"RIESENTRAUBE"

About 7 years ago, I grew several varieties of cherry tomatoes including Riesentraube sprawled on the ground like a ground cover around regular caged tomatoes. These cherry tomatoes were used as sacrifices to squirrels so that they would leave my caged tomatoes alone. It worked.

If I had to grow a cherry tomato again, Riesentraube is the only one that I would grow because, in my experience, it is the only cherry tomato that tastes like a normal tomato and is suitable for making good tasting tomato juice.

Next year, I am going back to growing Best Boy because it is the most reliable. And, by "reliable" I mean it takes the most abuse.

Funny how sometimes your favorite mater is on somebody's zap list. I really suggest "two strikes and your out" for tomatoes. One year to the next can have amazing differences with the same variety.

My Keepers: 1. Brandywine Sudduth's- It took awhile...but it is pumping out gorgeous and delicious maters. 2. Big Beef-My standby hybrid 3. New Big Dwarf- It has been my best dwarf (planted 4) for taste and production. 4. Cherokee Purple- an annual event for me. 5. Black Cherry- My best cherry by far

My Zaps: 1. Sunsugar- It is a good little cherry...but BC is better for me (and I want only 1 cherry next year) 2. Beefmaster- It was just OK. It has good looking fruit that tastes only "fair". Big Beef is much better.

The jury is out- Black from Tula- It has been pretty productive. The fruit is not dark...and seems to taste "OK".

I agree, Ed.

Yes BFT is not really a BLACK tomato. Its texture and color is more like Cherokee Purple. Black Krim and Paul Robeson has much darker flesh than BFT.

Sey

BFT is also on my Zaps list. I prefer Black Prince, which I grew last year. BP out performed in terms of yeild and flavor for me.

Ananas noire is a keeper though, as yeild has been huge, with great flavor.

I'm regretting not growing at least one standard red slicer (how did I forget?), so it looks like I'll be dedicating at least one spot next year for Big Beef.

Tried Cherokee Green for the first time and it was sweet and delicious. The texture was a tad mushy but the flavour more than compensates.

I am just beginning to harvest except Sungolds which have been ripening for a few weeks. SGs are also the only plants that look sickly though huge. I think my selections are more limited and less exotic than you all.

So far Magic Mountain, Oregon Spring and Príncipe Borghese have produced. Oregon Spring had the worst reviews and was essentially a cold summer back up. The plants are adorable - very short and full of fruit. I had a very ripe one for lunch yesterday - I found it ok - not horrible not the best. Worth one spot but maybe not more. Magic Mountain has lovely large clusters of little fruits - quite yummy. Keeper! Príncipe is an old favorite for freezing. Another keeper. Waiting on Pineapple, Roma's and Orange Bananas - the last has wispy wimpy little plants and excellent reviews at Fedco.

A new-to-me variety this year is Lynnwood and it's a total keeper. Highly productive medium sized round red tomatoes- prolific would be an understatement, good acid balance, made it through heat up to 114 degrees, and seems to resist pests and disease better than many others.

i'm taking cuttings to plant for my fall tomatoes so I'll see how it does when it gets cooler, too.

CP, sungold, Tarasenko 2, kmicic and San Diego will all see another year in my garden too.

Rose - second year growing this heirloom... love it. Large tasty fruit. Complex flavor, good yield. Keep

Brandywine Sudduth - Heirloom. Nice tomato. Slightly less yield than Rose, but not by much. Very good, not too sweet, simple, wonderful tomato flavor. Keep.

Cherokee Purple - Heirloom. Interestingly, I live close to its origin, but I wasn't overly impressed with it's performance. Some of the problems may have been my style of growing. The fruit was like candy to bugs, and the yield was so-so at best. I also didn't like the shoulders. When the bottom of the fruit was soft and ripe, the shoulders stayed green. The ripe part of the fruit tasted very good, but the areas around the green shoulders was acrid. I'll need to give this one plenty of room and care before I zap it, but it may be that I need to learn more about its care and ripening.

