***Stupice***

333.okh · May 23, 2010

I live in cool coastal northern California. I planted a single seed of this plant this year and it has turned out to be a great plant. It is my 1st time with this type and I know it is really common, but not here. It is a nice thick stemmed plant with great potato leaves. Hearty.

Unfortunately, I have had two light frosts and 6 inches of rain in the last two weeks since I planted my tomato plants.

Stupice looks fine!

Flavor?
Cool heartiness?
Production?
Disease resistence?

How has it been for you?

coloken · May 23, 2010

Heartiness? About like a weed. First year I had one I was fighting to keep the others alive and the stupice was making fruit.
Taste is not all that bad. Sure beats nothing. Wish they were just a little bigger though.
I plant one every year. For my first tomatoes
KennyP

GunnarSK · May 23, 2010

Quote:

Originally Posted by 333.okh

I live in cool coastal northern California. It is a nice thick stemmed plant with great potato leaves. Hearty.

Unfortunately, I have had two light frosts and 6 inches of rain in the last two weeks since I planted my tomato plants.

Stupice looks fine!

Flavor?
Cool heartiness?
Production?
Disease resistence?

How has it been for you?

I believe Rose-Marek would be able to answer your question(s), as he lives in Oregon and grew Stupice.
He is a moderator on a Polish-language site where I also post (www.forumogrodnicze.info), but I don't think he posts here and don't know if he is a member of any American forums. If it is really important, I can forward a message to him (unfortunately I can't say anything, as I'm growing Stupice the first time this year). Carolyn137 may also answer, as she knows Stupice well and even included it in her book.

333.okh · May 23, 2010

thanks for the information...i need good cool-hardy types

**carolyn137** · May 23, 2010

Quote:

Originally Posted by 333.okh

I live in cool coastal northern California. I planted a single seed of this plant this year and it has turned out to be a great plant. It is my 1st time with this type and I know it is really common, but not here. It is a nice thick stemmed plant with great potato leaves. Hearty.

Unfortunately, I have had two light frosts and 6 inches of rain in the last two weeks since I planted my tomato plants.

Stupice looks fine!

Flavor?
Cool heartiness?
Production?
Disease resistence?

How has it been for you?

Flavor? Very good, notoutstanding, but only you can determine if you like it or not

Cool hardiness? Nothing special. There are no specific varieties that are really known to withstand frosts for instance, despite the claims for varieties such as Siberian and Siberia.

Production? High.

Disease tolerance? No bred in genes but you may or may not see tolerence to some foliage diseases with it being PL.

Others you might look at are Kimberly, which I like better, as well as Matina, which is a lookalike for Stupice but I think it tastes better, and then Bloody Butcher as well.

That's just a few and I know in the other thread of Russian varieties I made some suggestions as where and how to find the variety names for the short season varieties you're looking for.

Edited to add that when I saw where you were growing varieties I said self, that person wants a short season variety and to my mind the state variety for CA is Early Girl, beloved by many in CA, but not necessarily elsewhere. If you don't want to grow the hybrid you can go to my seed offer for PSR-37 in the seed trade subforum which is an OP version of it and get some from me. I still have a few left, but not many b'c there's been lots of interest in this OP version from Tville folks,

habitat_gardener · May 23, 2010

I grew Stupice one year, long before I discovered Tomatoville. It was prolific and pretty good.

My area is probably not as cool or as coastal as yours, but it's cool enough that I'm trying lots of short-season tomatoes this year. I've also looked at the lists of "coastal" tomatoes recommended at Love Apple Farms and the list of "cool summer" or "cold climate" tomatoes on the Tomatofest site. In general, the most reliable varieties for me are small to medium size.

The good-size seedlings I'm growing that have been mentioned in one place or another as early or cool-summer or good for coastal areas are George O'Brien, Roman Candle, Brandysweet Plum, Rosalita, Ludmilla's Pink Heart, Black Krim, Tommy Toe, JD's Special C-Tex, and Tobolsk.

