2014 Tomatoes

In my SFG, I have Early Girl, Lemon Boy, Sun Sugar, Sun Gold, and Beefsteak. I have Better Bush and Celebrity in containers. I've also got quite a few unknown volunteers in some empty squares that I'm letting go until I need the square or it seems non-viable. Don't know what they are, but likely from last year Sun Gold seeds - possibly cross-pollinated.

Just got mine planted on Monday; all are starts purchased at Baker's Acres, a local nursery which grows its own veggies. I have one of each planted in a bed on the south side of my house.
Black Krim
Dixie Golden Giant
Herb's Rose (this is from seeds of a now deceased long time patron of Baker's Acres who gave them his seeds)
Yellow Pear (this is such a great prolific salad tomato)
Sugar Lump red cherry

All are indeterminate heirloom varieties.

This is the first time in years that I have not planted a Big Beef.  It is one that I always buy the plant at a local nursery along with Purple Cherokee and a cherry type.  This year, as I was looking through the greenhouse full of various tomato varieties, I was chatting with another gardener.  Some how at the end of our time she left with a Big Beef and I left with a grape vine and a sheep nose pimento pepper.

I had an extra Cuore di Bue at home so I planted that instead.  Then a couple days later a friend called to say she had left me a Shishito pepper at my work.  Sooooo... I dug up the spare Cuore di Bue because she had never seen that.  This left me a gaping hole and there was no more Big Beef plants to buy so I got a Celebrity instead. 

All the rest of my plants I started from seed.  It works out to 12 indeterminates in the greenhouse and the 4 determinates (Oroma) in a cold frame.  Every year I grow fewer big slicers, we love the sauce paste ones best.  Except Purple Cherokee, that is my sons' favorite.

I too lost all my starts (first year trying to do tomato from seeds and failed) and had to purchase mine from Bonnie (only starts available near me)

Brandywine - Pink
Ark Traveler
Black Krim
Purple Cherokee
Black Prince
Golden Jubilee
Husky Cherry
Mr Stripy

to thank your lucky stars that you can grow any kind of tomato.  We in Hawaii are so besieged by fruit flies, fungus and other such that we can grow very few, mostly cherry and the one Kewalo, created by University of Hawaii.   

We are able to grow the others here in Koke`e, 2500 feet elevation, but very few opportunities.

When I lived in Hawaii, my tomatoes failed due to nematodes.

Hawaii actually has a fair amount of variety in its climates -- the Big Island seems to have almost every climate there is, for instance, and the windward side of Oahu is much rainier than the leeward side). But most of them are some variety of hot and humid!

I guess you've already tried hybrids or heirlooms known to be resistant to the usual diseases and/or pests. I only ask because I've had plenty of problems with tomato diseases and pests myself, but last year's Better Bush tomato was just bulletproof and caught nothing even though our conditions were especially severe (weeks of forest fires blotting out the sun, screwing up the air, and dropping ash all over everything). If you're still open to experimenting, I wonder if you might still find a new variety or two that works for you. If it were me, I would experiment for years to find good tomatoes, and tend to rely on raised beds to increase drainage and minimize intrusion of native soil organisms.

My 2 faves:
Supersonic
Sungold cherry

Along with:
Roma
Super Beefsteak
Boxcar Willie
Black Cherry

I hadn't even thought about the nematodes!!  Which island did you live on when you got nematodes in your tomato patch?

Saw some griant tomato varieties listed here and I really want to try them next year - from seed.  Now where did I store those plant lights from years ago?

I currently have BrandyWine, Steak Sandwich, Cherokee Purple, Yellow Pear, Super Sweet Hybrid Cherry, Red Cherry, San Marzano, and Green Zebra Stripe.

I think that's all.  

@kauairosina wrote:I hadn't even thought about the nematodes!!  Which island did you live on when you got nematodes in your tomato patch?

I lived on Oahu, windward side -- Kailua, to be precise. About a block from the beach.

Red Grape
Amish Paste
Pantano Romanesco
Break'o'day

Bought from Baker Seeds

First year trying heirlooms. Thought I'd get one of each and see what we like.
Cosmonaut Volkov
Bloody Butcher
Pink Brandywine
Polish Pink Raspberry
Purple Calabash
Black Krim
German Queen
Black Cherry
Hillbilly
Mortgage Lifter
Heirloom Red Beefsteak

I also have Beefmaster, Orange Wellington, Sweet 100 Cherry and Roma that I started from seeds I saved from last years tomatoes. Should be an interesting year for tomatoes if they produce anything. Looking forward to the results, but also wondering if I should put in some old standbys just in case.

I look forward to reading about your results and hope to see some pics, lyndeeloo. With a name like Polish Pink Raspberry, I gotta see what that looks like and wonder how it tastes. Raspberry is not a flavor I've ever associated with tomatoes!

@Marc Iverson wrote:

@kauairosina wrote:I hadn't even thought about the nematodes!!  Which island did you live on when you got nematodes in your tomato patch?

I lived on Oahu, windward side -- Kailua, to be precise.  About a block from the beach.

And just WHY are you now in Grant's Pass?

GG

@Marc Iverson wrote:I look forward to reading about your results and hope to see some pics, lyndeeloo.  With a name like Polish Pink Raspberry, I gotta see what that looks like and wonder how it tastes.  Raspberry is not a flavor I've ever associated with tomatoes!

I bought the plants from a local farm. The family has been running the farm stand forever. Several of their workers are from Poland and they had the seeds from Poland. The name in Polish is Malinoy Olbrzym. They have pink tomatoes and I think the shape resembles a raspberry. Anyways, they all raved about the tomatoes so I had to buy it. I can't wait to see how it all turns out.

