Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a new champion

[DoubleJ]

I brought in Brandywine Sudduth to work the other day and it got rave reviews with almost everyone calling it the best tomato they've ever tasted.

Yesterday, I brought in Black Seaman and it is the new champion. I have to agree. Black Seaman is without a doubt, way better than BWS which was my previous benchmark. I will be planting 4 of these next year and I'm happy I planted 2 this year.

[Dewayne mater]

How is its production?

[dice]

My 2 Black Sea Man plants got some kind of wilt early. I suspect
verticillium, as that is around here and there in the beds where
they grew. My plants get botrytis, too, but the 2 Black Sea Man
plants got this when it was still hot and dry, and none of the
fruit were affected, so not likely botrytis (attacks the fruit, too).

There were wilted branches draped over other nearby plants
which did not show symptoms, so whatever it was, it was not
dropping spores from the wilted foliage.

There were already a lot of fruit set, so I have just been cutting
out wilted foliage every few days. And, surprise, those fruit
that have ripened have still been quite tasty, without BER.
(I often see BER on verticillium-infected plants, because it
inhibits water flow through the plant, and the developing
fruit do not get adequate calcium. I had a matina plant with
similar symptoms where every fruit that has ripened has had
BER.) Some fruits did get some sunscald due to cutting out
so much of the foliage above them.

So, Black Sea Man is likely not verticillium tolerant, and in fact
it seems to be infected by it fairly easily (like Black Prince),
but it is still a tough plant for that. It set a lot of fruit, and
it did better at ripening them with an active verticillium
infection than just about anything else I have grown that has
had the same problem.

Edit:
I will probably grow it again, I just need to find a pristine spot in
the garden for it with no verticillium. I can use it as a test plant
for verticillium-inhibiting plant extracts, too, in spots that I know
do have it in the ground. (Plant the seedling in a V-area, soil drench
with the diluted extract, see what happens. If the Black Sea Man
plant does not get verticillium wilt, the extract worked.)

[DoubleJ]

Originally Posted by Dewayne mater

How is its production?

Both plants are loaded. I probably have 20# on each

[montanamato]

Black Sea Man is a variety that seems to perform very differently in other areas...
It is head and shoulders above any black I have grown for production....Taste is good, but not in Cherokee Purple's league, at least in my garden...I often read where it performs poorly and tastes average, but generally a long ways away....

Jeanne

[DoubleJ]

Cherokee Purple has been mushy and quite bland in my garden. I have never tried any of these varieties before and am going on virgin lips so to speak.

[where_with_all]

is there a commercial seed source?

[DoubleJ]

Tomatofest and Amazon that I can see. I got mine in trade.

[dice]

There should be a few different commercial sources for it.
I got my seeds here:
http://www.ghorganics.com/BlackSeamanTomato.htm
(PL determinate)

Others:
http://www.heirloomseeds.com/tomatoes.htm
http://www.totallytomato.com/dp.asp?...-86D23A41419C}
http://www.seedsavers.org/Details.aspx?itemNo=19(OG)
http://www.reimerseeds.com/black-sea-man-tomato.aspx
http://www.heritageharvestseed.com/pages/tb1.html

Etc.

[geeboss]

DoubleJ,

Would you post a picture of the Tomato Black Sea Man sliced and non sliced if you have pictures of it.

Thanks,

George

[DoubleJ]

When I get a chance I sure will