This set of forums is an archive of our old CGI-Based forum platform (UBB.Classic) that was never imported to our current forum (UBB.threads); as such, no new postings or registrations are allowed here.

Please instead direct all questions and postings to the our current forum here.
Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Page 2 of 3 1 2 3
R
roflol Offline OP
Member
OP Offline
Member
R
Joined: Aug 2006
It originally was, Deborah L., but we can go into cherries cause I'm going there after all... I'm curious about the Tumbling Tom as there is plenty of room to hang baskets of this under the eaves of the deck (west side of house, tons of sun, and they would not take up any space on the ground). Any experience with this variety?

And since there's activity on this thread, I'm begging - if you haven't already, please read this thread re the struggling corkscrew vine rooted cuttings and share your ideas on what could possibly be going on with these things. I'm at a loss.

Thanks in advance as always.

luv

Joined: Jul 2005
Member
Offline
Member
Joined: Jul 2005
Well for slicing I have been growing Brandywine for many years, they are large, not always pretty to look at, but that doesn't change the taste at all, and a very good slicer. And as stated heirlooms are not always the prettiest as far as looks, but some of them are very tasty, So you should try heirloom tomatoes and other heirloom veggies....Our ancestors grew them and were satisfied.

Joined: Jun 2006
Member
Offline
Member
Joined: Jun 2006
I would urge anyone that hasn't already made up their mind about hybrids and heirlooms -- to continue keeping an open mind. Otherwise, you might miss out on some truly great tomatoes of either type. The Internet is a great resource, but so are your neighbors, state and/or county extension, and local nursery person. I hope that sounds more reasonable than, "if you disagree with me it means you don't know any better."

Joined: Jan 2006
Member
Offline
Member
Joined: Jan 2006
I agree with MrClint!
This year i grew a F1 hybrid called FERLINE, and it was the best tom ive grown.
every year i grow at least 1 new variety, FERLINE will be my first choice again next year, because its the only one ive grown that has'nt had any problems.
The reason i grew it, was because it was said to be blight resistant!
and yes it was thumbup
my dad grew his old favourite MONEYMAKER (op)beside mine and they got blight.
Taste was great'and a bonus was nice thin skins

Joined: Feb 2006
Member
Offline
Member
Joined: Feb 2006
Roflol, no, I've never grown Tumbling Tom.
I don't know anything about the corkscrew, sorry.

Joined: Jul 2005
Member
Offline
Member
Joined: Jul 2005
Quote
Originally posted by MrClint:
I would urge anyone that hasn't already made up their mind about hybrids and heirlooms -- to continue keeping an open mind. Otherwise, you might miss out on some truly great tomatoes of either type. The Internet is a great resource, but so are your neighbors, state and/or county extension, and local nursery person. I hope that sounds more reasonable than, "if you disagree with me it means you don't know any better."
laugh laugh laugh I do not disagree (but I probable don't know any better either wink ) , and being open minded is a very good way to be. When I first moved to Arkansas...I ask the locals what kind of tomato they grew...Arkansas Traveler is what everyone around here swears by, Ok..so I tried them the first year...I hated the taste the skins were tough, it was horrid to me...But to them they love them....So yes a person needs to try different things and find the perfect one for themselves, whether it is heirloom or hybrid.

Joined: Jun 2006
Member
Offline
Member
Joined: Jun 2006
There you go, taste is subjective. As for perfection, I gave up searching for that phantom years ago. smile

Joined: Jan 2005
S
Member
Offline
Member
S
Joined: Jan 2005
Ciao all,

I think John was misunderstood. I think what he was trying to convey is that for most people, they will buy what's easily available and if the nursery has it, whether it's heirloom or hybrid, that's what they'll go for. He and I both discovered heirlooms and after really amazing success, decided to go totally nuts and grow as many as we could shoe-horn into our yards. And now we're totally hooked. BUT..I actually got seeds from an absolutely outstanding hybrid from this same guy..Sungold F1, an orange cherry which is arguably the sweetest tomato on the planet. So it was the only hybrid in our yard, but still, we're not totally anti-hybrid for the sake of it. Show me a hybrid that tastes as good or better than an heirloom and I'll give it a shot. The downside is we can't save seeds from these things, but at $4 a pop for Sungold F1 seeds every single year if that's the only tomato I have to actually fork out money for, I'm ok with that. I'm also totally ok with trading with people because like John said, cross-pollination is still a very low probability even without bothering to bag blossoms and I got some very interesting tomatoes this year from another tomato-growing addict which were accidental crosses.

