My tomato collection tour - part 8. Tomatoes 81-90

A specimen of Polish, described below, tomato #89 in my collection

Tomato #100 from my collection is in sight! Let’s continue the trip through my seed numbers, vials and packets. Going down memory lane sure is interesting for me - hope it is for you as well.

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Tomato 81 -Bisignano #2 - This is one of the stars of my tomato collection, obtained by SSE member Elaine Reidy of Massachusetts in 1988. She claims that the seeds came from a Mr. Bisignano, a finalist in the Victory Garden TV contest of 1984 (a show I used to watch often - Jim Crockett’s books were a foundation of my early garden library). They are supposedly from Italy in the 1950s. It was a star in my 1988 garden, with first ripe fruit in 67 days, a total harvest of 45 tomatoes averaging half a pound. The plant produced 23 pounds and the flavor was really excellent. A unique aspect is that the fruit shape varies from oblate/beefsteak to heart/plum, on the same plant. I love this one so much it was featured in my book, Epic Tomatoes. This is a tomato that although balanced in flavor allows the tartness to show. It’s perfect for slicing and eating as well as cooking/sauces.

Tomato 82 - Egg - This not particularly creatively named tomato was obtained from Gleckler in 1988 but I never did get around to growing it. It is a variety they carried since the late 1950s. The Gleckler catalog stated “Something altogether different than the ordinary tomato. An extremely heavy fruit setter, the size and shape of a medium-size chicken egg, and having only a very tiny stem scar. Fruits possess extremely high solids of blood-red color, with a very sweet delicious flavor. Maturity is mid-season, but bearing and ripening over a very long period. The fruits resist both cracking and sunburn, almost completely. This strain is one of the longest keeping tomatoes after ripe that we have ever seen. Medium size, indeterminate vines with quite heavy foliage. The old saying, "good thing come in small packages," certainly applies to this tomato.”

Tomato 83 - Winsall - This historic tomato has elevated itself in relevance to my hobby. It is a variety that was released by the Henderson Seed Company in 1924 with the name “Number 400”, with a contest launched to give it a name. It was supposedly a selection from their 1890s release Ponderosa (itself released as “Number 400” prior to a customer providing the eventual name). It is a curious name that I think would be more appropriate as “Wins All”, but it was their decision. When we sold seedlings in the late 1990s in Raleigh, it was one of the varieties we carried. An elderly gentleman was transfixed when he noted the plant tag, telling us that he thought the tomato was long gone, not having seen it since he was very young and gardening with his father. He came back to obtain seedlings from us for several years. I told this story at the outset of the 2016 taped Growing a Greener World episode, by Joe Lamp’l, and through that, I am often asked for seeds. I first grew it in 1993 and really enjoyed it - not my favorite regular leaf pink type (that would be Dester), but certainly better in flavor and performance than German Johnson. I grew it last year in a straw bale so it could be featured in the tomato course Growing Epic Tomatoes. It did just wonderfully, with a great yield of one pound average smooth oblate pink fruit - I rated it a solid 7.5.

Tomato 84 - Hunt Family Favorite - Obtained from SSE member Edmund Brown of Missouri in 1988, alas, I’ve never gotten to experience the true Hunt Family Favorite, described as a large pink tomato. I grew it in 1989, and though obviously crossed (it was an oval scarlet tomato), it was a garden standout. First fruit coming in at 57 days, the plant produced 57 tomatoes with an average weight of half pound - 29 pounds from that one plant, and the flavor was really full and special, receiving an A. I never did return to it again, and didn’t resume my search for the authentic pink strain. It supposedly dates to the Hunt family of Missouri in the early 1900s.

Tomato 85 - Valiant - I was sent this historic, early US commercial variety by Florida SSE member Gary Staley in 1988. Alas, I never did grow it. It is a Stokes Seed Company 1937 introduction. From that catalog description it is a determinate variety with relatively sparse foliage and maturity in season with Earliana. It is noted for being quite solid, nearly round, scarlet in color and averaging 6 ounces. It clearly was bred to be a commercially farmed variety to supply the tomato industry.

Tomato 86 - Purple Smudge - This rather weird-o tomato, which I never grew out, also came from Gary Staley. The name came from a phenomenon similar to what we see in the recent anthocyanin-rich varieties, the presence of a purplish pigment on the shoulders of fruit exposed to the sun. The seed was originally obtained from USDA germplasm, into which it was donated in 1962. The parentage is quite complex, but the purple shoulder smudge apparently came from one of the parents, a Lyco. Peruvianum - a different species of the tomato.

Tomato 87 - Golden Oxheart - The third of the Gary Staley tomatoes sent to me in 1988, this was actually a tomato I really enjoyed in my early tomato gardening. I grew it in 1989, and the first tomatoes were harvested in 77 days. The plant was on the compact side, and I picked 27 tomatoes at an average weight of 9 ounces, giving a plant yield of 15 pounds. I enjoyed the full, balanced flavor and rated it an A. The fruits were typically smooth and round. Gary got the seeds from Fax Stinnett of Oklahoma in 1982. I didn’t see a heart-shaped nature in the fruit, and the plant didn’t have the weepy foliage characteristic of heart shaped varieties. The closest tomato in color and shape of my knowledge is the Jubilee/Sunray types. No matter, the tomato was delicious. Writing this reminds me to seek it out again so that I can experience it again. The last time it was in my garden was 1993, and it is doubtful nearly 30 year old seed will germinate.

Tomato 88 - Stone - This tomato was also sent to me by Edmund Brown. Stone is a historic variety, released by the Livingston Seed Company in 1889. I didn’t get to grow it until 1991. I recall an indeterminate plant with radial-crack-prone scarlet fruit that were on the small side - 3-4 ounces. My expectations of Stone. Victory Seeds reports tomatoes in the 6-8 ounce range from seed I sent Mike - it is time to get some seed back and give it another try. Another source would be the USDA germplasm collection, which does carry a sample. I have no recollection of the flavor from that 1991 attempt.

Tomato 89 - Polish - Here is a true superstar tomato. This really is about as good as a tomato can be, and I’ve always considered this to be as flavorful as Brandywine, but with a more consistent performance year to year. I requested the variety from Bill in 1989 and grew it in that year’s garden in Pennsylvania - and many others in between, in Raleigh - and the last two years here in Hendersonville. First, the 1989 performance data…first fruit harvested in 73 days, with 23 tomatoes at an average weight just under one pound, nearly 23 pounds from the plant with a solid A in flavor. A few things set Polish apart. When the first true leaves emerge, they are the most distinct, rounded, potato leaf form I’ve seen. It is such a happy, vigorous seedling. The variety seems to be happy with a range of conditions, excelling in all of my gardens. Bill obtained a seedling of this variety from a roadside stand in Trenton, New Jersey. The seeds came from Agnes Lynn of Conyngham, Pennsylvania, and was said to have originated in Poland. Though a pink tomato (red flesh, clear skin), I actually found it listed in the “red” section of the SSE yearbook. Many gardeners use the terms “red” and “pink” incorrectly, and I am convinced different people see those two colors quite differently. As for the flavor…it has it all - it has everything - tartness, sweetness, intensity, complexity, as well as the most enticing juicy texture.

Tomato 90 - Old Brooks - This was another Edmund Brown sourced seed in 1988. I have some data on my 1989 grow out of the variety in my West Chester, PA garden. Producing first fruit in 69 days, I harvested 19 tomatoes at an average weight of 11 ounces. The 12.7 pound plant yield is on the low side, and I recall this being quite a small plant. The scarlet oblate tomatoes did have a nice, balanced flavor and received an A-. It seems to have entered the SSE in 1984 by a member with the name code MS FO C.

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Some real favorites emerged from this group. Only a few went ungrown. I also learned about the possibility of receiving crossed or incorrect seeds, with my result from Hunt Family Favorite. But….Polish! I can’t imagine a summer going by without this gem in my garden. Thanks, Bill Ellis!

The next set, which will take us to Tomato #100 (actually it will take us to #102, because a few numbers in this set were used for saved seed), has a few really important ones, such as Whopper hybrid, the historic Chalk’s Early Jewel, and the spectacular yellow monster Hugh’s.

Once I reach that century mark, I will take a pause and do a highlight post to summarize my feelings about reviewing the first 100 tomatoes of my now out-of-control, huge, seed collection.