I'm also growing a bunch from seed, though I'm growing them in a cold frame and they haven't been looking so good with our low-40s nights, plus I have to move this summer and the fate of the garden is uncertain. Anyway, if they survive, the cool-summer varieties include Bloody Butcher, Azoychka, Black from Tula, Brad's Black Heart, Cosmonaut Volkov, Kimberly, Lida Ukrainian, Moskovich, Opalka, Ukrainian Heart, Moravsky Div, Danko, Gold Nugget, and Sophie's Choice.

Of the above, I've grown Opalka, Black Krim, and Tommy Toe before, all of which have done well for me. Druzba has also done well here. Normal summer is daytime 70-80F, nights 50s-60s, with afternoon winds. This month it's been nights low 40s, days 60s. If we get the occasional heat wave with 80s or even 90s, I can get some of the larger-fruited varieties to mature.

333.okh · May 23, 2010

I have Siberian, Azoychka, Black from Tula, Caspian Pink. I do not know why, but I just do not like Early Girl ??? Just me.

Guernsey Pink Blush, Stupice, and Abe Lincoln are a month younger than the other plants, but doing very well.

Carolyn137 you have been extremely helpful and I appreciate it greatly!!!

Oh Aves Azores Red was a total crash in the frost the other morning. I only had two plants, but they are gone.

habitat_gardener · May 24, 2010

Quote:

Originally Posted by 333.okh

I have Siberian, Azoychka, Black from Tula, Caspian Pink. I do not know why, but I just do not like Early Girl ??? Just me.

Caspian Pink did very well last year. I planted it in March in a wall-o-water (like a mini greenhouse) and it produced heavily early in the season.

I grew Early Girl one year because I'd heard so many people raving about it around here. By itself it wasn't so bad, but compared to **any** of the heirlooms I had that year, it was flat and bland. Also, it wasn't early for me, but it did keep producing late in the season.

Sherry_AK · May 24, 2010

I grow one or two Stupice every year without fail. Very dependable in my cool climate. I can't tell much difference between Stupice and Bloody Butcher. I've grown both, and they are both vigorous plants with high production.

b54red · May 24, 2010

Stupice seems to have decent disease tolerance. I am growing it for the first time this year and it was my first plant to set fruit and first to have ripe fruit. It has shown some foliage disease but minor. It is showing less disease than many of the hybrids in my garden this year. You might want to try Gregori's Altai and Kosovo. They were right behind Stupice in setting fruit early but slower to ripen. I have never grown any of these before but they have all impressed me so far.

rsg2001 · May 24, 2010

I definitely prefer Kimberly over Stupice and Matina, both for productivity and taste. Kimberly joined my short list of varieties that are invited back every year in my garden (the others being Eva Purple Ball, Sungold, Black Cherry and Lemon Boy).

dice · May 25, 2010

It has been quite cool through April and May this year, and I
had seedlings outside in those little 3-tier vinyl covered
mini-greenhouses, with a light bulb in the bottom to prevent
them from freezing at night. The best performers in the cold
weather have been Kang Bing (a Chinese indeterminate with
plum-sized yellow fruit; I do not know how early/late they are
yet, first time growing them), Tom's Yellow Wonder (a surprise,
big beefsteak, probably end of season up here), Dice's Mystery
Black, Chernomor Regular Leaf, Spudakee, and Gold Nugget.
Next tier (an inch or two shorter after 6 weeks) have been
Kotlas, Stupice, Bloody Butcher, Ben Gantz, and Indian Stripe.
(Cherokee Purple is noted for unexpectedly good cold
tolerance, and that seems to extend to its relative Indian
Stripe as well.)

First flowers are on Kotlas, Ben Gantz, and Bloody Butcher.
Last year Orange-1 flowered when it was 50-60F days and
pushing 40F at night.

