I meant "unusual" tomatoes not unudual. Sorry.

Jannie, I've linked below to one of several threads here about the Blue tomato but I think it's the best. The search feature is at the bottom of this first page.

Note in that thread that there are several lines of these and note also that some folks think they taste great, others don't and the one I tasted I couldn't stand. LOL

Seeds were supposed to be restricted to those involved in breeding projects but You'll see that some distribution of seeds has taken place.

There is no place to get seeds but if you post your wants in the Tomato seed exchange here, link at the top of this first page to the right of the first thread, someone might have some to share.

Again, different accessions of this blue tomato so different experiences with it.

In the last post of the thread I'm linking to you'll note that I distinguished between the blue one developed here in the US which was done by traditional breeding and the one developed in the UK which is a genetically altered one using a bleuberry gene.

Hope that helps.

In addition, I and others here could refer you to any number of places re tomato seeds, but I don't really know what you consider to be unusual. In other words what you consider unusual others might not.

So some help from you in that regard would be helpful.

For instance, do you consider a variety called Variegated to be unusual? It comes true from seed and has cream variegation on the leaves and the stems. Fruits are red.

Or do you mean a specific color or a specific shape?

Carolyn

Here is a link that might be useful: Blue tomato OSU

Jannie, the link below this message will take you to a forum discussion about recommended sources for seeds. If you visit all of those mentioned, you will find many unusual varieties.

And, although I can't vouch for their service, this link will take you to a site that will give you an idea of the astounding variety of colors you have to choose from when it comes to tomatoes:

http://www.tomatoseeds.net/

enjoy!
jan

Here is a link that might be useful: Tomato Seed Sources

Jannie, the link below this message will take you to a forum discussion about recommended sources for seeds. If you visit all of those mentioned, you will find many unusual varieties.
And, although I can't vouch for their service, this link will take you to a site that will give you an idea of the astounding variety of colors you have to choose from when it comes to tomatoes:

http://www.tomatoseeds.net/

enjoy!
jan

******

A thread with listings of seed sources is fine but I still would like Jannie to indicate what she means by unusual b'c after looking at the link you gave I'll tell you why.

Many of the seed companies that specialize in tomato seeds such as TGS and Sandhill and Victory, for instance have far more varieties than does that link you gave.

And I was so very surprised to see who is behind that Tasty Tomato website for it's Seedfest and they go by several other names and the one at the bottom roguelands is another one of their names.

The tip off came when one blurb said OUR variety Rostova, which Gary Ibsen named Sunset Red Horizon,

I read through some of their blurbs and it's back to this is rare, that's rare, etc. but they aren't rare at all. And I see my name there as well and clearly they didn't do their homework on that one b'c they just repeated what someone else had said that's also wrong; a minor issue, but......

Actually there are several varieties they list that I wasn't happy with the info given. Another one is Black Brandywine, which appeared in the growing fields of Seeds by Design in CA and was introduced by TGS. They suggest two possible black parents for the initial cross but the fact is that it's totally unknown what the black parent might have been.

Black Brandywine has been genetically unstable since it was introduced, and so much so that Linda at TGS has deleted it from her listings quite recently. The initial cross occurred amongst plants being grown out by subcontract from TGS to SBD which is why TGS introduced it but TGS no longer subcontracts to SBD/

So Jannie, how about telling us what you want in the way of unusual tomato varieties b'c it sure would help. ( smile)

Carolyn, who also thinks that $3.50/20 seeds for some varieties is more than a bit high compared to other sources for mostly the same varieties.

Carolyn, that's exactly why I pointed Jannie to the GW thread which covers the more reputable sources, BEFORE sending her to that one to see the pictures!

Thanks for confirming my feelings about that particular vendor!

That site has some problems with their tomatoes. Purple Russian for example is clearly NOT Purple Russian as I have grown it.

The P20 blue tomato is a result of concentrating 3 different genes into a single variety. It has Aubergine, Anthocyanin Fruit, and one other that I can't remember at the moment. The combination of the three genes results in the unique color. The fruits are highly sensitive to temperature and light exposure getting darker with more sunlight and higher temps.

P20 is NOT released for the very specific reason that it is not up to standard for a commercial variety. The plants are weak, spindly, disease susceptible, and lack vigor. There are several people involved in trying to cross the dark fruit color into a better flavored tomato, especially one that has fewer deleterious alleles.

DarJones

For both Darrel and jll ( at bottom of post)

That site has some problems with their tomatoes. Purple Russian for example is clearly NOT Purple Russian as I have grown it.

*****

I only gave a couple of blurb problems and wasn't in the mood to critique the varieties, but yes, there are problems with other varieties as well .

(P20 is NOT released for the very specific reason that it is not up to standard for a commercial variety)

Which is what I've been saying over and over and over again but folks see it an want seeds. And I know that based on the feedback of those who have grown it that at this point taste is highly variable b'c there are, as I understand it, several different selections of it at this point.

