Yeah, there are so many varieties that I also want to try. But for this season I am done with my list. Being short on raised bed space, I will try about 10 in pots and about 15 varieties in ground. So Big Brandy might be in my 2017 list. But first, we have to wait for Hudson's reviews. I am excited to be in NBD and Big Beef contest. Its gonna be a fun season.

Sey

Had to get another type so add Big Beef -- you made me do it -- I didn't want to do it -- you made me do it

Haha - I know the feeling Lar!

You can always find room for another one, maybe 2 more. Haha

Big Brandy is one of the "Heritage Marriage" series produced by Pan American, a subsidary of Ball Seeds. I went crazy when I discovered them.

Contrary to most of you, I love hybrids because they are grown in controlled greenhouses. I hate the messed up cross polinazation of OPs. I spend too much time and money gardening to be too cheap to buy seed. After all the work and money in gardening, I hate it when collected seed is so often a mess of crossing by people too lazy to bag and isolate. Plus hybrid vigor is wonderful. Problems with too many hybrids is that they were selected for disease resistance and holding, not for taste. This series should have everything: hybrid vigor plus taste.

I was thrilled to find more hybrids of Brandywine, plus Cherokee Purple, and Jaune Flamme from a large seed company.

The Hybrid Marriage series has at least 5 cultivars.

One is a paste, which I don't grow because of bad taste and mealiness, and because Costoluto Genevese is a better sauce tomato.

Another is Perfect Flame (Jaune Flamme x Peron). To find it, I posted here and called Pan American and every company who bought the seed from them. The best price is 15 seed for about $12, so I decided to just try the other 3 this year.

On March 1, I will plant

Big Brandy

CherokeeCarbon (Cherokee Purple x Carbon)

Genuwine (Costoluto Genovese x Brandywine). This is the one on which I have the most hope. Those are two of the three best-tasting tomatoes I have ever eaten. (I like acid taste.)

I got my seed from Jung.

I will be doing taste tests later this year and posting the results here.

Tarolli - thanks for your post! Others can check out Panamseed at the following link.

http://www.panamseed.com/series_info.aspx?phid=062006567031229

Yes, please post your results on this thread - as will I and hopefully others - and we can compare. I also have great hopes for this variety! I had never heard of the "Heritage Marriage" - I learn something every day :). I am also a big fan of Hybrids because I grow in a GH and have limited space. The new Hybrids really have improved taste - especially those crossed with Brandywine - IMO. Brandy Boy is a great example and I hope to find the same quality taste with Big Brandy !! I'll have to do some research on some the other varieties you have mentioned - like Genuwine - for example.

Hudson-- got my Big Brandy seeds today so I'll get them planted to day along with others.

You ordered them! Great - Our Big Brandy is doing as well as any of the other varieties - I think you will be glad you did!

This variety set fruit about 8 weeks from planting seed. This is a very aggressive grower with lots of blossoms. Approximately 5-8 blossoms per truss at this age.

You are doing a great job. My babies are still babies

Looking good Lar - your babies look very healthy and happy!! You have a ton of them too !

Looking good, lar. I am not growing Big Brandy but others are about the size of your babies. Some have the first set of true leaves. Gearing up to pot them up, maybe this weekend.

Good luck and keep updating.

Sey

That's only 1/2 of them--the others are still in 3/4 inch blocks about two weeks behind these. I took your cue and started feeding with your kind of food and added a table spoon combined of fish emulsion and kelp very weak on all parts.

Seem as like they "like it -they like it"

I am in it... though not a contest.

Thanks much to LAR's generosity for the seeds.

I sowed few right away (3/3/16), along with the NBD.They are couple of weeks behind the rest of my grow list but should catch up quickly.

It is gonna be an exciting season, I predict.

Sey

Nice - they are doing very well so far! Glad you are going to try them! I'm impressed so far!

Update:

Look at the size of those SEGAL

great job Hudson

Wow ! Congrats ! That is going to be a huuge one. I love ribbed tomatoes so much better than smooth ones.

Probably by the time Lar and I are planting out, Hudson is going to start harvesting. I like that.

Sey

Hudson-- question please- -you stated that you use Iron with your tomatoes --is it to lower your ph or is it something to do with using that magical substance (which I'm also using this year)

Hi Lar,

Some plants require more iron than others so I just add chelated iron to the fertilizer. I notice a big difference with cucumbers but not so much tomatoes - but it's there if they need it. Our garden soil is iron deficient so I got into the habit of adding it to the fertilizer. It is easier for me to just add it than trying to have different containers. I have not noticed any negative effect on the plants. Good luck with the magical substance - it sure works for me!!

OK Hudson-- I'm gonna give it a good try.

Thanks for the info- I can always count on it from you.

Big Brandy isn't holding back now! There appear to be more fused blossoms with this hybrid compared to others - does anyone know why? It must come from the Dwarf parent? Or maybe the other Heirloom parent? Maybe both - as I have grown both parents and they both have fused blossom tendencies!

Looks beautiful and green--it likes you

Big Brandy update:

Those are ginger to be bigger. Looks like I'm going to be staking

Update:

Big Brandy continues to grow impressively!!

