early-fruitin' tomato thread!

[digitS']

Steve,

I'm originally from Philly and lived variously in NC, OH, NJ and NY before moving up here 6 years ago, so, actually I do know how widespread and tolerant of different climates Early Girl is wink

The cherry tomato is not an heirloom, exactly, it's more complicated... my family has only had it for <counts on fingers> it'll be 20 years next summer, but it comes from seed I got when I was in grad school, from some fellow biologists who worked in Peru. It was supposedly a strain commonly grown in villages there (in our family it is consequently known as 'the Peruvian tomato", generally with an expletive wedged in there too as it grows like crazy and flops all over everything else in the garden).

It is actually much less interesting than this makes it sound though. It looks somewhat like Sweet Million but with less cloying sweetness, much better (to my tastebuds) tangy tomato flavor, and a serious tendency towards cracking. I don't remember it cracking nearly so much the first few years, but the thing is, I have moved around so much I never seem to save seeds, so for almost 20 years it's been up to the self-seeded volunteers in my mother's garden (it has long since been relegated to the neglected hot dry bed by their greenhouse where it can rampage in peace) to perpetuate the line. Every winter, well ok many winters, she has sent me seed from that. I strongly suspect the strain has degenerated a lot because of the lack of intentional selection and the amount of natural selection for cold-hardy seeds, drought tolerance, vegetative vigor, etc.

I'm not all that super keen on it anymore... but I sort of hate to give it up altogether (I actually saved seed this year!) both for nostalgic reasons and because my 3 year old sun loooooves it tongue

Steve, if you are looking for a short season tomato and Early Girl is not quite dependable enough you might try Siberia. It is supposed to be about as early as Early Girl but ripen fruit well even in cool cloudy weather (not that Early Girl is a slouch in that department either of course). I tried it this past year, which as luck would have it was warmer and sunnier than usual tongue Its taste is close to Early Girl, the fruits a bit smaller on average (maybe 2-2 1/2" across?) and distinctly a little tougher-skinned but still good eating. To the extent that our waether allowed any comparison I was suspecting it probably *does* ripen better when cloudy and very cool, also it seems to keep better (I still have a few tomatoes picked green before killing frost, although they're being used for the chickens not the table, and I believe the survivors are all Siberias.)

Pat

I hope it's okay Pat, for me to go on from here (& on, & on & on . . . if'n you let me with this early-fruitin' tomato thread!

Not long after I first went off on my own, I moved up the valley to a place about 400 feet higher in elevation. The only tomato I could get to ripen there was Sub-Arctic. I cant really recommend that one but from reading U of Alaska tomato trials, I can see those Sub-arctics still set the standard. Im glad to see that we are now getting some varieties from eastern Europe.

Anyway, it was a relief to move on down the valley and begin raising Earlianna and Early Girl. I grew Fantastics for awhile but it was wonderful when Big Beef showed up. But, I still grow a few Early Girls every year - hard to beat.

A standard cherry in my garden in simply called "Large Red Cherry" - I checked with some "tomato people" not long ago. Apparently, this variety is an heirloom, too! It was grown by a guy in Ohio who is more-or-less the Father of Heirloom Tomatoes here in the US. He's the guy who first "rescued" and made popular the Brandywine.

And, about your "Peruvian tomato" - I can't imagine why it wouldn't be considered an heirloom. Obviously, it is open-pollinated. Heck, it even has an exotic yet very, very traditional origin. Your mother has saved it, no matter how casually. And, your son loves it! Don't you DARE lose that tomato - for his sake, for the sake of his children and gardening friends!!

Steve

 

[patandchickens]

Well, you know, when you put it that way Steve I *suppose* the <insert expletive due to sprawliness> Peruvian tomato sorta counts as an heirloom... but I just feel like it's degenerated a lot due to being left to fend for itself, seeding-wise. I suppose that is the natural fate of unselected o/p varieties, but still.

I suppose I could try to reimprove it but frankly I don't think I want to devote space to *that* many plants of it - this past summer, 2 plants of it were way more than enough for us, older son and chickens!

Mostly I was just going to say, here, that since at least half the battle to have decent tomatoes in cold/grey areas, or to have the earliest red tomato on the block anywhere else, lies in the area of tricks and technologies to allow transplanting and good growth in colder weather, maybe that belongs in this discussion also?


Pat, raised in the religion of Wall O' Water and deep planting, and never having really expanded her tomato-growing horizons beyond that

 

[digitS']

Just remember that tomato seed lasts a good long time, if there's a season or 2 you just can't spare an inch for it. Maybe it would be a good candidate for "straw bale" planting.

Your "gardening religion" is likely to be passed on to your son. In a very distant future, you may find that he and his are still doing things the way Grandma Pat did 'em. ("And, she called that tomato WHAAAT?"

Deep planting (?) - I've found that the darn plants continue growing, at least partly, at the angle they were set in the ground . . .

You know . . . it's DW who especially likes my Grandmother's heirloom tomato. I find it really too mild altho' I appreciate its ability to take heat and ripen early. Grandma's tomato may very well be a Porter. I've grown Porters twice in the garden and altho' it is a smaller, darker green plant and a little later. The fruits are almost the same - a mild plum. The seed company that first introduced Porter has long been out of business. I may never know and don't suppose it really matters. After 70 years, both strains have gone their own way just a bit.

I've got Big Beef Hybrid, but a "big beefy" heirloom I grew in 2007 was Prudens. Impressive size and good taste, it was nice to try a big, early maturing heirloom.

Steve