If you read the thread I've linked to below I think you'll see some pictures very much like what you show with some possible identifications.

What was the source of the seeds that gave rise to what you show?

Carolyn

Here is a link that might be useful: Pear Shaped PL

I looked at it and could see spinning tops. One tomato immediately came to mind, Japanese Trifele Black. But I couldn't recall offhand if it had RL or PL. Carolyns link does bring up mention of JTB being PL.

As it matures the tomato will take on about three hues of color--brick red, brick brown, and some green. It's quite pretty and tastes good too.

When the fruit ripen please post a pict of them, that will help to either ID it as, or rule out, the tomato being Japanese Trifele Black.

I ordered the seeds online from TomatoFest.com. I ordered a few types, none of which seem to match this plant. I ordered Cherokee Purple, Anna Russian, Marvel Striped, Green Zebra, Coyote, and Grandpa's Minnesota. I also bought Brandywine and Burpee Big Boy seeds from a local store. I was careful with my records, so I'm pretty sure that the seed for this plant came from the Cherokee Purple packet. I will post new pictures as soon as they ripen.

Carolyn,

I love your book (I just made the connection that you are the author). I looked at your book first when I started trying to figure out what this plant was. I flip through it often and just love the pictures.

Steve

I too have had problems this year with www.Tomatofest.com seeds. I planted German red strawberry that gave me a double heartshaped tomato and a paste tomato but no GRS. I have a Cherokee Purple that looks like Black krim. I have Red Brandywine seeds that gave me potato leaf plants with heart shaped fruit. The list goes on. I am pretty maticulous about labeling plants myself, and it could be a mix up except that I am ending up with tomatoes that look nothing like anything that I planted. I sell to local restaurants who like to know what they are getting, so I'm pretty disappointed to say the least. I would not buy from them again.

Same here ordered from Tomatofest several types my Cherokee purple plants are half Cherokee half Black Triefle...

For the fun of it, here is an updated picture of my tomatoes.

Anybody know if there's an easy way to distinguish beefsteak tomatoes from cherry? My plan was to put the cherries in the red cups and the beefsteaks in the blue cups. Or was it the other way around? See my problem?

If pictures would be helpful, I'll figure out a way to upload them.

Thanks

You may not be able to tell until they start flowering. Cherries cluster multiple flowers, a beefsteak will flower just a wee few on a stem.

Anybody know if there's an easy way to distinguish beefsteak tomatoes from cherry? My plan was to put the cherries in the red cups and the beefsteaks in the blue cups. Or was it the other way around? See my problem?
If pictures would be helpful, I'll figure out a way to upload them.

******

No, there's no way to distinguish cherry seedlings from beefsteak seedlings just by leaf form, so pictures aren't going to help.

Even when fruits appear it's almost impossible to ID a variety that doesn't have a name attached to it.

In the above example it was known to some of us what the variety might be based on a previous thread about the same problem.

Did you raise your own seedlings and then just forget to label them from the name on the pack?

if so, you've got some orphans, and if you still have the seed pack you should be able to ID what you have b'c the variety names were on the packs. Just make a list of those vaiety names and their basic traits such as leaf form and whether the variety is indeterminate or determinate and fruit color and shape and size, and you should be able to make matches when the plants start producing ripe fruits.

Carolyn

In response to the original post, (if that poster is still around!) the mystery plant looks like Japanese Black Trifele, which I have grown a few times. I haven't grown any other pear-shaped potato-leafs, though. Another poster mentioned his CP seeds from Tomatofest were half Trifele, I'm not sure if that was official info from the company after the mixup, or his/her own ID.

Regarding the cherry tomato vs beefsteak: if you can see a difference between the 2 plant types, then grow a couple more from seed, labeling the cups this time! Soon enough those new plants will show their characteristics. Maybe take pictures of your plants as they are now, in case comparing young to old is tricky.

Starting new seeds sounds like a good idea, although by the time the new plants get going I hope to have the older ones in the garden.

I only planted the beefsteaks. The others were volunteers that grew in the compost I used for starting my other seeds. Since I only grew cherries last year, I figure they must be cherries. I didn't label them. I tried to use different color cups to repot them in to differentiate the types.

I transplanted everything at different times so I can't go by the plant size. I have the biggest with an almost one foot spread and the littliest with a 5-inch spread.

Oh, well, I'll just have to see what happens.

Thanks