Bellstar - Got it on sale, so for the price it was worth a shot. Very short, OP, 'paste', determinate vine. I grew it on the front on my beds, and it did okay, but it really needs its own space. I think this would be good grown in rows with simple stakes, or a Florida weave. Most of the fruit ripened at the same time. Very meaty. While it didn't have a lot of character, I think it will be a good addition to my sauce. The stink bugs loved this variety, and if only because it kept the stink bugs off my favorites, it's a keeper for now.

Marianna - Hybrid. Det. Not too bad. Got it on sale, so again, worth a shot. Stink bugs also loved this one. This is a 'tough' tomato. It's basically a commercial variety, and with its thick walls, it can be handled roughly without bruising. Not a bad tomato, good for sauce, but not a lot of flavor for straight eating. When the package runs out, I won't buy it again unless it's very cheap.

Amish Paste - Weird variety. Two styles from the same package. One was a large, almost a blocky pear shape. The other was the classic paste/roma shape. I like the flavor, and the large fruits needing little cleaning are nice for freezing for sauce. Keep.

German Striped - Heirloom. I was disappointed with this one. I need to give it another shot, but I was looking forward to its promised, unique flavor, and found it dry and bland. We had a very dry season, so I owe it another year or two to try to get it to shine a bit more.

Sweet Olive - Hybrid grape. Not too bad. Got it on sale also, so worth a shot. Grandad really liked this one. Middle-of-the-road taste wise. That might be why he likes it, although his measure of a tomato is how easy it is to cut, and he doesn't want it to 'leak' lol. He can't chew well, and likes things cut up small. Because of that, he doesn't like messy tomatoes. Not my fav, but I didn't dislike it. When I run out of seeds I won't grow it again unless they're cheap and I can't find one he can live with.

White Cherry - It was on sale. Not too bad. OP, whitish-yellowish cherry. There are better, but this isn't too bad, especially for the price. Decent yield, pleasant flavor. I would grow it again, but there are a few others that are similar I would like to try. Because it's an OP, it's a keep until a better OP comes along.

My keepers:

Italian ice - I love this tomato plant. Produces sweet yellow cherry tomato - sized fruit, and is less acidic then red cherry tomatoes. I have harvested ten so far, and they are a hit with the family.

Farmers market sweet cherry - delicous sweet tomatoes, smaller tomatoes then normal cherry tomatoes, but this plant keeps reproducing even in winter.

Champion || - this tomato plant produces Roma - sized tomatoes. Perfect for salsas, sandwiches, and pizza. I have harvested three so far, and all of them are delicous.

I don't have any zaps.

Due to timing constraints I had all nursery transplants for tomatoes this year. Another zap I tasted this morning was labeled "Cherry Red". Strange ultra-compact habit that means I have touble seeing let alone prying leaves apart to reach the fruit. And then it tasted so bland! Cue the sound of a disappointed trombone. Whomp whomp.

Keeping: Sunsugar, Cherokee Purple

Zapping: Cherry Red

TBD: Big Beef, Kellogg's Breakfast

On the fence: Brandywine

Gotta zap and make room for new varieties that I like to grow. Already have about 6 of them lined up and the list is growing. Some also might get early retirement. hehe. They will have a chance to be hired back.

Sey

It's too early to say for me, as the plants that have given ripe fruit have only given one or two, and taste may change with later fruits. But I will say that Malakhitovaya Shkatulka is a fantastic tomato. It is the first to ripen for me. The plants are vigorous but not inconveniently huge and loaded with fruit in the 10 oz range (the largest ripe one I picked was just under 15 oz so far). The taste is not as sweet as other GWRs I've tasted, but more savory. Very intense and well balanced. Had one on a burger yesterday, and it was perfect--held up to all the competing flavors very well. The only issue is that it was almost too juicy to use as a sandwich tomato. Another great thing about it is that, like many GWRs, the critters seem to not notice when it ripens, so it's a good for those of us who like to keep the fruit on the vine as long as possible.

