I grew Persimmon this year, too, but its next door neighbor blew it away! Aker's West Virginia is my new favorite, largely because it's still producing.

I had a Persimmon this year too. Liked it a lot. One caution though, it's more susceptible to early blight than some other cultivars. I was able to control it well enough with Serenade but it always was the first one to get re-infected after wet weather.

I thoroughly enjoyed growing Persimmon for the first time this year. It was one of the freebie packs of seeds I got from TGS. I will definitely grow it again, along with Bloody Butcher and Sun Gold Hybrid.

Kudzu
Try Neves Azorean Red next year and you'll have a new favorite. It is my best ever. I will have some seed if you want. I also have a Sunset Red Horizon plant that is producing loads of huge tomatoes. I'd love to post pictures but can't seem to learn how to do it.I'm a computer illiterate.
Jim

RIK-Unnamed

Best tasting tomato I ever put in my mouth. Better than Cherokee Purple. Better than Brandywine.
Slap me if I'm lyin'.

Sudduth X an unknown RL and not stable yet. From Big Cheef (RIK in Murphreesboro, Tennessee).
Hope there's segregations next year as tasty as this baby. Oh yeah!

Hmmm, I got a seedling labeled "Persimmon" from the local farmer's market, but the fruit don't look anything like your picture. Must have been labeled wrong.

My favorite from this year is Arkansas Traveler. It just produced and PRODUCED for me. Dozens of peach-sized fruit with a delicious zingy-sweet taste. It's still covered with green fruit now, long after most of my other plants have folded up for the year.

Mike

I also have a Sunset Red Horizon plant that is producing loads of huge tomatoes

****

I prefer calling Sunset Red Horizon by its real name of Rostova. It was renamed by Gary Ibsen at Tomatofest. And I thought it was a darn good variety as well.

I suppose I'm a bit biased towards the other one you mentioned, Neves Azorean Red, but that's possibly due to the fact that I introduced it. LOL Not really, though, for it just is one excellent variety and not just my opinion but in the opinion of many others if you want to do a search on it here at GW and read the reviews.

Carolyn

My favorites from the new varieties I tried this year are Kelloggs Breakfast and Earl's Faux, good production and taste.
The unnamed Sudduth X HoosierCherokee posted a photo of looks extemely good! I love Brandywine and CP, so if this tastes even better, and in my opinion seems to have a better shape, then I'll need to try it, if that's possible at this point.

Carolyn
I agree that Rostova is the proper name. The reason I refer to it as SRH is because the seed I got from Tomatofest was called SRH and I seemed to recall a controversy concerning a difference between SRH and Rostova. I'm not smart enough to know the difference so I listen to you experts.

Carolyn
I agree that Rostova is the proper name. The reason I refer to it as SRH is because the seed I got from Tomatofest was called SRH and I seemed to recall a controversy concerning a difference between SRH and Rostova. I'm not smart enough to know the difference so I listen to you experts.

*****

And I'm sitting here chuckling a bit b'c I could not remember the name Rostova so had to do a search and the first thread that came up was the one about the wilty nature of SRH, nee Rostova, which dealt with the differences between the two that you referred to above.

Carolyn

I have to give the nod to Persimmon also--what a YUM tomato! My seeds came in the Summer Feast trio from Renee's Garden.

Another favorite is Livingston's Golden Queen which is a golden yellow blushed with rose. Pretty and delish!

Here is a link that might be useful: Summer Feast

What I found interesting about this SRH/Rostova was the growth,which I didn't expect. Having failed in all attempts at starting plants indoors from seed and learning I may not need surgery I took the remaining SRH seed and put them directly into the ground in my wifes garden and forgot about them. They germinated and grew slowly. I eventually kept 1 plant and it is still producing well. The plant is still green and shows no ill effects of our cooler nightshe PNW

My only new favorite this year is Winsall, very similar in taste and texture to Brandywine, a bit more productive, larger and very round shape.

2 new favorites: Opalka and Giant Belgium (aka Giant Belgian).

Dave

Digdirt, I'm with you on the Opalka. If I could only grow one, that'd be it. Many uses and a good producer. The one thing I noticed is that it loses flavor when it gets too ripe.

Which tomatoes would do best for a short season. I'm in Northern Ontario.
Thank you

clairdo, you should start your own thread on short season tomatoes if you want good responses.

I will say that Bloody Butcher is very early and cold tolerant, and is by far my favorite early tomato.

A new favorite for me this year is Pineapple. Delicious and gorgeous. My young son agrees, and eats slices like they were cookies.

MA

Clairdo,

Early Girl is a good one. (I'm in Ontario too) They are also easy to find. I did Supersonics and although I like the flavour, I have been finding that they split a lot easier than Early Girl.

Black from Tula is my fave....2 years running. The honey flavors of the tomato make a wonderful "eating like an apple" tomato. :)

JWR6404 (Jim) - I would be very interested in the Azorean Red. My Grandmother is from the Azores and I bet she'd get a kick out of getting seeds of her country. Let me know. I'm in the Spokane area.

Happy Gardening - Heather

Heather
e-mail me with your address and I will send you the seeds. Don't worry about postage.

Paul Robeson (actually the strain I have is Robson Angolan). Fantastically rich mahogany colored perfect tomatoes with everything I've been looking for in a black tomato, rich and smokey and the most productive full-sized tomato in my garden this year. Also I grew Woodle Orange this year for the first time and it's making a good run at becoming my favorite yellow/orange tomato. There was a fair amount of blossom end rot early on, but now they are absolutely perfect orange globes, almost no seeds and a very rich, deep flavor. They are very late - there are still a lot that look like they won't be ripe for two or three more weeks - but this will round out the season nicely.
Lou

I'm just now getting back into heirlooms after dabbling a bit almost 20 years ago, and I'm so glad that I did. I have to give a hearty endorsement to 3 that have awesome flavor. They are Prudens Purple, Tappy's Finest, and Aker's West Virginia. We have had a hot, dry summer and all 3 performed well with Prudens Purple being the best for production and health. Taste is a toss-up. I wouldn't be able to choose a fav, and they'll all go into my garden next year for sure, along with several other experiments I hope. :) Darleen

I'm a little reluctant to say that I have a new favorite but this thread has tempted me long enuf . . .

I bought 2 Thessaloniki tomatoes at the farmers' market last year. I was pleased with the flavor, saved some seeds and read up a little about them.

I felt that the research was necessary. I'm not sure if I've ever gotten more than a couple of ripe tomatoes off any 80 day tomato. With an arid climate, cool nights, and short season - some varieties others enjoy just seem a little out of my reach. Thessaloniki appeared to be an heirloom within my reach and I went for it - so glad I did!

I see the flavor description as "pleasant" in a number of catalogs. I like a full flavor in my tomatoes but if this one is "pleasant" - I'm happy. Mild - yes, but a nice fruity taste.

The fruit matured with a minimum of cracks (a big deal in this part of the world). They are generally free of blemish and a lovely shape. Most of the fruit was harvested ripe but this was a long season for the 2007 garden. I'm not sure if I could have this measure of success with them ripening on the vine in the future. So, I've got quite a few picked green and sitting on the kitchen counter.

Since it is such a mild tomato and that fruitiness seems so delicate to me - I'm not sure if Thessaloniki is going to still have that flavor after being picked green. I'll keep my fingers crossed that these tomatoes will be good in a week or 2 and go with it being a favorite here at the end of September. So far, I'm very pleased!

digital Steve

Really enjoyed the Mortgage Lifters this year. Good taste and texture. And love the color- deep salmon pink.