Marlin and Betts resting after their hike at DuPont

My tomato collection tour - part 7. Tomatoes 71-80

Fully loaded Red Robin from 2006

Hey - we are fast approaching the first 100! Let’s continue.

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Tomato 71 - Peron - This tomato received a glowing description in the Gleckler catalog (they are the company that introduced it). They described it as a “sprayless” tomato, meaning tolerant or resistant to issues that trouble tomatoes - hence no need to spray! The Gleckler 1958 seed catalog states “A miraculous variety developed by Prof. Abelardo Piovano at the National University of Argentina. Medium size semi-determinate bushy vines are very resistant to fungus diseases common to tomatoes. Foliage is semi-dense. A very heavy yielder of large size, slightly flattened globular fruits of the most extraordinary quality. Interior of fruits very solid and meaty, without any core. Very small and numerous seed cells, form a perfect fruit structure. Ripens to a beautiful deep red color over the entire fruit without green or yellow shoulders. Its tough, velvety-smooth skin is very crack resistant and easily peeled without immersing in hot water, a rarity not found in other varieties. Flavor is mildly acid and of a most delicious taste. Fruits keep exceptionally long after ripening. The Peron tomato is called sprayless because it will produce a normal crop of quality fruit in most areas without any disease control. No other tomato was ever introduced that received so many voluntary complimentary reports and we have them by the hundreds. No other tomato ever introduced has shownsuch wide adaptability. These reports have come from practically every state, in areas where they were unable to grow any other strains. It performs wonderfully in the tropics where fungus diseases get out of hand. From Alaska we have a report it is wonderful in the greenhouse. Its drought resistance is terrific”. I did grew Peron in 1988, seed purchased directly from Gleckler. What is odd is that I completely forgot that I grew it - the data I have is that it started to ripen in 74 days from transplant, I picked 17 tomatoes at an average weight of 7.5 ounces, giving a total plant weight of only 7.9 pounds. I seemed to like the flavor, giving it an A-, but I do wonder if the plant had disease issues. I’ve not grown it since.

Tomato 72 - Glesener - Also known as John-Vesta (after John and Vesta Glesener), I requested this variety from SSE member MA LY W - William Lyons of Massachusetts - in 1988. It is one of the potato leaf pink beefsteak types. Glesener was a member of my 1988 garden, providing first ripe fruit in 85 days from transplant, making it a late tomato. I harvested 25 oblate pink fruit at an average weight of 9.9 ounces. The plant yield was therefore 15.6 pounds. I liked the flavor, giving it an A-. I’ve seen the SSE listing having the original source as John Glesener of Iowa in 1979. I’ve also seen the variety listed as Glesener 1912. Like all large pink potato leaf varieties, they likely originated with the late 1800s variety Mikado, introduced by the Henderson Seed Company.

Tomato 73 - Prudens Purple - I grew this variety several times, the first of which in my 1989 garden, which contained a lot of heirlooms. With tomatoes coming in at 72 days, it is indeed a fairly early variety for such a large tomato. I harvested 18 fruit at an average weight of 13.6 ounces, so the plant yielded a little over 15 pounds of nice tomatoes that received a flavor score of A-. There is no clear history for this variety, and a listing in the 1986 SSE yearbook spells this out. George McLaughin obtained seeds from an elderly man in Charleston Illinois in a packet labeled “Prudence Purple”. It is thought to be a misspelling. It seems to have also been made available via a Gardens For All (a defunct gardening magazine) ad. As with Glesener, this is a tomato that may have originated in the late 1800s with the Henderson variety Mikado.

Tomato 74 - Roma - I purchased the seeds from Burpee in 1988, but the variety never did make it into my garden. This is probably the classic determinate growing paste tomato. San Marzano was one of the parents that went into the breeding in the 1950s. The 1958 Gleckler catalog states “A very important new tomato development at the Plant Industry Station, Beltsville, Maryland. Final selection came from progenies of crosses of San Marzano, Pan American and Red Top. Vine and fruit characteristics resemble Red Top, but much more productive and slightly larger San Marzano type fruit. There has been great need in the past for a wilt resistant paste tomato in areas where infestations of fusarium wilt has been a problem. Roma fruit ripens evenly to a deep red color. Interior is extremely high in solids, making it excellent for processing whole, for manufacture of pulp or fortifying soup stocks. The mild flavor, few seeds and solid paste type flesh make Roma fine for home use in fresh eating and salads.” I have to disagree with that past part about it being fine for fresh eating. It’s simply too dry, and too bland for my taste.

Tomato 75 - Long Keeper - Another Burpee purchase in 1988, and another variety I’ve yet to grow. Varieties with long shelf life have been listed in US catalogs under various names for many years. The Burpee version apparently came from a customer who used amateur breeding in their garden to create this variety and submitted a seed sample to Burpee in the 1970s. Reports are that the flavor isn’t particularly impressive, but the long shelf life means that at least fresh tomatoes from the garden of some sort can be consumed long after harvest. I think I’ll pass!

Tomato 76 - Red Robin - Seed was purchased from Stokes in 1988. This was my first experience with growing a so-called micro dwarf variety, happily producing small scarlet cherry tomatoes even when grown in 6 inch containers. I grew it in 1998, and at various times in my gardening years. It is a novelty, cute, reasonably productive, but flavor is fair at best.

Tomato 77 - Big Pick F1 hybrid - This fine tomato received its trial in my 1988 garden. With first tomatoes harvested at 72 days, I picked 44 nearly globe shaped scarlet tomatoes at an average weight of 6 ounces. The total plant weight was therefore 16.4 pounds, and I really liked the flavor, giving it an A - one of the better flavored hybrids of my three year hybrid vs heirloom trial.

Tomato 78 - Thessaloniki - I purchased this variety from Gleckler in 1988, it being one of their specialties. I’ve yet to grow it. The listing in the 1958 Gleckler catalog is as follows: “A wonderful new strain recently developed at the Ministry of Agriculture Experiment Farm in Greece. A cross of early Thessaloniki and late Thessaloniki, mid-season in maturity. Vine growth indeternimate heavy, with dense foliage. Plant health throughout the season is very good, carrying considerable resistance to fungus diseases. Most amazing is its characteristic of producing practically all uniform size, deep globular fruits about the size of a baseball. Very beautiful, smooth, with perfect blossom ends. Small and rough-shaped fruits are a rarity. Skin is very tough, highly resistant to cracking, Ripens to a beautiful scarlet color, uniformly over the entire fruit. Its solid fleshy interior is mildly flavored and fruits keep very well after ripening. Adapted for staking and we value it a very important market or home garden strain. Reports of trials with Thessaloniki say "nothing more could be asked for in tomatoes”

Tomato 79 - Evergreen - This is one unique tomato that is truly delicious. I purchased the seed from Gleckler in 1988, but did not get to grow it until 1991. I don’t have the detailed records of those tomatoes grown between 1986-1988, so this is stretching my memory. Evergreen is a medium sized very oblate tomato that has very thick, vigorous growth. The fruit have a tendency to produce odd shapes and catface. The flesh is a true medium green, and the skin yellow when the fruit is ripe. The flavor is just delicious, as most green fleshed types seem to be. Ben Quisenberry had a tomato called Tasty Evergreen in his collection, which found its way into SSE trades in the late 1970s/1980s. Gleckler listed the tomato Evergreen in the 1958 catalog. It is a variety well worth growing, for sure.

Tomato 80 - White Beauty - Here is a tomato I purchased twice, yet haven’t managed to grow it yet. White tomatoes were listed as far back as the 1860s (Large White Sugar), but there is an actual listing for this variety in the 1920 Isbell catalog stating “Albino or White Beauty tomato. Wonders of wonder, at last a white tomato! For years it has seemed impossible to propagate a pure white tomato of good quality, but the impossible has now been accomplished. The new White Beauty contains absolutely no acid and so will make tomatoes agreeable to thousands of people who heretofore had to avoid them. It is of ivory white color, and the flesh is almost paper white. It grows about as large as Stone”. USDA studies disproved the statement about the low acid; the mild flavor is due to elevated sugars. I purchased seed from both Gleckler and Seeds Blum. As we will see, I did eventually grow a white tomato obtained from the USDA collection - White Queen.