Cheers,
Julianna

Joined: Jan 2005
Member
Offline
Member
Joined: Jan 2005
Quote
So, if you had to choose one tomato for slicing...
Everyone has a right to choose what they want...no one's opinion is wrong or right...it's just what they prefer. I prefer a sour tasting tomato over a sweet...I've found MANY hybrids that quench that craving for me!
You just have try out a few varities whether they be hybrid or heirloom and see what your preference is.
Also, a tomato plant grown in my soil may taste completely different than the exact variety in the neighbour's garden due to soil conditions.
Of all varieties I've grown (and there's many), I still prefer my Better Boys! My mouth waters when I slice it..this coming from a girl who can live of tomatoes (and basically does!).

Joined: Jun 2006
Member
Offline
Member
Joined: Jun 2006
I've been in these hybrid versus heirloom discussions elsewhere. Nobody ever wins these things. Posts usually end up getting pulled or users banned. Heirloom fans are very passionate, almost driven! I like both types of tomatoes and choose to judge the plants on their own merits. Most folks are basically pragmatic versus being simply uninformed.

As for sungolds, they are simply awesome tomatoes. I am "ordered" to always grow them. Other great tasting hybrids that I am ordered to grow are momotaro, and juliet. This further proves the rule that taste is subjective, as each of these is the favorite of at least one family member. The juliet fan in the family does not care for sungold at all... So on and so forth.

Joined: Apr 2003
Compost Queen!
Offline
Compost Queen!
Joined: Apr 2003
We love tomato talk here MrClint..
And we'd never ban anyone for talkin' tomato.....

In my book anyone who takes the time to grow
tomatoes and talk tomatoes and to help those new
gardners learn how to grow "any" tomatoes is A~ok in my book... grinnnn

Joined: Jan 2005
Member
Offline
Member
Joined: Jan 2005
I admire your passion MrClint! thumbup

Joined: Feb 2006
Member
Offline
Member
Joined: Feb 2006
Welp, I'll bet I'm banned.... kissies wink

Joined: Jul 2005
Member
Offline
Member
Joined: Jul 2005
Deborah...You are so funny, no one is going to ban you because you say you didn't like the taste of a certain kind of tomato. Everyone is different, as are their tastes. Also as was pointed out...alot of other factors can change the taste from garden to garden of the same kind of tomato. I'll be trying a few new varieties this next growing season and I hope to find a few I really like the taste of, I'll be growing only heirloom varieties, as I like to be able to save seed, esp if it something I really like the taste of.

Joined: Apr 2003
Compost Queen!
Offline
Compost Queen!
Joined: Apr 2003
Nope, not banning you Deb..... kissies

You qualify to stay... kissies
You're gab talkin' gab TOMATO gab !!!

Joined: Feb 2006
Member
Offline
Member
Joined: Feb 2006
I get to stay !!! kissies

Joined: Aug 2005
J
Member
Offline
Member
J
Joined: Aug 2005
Quote
Originally posted by ChristinaC:
[QUOTE]
Of all varieties I've grown (and there's many), I still prefer my Better Boys! My mouth waters when I slice it..this coming from a girl who can live of tomatoes (and basically does!).
...and how many "heirlooms" have you grown Christina?

This is my point, most people have not experienced a really good tomato, so in their minds they can't realistically compare them. I would be willing to be a week's pay that if you put 100 blindfolded tomato lovers in front of a sliced better boy/early girl, etc., and a sliced brandywine, 95 of the 100 would prefer the brandywine and the other five probably had serious head colds or something clouding their judgement. :rolleyes:

Christina and Deb, if you like a "tangy" rather than "sweet" fruit, try some of the green-when-ripes. And Deb, don't judge Sungold on one year's growing. Try it again.