@sanderson wrote:Lyndeeloo,  Don't forget to post a photo of one of the Polish Pink Raspberry tomatoes.

You bet. Just hope I get something to take pictures of!! Heirlooms are new to me and I hope they will do ok.

@Goosegirl wrote:

@Marc Iverson wrote:

@kauairosina wrote:I hadn't even thought about the nematodes!!  Which island did you live on when you got nematodes in your tomato patch?

I lived on Oahu, windward side -- Kailua, to be precise.  About a block from the beach.

And just WHY are you now in Grant's Pass?

GG

Hawaii is so beautiful it spoils you. Not a lot of places are pretty enough for you after that. Southern Oregon is one of them, and well known to be one to those who still live the Islands. There are actually many native Hawaiians and Hawaiian expatriates in Oregon, quite a concentration, they hold various events, etc. I lived most of my adult live in Southern California's biggest cities, and every single day, I didn't enjoy my surroundings. It's very nice to be someplace beautiful again, with real nature to see and feel a part of. It's so much more humane, and that includes the people, who are overall much nicer and more relaxed. More "Aloha spirit," so to speak. (And, overall, not so dang hot!!!)

This season I tried

Hillbilly
Red Brandywine
WV 63
Black Krim
Grape
San Marzano

Need more 63 seeds!!!!

We are so fortunate to have found one of the few wonderful places left in the world.  Thanks for clarifying.  

I was born in California (Coronado) and was at Pearl Harbor when it was bombed December 7 1941.  When we left (Navy) after the war my father said "not ever going back there, too commercial".  So I talked lots of folks out of going to Hawaii for vacations.  My husband said however, we are going to Hawaii for our 25th.  I said 
"Ok,just so long as it's not Oahu".. That is still my point of view.  Oahu is becoming too big city for me.   Lucky to live Kauai.

This should go into Senseless Banter...Don't know how to link it.s

There are plenty of tourist traps to be found in Hawaii -- most of Waikiki was one even when I left 30 years ago -- but back then, there were still plenty of nice places. Like where we lived, in Kailua. The best way to enjoy vacation destinations is to go where the locals go and eat where they eat, IMO. I never hang out in tourist traps if I can help it.

I miss the fresh papaya and guavas, I can tell you that.

@Marc Iverson wrote:

@Goosegirl wrote:

@Marc Iverson wrote:

@kauairosina wrote:I hadn't even thought about the nematodes!!  Which island did you live on when you got nematodes in your tomato patch?

I lived on Oahu, windward side -- Kailua, to be precise.  About a block from the beach.

And just WHY are you now in Grant's Pass?

GG

Hawaii is so beautiful it spoils you.  Not a lot of places are pretty enough for you after that.  Southern Oregon is one of them, and well known to be one to those who still live the Islands.  There are actually many native Hawaiians and Hawaiian expatriates in Oregon, quite a concentration, they hold various events, etc.  I lived most of my adult live in Southern California's biggest cities, and every single day, I didn't enjoy my surroundings.  It's very nice to be someplace beautiful again, with real nature to see and feel a part of.  It's so much more humane, and that includes the people, who are overall much nicer and more relaxed.  More "Aloha spirit," so to speak.  (And, overall, not so dang hot!!!)

I have to agree with you that southern Oregon is beautiful, and definitely more moderate temps in the summer than Hawaii - or SoCal.  Having grown up in NorCal and venturing into SoOregon a few times, the color and temp difference was amazing.  While CA was turning golden brown from the hot and dry, OR was still lush and green - at least when I saw it.  Now living in SD from CA, I can appreciate the less-commercialized aspect as well.

Of the varieties that I tried this year and results from each to date:

1) 1 Black Krim plant - 4 medium sized tomatoes - favor ok
                               plant healthy and starting to bloom again

2) 1 Sun Glow plant  - loaded with great tasting cherry sized fruit; lost all its
                        leaves to disease but now forming new leaves and re-flowering

3) 1 Black cherry plant - maybe 10 samples -not a good return

4)  1 Yellow Pear - healthy and fruiting 

 5)  4 Big Boy plants - maybe 10 fruit from the plants - but these are still blooming
      so maybe hope
 6) Campion - 10-14 fruit from this one plant and it is still forming fruit

 7)  4 Celebrity plants - forming tomatoes, but haven't ripened yet

   4 Patio plants - some fruit, but diseased early and are ready to pull out

 9)  2 Rutger plants - diseased, maybe 4-6 fruit from the 2

@Judy McConnell wrote:Of the varieties that I tried this year and results from each to date:

1) 1 Black Krim plant - 4 medium sized tomatoes - favor ok
                               plant healthy and starting to bloom again

2) 1 Sun Glow plant  - loaded with great tasting cherry sized fruit; lost all its
                        leaves to disease but now forming new leaves and re-flowering

3) 1 Black cherry plant - maybe 10 samples -not a good return

4)  1 Yellow Pear - healthy and fruiting 

 5)  4 Big Boy plants - maybe 10 fruit from the plants - but these are still blooming
      so maybe hope
 6) Campion - 10-14 fruit from this one plant and it is still forming fruit

 7)  4 Celebrity plants - forming tomatoes, but haven't ripened yet

   4 Patio plants - some fruit, but diseased early and are ready to pull out

 9)  2 Rutger plants - diseased, maybe 4-6 fruit from the 2

I love it; thanks for posting your results.  I will as well after I have some more conclusive findings.  I can say this though, Blue Streak is a nightmare... no disease resistance at all.