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So, we are now only 20 from covering the first 100 varieties in my collection. The next 10 have some real long time favorites. Stay tuned and keep reading!

Yellow White, from 2005, very likely what White Beauty looks like. I wanted to show a white when ripe tomato.

My tomato collection tour - part 6. Tomatoes 51-70

This is where I jumped deeply in to the SSE - my treasured 1986 Yearbook

Let’s proceed. The numbers look funny because quite a few in this span were used for saved seed - it will be clear which. Read on!

Tomato 51 - Better Boy F1 hybrid - This was probably the first tomato I grew in my gardens, back in 1981, in West Lebanon New Hampshire just after marrying Sue. I purchased the seedlings at a local plant nursery. The plants grew well, and the large scarlet tomatoes were delicious. Big Boy was the first famous hybrid, created by Burpee and first sold in 1949. John Peto was a breeder for Burpee, but he left to start his own company, Petoseeds, and Better Boy emerged out of that new company. Supposedly Big Boy arose from a cross between a large regular leaf pink heirloom type and a popular red tomato of the mid 1940s, such as Rutgers. Better Boy may have arose from a similar cross, a large pink with a medium or large red. I never did grow out saved seeds to see what I would get. All I know is that it was essential to include it in my heirloom vs hybrid competition, and I grew it in my 1988 garden from seeds purchased from Crosman as a packet at the nursery. Interestingly, Crosman has been a seed company since 1838. Their current website shows a selection of only 7 tomato types, including old standbys Beefsteak, Marglobe, Rutgers and Jubilee. For a large tomato, Better Boy yields quite early; in my case, fir fruit were picked in 67 days. I harvested 47 tomatoes at an average weight of 7.1 ounces, for a total weight of 20.8 pounds. Of course, it was delicious, and did rate an A. Perhaps it was the nostalgia of my first gardens. I do wish I had purchased it from a more reliable source, as the fruit seemed smaller than they should have been. Oddly, as much as Better Boy was a foundational variety for my gardening adventures, I’ve not returned to it since.

Tomato 52 - Trip - L - Crop - This was purchased as a Crosman packet in 1987. I’ve no idea why I decided to buy it, except it was described as an enormous yielder in a few of the tomato books I used for reference. Historically, there is a lot of conflicting info. Burgess, in 1938, lists a new variety, “Climbing Tomato”, regular leaf, large fruited and red. It was first called “Climbing Trip-L-Crop” in 1939. It was listed as “crimson”, so is likely a pink tomato. It is often listed as potato leaf, but also noted as a selection from their tomato “Colossal”, itself likely a selection of “Ponderosa”. Clear as mud, right?

Tomato 53 - Super Italian Paste - I ordered this from Seeds Blum in 1988. Sadly, I never did grow it. From looking at descriptions and pictures, it seems like an Opalka-type tomato - a long, frying pepper shaped scarlet tomato. I suspect I purchased it because I’d not yet grown one of the long paste types.

Tomato 54 - Beefsteak - I didn’t purchase this, but it arrived as a “gift” seed packet from National Gardening Association, which gardening magazine I subscribed to. This dates way back to the early 1900s, the typical irregular scarlet colored (rather than pink)) variety that often exceed one pound. I didn’t grow this particular seed.

Tomatoes 55-64 are the numbers used for saved seed from Tomatoes Persimmon, Abraham Lincoln, Czech’s Excellent Yellow, Sugar Lump, Tiger Tom, Yellow Cherry, Ruby Gold, Brandywine, Nepal, and Pineapple.

Tomato 65 - Oregon Spring - This variety was purchased from Johnny’s selected Seeds in 1988, and was in my 1988 garden. Bred by Dr. Jim Baggett in Oregon and released in 1984, the selling point was good fruit set across a wide temperature range, with seedless tomatoes resulting on occasion depending upon the temperature at which the fruit set (the only parthenocarpic variety of my gardening experience). The plant was quite compact and productive, but I found it lacking in flavor. As to the numbers, the first picked tomato was in 70 days from transplant. I harvested 63 tomatoes at an average weight of 3.2 ounces, so the compact determinate plant provided 12.8 pounds of tomatoes. I rated the flavor a B - it was a home grown tomato. I never did grow it again.

Tomato 66 - Early Cascade F1 hybrid - Also from Johnny’s in 1988, and part of my 1988 garden, this very productive, medium small variety was described in fairly glowing terms in the seed catalog. First fruit coming in at 66 days (among the earliest in my garden that year), I picked 90 tomatoes with an average weight of 3.3 ounces. 18.8 pounds of a smaller tomato is pretty impressive. Alas, the flavor was rated B-. Upon reflection it is likely a better tomato for skewering and grilling and roasting than fresh eating.

Tomato 67 - Valencia - a Johnny’s Selected Seeds specialty that I purchased from them in 1988. Apparently a selection of Sunray, itself a selection of Jubilee, this medium sized, lovely bright orange tomato did fairly well. Jubilee is a Burpee bred variety from the early 1940s that they stabilized from a cross between Marglobe and Tangerine. Sunray arose from introducing some disease tolerance into Jubilee. Statistics on Valencia from my 1988 trial - first ripe in 74 days from transplant. I harvested 33 tomatoes at an average weight of 8.2 ounces, giving a total plant yield of 16.9 pounds. I liked, didn’t love, the flavor - but the B+ it received is not too shabby at all.

Tomato 68 - Firebird F1 hybrid - yet another new (at the time) introduction by Johnny’s and purchased from them - and grown - in 1988. I really liked Firebird, and it was one of the best hybrids of my 3 year contest. It began bearing slightly oblate, smooth pink tomatoes early, in 68 days from transplant. Average fruit size was 6 ounces, but I harvested 50 tomatoes from the plant - that’s 18.8 pounds. The flavor and texture were fine - I gave it an A-. I’ve not found it listed any longer, so Firebird is an example of how fleeting hybrid varieties can be in terms of longevity. Once the developer decides it isn’t a hot selling “in” variety, they simply stop making the crosses to produce the seeds. It disappears from seed catalogs. And because the parents of hybrids are kept secret, the only way to grow it again is if the original creator decides to produce it once more.

Tomato 69 - Pink Grapefruit - I purchased this old Gleckler variety from the Tomato Seed Company in 1988. At times, it was thought to have been lost. I grew it in my 1991 garden and found it to be quite unique and delightful. Little is known about its origin. What made it unique is the bright yellow, round tomatoes that possess a lovely soft pink core. When I grew it in 1991, my record keeping wasn’t great and it predates digital cameras. I recollect a high yield of round 4 ounce bright yellow tomatoes on a regular leaf plant - the center pink core is very attractive. The flavor was mild and on the sweet side. I have to check my seed collection to see if any of my saved seeds are likely to germinate. This variety was thought to be lost at various points in time, but it is comforting to note a few gardeners offering seeds in the SSE exchange.

Tomato 70 - Caro Rich - I actually purchased seeds of this tomato twice - from the Tomato Seed Company in 1988, and Seeds Blum in 1990 (perhaps it was sent as a free sample). Alas I never did grow the variety. It was bred from Caro Red - itself bred at Purdue to create a tomato with elevated beta-carotene levels. Whereas Caro Red was…well, red! - Caro Rich was orange. Various reports on its flavor were highly mixed, and that is likely what made me put it on the back burner. Little did I realize that the back burner was permanent!

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And on we move, through my tomato collection. The next 10 - numbers 71-80- include the first white and first green tomatoes in my collection. See you next week!

This picture shows my very first SSE acquisition - Fowler, still a favorite bush green bean, sent by George McLaughlin, then living in Indiana.

My tomato collection tour - part 5. Tomatoes 41-50

We’ve enjoyed the 10 inch snowfall from last Sunday. Now, let it melt!

We forge ahead! This is a pretty interesting set of 10.

Tomato 41 - Tiger Tom - this absolute gem came in the same packet as Czech’s Excellent Yellow, sent by SSE member Jim Halladay of Pennsylvania in 1987. As with that variety, it was bred by a Czech tomato breeder and made its way into the Ben Quisenberry collection - then more widely distributed in the US. I love this tomato, and it found a place in my 2021 garden, as it had been some time since I grew it. I often recommend Tiger Tom to gardeners looking for a tomato with a refreshingly tart note to the flavor. The golf ball sized scarlet tomatoes show irregular vertical golden stripes. The flavor is intense and delicious. The main fault of Tiger Tom is that it cracks when fully ripe, or watered when approaching ripeness, it rains when ripe fruit are on the plant. It was quite a star in my 1987 garden. With the first ripe fruit coming in at 64 days, it was in the early category. I picked 170 tomatoes, at an average weight of 2 ounces, giving a plant yield of 21.5 pounds - in flavor it rated an A-, quite excellent.

