Bloody Butcher - From what I've read not very tasty, early is it's saving quality

Cherokee Purple - Most popular
Oxheart - I've heard lots of good things

Rutgers - had one plant this year, probably 3 or more next, very prolific and tasty.

Opalka - Most popular paste tomato - still tenative on my list for next year, I like big slicers - any tomato can make sauce.

Zapotec Pleated - I've heard good things, mine didn't make it to plant out this year.

My favorite this year is Black from Tula, next year I'm also growing spudatula, spudakee purple, indian stripe. I've made some really good sauces and chiles this summer using a variety of tomatoes.

If you have a good hot, dry year Opalka is awesome--sweeeet and delicious. Colder, wetter years, like here last year they did not do well. I grow it every year for sauce.

Thank you rj and compost_pete. It seems Opalka is a for-sure addition. I've been hearing good things about Black from Tula this year. I might be giving it a try soon, too.

Heidi and Opalka are mentioned here a lot in this category.

This year I grew Costoluto Genovese, and as long as it didn't rain a drop (here in Madrid that's June, July, August and September...) the fruits looked and tasted great. When the first fall rain clouds rolled  the first week of October  every fruit on the plant cracked and it seemed like the some of the flavor escaped out the cracks. For this reason it's bumped off my 2010 list.

Good heat tolerance though, it withstood 100º+ days like a champ under 50% shade cloth.

Thank you ruet. Fruit cracking after a rain could be bad news here. It's nice to be forewarned.

Now that you mention it, I've seen Heidi mentioned here a lot as well. Looks like it's time to add her to the 2011 wish list. Thanks again!

mrs. b, Rio Fuego did very well for me this year and it was a wet year for this region. Bloody Butcher is a staple in my garden. It is a terrific early tomato. I have grown Caspian Pink successfully in a longer than usual season, but I don't count on it.

Costoluto Genovese would be very close considering the shorter season in the Rocky Mt. region. It is a longer season tomato that would be kind of iffy. Just my two cents. I grow in the region and many varieties are harder to grow in our shorter season.

Don't buy Opalka from Sandhill Preservation as it is the wrong one. Costoluto Genevese is Great if you have a long Mediteranean climate. Zapotec is basically a hollow tomato, that doesn't taste that great, I'd skip this one. Your other choices are good.

Those are good points jaliranchr and zebraman. With an average frost-free period of 120-140 days (depending on the source) and the tomato-happy period being even shorter, I might be grateful for some of those earlier varieties on my list. Looks like the list is two varieties shorter :) And thank you also zebraman for the tip on the Opalka seed source.

It is my understanding that Marmande's don't do well on American soil. I tried to grow regular Marmande and it was a failure. With the reputation, I haven't tried it again. I can't recall if Super Marmande does any better, but perhaps someone else will chime in.

That is interesting. I'd not heard that about Marmande. Maybe I'll get my hands on some regular Marmande seeds and try them side by side. Of course, the sample size would be too small (probably 2 of each) for my results to be statistically significant, but it might be fun anyway. Thank you for the input!

Hi Zombies,

Do you have a link to that information source?

I've never heard that before and I'm wondering if you're unknowingly and innocently repeating something remotely related to the politically motivated, anti-French bigotry from a few short years ago.

These are my seed purchases for 2009 some of these I am planting early 2010
Abe Lincoln
Airyleaf
Alicante
Amana Orange
Amish Red
Anna Russian
Arkansas Traveler
Azoychka
Beefsteak
Black Ethiopian
Black Krim
Black Pear
Black Plum
Black Prince
Black Russian
Black Zebra
Box Car Willie
Bradley
Brandywine Red
Brown Berry
Buckbee's New 50 Day
Camp Joy
Carbon
Ceylon
Creole
Cuostralee
Delicious
Djena Lee's Golden Girl
Dona
Druzba
Earl of Edgecombe
Ella's Pink Plum
Eva Purple Ball
Evergreen
Faribo Goldhart
Fireworks
Galinas
Garden Peach
German Red Strawberry
Glamour
Glasnost
Green Grape
Green Zebra
Grosse Ronde
Hezhou
Hillbilly - West Virginia
Illini Star
Italian Tree
Jaune Flamme'
Kellogg's Breakfast
Kennington's Big Red
Lemmony
Lida Ukrainian
Lime Green Salad - Det
Malinowski
Manalucie
Mariannas Peace
Moon Glow
Moskovich - semi det
Mule Team
Nyagous
Old Virginia
Omar's Lebanese
Orange Strawberry
Ozark Pink
Pantano Romanesco
Paul Robeson
Ponderosa Red
Porter
Porters Dark Cherry
Prudens Purple
Purple Calabash
Red Zebra
Riesentraube
Rose
Russo Italia Toggeta
Schellenberg's Favorite
Shirley Amish Red
Sisters
Slava
Soldacki
St Pierre
Stone
Stupice
Sunray
Sunsets Red Horizon
Suoer Snow White
Tangerine
Thessaloniki
Tigerella
Tigerella
Tommy Toe
Trip L Crop
Valencia
Wins All or Winsall

That's a wonderful list will all different sizes, shapes and colors! You're definitely going to have the full tomato experience.

yeah I usually plant 100+ plants but right in the middle of all my plans we decided to downsize and sell our house why we could still keep a bunch of equity then moved to another home in the family with low rent - so had to fix and repair two places and didn't get to plant all of these - I have grown quite a few but try to pick up new varieties to try every year - ended up having to buy some plants because I didn't get seedlings going in time - a lot of the plants I bought came down with diseases - 1st time in 40+ years of growing - except nematoes over the years - solved by potting in that area as vapam is not allowed in Ca - don't know if it is other places - anyway I had an OK crop and got to try some new ones - some of the above were 1-2 freebies sent with each order - most of the freebies I would not have ordered

Dennis

Another Heidi vote, i got a bushel in one day from 3 plants, though it doesn't have much "tomato" taste fresh, it's a sturdy one to can whole.

My other canning star was Eva Purple Ball, my unending gratitude to whichever GT'er recommended her! She's an acceptable fresh tomato, but makes TONS of perfect fruit that can lay on the ground or hold on the vine for a LONG time like a paste tomato. Also, she has a thin skin that slips easily with a quick blanch.

I cracked open the first jar of whole tomatoes a couple days ago, Heidi and Eva were delicious, sweet and firm, i scarfed the whole quart....

Lke rj said, MOST any tomato can make sauce, but if you like whole tomatoes, those two are tops.

Your defiantly right on with the San Marzano one of the greatest sauce tomatoes of all time! You may want to add another staple such as the Roma tomato another tried and true tomato with excellent cooking ability.

I have a preferance for San Marzano Redorta and years ago a hybrid plum called enchantment was a big surprize - womderful taste - meaty - maybe you could find it somewhere

Thank you instar, ufseeds and mtbigfish. I'm so looking forward to trying your suggestions one day.

We tried Roma for the first time this year, but they didn't do so well. They seemed awfully small (maybe averaging the size of pullet eggs, possibly a little larger). Most of them didn't ripen to a deep, rich red but instead stayed kind of orange. On the other hand, it was such a bad year, we had to pick the vast majority when they were still green and let them ripen in the hallway. I thought I was done with them, but per your recommendation, ufseeds, I'll plan to give them another try.

A quick search turned up Enchantment at Burpee and Reimer. Funny thing, both companies are using the same photo. Wonder how that happened...?

Thanks again!