CC, this is the first year we had sun sugar, and they are definitely a keeper! Our plant is huge--about 9' tall, and it is a producer. They are so good.

I really like all our varieties and I don't think there's any we would zap at this point.

Sun sugar, sugary, brown berry, stupice, Siberian, silvery fir tree, Italian Heirloom, Giant German Johnson, and Andrew Reinhold's Jumbo red. We have a mix of sizes. Love the big tomatoes for sandwiches, burgers, and BLT's and the smaller ones for salads and snacks.

Okay, editing my list to add another two varieties.

No zaps so far for me because my tomatoes are just now coming in and what I've sampled so far has not disappointed.

On the KEEPS list, for sure:

Dr. Wyche's Yellow - Outstanding sweet/tropical flavor, gorgeous, huge fruit, very productive. I have harvested two 12oz tomatoes and have at least 25 more on the plant. Very excited about this newbie to my garden!

Stupice - Nice flavor for such an early variety. I've never harvested a ripe tomato of any kind earlier than August 7, so to get several on July 14 this season (54 DTM) was quite the treat. And they don't disappoint in flavor.

Pink Berkeley Tie Dye - Beautiful red and green striped fruit. Medium-sized at about 7-8oz. Delicious, rich flavor, but not a good keeper. Ripens extremely quickly after first blush. Juicy as heck.

ADDED TO KEEPS:

Moskvich - A very nice 6-9 oz tomato with well-balanced flavor. Not overly productive so far, but we've had a very hot summer. The plant is vigorous and healthy. Hope to see further fruit set when temps dip consistently below 90.

La Roma III VFFNA - While I'm sure this is a highly productive hybrid, mine hasn't produced in huge numbers.. yet. Our hot summer is dictating fruit set, but hopefully a warm fall will produce additional fruits. The tomatoes I've harvested so far are very meaty and outstandingly tasty. I grew this last year with dismal results, but decided to try again. I am very pleased so far.

I really think weather and heat make such a huge difference - my Sunsugar is only about 5 feet tall. Maybe it is affecting the taste of some too? I'm going to have to come up with a greenhouse type of covering for my tomatoes and peppers next year!

rgreen: his measure of a tomato is how easy it is to cut, and he doesn't want it to 'leak' lol. He can't chew well, and likes things cut up small. Because of that, he doesn't like messy tomatoes.

Sounds like your grandfather would enjoy oxhearts. Many are almost all meat with few seeds and gel yet have good flavor and are not mealy. Bad for seed producers. Good for people who like a tomato that slices neatly!

Thx gorbelly. I may add one eventually. My method of adding a variety is basically waiting for a sale lol. I mostly do heirlooms and OP, but if a hybrid goes on sale for $1, I'll try it out.

I have a lot of plants other than tomatoes, so a person might think... 'one more packet won't hurt...' Well, for me, one more packet is like eating just one potato chip. There are so many varieties of so many crops I want to grow, and yet... no cash.

For brevity, I also left out that grandad likes the convenience of grape tomatoes. He only eats a few at a time, and grapes allow him to not have to cut up a large tomato. Every once in a while he'll put a slice on a sandwich, and he does like slicer's for the rare salad. But, he likes to make a bowl of veggies, and he'll half, or quarter grape tomatoes, add them to the bowl, then put it in the microwave. I'm not sure that he'd even appreciate a specialty tomato. Right now he's not ecstatic that every spare space of table and counter top is covered in ripening fruit lol. It drives him bonkers that the refrigerator drawers are filled with eggplants, squash, and green beans. And that the freezer space for his store-bought frozen veggies is dwindling. It's kind of funny because he grew up in NYC... vegetables came from the market or the freezer section, and never 5 eggplants at once (let alone a few hundred tomatoes! - Tomatoes for sauce comes in cans in aisle 5.)