Tomato 42 - Delicious - it is hard for me to believe that although I had this seed since 1987 (purchased at a garden center in a Page Seed Company packet), I’ve never grown it. Released by Burpee in 1964, it is best known for producing enormous scarlet red tomatoes. It originated from a Burpee-created cross between Jubilee and a large pink, from which they selected this huge scarlet tomato. Its claim to fame is that it was until fairly recently the variety that was grown by Gordon Graham to produce a 7 pound, 11 ounce fruit, the world record at the time. Prior to Gordon, the record was held by Clarence Dailey of Wisconsin with a 6 pound, 8 ounce specimen. I’ve never been a gardener interested in the earliest, or largest, tomato. I love tomatoes with stories and tomatoes that are delicious. Anyone trying to win tomato size/weight contests would be wise to try this.

Tomato 43 - Fireball - This was once an important commercial tomato, appearing in the 1950s, created by Harris Seed Company, as a determinate medium sized scarlet tomato with good yield and early ripening. Stokes and Harris and other companies really focused on scarlet determinate types beginning in the 1950s, probably because of ability to grow on short stakes, which allowed machine harvesting, used as tomatoes picked at barely breaker stage and gassed with ethylene to promote ripening. I grew Fireball in 1987 from a Page Seed Company packet purchased at a nursery. Starting to bear fruit in 68 days, I harvested a total of 58 tomatoes from the relatively compact, determinate plant, average weight being 5.6 ounces, giving a plant yield of 20.6 pounds. All I can say about the flavor was that it was a home grown tomato, garnering a B-.

Tomato 44 - Rutgers - This historic variety was a long time backbone of the tomato industry. Created by selecting from a cross between the famous tomato Marglobe and a Campbell Soup variety called JTD, made in 1928, Rutgers was released in 1934, aimed at New Jersey tomato processors (canners, sauce and ketchup makers). It has been further selected and improved over time, but my 1988 garden held the original type, which I purchased as a Page Seed Company packet from a nursery in 1987. Though some describe it as determinate or semi determinate, it certainly was indeterminate in my garden. It was quite late, beginning to bear ripe fruit in 87 days. The 33 tomatoes harvested averaged 9.8 ounces, 20 pounds for the plant, with the scarlet, slightly oblate fruit having a very good balanced flavor - quite “old fashioned” - and it received a B+. It is clear why Rutgers became such a popular, widely grown tomato.

Tomato 45 - Wolford Wonder - This was a specialty tomato introduced by Henry Field in 1987, supposedly sent to them by a customer named Max Wolford, who won a big tomato contest with a specimen. I purchased the seed from Field in 1988. This was my first experienced with heart shaped varieties, meaning my first look at the tall, wispy foliaged indeterminate growth that never really looks all that happy. Since then, I’ve learned to ignore the weak growth characteristics of paste and heart types. I suspect that this is a local selection of the 1920s Livingston variety Oxheart, itself possibly a mutation of the old pink beefsteak Ponderosa. In my garden, Wolford Wonder harvested quite early for the fruit size, 67 days. In my growing of the variety in 1989, I picked 28 tomatoes at an average weight of a pound, so the plant yielded an impressive 28 pounds of fruit. Alas, the texture and flavor didn’t wow me at all. The flesh was very solid, tending to dry, and the flavor mild tending to a bit bland. It would make a superb sauce tomato due to its meatiness and likely tendency to intensify flavors when cooked. I gave it a solid B. Seeds were saved but I never did grow it again.

Tomato 46 - Ponderosa - This is a truly historic variety, the very first named widely available large pink tomato, released by Peter Henderson company of New York in 1891. I purchased seeds for my trial from Harris in 1988, and that was the year I grew it. Alas, poor Ponderosa struggled with health, as a few plants were suspected of getting infected with Tobacco Mosaic Virus that year. I harvested my first tomato in 80 days, typically late for this size and type of tomato. The irregular oblate pink tomatoes were not plentiful, and I harvested 22 tomatoes at an average weight of 8 ounces, a mere 11 pounds of fruit from the struggling plant. This was another pink beefsteak type whose flavor was not to my liking, and it received a B. I never did grow it again, though seeds were saved. I love large pink beefsteak types as a rule and there are a lot that are truly delicious in my seed collection. Ponderosa is not one of them.

Tomato 47 - Abraham Lincoln - Continuing my search for the real Abraham Lincoln, I turned to the Tomato Seed Company in 1988. The result, that same year, was essentially identical to the 1987 version obtained from Shumway. The short indeterminate (I thought of them as semi determinate) plants produced in 67 days, far too early from the authentic version. I harvested 57 tomatoes at an average weight of 6 ounces, 18.7 pounds from the plant, with a flavor score of B+, pleasant enough, but not what I was hoping to find. The search for the real Abraham Lincoln thus continues. This imposter certainly is a pleasant, productive, good tasting medium sized, relatively early red tomato. I saved seeds but did not regrow it.

Tomato 48 - Goldie - I purchased this from the fascinating (and sadly, no longer in business) Gleckler Seed Company in 1988. They described it as a “150 year old” variety, which I really don’t buy. It is also thought to be synonymous with Dixie Golden Giant (we will come to that eventually), and another noted that it is a “yellow version of Giant Belgium”. I did grow it in 1989 and found it quite similar to Persimmon. It is a light orange, not yellow, tomato. For a large tomato it began to bear ripe tomatoes quite early, at 70 days. I harvested 27 tomatoes from the plant, average weight an impressive 14.9 pounds, giving a plant yield of 25.2 pounds. I found the flavor very good, not great, with a bit of a characteristic I find in some pink and yellow tomatoes also - musty, funky, dusty taste. It certainly is on the sweet and mild side - it did get a B+. I saved seeds but never did return to it.

Tomato 49 - Giant Belgium - Some day I will grow this tomato. A podcast host considers this his favorite tomato. Could it be this year? Next year? We shall see. I purchased it from the Tomato Supply Company in 1988. There really is no authentic history about the variety. It was listed in the Gleckler collection for years. It is unclear where they obtained it. Large pink tomatoes dating from the mid 1800s were Fejee (considered obsolete), Ponderosa (from 1891), Ferris Wheel (from 1894), and Buckeye State (Livingston, 1898). Giant Belgium could be one of these, or related to it, or could have come from Europe or elsewhere. Sadly, I never did grow those 1988 purchased seeds. Even after doing this for nearly 40 years, adventures await!

Tomato 50 - Better Girl F1 hybrid - Why of course there is a Better Girl - the presence of Better Boy made this mandatory! Interestingly, I’ve not managed to find any history at all of the variety. Even my seed source, Northrup King (as a packet, in 1987, from a plant nursery), is a bit spurious, they being known far more for box store packet sales than plant breeding. I did include this in my heirloom vs hybrid competition for my 1987 garden. First fruit came in at 65 days, making it on the early side, and it yielded very well, the 49 harvested tomatoes averaging 6.5 ounces. A plant giving me 19.7 pounds of fruit was a winner in my book and I found the flavor to be excellent, rating a solid A. Oddly, I’ve never grown Early Girl hybrid. Despite the excellence of Better Girl, it never did find a place in future gardens.

Another 10 tomatoes checked off the list - building momentum now! Each set of tomatoes has some really relevant, interesting ones to chat about. Until next time…

Walking by icicles on the Blue Ridge Parkway (closed in this section) a few days before the big storm.

My tomato collection tour - part 4. Tomatoes 31-40

Inside back cover of 1987 SSE yearbook, spotlighting and extraordinary person

We are just finishing up a truly picturesque snowstorm. Shoveling done, gas logs lit, seems a perfect time to keep pushing ahead on my seed tour blogs - so I am moving faster than my weekly target (for the moment - taking advantage of a nice slow day listening to WNCW and watching snow drifting down)

I’ve started using tags and categories so it is easier to find the two series of blogs I am working through. The seed collection tour blogs are tagged with the term “seed collection” so you can view them as a group if you wish - find the tag list to the right of the blog. The Off The Vine reposts are tagged with “Off The Vine”.

