Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
cleo88_gw

have you grown any of these 7 early varieties?

13 years ago

I've concluded that here in New England, I need a few early varieties to even things out next year. I'm looking at:

Fireball

New Yorker

Legend

Moskvich

Kimberley

Siletz

Oregon Spring

I'm looking for good taste and productiveness (and of course earliness). Also don't like a lot of gel/seeds. Not asking much, am I? :) Not looking for cherry - hoping for larger than a ping pong ball if possible.

Does anyone have opinions on any or all of these varieties?

Comments (14)

  • 13 years ago

    I have good luck with Early Girl and Goliath(Early).Totally tomatoes seed co. Good taste and very HEALTHY. Good Luck Bill

  • 13 years ago

    Of those, I've grown Moskvich and I really liked it. It was early, had a really good, well-balanced flavor, and was productive. Unfortunatley, I don't remember how it was in terms of gel and seeds, as those things don't matter to me :)

  • 13 years ago

    I'll star the ones I've grown and then will make a few suggestions below your list.

    *Fireball, not worth it
    *New Yorker, same as Valiant, Rutgers, Moira, etc.all older commercial ones. OK, but I think better ones and none are really earlies
    Legend , haven't grown but another one bred by Dr. Baggett at OSU and parthenocarpic and not known for taste
    Moskvich
    *Kimberley , good taste for an early
    Siletz
    *Oregon Spring , another parthenocarpic one bred by Dr. Baggett, I think there are better.

    To be truthful, I gave up many years ago growing what's supposed to be early, which I define as less than about roughly 70 days to maturity. With just a week or two more there are so many midseason varieties that do have great taste which most early varieties are not noted for, in general.

    I do think the following are worthy of consideration as earlies:

    Moravsky Div, great taste for a very early
    Sophie's Choice, early and also excellent taste
    Matina, a look alike for Stupice but much better taste
    Sungold F1, is always one of my earliest, great taste
    Anna Russian, pink heart
    Danko, superb det red heart
    Bloody Butcher, bred in the Netherlands,
    Break O Day, great taste, early

    And I'd also suggest that you look at the list of early ones that Tania has listed in a special list as well as the special ones that Jeff Casey lists in his special early list. You can find both of those sites via Google, Tatiana's T- Base and Casey's of Airdrie, both in Canada and if you can't find them I can give you the links.

    Again, I define earlies as less than about 70 days but DTM's are sheer guesstimates and can vary with the season and all the other variables that can determine how long it takes for fruits to mature.

    Hope that helps.

    Carolyn

  • 13 years ago

    I've got Legend and Oregon Spring this year. Both have managed to ripen in my very short growing season.

    The Legend tomatoes are pretty decent. They aren't pretty, but I don't care about looks.

    The Oregon Spring has acceptable flavor, but the texture is too soft and I won't grow them again. The texture is "over-ripe" but picking them any earlier just doesn't work at all.

    I've had good luck with Celebrity. It will ripen and it has good flavor.

    I'm on a quest to find an excellent tomato that will ripen in my area. I've got a bunch of varieties to try in the spring.

  • 13 years ago

    I have not grown any of yours listed but do grow a couple 'early' varieties. Since I started growing Cherokee Purples a couple of years ago, they are not only my earliest, but they are also one of the longest. And definitely the tastiest of the 15 or so varieties I grow here in Southwest Ohio.

  • 13 years ago

    I grew Siletz a few years and it produces a decent size tomato but they were too tart for my taste. If you like tart tomatoes they could work well though.
    I second Matina and Sophie's Choice (determinate) as good tasting earlys and would add Bloody Butcher.

  • 13 years ago

    I have not grown all of those, but of the ones I have, the only one I'd grow again is Moskvich. Great tomato with respectable size.

  • 13 years ago

    Thanks for all your responses!

    Since I have Danko and Break O'Day seed already, I think they are going to be on my grow list now, and I am going to try to score some Moskvich and Moravsky Div.

    Thanks! And anyone else who has other opinions, always welcome!

  • 13 years ago

    Bulgarian #7 is pretty early and tastes real good.

  • 13 years ago

    In NH we had tremendous success with Early Goliath and Delicious (we do grow some in high tunnels) but also in the field. The high-tunnel ones obviously matured earlier and were pruned to 2 stems, loaded with tomatoes and extra large.

    Both are extra early beefsteak varieties and did better than any other early types.

  • 13 years ago

    I have grown New Yorker and Fireball, but it is so many years ago I only remember they were good tasting, but nothing special, and kind of early. If I remember correctly Moreton Hybrid was in the same ball park for earliness, tasted better, and replaced those two.
    I have grown Kimberly the last 3 years as my primary early tomato. It tastes pretty good, is productive throughout the season and as early as anything else I have grown, except maybe 4th of July, which it replaced because it is OP and tastes a little better to me.

  • 13 years ago

    Hey, whatever happened to Stupice? I grow them every year, and if I make an effort, can get the first one to ripen in June. Not too bad for here in upstate NY. I grew one Stupice plant this year, and I'm still eating off it. They taste good too.

  • 13 years ago

    None on your list can be noted for taste.

    I concur with br33, Early Girl is a better bet.

    I also wonder if br33 is in anyway related to br549

  • 13 years ago

    Kimberly I think is very tasty and was one of my earliest this season, 105 days from seed. Stupice is almost the same, 110 days from seed, but I don't think quite as tasty but still very good for an early one.

    Moskvich is pretty good large but at 132 days from seed. But a Henderson's Pink Ponderosa, very seedy at 116 days is even better! So is Black Prince at 115 days, My overall winner.

    This is based on my taste preferences and earliness.

    Other notable early types, Uralskiy Rainny at 110days from seed I found to be tasty.

    Hope that helps a bit.