He can't eat raw veggies because he won't get a new set of dentures. The crunch of lettuce is about the most he can muster. I have to freeze everything so that it gets soft, or slice it up into minute pieces then steam it until it's dead lol. But, he's pushing 90... so while he will try some new things, for the most part, he knows what he likes, and 'he ain't changin' now.' Although every once in a while I'm thinking 'zap' (okay, okay... maybe once a day lol)... For good or for bad, Grandad's a keeper.

Sey, I told you you'd like BFT! It's back on the list for next year. I'm a bit like you I don't often give a variety a second chance. Don't have the luxury of time and space and energy

So zaps are:

orange caprese - it's been a BER magnet. I haven't tried one yet. I'm tempted to yank it out altogether.

Captain Lucky - takes too long and low production.

Orange minsk - also taking forever

aunt Gerties Gold - I'm getting quite a few but it's another one that's very late and low production

Not sure:

Momotaro - delicious but not overly productive and not so early

Rosella - dark cherry but I think Carbon Copy is going to be better.

Daniel Burson

Cherokee Green - this plant has been incredible in production. It's going to be a question of taste which I did like last year. GWR tomatoes can be a challenge knowing when to eat them

Definitely back:

IS - but probably RL not PL

NAR, always reliable and delicious

Sun sugar - love this one

Ron's carbon copy

Rebel Yell

considering for next year:

Rose

And a host of others to consider. I'm sure this list will be revised as tomatoes ripen and get tasted.

Mine are not all ripe yet, but so far:

Keeps :

Margaret Curtain (sweet and delicious)

Early Annie (always delish with Heavenly after-taste)

Maglia Rosa (delicious at any stage for those who cannot wait!)

Rosella (Sharon, let it get really ripe first :)) I think this may be better than CC.

Maybe's:

I just tasted Ambrosa Rose (which was orange) It had a Sungold taste to it, but a bit of a funky after taste.

Zaps:

Costoluto Genovese which was early, prolific, great when halved and fried, but oh my goodness the BER :-(

Sara's Galapagos (currant). I like the taste better now, but they are SO small.

Russian Rose. Prolific, but too tart for my taste. Will be great in sauce.

Linda

I only grew two varieties the year. Big Beef and Mr.Stripey. For production purposes, Big Beef is a keeper. For taste, I'm keeping Mr. Stripey. It's likely the best tomato I ever ate. Juicy. Great flavor. Sweet beginning, tart tomato aftertaste. Pretty, for the optics purposes, too. Beautiful smell. It's stingy and late, but I'm keeping. I'm one of the few that has ended up liking this variety based on my research.

I'm thinking of a green or black for next year, so I'm reading all your posts.

Thanks Sharon.

I like BFT. It is the one with most fruits among the dark varieties. IS (RL) is in second place.

I have heard many good reviews on NAR. Sounds like something to try along with Rebel yell.

Another Zap :

Dwarf Purple Heart : Reason , low production and being late. I like ther fruits and the taste but not worth the trouble. Or that is how in my climate/garden. So far it has one and few more are just showing.

Other Keepers :

Oregon Spring. It has much more and fruits than Siletz. So Siletz goes on the fence.

Willamette : It has lots of maters in big trusses. It is a nice saladet.

Sey, Rebel Yell is a divine pink. Right up there with SOTW and others. I highly recommend. NAR did not produce well for me last year, in fact it was one of the worst as far as production, but the fruits were large and tasty. We didn't have terrific weather last season and that certainly could've played a role, but several other big beefsteaks did very well, so I dunno. It's worth growing if you've never tried it. YMMV.

With that said, I am also updating my list. I am having a hard time with zaps this season because everything has been so good, but one has been added.

KEEPS:

1884 - HUGE, gorgeous round fruit that is slightly pleated. Very little cracking or splitting. Fully flavored with just the right amount of acid and sweet. Juicy, but not overly so. Little gel, all flesh. A favorite so far in the garden.