Strap in, and let’s continue the journey.

Tomato 31 - Nepal - this unassuming medium sized red tomato is THE tomato hero in my collection. Purchased from Johnny’s in 1987 (lured by the description mentioning superb flavor), it pretty much single-handedly converted me from dabbling in hybrids to focusing on heirlooms. It excelled in my 1987 garden and excelled last year in my 2021 garden….as well as many of my gardens in between. It began to bear ripe tomatoes in 82 days, and I picked 60 tomatoes at an average weight of 7 ounces, for a plant yield of 26.5 pounds. I rated it an A in flavor; it was the best tomato in my garden that year.

Tomato 32 - Sugar Lump (aka Gardener’s Delight) - I purchased this from Johnny’s in 1987, seduced by the description of excellent flavor. Alas, it was pretty ordinary to my palate. It started to bear fruit in 72 days, so was an early/midseason variety. I picked 580 tomatoes with an average weight of half an ounce, giving the plant a yield of 18 pounds, quite good for a cherry tomato. I rated the flavor B+, so clearly didn’t dislike it and I may have graded it a bit softly, as I never did grow it again.

Tomato 33 - Jet Star F1 hybrid - this is the second of the renown Harris tomato hybrid trio, and it was purchased from them in 1988 (along with Moreton and Supersonic). Oddly, I never did end up growing it until many years later, in 2004. It didn’t particularly distinguish itself, but we will get to that eventually - I had to repurchase seeds, and we’ll revisit it when I make it to tomato number 1468!

Tomato 34 - Supersonic F1 hybrid - this is the third, and last, of the Harris tomato hybrid superstar trio, also purchased from their catalog in 1988. This was the Harris answer to Better Boy and Ultra Boy and Whopper, a large fruited scarlet hybrid. As with Jet Star, I didn’t grow it in 1988 - and in fact didn’t revisit it until 2004, when it grew along side Moreton and Jet Star. I do believe that I grew it from a nursery purchased plant in 1986 and it was indeed very much like Better Boy and Whopper - a fine large scarlet tomato.

Tomato 35 - Ultra Sweet F1 hybrid - the Stokes catalog really raved about this relatively new hybrid variety and I purchased and grew it in 1988. They noted that it ripened internally quite early, which gave it a better, sweeter flavor. I didn’t find anything particular noteworthy about it, however. It did come in relatively early, starting to yield tomatoes in 67 days. I picked 44 tomatoes from the plant at an average size of 6.7 ounces. The total plant yield was 18 pounds. I found the tomatoes too firm, and lacking intensity, and it earned a B grade. I never grew it again.

Tomato 36 - Calypso - I was sent this variety as a bonus pack from the Tomato Seed Company in 1988. From a Google search, it appears to be a medium sized scarlet variety that does well in heat and humidity. Alas, I never did grow it, so have no opinion of the variety.

1987 SSE yearbook page for the variety Sabre, below

Tomato 37 - Sabre - SSE member Charles Estep sent this variety to me upon request in 1988. It was described as being particularly attractive and having a “sharp” flavor. It grew a regular leaf plant for me, but a search about indicates there are potato leaf “versions” out there as well (not an uncommon circumstance for many heirloom varieties). The variety seemed to originate with SSE member Don Branscomb, a collector of many varieties, particularly from the USDA germplasm collection. I grew Sabre in my 1988 garden. I was relatively late, coming in at 82 days. I harvested 34 tomatoes of an average weight of 10 ounces; the plant yield was 21 pounds. The oblate pink tomatoes were not wonderful, with a bit of the unusual “musky” overtones that quite a few pink heirlooms seem to possess (the most notorious, for me, being the NC heirloom German Johnson, a locally popular tomato that is simply not one I enjoy eating). It achieved a B rating. I did save seeds, but didn’t grow it again.

Tomato 38 - Wayahead Improved - selected from the Jung seed catalog in 1988, and grown in that year’s garden, this was described as one of their most popular tomatoes, with high quality despite being quite early. The “Wayahead” name graced various early tomatoes from this or that seed company for decades. Market gardeners found profit in getting high quality tomatoes as early as possible in the season, which made tomatoes with early-indicating types of names very popular. Sadly, this tomato was a pretty big let down, seemingly diseased. I grew it in my 1988 garden and it was situated in the front row. The growth habit was determinate. It was quite early, starting to bear ripe fruit in 66 days. I picked 35 scarlet tomatoes that averaged but 2.5 ounces in weight, and possibly due to disease issues (I speculated Tomato Mosaic Virus at the time), only 5.6 pounds of fruit came from the plant. It also ranked low in flavor, with a B-, at the bottom of my 1988 tomato efforts. I never gave it another chance. Seeds were not saved.

Tomato 39 - Gurney Girl F1 hybrid - I received a lot of seed catalogs each year starting in 1986, and became familiar with all sorts of companies that were new to me, such as Jung, Field and Gurney. When selecting varieties for my three year heirloom vs hybrid contest, I chose this variety, lauded in the Gurney catalog, to include, purchasing the seed from them, and growing it, in 1988. First harvest occurred in 67 days from transplant, and the 34 harvested fruit averaged 6.5 ounces, giving a plant yield of 14 pounds. I rated the flavor a solid A, clearly one of the best tasting scarlet red, medium sized hybrids. I never did grow it again.

Tomato 40 - Czech’s Excellent Yellow - this is another tomato variety included in a request by SSE member Jim Halladay from Pennsylvania in 1987. Jim noted that it was developed by a Czech tomato breeder and initially collected in the US by Ben Quisenberry in the mid 1970s. It was just a lovely experience to grow, earning a place in my 1987 garden, and so was one of the varieties instrumental in converting me to heirloom varieties. The foliage was a particularly deep shape of bluish green. The tomatoes began to come in at 71 days from transplant. I harvested 140 tomatoes of an average weight of 3 ounces - perfectly smooth, round bright yellow globes. The plant yield was an impressive 26.5 pounds. I found the flavor sweet and mild, a solid B+, lacking a bit of a tart snap for me to provide balance. I haven’t grown it often and suspect that saved seeds are too old to germinate. I would love to have it in my garden again some day.

There you have it - that was a pretty mixed set of varieties, mostly red, with one superstar (Nepal) that I still enjoy in recent gardens. Have a good week - I’ll be back with #41-50 soon, with a few historically important ones and another long time favorite heirloom.

1987 SSE yearbook - you can read the Czech’s Excellent Yellow entry

My tomato collection tour - part 3. Tomatoes 21-30

1987 SSE Yearbook, from which I ordered some of the tomatoes below. Yes, I did have a phone chat with Kent Whealy way back then (hence the phone number, which was the general SSE phone number)

I’m finding some nice momentum on my blogging, aided by having two running series - this one, and posting of all articles from “Off The Vine”. These will post on Sundays, the other on Tuesdays.

Let’s resume the tour!

Tomato 21 - Bellstar, seed obtained in 1986 from Johnny’s Selected Seeds. The description - a super productive determinate paste with larger fruit - is what enticed me, and I am still in my pre-heirloom, mostly red tomato phase. I only grew Bellstar this one time. It was certainly prolific and the paste tomatoes were larger than Roma. But….fresh eating a determinate paste tomato was, and still isn’t, a very memorable thing to do. I am glad I grew it, made lots of sauce from it, and put it in my rear view mirror.

Tomato 22 - saved seed from Bellstar (Tomato 21) which I never did grow further. At age 36, it is very doubtful this seed would germinate.

Tomato 23 - Better Bush F1 hybrid, obtained from Parks Seeds in 1986. It is interesting to realize that I actually grew a dwarf tomato this early on. It didn’t impress, however. The compact plant was a shy yielder, if I remember correctly, with medium sized tomatoes of no flavor distinction. I didn’t save seeds and never did grow it again. Why did I choose to grow it? I suppose that the catalog description of having a more compact growth habit provide a high yield was of interest, and clearly I was just picking a bit of this and that to try out.

