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Best Aunt Gertie's I've ever grown

18 years ago

Wow - my aunt Gertie's Gold plant will not quit, and is giving me huge fruits in abundance. The last time I grew this I got 2 or 3 fruits off of it and they were very late (but delicious). This year the plant is huge and a lot healthier looking. I feel like I have finally seen what this variety can do, and I really believe that the cooperative weather may have made the difference. The fruits are really large and taste wonderfully sweet, so this is very worth growing if you haven't tried it yet.

Comments (23)

  • 18 years ago

    I think this is one yellow that I have down for next year will have to check my list but your experience with them sounds great. If I don't have them down on my list I will check them out more today and read up. Thanks for sharing your info! :)

  • 18 years ago

    Tell me something raise, is this year's plants from seed that you saved and started yourself, or did you buy new seeds or plants?

    That does sound very for production from A.G.G. and I agree that they do taste very good. My wife and I both like them. I should have took another picture with this one sliced. They are a beautiful yellow inside.
    Bill P.

  • 18 years ago

    I am growing Aunt Gertie's Gold for the first time this year and although it took significantly longer to set fruit than my other 'maters (which included a longer maturing type like Earl's Faux), it has so far been worth the wait! I have a bunch of greenies on my plant but harvested a couple ripe ones in the past week. Here was one I ate today for lunch, sliced:

    It's nice to see how uniform the color has been with this, both inside and out and I was also surprised at the juiciness (although watering practices may have made a difference there). Here it was before I eventually picked it:

    And one I eventually gave to my Mother to try:

  • 18 years ago

    Okay so I am going to brag here. Also to you oldies, I'm back!!!
    But I was the first person to grow this tomato and to produce fruit, other than The Man himself, Mr. Chuck Wyatt.
    May he be in Tomato Heaven!
    I got one tomato the first time around. Now I grow 7 foot plants loaded with fruit. It is the best yellowish tomato I have ever grown. Oh and I still have the original seeds that Chuck sent me to test.
    Amy.

  • 18 years ago

    Jenny, that photo of your tomato slices would bring any tomato lover to their knees, omg

    And Amy you are very fortunuate indeed to have seeds from "The Man" himself and you the first to grow these?!?! *bows* :)

  • 18 years ago

    O.K. Amy, since according to another posting announcing that you are back you are the self proclaimed "Tomato Queen", what do you attribute the much better production in the years after the first year when you only got one tomato. Are you planting seed that you have saved from year to year, or are you still planting seed that you received from Chuck?
    Bill P.

  • 18 years ago

    sunsi - definitely give it a shot! When I was reading about them here last year, I was trying hard to decide between Aunt Gertie's Gold and Kellogg's Breakfast and chose this since many had mentioned some occasional issues with Kellogg's Breakfast and what has been dubbed by Carolyn as seedling "crud". I may try both next year for the heck of it though. The taste is very good and the tomato is meaty.

    As for productivity - and this is for container-grown (14-gallon tote) "in the understory" (covered balcony with about 8 hours total sun, morning + afternoon)... so far I have had a total of 9 (first 2 were little BER ones, then I got the 2 edibles seen in the pics, and from what I can see, there are at least 5 that are greenies of different sizes now). There are alot of persistent (for more than a week or more) spent flowers around the plant - much like what happened to those that finally formed fruit. It's as if the plant would be asleep and then would sortof "wake up" and say - Hey... something pollinated my flowers! Guess I better get these babies moving! Ahhh there.... ZZZzzzzzz" and the little tomato beads would finally start swelling - but weeks after the flower had dried on the little stem. I've never seen anything like it. LOL Meanwhile the Early Girl next to it has at least 20+ greenies all over it in clusters and it's still flowering profusely (this isn't counting the 5 or 6 ripe ones that I have already picked).

    As a sidenote, I planted my tomatoes on 5/20/07 and they have generally followed the DTM guidance. I am trying Garden-Tone (4-6-6) for the first time this year as a fertilizer (couldn't find Tomato-Tone at the time) and have been using that on the 'maters. And between that and the favorable weather this year, I have been pretty happy with the overall output so far. The plants aren't out-of-control with the foliage but are definitely more productive in comparison to my Neptune's Harvest (2-4-1) fertilizing regime last year.

  • 18 years ago

    Well, while awaiting and hoping for an answer from raise and an audience with the Queen, I ran across this sliced A.G.G. from last year. It was somewhat smaller, but pretty when sliced up.

  • 18 years ago

    gonefishin, those look scrumptious almost like they could melt on the tongue with sweet, juicy flavor ahhhhhhhhhhhh, hehe :D

    jenny_in_se_pa Quote:
    "sunsi - definitely give it a shot! When I was reading about them here last year, I was trying hard to decide between Aunt Gertie's Gold and Kellogg's Breakfast and chose this since many had mentioned some occasional issues with Kellogg's Breakfast and what has been dubbed by Carolyn as seedling "crud". I may try both next year for the heck of it though. The taste is very good and the tomato is meaty."

    Well I'm sold then thanks Jenny I heard so many good reviews on Aunt Gerties. Like you I will try Kelloges Breakfast too because having read Dr. Carolyns book where she talks about KB I have to give that one a shot also. Never hear bad reports about taste with KB no matter what kind of season it's been.

  • 18 years ago

    They are really good !
    My first one picked was 1lb 6oz !
    Loved it ...

    ~ Tom

    Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:1386381}}

  • 18 years ago

    Hi Raise and all. I finally got my 1st tomatoe.I'm loving the pics on this thread of AGG. Been thinking of it for next year. Raise, I gotta agree;the weather here in the NE has been superb tomatoe weather.A few of those 96deg. days were what did it for my plants!After seeing these pics, I'm hungry now.Guess that beefsteak I seen this morning is history. :o)
    Dunnn

  • 18 years ago

    tomstrees Quote:
    "My first one picked was 1lb 6oz !"