Looking nice. And the blossoms are big. That A boy.

I assume it has some Brandywine, and some New Big Dwarf qualities. Which ones? It's indeterminate, right? How big does it get?

Hi Nanelle - This is our first year for Big Brandy - I can answer your questions better in a few months. We have grown both of it's parents though. Yes - it is indeterminate and the plant is more vigorous than Brandywine and very prolific like New Big Dwarf. We planted the seeds January 1st and the plant is 5' in height now with tons of blossoms. I think the fruit so far resembles closer to that of Brandywine - not quite as flat as NBD but some of them are shaped like NBD. I hope the taste will be more like Brandywine but NBD has a great taste too - so we are optimistic!

Our first Big Brandy Hybrid is almost ripe! We are excited for the taste test! I am impressed with the plant. Big Brandy reminds a lot of Brandy Boy except it has RL instead of PL. It appears to be very prolific too, although I think Brandy Boy has it beat in that category in our GH.

Awesome ! Ripe tomato in April.

Few of mine have some buds (Big Beef, Better boy ...sowed Feb 21.). I planted a couple of Silvery Fir Tree (Early Feb). One of them has one fruit. That is a nice prelude.

Sey

Nice Sey - I have never planted a Silvery Fir Tree but I know many gardeners confuse it as a Dwarf Variety. I know you have planted SFT in prior years and it has unique carrot like leaves. Why do you like this variety? Just curious why you choose SFT (what it has to offer) over other small plants - such as Dwarfs - for example? Do you grow them mostly because they are ornamental?

Beautiful! I'm growing a Dwarf Brandywine cross too; I think it's BrandyFred.

Daniel, yes, I am growing SFT mostly for its ornamental feature. But it is also early. The taste is on the acidic side but that is fine in salad.

Sey

It won't be long now to see how Big Brandy will taste!! The plant is impressive with a lot of nice sized fruit. Here is the first one to ripen - 120 days from planting of seed!

Hudson,, gorgeous tomato. I'm growing Cherokee Carbon, another of the Heritage Marriage tomatoes. I'm going to follow your post, maybe I'll order seeds for next year. And by the way, what is that magic formula you are using for your tomatoes? I can't get over the size of your tomatoes! Mine are still under the lights waiting for the weather to warm up so I can plant out by the end of May.

Thanks Sharon - I bought some Cherokee Carbon seeds but didn't have room in the GH to plant them this year. How about sharing your results for me so I can see if I should plant them next year?

I think my magic formula is our climate controlled GH. Really - that is the only difference from what the rest of you are doing. I have an unfair advantage and I admit it up front. I am actually cheating by using our GH but it is so fun to get good results! Besides - I couldn't grow tomatoes in my zone without it.

Our first ripe Big Brandy has a crack but I guess I can live with that given the size of it. Think we will try tasting it tomorrow.

That is a beauty, Hudson. Who cares about the crack. You're gonna slice it soon.

So here we are on the 29th day of April, with ripe tomato in zone 3, in Wyoming. That is something.

Sey

Great going Hudson--i think all my big brandy were mislabled brandy boy--i had too much on my mind back then--next year will be another year--maybe i can find another mate by then

Thanks Sey - I'll let you know what I think of the taste. I have a Brandy Boy, Big Brandy and Brandywine Sudduth all ripe at the same time. Good opportunity to compare the taste!

Lar - you can't loose with either one - Brandy Boy or Big Brandy! Hope things are stabilizing for you! Wish you the best!!

The taste is awesome!!! Let me state it this way - I would plant a Brandywine anything for great taste - then I would narrow it down to which variety did best in my garden/greenhouse growing conditions - that's the one I would plant !!

Nice matter--mmmm

Just got done Big Brandy seeds. Never tried this late but I'm going for it.

Gardener's Supply new seed starting trays are again, not on my side. Spindliest seedlings ever, and several with stuck seed "helmets". Only got about 20 seeds, but I hope to have one, maybe two seedlings.

nanelle, good luck !

You probably have a long growing season in zone 9 (CA ?)
I wanted to grow Big Brandy last year but the seeds refused to germinate after 2 tries.

I have become a fan of Brandye Boy..

Sey

Hudson, how did Big Brandy finish the season? Did you grow it again this year? I love these variety threads. Great info! Thanks!

MusicMinded - Big Brandy had a great taste but Brandy Boy was by far the best producer. There are so many Brandy........whatevers that I have moved on to other Brandys for this year. I would plant them again though. I have limited space in our GH which dictates a lot how many varieties we can plant. I think they will do well for you!

Big Brandy finished the season fine and produced longer into the season than the heirloom varieties we planted. We only planted one Big Brandy as I remember but it was aggressive in growth and disease resistant.

My Big Brandy. Haven't tasted it yet but it looks awesome...

Nice Hutts! And thank you Seysonn. I am in N Cal and if they make it through the heat and mites, my plants will usually be worth keeping unil about Thanksgiving. I have only grown dwarfs the last few years; this will be my only NON dwarf this year. I'm hoping it gets some of it's form from NBD and does okay in an earthbox. Terretorial calls it semi-determinate. Last year some "dwarfs" got to six plus feet and still did okay.