Tomato 24 - Burpee VF F1 hybrid - The Fred DuBose tomato book raved about this older, less fancy, certainly more ordinarily named hybrid. I purchased the seed from Burpee in 1986, and grew it in my 1986 garden as one more scarlet red tomato. The Burpee seed catalog had a very glowing description (I think the wording was a variation of “a favorite of Burpee employees”). It was a good tomato, not a great tomato, producing a decent yield of medium sized scarlet tomatoes. I didn’t think that they were as good as my go-to hybrids of those days, Better Boy or Whopper. I didn’t save seeds and didn’t grow it again. By the way, the “VF” designation was for bred-in tolerance to Verticillium and Fusarium wilts.

1987 SSE Yearbook page showing Persimmon and the various members that made it available

Tomato 25 - Persimmon - now we’re talking; a return to colorful heirlooms and resumption of the varieties that I grew in my 1987-1989 heirloom vs hybrid “contest”. Though I first read about the variety in the Seeds Blum seed catalog, I ended up acquiring it from SSE member NY ET J in 1987 (the SSE code means that the SSE member, a New York gardener, had a first name that started with “J”, and a last name with the first two letters “Et”. - her name is Josephine Ettlinger of Deer Park). When I was a Pennsylvania SSE member, my code was PA LE C - here in NC, my code is NC LE C. You can see the listing in the 1987 SSE Yearbook, above. Persimmon was one of the stars of my 1987 garden. The indeterminate plant was quite enormous. A relatively late ripener, coming in at 86 days, the total plant yield was 33 lbs, with average fruit weight of 13.5 ounces. Many fruits were well over one pound. The pale orange tomatoes were very meaty and solid with a relatively low quantity of seeds. The flavor was on the mild and sweet side but very pleasant. I saved seeds, and Persimmon has graced my gardens several times, being grown, in addition to 1987, in 1991, 1994 and 2001. It’s pretty shocking to me that I’ve not grown it in 21 years, and probably should find a place in my garden soon. I chose to acquire and grow Persimmon to add an orange tomato to my early heirloom explorations, and can still recall the excitement of watching this, and other differently colored, tomatoes ripen in my garden. As far as its history, one reference lists it as dating to the 1880s, but orange tomatoes were not present in seed catalogs in that date range. It is most likely a variety that emerged in someone’s garden through a mutation or cross, and was traded locally, eventually finding its way into an heirloom seed catalog and a SSE listing. A Russian variety that was collected by the SSE in the early 1990s, Russian Persimmon, is not related to Persimmon. Russian Persimmon is determinate and a smaller, smoother deeper orange tomato.

Tomato 26 - Mortgage Lifter - acquired from SSE member Jim Halladay of Pennsylvania (see the pic below with the very interesting historical hint - a tomato grown by the Halladay family, when living in Kentucky, for three generations. How does this link to the two known Mortgage Lifters, Ester’s from Barboursville WV in the late 1920s, and the Radiator Charlie/M C Byles version from Logan WV in the early 1940s?). I didn’t grow this tomato until 1991, my last in Pennsylvania - and I really enjoyed the sweet full flavor of the very large pink fruit. Aside from 1992, Halladay’s Mortgage Lifter was also in my 1996, 2002, 2013 and 2014 gardens. It seems like a perfect time to return to it. I didn’t actually request this particular Mortgage Lifter; it was included in my request for Pineapple and Tiger Tom, 2 varieties not yet discussed. The plants for this variety are truly monstrous and challenging to keep pruned and under control. Quite a few locally named Mortgage Lifters showed up in the 1987 SSE yearbook, as shown below.

1987 SSE Yearbook listing for various Mortgage Lifters

Tomato 27 - Mortgage Lifter, Pesta Strain - I was sent this variety by Missouri SSE tomato collector Edmund Brown in 1987 and 1988. He received it from West Virginia gardener George Pesta. I grew it in 1989, and again in 1993. I really can’t believe that it has been nearly 30 years since I hast grew it. I know nothing of its history, and wonder if it was a color sport from Mortgage Lifter as grown by Mr. Pesta. It was included in the third and final year of my heirloom X hybrid contest. I was surprised to read that first fruit ripened in 75 days; it must have been a warm summer, since this type of tomato is typically a later ripening variety. I harvested 17 tomatoes from the very tall, vigorous indeterminate plant, but they averaged 22 ounces each, so the plant yield was a bit over 23 lbs. The fruits were oblate, smooth, and colored varying swirls of yellow and red - just like Ruby Gold, and ones I will discuss below, Yellow Brimmer and Pineapple. My feeling is that this is a general “type” of tomato that popped up in gardens throughout the country over the years. I would love to know the genetics of these types to see how many actually distinct varieties there are.

Tomato 28 - Yellow Brimmer - I acquired this tomato from SSE member Charles Estep in 1987. He acquired it from a North Carolina gardener, and I would have to do a bit of digging to see if I can find out who it was (the code, NC DE F, is not in the 1987 yearbook). I first grew it in 1988, then again in 1991 and 1998. Since there is a large pink tomato variety called Brimmer that was introduced by the Woods Company of Virginia in 1907, one possibility is that Yellow Brimmer is a bicolored mutation of Brimmer. In my 1988 garden it was very late, with first fruit at 101 days. I harvested only 8 tomatoes which averaged 16 ounces, giving a plant yield of 8 lbs. Everything written about Ruby Gold and Mortgage Lifter, Pesta Strain holds true for Yellow Brimmer. The size, color and flavor are essentially the same - meaty, juicy, mild, and sweet with a flavor and texture reminiscent of peaches. I really went pretty big for the big yellow red bicolors early on in my heirloom adventures, that’s for sure!

Tomato 29-1 - Sun Gold F1 hybrid (this number was later reassigned once the Sun Gold seed ran out) - My record keeping fails me, as it lists my first purchase as Johnny’s Selected Seeds in 1993. My memory tells me that I purchased this the same year as sister tomato Sun Cherry F1 (already described as tomato #3 in my collection). So, I was tempted to grow Sun Gold in 1991, and it made an amazing impression, finding a place in pretty much every garden I’ve grown since. Johnny’s called the flavor “unique, tropical in nature”. Sue and I call it remarkable. The one thing to keep in mind is to pick them as soon as they reach a medium orange color, as watering or rain will make them quickly crack. I won’t write much more about it, because I suspect most tomato lovers have tried it. Sadly, being a hybrid, we don’t know which parents were used to breed it. Saved seeds are fun to play with, but as far as I know, no one has achieved an open pollinated selection with the unique excellence of the hybrid.

Tomato 29-2 - Brandywine - This is it - this is the one! Obtained from SSE member Roger Wentling of PA in 1987, this tomato, grown often throughout my gardening endeavors, is at the very pinnacle of tomato flavor. I’ve grown at least 50 plants in my gardens that lead back to this acquisition. Oddly, the first year I grew it, 1988, the plant struggled with disease. With the first ripe fruit coming in at 89 days, I picked 16 tomatoes at an average weight of 11 ounces, but the flavor was excellent. Future grow outs met much more success, and Brandywine (from this seed source) is often the best flavored tomato in my garden. It is far superior to the “strain” purchased from The Tomato Seed Company (described as Tomato #10). The potato leaf plants are tall and vigorous, and fruit typically range from 12-16 ounces with a complete flavor - intense, perfectly balanced, and memorable. Roger Wentling got the seeds directly from Ben Quisenberry; Ben got it from Dorris Sudduth. Every gardener, every tomato lover, needs to try this tomato at least once.

Tomato 30 - Pineapple - This variety was also sent to me by SSE member Jim Halladay of Pennsylvania in 1987. History indicates that it was offered by the Gleckler Seed Company in the 1950s. I’ve grown it off and on over the years. I grew it in 1987, the same garden that was my first real dip into heirlooms, alongside another bicolor, Ruby Gold. A late tomato, coming in at 85 days, I harvested 23 tomatoes that averaged 14.6 ounces each, giving a plant yield of 22.3 pounds. Ruby Gold was a bit larger and a bit heavier yielding. It was big, oblate, and swirled yellow and red, with that characteristic mild, sweet peachy flavor. I can’t way I will ever love this type of tomato, but it is gorgeous and does find its uses in the kitchen. You can see a picture showing the listing of Pineapple in the 1987 SSE Yearbook, below.