    What a beauty, absolutely superb! :)

  • 18 years ago

    Hey Raise, I'm like gonefishing and waiting for your answer on did you save the seeds or buy new seeds ? I save seeds and notice a big difference in the plants. tks. bill

  • 18 years ago

    This is my first time back as I am working like crazy to support the family.
    To answer the question. How did I get more production?
    Better soil, a better planting spot, lots of sun, and great plant support. I also really believe in as little watering as possible and only at the base of the plant with a soaker hose, only when needed. We are getting so much rain lately that I need to pick early so the tomatoes don't rot.
    Yes I still have seeds from Chuck.
    I also have seeds from Carolyn, Craig and Gary.
    I am fortunate to have grown many of their personal varieties.
    Sincerely Yours,
    The Tomato Queen,
    Amy.

  • 18 years ago

    re: sunsi:
    What a beauty, absolutely superb! :)
    Thanks !
    We've been real happy with our AGG this year as well.
    Great production, flavor, and disease tolerance.
    A def. keeper ...

    ~ Tom

  • 18 years ago

    "Hey Raise, I'm like gonefishing and waiting for your answer on did you save the seeds or buy new seeds ? I save seeds and notice a big difference in the plants. tks. bill"

    billtex and and gonefishin,

    why are you asking about seed source?

    my seed is from my saved seeds. 1st year it grew fantastc, got seed from someone and i saved seeds. last year less and smaller fruits and smaller yield. this year even worse! hardly any fruits, rather small, plant was the only 1 of 9 with diseased foilage,yellowing, way before any other plant was 1/2 way up by mid july.

    what's your differences billtex?

    tom

  • 18 years ago

    Tom, it would seem that you probably knew why I was asking, I do not know about billtex, we are not the same person. The reason that I say that is because my experiences with several varieties have been exactly the opposite of yours, or at least of what you posted.

    Have you considered your seed saving techniques? Was that a hybrid variety that you were reporting on? Or was your experience limited to seed that you received from someone else that you were not sure about? Just wondering.

    If it was an open pollinated variety and was done correctly, the results that you cite would certainly be disappointing to anyone I would think, and leave most people buying new seed from commercial sources every year instead of the popular method of saving heirloom and open pollinated seed.
    Bill P.

  • 18 years ago

    bill (gonefishing),

    i know you are 2 different people, that's why i did not say just bill. i found it interesting that both you and the other bill questioned her seed.

    i am convienced i need new seed for AGG.

    i have no idea why you asked, i seldom come here anymore so i don't follow folks like i used to. i was talking about aunt gertie's gold, that is what the thread is about, no? i ferment my seeds and have no problems with any other variety. for whatever reason my agg does worse in each passing season and the 1st season was an immense plant with immense fruits and immense yields.

    tom

  • 18 years ago

    Tom, I think that perhaps that helps clear up a little misunderstanding. I thought that you were being argumentative and posting that your results were opposite to ours. I have been told more than once that a variety will not improve the second and third years like I and my neighbor have both witnessed. I do not say that it evolves or mutates, perhaps growing here in my soil, in our climate and saving the seeds the way that I do may help them to more nearly realize their full potential that they are capable of. That is why I ask, after the postings cited poor results the first year and better results after that.

    I am happy with the seed that I have saved but do not bag or isolate so I will not offer you any of mine. However, I do not think that you will have much trouble finding some, this link has them for sale, as does a place called Tomato fest. Good luck with them next year.
    Bill P.

  • 18 years ago

    i am convienced i need new seed for AGG.

    ****

    Tom, you've got my e-mail address. Just send me your home address, b'c it would take me too long to find it again, and I'll be glad to send you some AGG seeds. I think they're probably 2003 or 04 but germination has stayed good.

    Not a general offer folks. Sorry.

    AGG has been one of my faves since Chuck sent me the seeds lo those many years ago. It's always one of the latest for me and has always loaded up wonderfully. I remember one year in the past where I had two plants and picked a half bushel off each plant at one time.

    And don't anyone ever tell me that yellow/gold tomatoes are bland until and unless you've grown AGG. LOL

    It was a lucky find for Chuck and in the back of his mind he always wondered if it was an OP derivative of a hybrid. He got the seeds from a friend in VA and apparently his friend knew nothing more about them. But speaking for myself I don't know of any other yellow/gold that has that taste. Which of course is a somewhat meaningless statement since I'd have to have grown all the large yellow/gold PL beefsteak varieties known and that's an impossibility. LOL

    Carolyn

  • 18 years ago

    thanks carolyn.

    as i have stated at this forum and at another (probably more than once :) too!), i am not a fan of yellow tomatoes or any tomato that has mild flavor. i have grown a few yellow tomatoes (3-6?) and only agg and sun gold win me over. tom's yellow wonder is good too but i am not certain i'd put it up with those 2.

    i am disappointed at how poorly agg has done last year and even worse this year especially as it was very prolific with really large fruits the 1st year i grew it.

    i grow op heirlooms with the exception of sun gold and none of my saved seed from any variety has degraded yoy. i realize some years are better than others for yield and flavor with op tomatoes, but if this and last year were the only years i grew agg i'd say good flavor but not worth the space.

    tom

  • 18 years ago

    Carolyn
    I thought I sent you those seeds so long ago?
    Amy.

  • 18 years ago

    This was one of the best tomatoes I've grown in my 3-odd years of heirloom gardening. Surprisingly, it made for a very nice and fruity homemade bloody (sunny?) Mary.