old purple

[charley]

im growing a new to me tomato this year called old purple and this is the discription that came with the seeds.95 days indeterminate.wispy leaf
huge late plant produces huge yields of purple oxheart tomatoes.needs lots of staking or caging.great tasting tomato.not a long shelf life.Kentucky heirloom.represented as a old heirloom from that area. so my question is has anyone grown it ?how does it taste ?and any other info on this tomato

[Tormato]

I've never heard of it, and Gary Millwood (who's no longer with us, but his fondness for Kentucky heirloom tomatoes are) never mentioned it, to me.


Do you have any more background information on "Old Purple"?

[nathan125]

I imagine there only a couple dozen tomato types...the majority are shrouded in mystery and folklore. So many of them I suspect as being one tomato grown by 5 different people and all getting renamed

[Tormato]

A couple dozen tomato types? By "types", do you mean distinct varieties?

[nathan125]

Yes, couple different reds, couple different yellows and so on....

[Tormato]

Well, my guess is that there are easily 10,000+ distinct varieties.



From trialing 1,000+, my observations (sight, smell, taste, texture, etc...) lead me to believe that there are very few that appear to have more than one name. And, only a couple of tomatoes that may have 3, or more, names.



Some say that there are likely 30,000+ named tomatoes. So, if each had an average of three names, that would mean 10,000+ varieties. Myself, I've likely handled 7,000 to 8,000 named tomatoes in the past decade.

[charley]

when Gary Millwood passed his seeds went to maria then she passed them to jim and thats who i got the seeds from im growing a bunch of old kentucky and west virginia tomatoes.so far its out growing every thing i have planted.last year moses and rawlings blew me away both in taste and production

[Heritage]

Charley, great to see you are keeping some of those Kentucky heirlooms going! Between Maria's and Gary's collection of Kentucky heirlooms are some of the best, undiscovered, tomatoes I have ever grown/tasted. I have lost most of the ones I have grown but someday, if I ever have time to grow tomatoes seriously again, I will include many of that collection in my first grow outs. Does Jim sell seeds of the varieties he is curating?

Steve

[imp]

Yes, if he sells seeds, a link or name would be good. I am always up for a good heart tomato, LOL!!

[barbamWY]

http://www.tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=46366

[imp]

Originally Posted by charley

when Gary Millwood passed his seeds went to maria then she passed them to jim and thats who i got the seeds from im growing a bunch of old kentucky and west virginia tomatoes.so far its out growing every thing i have planted.last year moses and rawlings blew me away both in taste and production

You might be the only seed source for it now.

[charley]

i asked jim and he does not sell seeds he only does it as a hobby.but i will be saving seeds from some of the plants i grow this year and share this fall.the only ones im growing this year are moses,rawlings,vinson watts,west virginia sweet meat,hoy,old purple,whetstone wonder,rose beauty,pike county pink,garys beauty,williams striped,butter and eggs,lenny and gracies kentucky heirloom,madison county pink,depps pink firefly,davids pink,

[imp]

Oh, yu are growing several I have been looking for! Vinson Watts, Depps Pink Firefly I hve been looking for for years.,

[charley]

i will hook you up this fall imp

[imp]

Thanks charley, I appreciate that!