1987 SSE listing for Pineapple

My tomato collection tour - part 2. Tomatoes 11-20

Here’s an oldie - me with a watering can age age 2 or so, from a digitized slide

It’s Friday night, and it seems a good time to create part 2 of this series of blogs in which I will take you on a trip though my seed collection. Sue and I just had a nice dinner at Sierra Nevada in Mills River (lucky us - a great, major brewery just 20 minutes from our house!) with gardening friends Charlie and Mary.

Before I dig into my seed log and memory and cover my next 10 tomatoes, let me update you all on what I’m up to (when not blogging , or hiking with Sue and the dogs). My main recent activity has been filling seed requests. The good news is that I am nearly done, and it is exciting to ponder gardens filled tomatoes from my saved seeds. I tend to do the “easy” ones first, and leave to the end the big and complex requests, many of which contain Dwarf Tomato Project seeds. The flip side is that I have to call an end to this work - any new requests will have to wait until late in 2022. After seed sending comes a restart to a new book on the Dwarf Tomato Breeding Project, and reengagement with Joe Lamp’l in preparation for the relaunch of our on-line tomato course, Growing Epic Tomatoes. It is also time to get serious about planning what I will grow this coming year. So….we may have just flipped the calendar to 2022, and it may be 20 degrees outside (really!) - but things are now busy again. Holiday vacation is over!

Who doesn’t love Sun Gold!

Here we go!

Tomato 11 - Abraham Lincoln, seed obtained in 1987 from Shumway. Abraham Lincoln is a very important tomato variety, developed and released by the Buckbee Seed Company of Rockford, IL in 1923. A scan of the cover of that catalog, showing their new release, is here. I decided to give this one a try based on the entry in the book The Total Tomato by Fred DuBose. He ranked it highly and noted that it had a unique trait of having “distinctly bronze tinted foliage”, as well as large scarlet red delicious tomatoes. I grew Abraham Lincoln in my 1987 garden in Berwyn, Pennsylvania as part of my Heirloom vs Hybrid study. What a disappointment this was. The plant appeared to be determinate, topping out at 3 feet tall, The foliage was typically green, with no bronze tinge. It yielded quite heavily, producing 22 lbs of tomatoes of an average size of 5 ounces. The flavor was quite good, rating a B+. It was very early, coming in at 63 days from transplant. A few phone calls and letters indicated that the true Abraham Lincoln variety was lost, and this was offered as a replacement. Buckbee actually became Shumway over time, so it is sad that perhaps their most important tomato variety was no longer available in the form released in 1923. I did save seed, but never again returned to this “strain” of Abraham Lincoln.

Tomato 12 and Tomato 13 - Ruby Gold, acquired as one of my very first Seed Savers Exchange requests in 1987 from James Halladay of Indiana (who sent me two separate packets, hence the two numbers). Ruby Gold, it turns out, is quite a historic tomato, sold by Childs Seed Company in 1921. The descriptive listing is here, and color plate here. At some point, it acquired an alternate name, Gold Medal. Ruby Gold was one the tomatoes that were grown by Ben Quisenberry (a mid west seed seller best known for introducing Brandywine to the tomato growing world after acquiring it from Dorris Sudduth). I was so excited to grow this tomato because of it’s described large size, and unique coloration - yellow flesh swirled with red. I never did use the seeds that are Tomato 12 in my collection, but did grow Tomato 13 twice, in 1987 and 1991. The variety performed beautifully in my 1987 garden (and all years since). It was quite a late tomato, coming in at 83 days from transplanted seedling. I harvested 30 tomatoes from the plant for a total weight of 31 pounds, giving an average fruit size of 16.6 ounces. I can’t say that I loved the flavor, as it is quite sweet and fruit-like, resembling a peach in texture, color and flavor. The big slabs worked best, to my taste, on a cheeseburger, or for a grilled cheese and tomato. Few tomatoes are as impressive looking as the yellow/red bicolored beefsteaks, perfectly typified by Ruby Gold. I consider it one of my core varieties, due to its historical significance, beauty and as part of the early years of my heirloom tomato immersion.

Tomato 14 - Super Marmande - The Fred DuBose book influenced me to try this variety, raving about the yield and flavor of this French variety. It also provided a true determinate variety to add to my trials. The description in the seed vendor that I used, Thompson and Morgan, also swayed me, and I ordered the variety in 1987. I didn’t find the variety particularly distinctive or exemplary, except in yield. First ripe fruit were picked in 79 days from transplant. I harvested 81 tomatoes from the plant, the oblate scarlet fruit averaging 5.5 ounces, giving a total plant yield of an impressive 28 pounds. I rated the flavor as B+ - a nice tomato, but with all of the interesting colored heirlooms being explored at the same time, I was already leaving scarlet tomatoes behind even in 1987! Surprisingly, I decided to not save seeds, and never returned to it again. Super Marmande is open pollinated (not a hybrid).

Tomato 15 - Lemon Boy hybrid - I ordered this variety from Parks in 1987, enticed by the chance to add a yellow fruited tomato to the selection of hybrids in my heirloom vs hybrid contest. When asked which hybrid tomatoes I like to grow, Lemon Boy is a frequent suggestion for folks that have issues with open pollinated types. It was quite late in my 1997 Pennsylvania garden, starting to bear fruit at 89 days. The vigorous indeterminate plant really cranked them out, the 58 harvested tomatoes averaging 6.9 ounces, an impressive 25 lbs of fruit for the plant. I really enjoyed the well balanced flavor as well, and it rated a solid A. Now that I’ve tasted many more tomatoes in the years since, I would probably take it down just a bit in flavor, but still rate it as an excellent choice for gardeners seeking a nice smooth bright yellow slicing tomato. I really must grow it again, save seeds from it and explore the F2 array of possibilities as a way to guess what may be the parents of this variety. As a hybrid that has been available for 35 years or more, one wonders when its availability will come to an end.

Tomato 16 - Supersteak hybrid - Since I had Ultra Boy in my garden, how could I not add Supersteak. The clear trend in naming hybrids back in the 1980s shows so clearly. This variety was ordered from Burpee in 1987, and the catalog description for it was loaded with superlatives. Supersteak ended up being one of the more clear disappointments in my 1987 garden. A late tomato with a first ripe picking at 85 days from transplant, I harvested but 13 tomatoes from the vigorous indeterminate plant, with an average of 13.5 ounces per fruit, giving a total of 11 pounds. The oblate, scarlet tomato had quite good flavor, B+, inferior to the similar Ultra Boy hybrid in all respects, and far inferior in yield and interest to most of the heirloom types included in my 1987 garden. I didn’t save seeds and never did return to it.

Tomato 17 - Big Girl F1 hybrid - This was another 1987 Burpee purchase, and a balanced garden dictated having both boys and girls represented! This variety graced my 1988 garden, one of 7 hybrids grown that year. It really was nothing all that particularly special, being an indeterminate plant producing scarlet tomatoes averaging 6.6 ounces. It was a midseason ripener, starting to bear fruit at 73 days. The plant yielded quite heavily, with 57 tomatoes, giving a total plant weight of 23.5 pounds. I rated the flavor a B - relatively ordinary, a serviceable red slicing tomato of no particular outstanding merit. I didn’t save seeds and never did return to it.

Tomato 18 - This is actually the original designation for my very first saved tomato seed, in 1986 - tomato 18 is the same as T86-01 in my collection (it took until 1991 before I modified my numbering system). T86-01 is actually from a volunteer in my 1986 garden that I suspect was Roma. The determinate growing bush produced typical plum shaped scarlet tomatoes.

Tomato 19 - This is the original designation for my second saved variety in 1986, Baxter Bush Cherry - T86-02. See the next entry.

Tomato 20 - Baxter Bush Cherry - I didn’t purchase this tomato; it came as a free packet of seeds in my 1986 seed order from Burpee. I decided to include it in my 1986 garden (this is the year prior to the beginning of my heirloom vs hybrid contest). I remember planting it in the front left corner, at a place that wasn’t receiving much water when we went on a vacation; when we returned home the plant looked half dead. It made a comeback when care resumed and produced a very heavy yield of typical scarlet cherry tomatoes. It had determinate growth habit, thus quite a concentrated fruit set. Alas, we didn’t find it particularly flavorful. I am surprised to see that Burpee continues to sell the variety! It could be that flavor would be better in a climate different from the one I tested it in. I did save seeds but never did grow it again. The seeds were labeled Tomato 19 (see just above), but it has since been relabeled saved tomato T86-02.