For dependable early tomatoes, Kotlas, Stupice, Bloody
Butcher, and Kimberly all qualify as best bets. Most years
they all set first fruit within a week or so of each other.
Without having weighed them to be sure, my impression
is that Kimberly has the most fruit on a cluster among those.
(Orange-1 can set very early, but they are bigger tomatoes
and take longer to ripen than those 4 above.)

I would not put Brad's Black Heart in this class. They are
great tomatoes, but they had some of the most severe
"purpling" in the cold outdoor weather this spring among
all of the varieties that I had out there. (The purple on stems
and the bottoms of leaves is from cold temperatures
interfering with phosphorus uptake by the seedlings.)
Mazarini (another mid-season heart) has this problem, too,
weak cold tolerance. Oxheart, Kardinal, and Danko fared
better among the heart-shaped varieties this spring.

habitat_gardener · May 25, 2010

Quote:

Originally Posted by dice

...I would not put Brad's Black Heart in this class. They are
great tomatoes, but they had some of the most severe
"purpling" in the cold outdoor weather this spring among
all of the varieties that I had out there....

It was on the Tomatofest list of tomatoes for cool summers! I was surprised to see it there -- probably because it's derived from Black Krim. Just goes to show you have to grow it yourself to find out if it really does tolerate cool conditions.

AZRuss · May 25, 2010

It's an extremely hardy plant. I think it's very tolerant of cooler weather, and also happens to be fairly heat tolerant as well. Agree with Carolyn that the flavor is good but not outstanding, that is until you cook it. Stupice makes the most awesome tasting tomato juice. Throw them into a zip top bag and freeze them until you have enough ripe ones to fill a pot. Then boil 'em up, add a dash of sea salt, drink hot. YUM!

dice · May 26, 2010

[Brad's Black Heart and cold tolerance]

Quote:

I was surprised to see it there -- probably because it's derived from Black Krim.

Probably true, someone's wishful thinking.

Kardinal actually had quite robust seedlings despite the chill,
and it belongs in that first group that I mentioned with Kang
Bing, TYW, Spudakee, etc (a fast starter in cold weather).

May 23, 2010	#1
333.okh Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2010 Location: NorCal Posts: 110	*Stupice* I live in cool coastal northern California. I planted a single seed of this plant this year and it has turned out to be a great plant. It is my 1st time with this type and I know it is really common, but not here. It is a nice thick stemmed plant with great potato leaves. Hearty. Unfortunately, I have had two light frosts and 6 inches of rain in the last two weeks since I planted my tomato plants. Stupice looks fine! Flavor? Cool heartiness? Production? Disease resistence? How has it been for you?

May 23, 2010	#6
habitat_gardener Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: California Central Valley Posts: 2,540	I grew Stupice one year, long before I discovered Tomatoville. It was prolific and pretty good. My area is probably not as cool or as coastal as yours, but it's cool enough that I'm trying lots of short-season tomatoes this year. I've also looked at the lists of "coastal" tomatoes recommended at Love Apple Farms and the list of "cool summer" or "cold climate" tomatoes on the Tomatofest site. In general, the most reliable varieties for me are small to medium size. The good-size seedlings I'm growing that have been mentioned in one place or another as early or cool-summer or good for coastal areas are George O'Brien, Roman Candle, Brandysweet Plum, Rosalita, Ludmilla's Pink Heart, Black Krim, Tommy Toe, JD's Special C-Tex, and Tobolsk. I'm also growing a bunch from seed, though I'm growing them in a cold frame and they haven't been looking so good with our low-40s nights, plus I have to move this summer and the fate of the garden is uncertain. Anyway, if they survive, the cool-summer varieties include Bloody Butcher, Azoychka, Black from Tula, Brad's Black Heart, Cosmonaut Volkov, Kimberly, Lida Ukrainian, Moskovich, Opalka, Ukrainian Heart, Moravsky Div, Danko, Gold Nugget, and Sophie's Choice. Of the above, I've grown Opalka, Black Krim, and Tommy Toe before, all of which have done well for me. Druzba has also done well here. Normal summer is daytime 70-80F, nights 50s-60s, with afternoon winds. This month it's been nights low 40s, days 60s. If we get the occasional heat wave with 80s or even 90s, I can get some of the larger-fruited varieties to mature. Last edited by habitat_gardener; May 23, 2010 at 11:55 PM.

