearts I love so much, Marianna's Peace, Wes; my old standards.

Lee: There are a few RBH seeds drying in the garage right now. I will get with you when I have a chance.

Paul, for some strange reason my post is just above yours suggesting what youmight do as to sharing seeds of Red Butter Heart and was posted 5 minutes after yours.

Just saying that Joe's Pink Oxheart has been praised by almost everyone I know and there's a thread here that I didn't fetch that is titled Joe's Pink Oxheart.

Here's Tania's pagefor it:

http://tatianastomatobase.com/wiki/J...b=General_Info

I got the seeds from Margie and distributed them, Neil L did the seed production for me and he thought it was one of THE best hearts he'd ever grown and Neil has grown many thousands of varieties and many many hearts as well.

Carolyn

[dfollett]

Thanks for the post. How did they compare for "earliness". Were there any early ones that stood out for production and/or taste?

[PaulF]

Now that I am home from my one day a week job at the local newspaper, I can let folks know the Red Butter Heart seeds did indeed come from Tania along with several other of the gems for the year. Knapp's and Sample Seeds and Sandhill were the other sources for seeds this year. Neil is the heart guru and I have gotten many varieties from him over the years. Thank you Neil.

So far as an early variety, the only early was Black Brandywine. It pumped out 24 pounds of 4-5 ounce fruit beginning in mid July through August after a May 15 planting. For me it was a smaller sized (comparable to Black Krim) tomato with a Cherokee Purple taste. I like them bigger, so it is back to the Cherokees. This year, no other tomato ripened until after August 1. I do not include cherry or salad style tomatoes in my list because those are for my wife and I ignore those varieties. Ambrosia Red and Randy's Cherry bomb did produce early and were reportedly good.

[kellyst]

Paul,

What did you think about Church as far as flavor goes?