Happy reading - I do enjoy doing these. The next installment - Tomatoes 21-30 - will have some real heavy hitters, a set of tomatoes that are important to me to this day.

Marlin watching me as I blog. He sure knows how to pick his spots.

Starting a new series - a walk through my tomato seed collection. Part 1. Tomatoes 1-10

just one seed storage area

It is January 2, about 10 PM - Happy New Year, all! I just deleted my Facebook page (I noted that this was going to happen recently). At this time, I will keep Instagram up and running. I have to say….that felt really good. My life is immediately simplified!

I just read through comments on my two part blog where my concerns about the destiny of my seed, catalog, letter and garden log info were laid out. What wonderful ideas, questions, and comments were posted - thanks so much (and please keep them coming). Considering what was raised will form the basis of the next installment - part 3, of what will likely be a fairly long, deep discussion of a topic I think is extremely relevant.

An idea came to me that it is timely to take you all on a walk through my tomato collection. We will need to go back in my garden history, back to 1986, the first garden that I grew from seedlings started myself. This journey will show my start with big name seed catalogs and hybrids, and a gradual transition to smaller companies, Seed Savers Exchange seed acquisitions, seed swaps, mining the USDA collection - the big move toward heirlooms/open pollinated varieties.

The numbering used below is my reference number in my Excel spreadsheet. It all started in 1986 with Tomato #1. As of today, I am on Tomato #7640. This is for tomatoes purchased, traded for, sent to me - saved seeds are a totally different kettle of fish (I suspect I will get to those eventually!).

just part of the entire set of SSE yearbooks (all the way back to 1975!). They also make great elevation devices for the laptop for Zooms!

Let’s start the journey - I think taking these 10 per blog will be a digestible dose!

Tomato 1 - Sweet 100 hybrid, purchased from Stokes seeds in 1986. I admit it - I fell for the hype (and to tell the truth, it was quite deserved). I only grew Sweet 100 once - in 1986, in my Berwyn PA garden. It produced a ton, was a very sweet (as advertised) scarlet red cherry tomato, was a bit crack prone (if I recall correctly), but certainly a fine variety that was a perfect right off the vine snacking type. I didn’t save seeds from it, and never grew it again!

Tomato 2 - Lady Luck hybrid, the feature tomato of Burpee Seed Company in 1986. This is another case of falling for the catalog hype, going for the “cover” tomato. Reaching back into my tomato memory, I recall it being an indeterminate variety with medium sized smooth scarlet colored tomatoes that tasted “good” - back then I really had no tomato flavor yardstick, no real expectations. Everything grown prior to 1986 was from garden center six packs - Better Boy hybrid, Whopper hybrid, and Roma are the varieties I grew in my gardens in 1981 and 1982 (in West Lebanon NH), and 1984 and 1985 (in Villanova, Pennsylvania). I remembered the tomatoes my grandfather grew, and the ones we purchased from farm stands. I don’t think Lady Luck was any better than Better Boy or Whopper - perhaps not even quite as good. But it did fine, and slices ended up on our sandwiches. I never grew it again and did not save seeds from it.

Tomato 3 - Sun Cherry hybrid, purchased from Johnny’s Selected Seeds in 1991! I’ve no idea why this tomato ended up out of date sequence; I have a feeling I just started recording varieties into my spreadsheet without paying strict attention to purchase date. I purchased this variety because it was described as a scarlet red “version” of Sun Gold hybrid (a tomato I was already avidly in love with). My records indicate that I grew it in my West Chester PA garden in 1991. It was super prolific, but the flavor was just OK to our palate. Seed wasn’t saved and I never grew it again.

Tomato 4 - Moreton hybrid, a legendary variety created by Harris Seeds, purchased in 1987. I actually have data on this one (and all others from 1987 onward), as this was grown during my three years of doing a hybrid vs heirloom contest in my gardens. Moreton may have blown lots of gardeners away, but not this one. I ended up picking 14 lbs of fruit from the plant, average weight about 6 ounces. It was a smooth, slightly oblate scarlet variety. My notes graded the flavor as “B”. I didn’t save seeds, and didn’t return to it for many years (at which time I did save seeds just to see what I got from growing some out). I remember selecting this variety (along with Jet Star and Supersonic hybrids) because of a general positive vibe about these three popular Harris varieties.

Tomato 5 - Basket King hybrid, purchased from Burpee in 1987. I have notes that I grew it in 1987 and 1988. I’ve no flavor, size or yield notes on it, however. My guess (confirmed with a Google search) is that it was bred to be a container variety that cascaded over (for hanging baskets), producing smallish scarlet tomatoes. Clearly it made no impression on me at all, no seeds were saved, and it wasn’t regrown by me. I suspect this was a compact determinate variety, not a microdwarf or dwarf type. I really have no idea why I decided to purchase and grow this one.

Tomato 6 - Ultra Boy hybrid, purchased from Stokes in 1987. Wow - not just Big Boy, but….ULTRA Boy! Stokes seemed to be in competition with Burpee in terms of Boy/Girl named tomatoes with various size superlatives. I grew it in 1987, and really liked it very much (though I didn’t save seeds or regrow it). I ended up picking 21 lbs of tomatoes at an average size of 10 ounces. I rated the flavor as “A-”, and the fruits were nearly round and scarlet red. This was certainly on a par with Better Boy and Whopper, though probably not deserving of the “Ultra” part of its name. I am sure I chose to try this due to that “Ultra” label, to see if it was indeed better than Better Boy, and as a good candidate to include in my heirloom vs hybrid trials.

Tomato 7 - Veeroma, an improved Roma type (open pollinated) from Stokes in 1987. This was quite the tomato machine. I selected it because of the description noting it as a super productive paste tomato. From one plant grown in 1987 (the only time I grew it) I harvested 220 tomatoes - classic 2-3 ounce scarlet plum shape - 34 pounds of tomatoes from that single determinate plant. Of course, few gardeners take a bite out of the plum type varieties and swoon with pleasure. It was a bit dry and mealy and bland. But as a roasting or sauce or paste tomato, it really shone brightly - and it wasn’t a hybrid!

Tomato 8 - Mammoth German Gold, purchased from the obscure and long gone Tomato Seed Company of New Jersey in 1987. I had never grown one of the large yellow/red swirled bicolor beefsteak heirlooms before, and the description certainly grabbed me. I am embarrassed to say that I never did grow a single plant from that seed. My tomato seed collection grew so fast that interesting candidates already became passed by in the rush to grow others that grabbed more of my interest at the time. I have grown many named varieties of this general type over the years - we will get to some soon. I selected it for purchase because I’d not grown a tomato of that color before.

Tomato 9 - Yellow Cherry, purchased from the Tomato Seed Company in 1987. This tomato has such an unassuming name, and there are quite a few tomatoes with such a name that are actually quite different. The monstrous indeterminate plant that graced my garden in 1987 produced quite small nearly translucent pale yellow cherry tomatoes with a really fine flavor - I rated it an A-, which is quite good for a cherry tomato. I did save seeds and my notes indicate that I grew it again in 1998. The tomatoes were about 0.2 ounces each, and I picked over 700 from the plant - which works out to a little over 9 lbs of fruit from the plant. I am not sure that this tomato is available any longer and must remember to search about. I’ve not really grown anything quite like it since. Once again, this choice was made to give me a new experience - a yellow colored cherry tomato.

Tomato 10 - Brandywine, purchased from the Tomato Seed Company in 1987. I grew one plant, saved seeds grew this particular one again in 1998. It was potato leaf and had pink fruit (this is the very first pink tomato of my experience). I ended up with 16 lbs of tomatoes from the plant, average size of 8 ounces. The flavor was very good - but not the supreme flavor of a Brandywine I obtained a bit later on from seed saver Roger Wentling of PA (he got the variety from Ben Quisenberry, who received it from the Sudduth family - this is the legendary strain). I chose this one because of all of the hype around the variety from the various tomato books I read at the time. This one didn’t quite live up to the hype - but the one I acquired the following year certainly did.

I hope you enjoyed the start of the walk through my tomato seed collection. It was really fun to go through memory lane and recall the excitement of those early gardens, and the discovery of the joy of growing tomatoes out of the ordinary.

more recent seeds on my office shelves