May 25, 2010	#12
dice Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: PNW Posts: 4,743	It has been quite cool through April and May this year, and I had seedlings outside in those little 3-tier vinyl covered mini-greenhouses, with a light bulb in the bottom to prevent them from freezing at night. The best performers in the cold weather have been Kang Bing (a Chinese indeterminate with plum-sized yellow fruit; I do not know how early/late they are yet, first time growing them), Tom's Yellow Wonder (a surprise, big beefsteak, probably end of season up here), Dice's Mystery Black, Chernomor Regular Leaf, Spudakee, and Gold Nugget. Next tier (an inch or two shorter after 6 weeks) have been Kotlas, Stupice, Bloody Butcher, Ben Gantz, and Indian Stripe. (Cherokee Purple is noted for unexpectedly good cold tolerance, and that seems to extend to its relative Indian Stripe as well.) First flowers are on Kotlas, Ben Gantz, and Bloody Butcher. Last year Orange-1 flowered when it was 50-60F days and pushing 40F at night. For dependable early tomatoes, Kotlas, Stupice, Bloody Butcher, and Kimberly all qualify as best bets. Most years they all set first fruit within a week or so of each other. Without having weighed them to be sure, my impression is that Kimberly has the most fruit on a cluster among those. (Orange-1 can set very early, but they are bigger tomatoes and take longer to ripen than those 4 above.) I would not put Brad's Black Heart in this class. They are great tomatoes, but they had some of the most severe "purpling" in the cold outdoor weather this spring among all of the varieties that I had out there. (The purple on stems and the bottoms of leaves is from cold temperatures interfering with phosphorus uptake by the seedlings.) Mazarini (another mid-season heart) has this problem, too, weak cold tolerance. Oxheart, Kardinal, and Danko fared better among the heart-shaped varieties this spring. __________________ -- alias

May 23, 2010	#2
coloken Tomatovillian™ Honoree Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: NE Co Posts: 303	Heartiness? About like a weed. First year I had one I was fighting to keep the others alive and the stupice was making fruit. Taste is not all that bad. Sure beats nothing. Wish they were just a little bigger though. I plant one every year. For my first tomatoes KennyP

May 24, 2010	#9
Sherry_AK Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Alaska Zone 3/4 Posts: 1,857	I grow one or two Stupice every year without fail. Very dependable in my cool climate. I can't tell much difference between Stupice and Bloody Butcher. I've grown both, and they are both vigorous plants with high production.

May 24, 2010	#10
b54red Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Alabama Posts: 7,068	Stupice seems to have decent disease tolerance. I am growing it for the first time this year and it was my first plant to set fruit and first to have ripe fruit. It has shown some foliage disease but minor. It is showing less disease than many of the hybrids in my garden this year. You might want to try Gregori's Altai and Kosovo. They were right behind Stupice in setting fruit early but slower to ripen. I have never grown any of these before but they have all impressed me so far.

May 24, 2010	#11
rsg2001 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: New York Zone 6 Posts: 479	I definitely prefer Kimberly over Stupice and Matina, both for productivity and taste. Kimberly joined my short list of varieties that are invited back every year in my garden (the others being Eva Purple Ball, Sungold, Black Cherry and Lemon Boy).

May 25, 2010	#14
AZRuss Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Tucson, AZ Posts: 171	It's an extremely hardy plant. I think it's very tolerant of cooler weather, and also happens to be fairly heat tolerant as well. Agree with Carolyn that the flavor is good but not outstanding, that is until you cook it. Stupice makes the most awesome tasting tomato juice. Throw them into a zip top bag and freeze them until you have enough ripe ones to fill a pot. Then boil 'em up, add a dash of sea salt, drink hot. YUM!