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Old December 3, 2009   #1
mensplace
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Default 5 - beginning to end- but only five- new rules!

The more I read of various forums and tomato discussions, the more I realize that I am something of "an odd man out"! I cannot (due to space) grow fifty or more varieties. I don't ever need a tomato that weighs more than a pound. I DON't like tomatoes that look as though they are suffering from some incurable, misshapened birth defect with grotesque growths, protrusions, and cancers. I prefer a balance a flesh and juicy seed pulp evenly distributed throughout. I like sweet, but also treasure the deep, intensive depth that a balance of tartness, acidity, and natural saltiness brings. Any tomato that cannot produce in Georgia's hot, humid summersneed not be considered..far too often I see plants wither due to blights, wilts, and probably nematodes. THICK skinned tomatoes make me gag. In reading the seed catalogs, I always end up with lists that I can neither afford, nor have room for. Equally frustrating is growing beautiful plants and ending up with fruits that tastes like pablum mush. Cherry and canning tomatoes are not for my tomato sandwich, the very reason for being in my growing tomatoes. I don't intend to feed the neighbors, but would like a boutntiful supply from the beginning of the season until the end...but only with tomatoes that are worth eating. ALL of which leads me to this year's need of sanity. With all of the above in mind, I want to narrow my list down to five varieties, five GREAT varieties, the sweet, tart, acid, salty full flavored specimens that for me define tomato! I don't want to win contests, I want to eat mater sandwiches that explode with flavor and juiciness. Realizing some of this will run contrary to other's taste preferences...are there those among who could choose THOSE five...and what are they?
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Old December 3, 2009   #2
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Not five - but one to start ..........

http://tatianastomatobase.com/wiki/Yasenichki_Yabuchar
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Old December 3, 2009   #3
TomatoDon
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1. Big Beef
2. Better Boy
3. Earl's Faux
4. Brandywine Sudduth
5. Mortgage Lifter

or

1. Big Beef
2. Big Beef
3. Big Beef
4. Big Beef
5. Big Beef
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Old December 3, 2009   #4
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I grew the Creole tomato last summer at my farm in southern Missouri, and it did very well. The fruit we harvested had a wonderful balance of both sweet and tart flavors, and we sliced them onto many memorable sandwiches. Our first fruit from the Creole plants was ripe by late July and we picked our last here in early October. (The Creole tomato was bred by Louisiana State University for hot, humid climates.)

Production from our plants was also very good, especially considering what a cool, wet summer it was.

Stuart
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Old December 3, 2009   #5
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Glad you mentioned the Creole. I saw several plants last year. What size were the tomaotes?
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Old December 3, 2009   #6
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My Creoles were about 3 - 4 inches in diameter and 8 - 10 ounces in weight.

Stuart
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Old December 3, 2009   #7
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These would be my picks:
Stump of the World
German Head
Kosovo
Wes
German Red Strawberry
---Paula
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Old December 3, 2009   #8
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Well, howdy Cartersville. I'm over here near Buford. We have others from North Georgia all over the place. Canton, Jasper, Roswell, Douglasville, and more. Welcome to Tomatoville - the best forum on tomatoes on the WEB.

This past year I grew the ones below and using your criteria, recommend them. If you need seeds, PM me.

Huge Black
Golden Cherokee
Liz Burt
Goose Creek
Azoychka

All are nice medium large with a range of flavors that will excite the tongue and grace any sandwich or salad. Old fashioned taste and great production.

Ted
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Old December 3, 2009   #9
mvan
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ContainerTed View Post
This past year I grew the ones below and using your criteria, recommend them. If you need seeds, PM me.

Huge Black
Golden Cherokee
Liz Burt
Goose Creek
Azoychka

Ted
Ted,
I'm over in Fairburn (South Fulton County - SW of ATL) and I didn't notice that any tomatoes I grew this year did any better than others concerning disease resistence (foliar disease, anyway). How did those 5 do in that respect?

Thanks,
Matt
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Old December 3, 2009   #10
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My favorite this year was Black from Tula. Next year I'm growing it again, w/ several more blacks. I had two other brick or black that I liked this year also, but not as prolific.
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Old December 3, 2009   #11
tjg911
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i'm in ct and normally don't give advice to people outside my area or latitude but i like your reasoning and want to help.

1. prue
2. wes
3. sun gold

the above 3 are the best i have ever eaten period

4 & 5 take your pick of in no particular order all these are great - grandfather ashlock, cherokee purple, earl's faux, dr lyle, kosovo, aunt gertie's gold and stump of the world

if i never grew any other varieties these would suffice for 100 years. ymmv.
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Old December 3, 2009   #12
mensplace
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mvan View Post
Ted,
I'm over in Fairburn (South Fulton County - SW of ATL) and I didn't notice that any tomatoes I grew this year did any better than others concerning disease resistence (foliar disease, anyway). How did those 5 do in that respect?

Thanks,
Matt
Funny thing for mine this year after so long a drought when I thought they had all given up the ghost, when the floods and cooler weather came THEN mine started producing, but no flavor since there was so much rain. A purchase of a Cherokee Purple at the Dekalb market a couple weeks ago told me that its time to start rethinking varieties. What I had grown all were the standards at Lowes. THIS year will be different. Mensplace
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Old December 3, 2009   #13
mensplace
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tjg911 View Post
i'm in ct and normally don't give advice to people outside my area or latitude but i like your reasoning and want to help.

1. prue
2. wes
3. sun gold

the above 3 are the best i have ever eaten period

4 & 5 take your pick of in no particular order all these are great - grandfather ashlock, cherokee purple, earl's faux, dr lyle, kosovo, aunt gertie's gold and stump of the world

if i never grew any other varieties these would suffice for 100 years. ymmv.
I'm just plain tired of buying plants at Lowes or elsewhere, then waiting and longing for a decent fresh tomato only to bite into past or pulp. I have tried very few heirlooms, but the prior traditional NPK approach generally saw them wither anround mid July after the plants turned yellow and then withered...or developed Blossom end rot. This year I have already begun my soil conditioning and compost development using many amendments and microbiologicals. This year I WILL have w well prepared area, plenty of soil life and humus, and varieties that offer flavor....and not just sweetness.
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Old December 3, 2009   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mensplace View Post
I DON't like tomatoes that look as though they are suffering from some incurable, misshapened birth defect with grotesque growths...
Well, see -- the thing is, quite often a Cherokee Purple will look like that. But it's so worth it. There's certainly nothing more marvelous to the taste, IMO.

Another thing: they are not the most prolific plants in the world. Just so you'll know.

Christine
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Old December 4, 2009   #15
mensplace
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Thanks Christine for the "heads up" The Cherokee I had was fine in shape, though I had never seen them growing on the vine. What I was referring to in the quote above was the shape rather looking like Elephant Man's disease with convolutions in every direction. I guess something rather small for most, say up to the size of a softball is more to my general preference, i.e., your basic tomato bursting with balanced, dare I say "old time" flavor, a producer, with some resistance so it won't just shrivel up and succumb to the georgia climate and clay just about the time they reach fruiting size.
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