There are few hybrids that can be compared to most "heirlooms" IN GENERAL. Sungold, Brandy Boy, Big Beef to name a few, would be worthy in any devoted OP grower's garden in regards to taste.

Joined: Jun 2006
Member
Offline
Member
Joined: Jun 2006
At the end of the day most folks want it all. Since growing space is limited, we need taste, production and high quality fruit. It does us little good to focus on only one of those elements and forsake the others. I mention fruit quality because it can be a huge waste to carve out all the cracks, splits, scald and other bad spots from a completely mis-shapen tomato.

I've tasted a large number of tomatoes both heirloom and hybrid and have favorites of both kinds. The tables can be turned and one can ask an heirloom fan how many hybrids they've grown/tasted. You can't judge all hybrids on the boys, bigs or girls.

Joined: Jan 2005
Member
Offline
Member
Joined: Jan 2005
Quote
Big Beef
Here's Jamie's Big Beef:

[Linked Image]

Far too sweet for me.

Joined: Aug 2005
J
Member
Offline
Member
J
Joined: Aug 2005
Quote
Originally posted by MrClint:
You can't judge all hybrids on the boys, bigs or girls.
Then what are you going to judge them against? Surely not on the ones sold in grocery stores. :rolleyes:

You know exactly the point I'm making. You have quite an eloquent way of being argumentative. I've seen it on other forums as well. Fools some I guess.

Joined: Feb 2006
Member
Offline
Member
Joined: Feb 2006
Way to go, Jamie ! Those are beautiful tomatoes ! wavey

Joined: Jan 2005
Member
Offline
Member
Joined: Jan 2005
Aww..how nice of you Deborah! I have a thread going in "Gardening with Disabilities" about Jamie...though I haven't added to it in quite some time.
They are beautiful looking tomatoes aren't they? smile
Thanks again,
Christina

Joined: Jul 2005
Member
Offline
Member
Joined: Jul 2005
Quote
Originally posted by johnCT:
Quote
Originally posted by MrClint:
[b]You can't judge all hybrids on the boys, bigs or girls.
Then what are you going to judge them against? Surely not on the ones sold in grocery stores. :rolleyes: [/b]
Ok...guys kissies

R
roflol Offline OP
Member
OP Offline
Member
R
Joined: Aug 2006
I'm sorry if the discussion has gotten anybody testy, I certainly didn't mean for it to.

I'd like to clarify something in my very first post that I think had I been more specific and less poetic in describing *may* have avoided all this:
Quote
I said:
Naturallement I would prefer heirloom so we could start a tradition and keep it going.
By this, I meant I wanted to save the seeds of whatever variety we chose and keep growing it year after year (if we liked it). I'm still learning the nuances of hybridization, but is it correct that it's heirloom I would be wanting for this purpose, as hybrid may or may not grow true from seed? Please correct me if I am wrong there.

I was silly thinking there was one tomato that would be a hands-down favorite to grow and eat. confused Heck, I had no idea there were so many different tomatoes to begin with!

I am in the process of obtaining a few different varieties (Rutgers original for the bed, and Brandywine {pink and red} and Purple Cherokee for buckets, and still hunting for Tumbling Tom for baskets) and hopefully someday when somebody even newer than I comes on the board and asks this question I can tell them my experience with those tomatoes.

I can tell you (because I just dug the tags out of my seed box) that the tomatoes we grew from plants bought at Wal-Mart were Bonnie brand Heartland and Husky Cherry Red. Both were better than store-bought; that's about all I have to compare them to at this point. Maybe next year I can specify better compared to what I grow from seed.

Obviously everybody has different tastes. I appreciate everybody sharing their opinions and telling their favorites.

thumbup

Joined: Jun 2006
Member
Offline
Member
Joined: Jun 2006
Those are some good looking tomatoes. Thanks for sharing! smile

Page 2 of 3 1 2 3

Link Copied to Clipboard
Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5
(Release build 20201027)
Responsive Width:

PHP: 7.3.33 Page Time: 0.033s Queries: 64 (0.018s) Memory: 0.8605 MB (Peak: 1.0259 MB) Data Comp: Zlib Server Time: 2024-03-28 10:59:46 UTC
Valid HTML 5 and Valid CSS