And thanks Darrel for pointing out the nature of the plants in terms of weak, spindly, etc.

(Carolyn, that's exactly why I pointed Jannie to the GW thread which covers the more reputable sources, BEFORE sending her to that one to see the pictures! )

I do understand Jll, but TGS and Victory and quite a few others that were suggested in that thread have much better pictures and more truthful information than does Tasty Tomatoes, which is why I commented.( smile)

Sandhill has no pictures at this time and nor does Heirloomseeds in PA, but that's no reason, I think, for anyone to avoid those places just b'c they don't have pictures. Just my opinion.

Carolyn

i have got some cherokee purple seeds myself and white beefstaek(a.k.a. great white)off ebay. i got itialian ice cherry tomato's(white cherry tomato's) i got them from burpee. i myself like to grow different types of tomatos.

I didn't find OSU-Blue to be spindly, weak, or disease-prone. I did find it recalcitrant, or rather unreliable, to germinate. And some of the seedlings were rather puny at first.

But when I chose a good seedling and grew it out, it was hardy, erect, productive, and maintained healthy foliage without a drop of fungicide and growing in a 10-gallon container next to several dwarf plants that went down to a variety of foliage diseases like wilt, Septoria and Early Blight. OSU-Blue got none of those. So what diseases is it prone to get?

OSU-Blue is very determinate, and after it reached that point where all the shoots terminated in flower clusters, it set those tomatoes and that was it. No more. Done. Then the system shut down and the foliage began to wither, but not due to any perceptible diseases. Can't a determinate tomato die a natural death of old age?

The foliage is sparse. There's no rampant growth of a canopy. So, it doesn't look lush. But it certainly wasn't spindly, weak ... or diseased when it had every opportunity to be. And it made dozens of completely blemish-free tomatoes.

Taste? Nothing to write home about. But I think the idea is to outcross it with other varieties to get serviceable tomatoes for fresh salsa and cooked tomato products.

Derek, have you grown the white's before? White and tomato taste are still an unimaginable combination for me.

Darrell, Purple Russian looks really purple in the pictures on a lot of sites. Is it?

I'll be growing it this year, courtesy of Trudi, so I'd love to hear about your experience with it: plant size, productivty, taste, disease resistance, or anything else that struck you about it.

thanks,
jan

Derek, have you grown the white's before? White and tomato taste are still an unimaginable combination for me

*****

Jan, Derek I'm not but I've grown many so called whites from cherries and up in size.

None of them are white for they range in color from ivory to pale yellow and even a deeper yellow. The degree of so called whiteness is dependent on the specific variety, the degree of foliage cover and UV intensity.

The whitest one and about the only large fruited one that I like is White Queen b/c it does have some taste to it.

Carolyn

The P20 seeds I got are clearly segregating.

As a result it is no wonder people are reporting different things, especially flavor. There are photos of them in the other thread.

The ones I had were indeterminate. The flavor and texture were good much to my surprise. They weren't particularly sweet or acidic. I didn't find them "inky". They certainly had more character than some of the varieties I have tasted listed in Carolyn's book.

I would encourage people to try these for novelty sake because you dont know what you are going to get. As hoosie (the blowfish misses you) said they are poor germinators so sow 10 hoping to get 2-3.

The other gene Darrel forgot is atroviolaceae which comes from the S. cheesemanii line LA0434.

atv example from TGRC ("+" means normal)

"White and tomato taste are still an unimaginable combination for me"

Me too, like Coyote which may have sweetness to them but are lacking in other organoleptic qualities.

The sherry gene line, which some might mistake as a white or even Coyote, was better.

Jan,

Purple Russian is a pretty decent tomato with a spindle shape and fairly high production. Flavor is decent. The best I remember it is compact indeterminate and tends to ripen a load of fruit in a short period of time. The color is indeed a bluish purple, unique in that I have not seen another variety that duplicates it. I consider it to be a good one but do not grow it every year.

Mule,

I have some anecdotal evidence that the flavor of P20 blue is best when fully ripe straight off the vine. The fruits that I left laying on a table for 3 days were significantly less sweet and distinctly less flavorful compared to fresh picked. Just putting 2 and 2 together, it probably converts sugar to starch fairly rapidly which would cause the change in flavor. There may be other things going on as well.

DarJones

Thanks, Darrell. I'm really looking forward to this one. Having lots of the purple making gene should make them an extra-healthy variety, too.

Carolyn, and Mule:
I wasn't going to grow ANY white tomatoes next year, but our favorite Long Island tomato fairy sent out Christmas cards with packets of seeds in red, white, and green varieties. (thank you, Trudi!).

The white variety in my card was a white currant. I think I'll winter sew them and some Tomato Spoon on a bare embankment and let them sprawl as a ground cover. Maybe the easy access to those will keep the critters out of the bigger varieties.