Chianti Rose - See notes on Rebel Yell and SOTW. Excellent, large, meaty pink beefsteak sure to please anyone.

Dr. Wyche's Yellow - Outstanding sweet/tropical flavor, gorgeous, huge fruit, very productive. I have harvested two 12oz tomatoes and have at least 25 more on the plant. Very excited about this newbie to my garden!

La Roma III VFFNA - While I'm sure this is a highly productive hybrid, mine hasn't produced in huge numbers.. yet. Our hot summer is dictating fruit set, but hopefully a warm fall will produce additional fruits. The tomatoes I've harvested so far are very meaty and outstandingly tasty. I grew this last year with dismal results, but decided to try again. I am very pleased so far.

Pink Berkeley Tie Dye - Beautiful red and green striped fruit. Medium-sized at about 7-8oz. Delicious, rich flavor, but not a good keeper. Ripens extremely quickly after first blush. Juicy as heck.

Rebel Yell - Gorgeous, delicious pink beefsteak that is right up there with SOTW and others. Very meaty with little gel or juice.

Stump of the World - Currently my favorite tomato ever, though 1884, Chianti Rose and Rebel Yell are coming in close. I have yet to sample the Brandywines, so it's up in the air if SOTW will be dethroned this season.

Stupice - Nice flavor for such an early variety. I've never harvested a ripe tomato of any kind earlier than August 7, so to get several on July 14 this season (54 DTM) was quite the treat. And they don't disappoint in flavor.

FENCE:

Cream Sausage - These are beautiful little pale yellow paste tomatoes that have a wonderfully mild flavor. Delicious in pico. The plant, unfortunately, is very wispy and has succumbed to some sort of disease prematurely. I had no issues with BER, but apparently it can be very prone, not unlike many paste varieties. I'll likely try again next season, but not because of productivity.

Moskvich - I've moved Moskvich to "Fence" because of low productivity so far. The flavor is very nice and the fruits a perfect size for burgers, but it doesn't seem to love the heat so much. If production ramps up, this will be moved back into the "Keeps" list.

ZAPS:

Paisano - I've now tried this past for two consecutive seasons and it just doesn't seem to want to hold up. Died before it got started last season and is now dying (no disease) after setting quite a few fruit. Won't be growing again anytime soon.

Thanks for the review, nbm'

Yeah, I have read other good review on RY and SOTW.

Another one that I have noticed with good reviews is Prudents Purple. Sound like worth trying. I will also grow Stupice next year as early variety.I've gotthe seeds for it.

Sey

^I think it's Pruden's Purple...I grew Stupice one year and the taste didn't leave much impression with me...mind you, the seeds were given to me, so no guarantee it was that exact variety (although it looked right), and it wasn't grown in ideal conditions.

I have been impressed with the production and plant vigor of Black Beauty. It matches my Big Beef for vigor and has as many fruits, although average fruit is smaller. It continued to set throughout the many hot spells I've had this year in my area and flowers more prolifically than any other plant. I think with special attention, better feeding, and pollination assistance, it could be an impressive producer.

I've tasted the first fruits off that plant, and they have good flavor and a very juicy, tender texture that gives a luscious mouthfeel. I expect subsequent fruit will have even better flavor, as first fruits are always on the bland side, and these were going through final stages of maturation during torrential rains.

FYI, unless you live in a strong sun area and prune heavily to make sure the sun hits the fruit directly, they won't be entirely black. This is probably a great variety for people who struggle with sunscald in their locations, as it seems that these fruits can almost never get too much sun. Mine range from a top half that is very black to having just a dusting of black on the shoulders. The first truss low and deep in the plant has almost no black. The rest of the tomato ripens to a deep purple/brick color. Very attractive. I do not prune plants at all except at the bottom for airflow or unless they get unwieldy (which this one is on the verge of getting--did I mention it's a very vigorous plant?).

Updated list below. Now that I've removed the first fruit from most of my beefsteak plants, the second and third waves of tomatoes are coming on and they just keep getting larger and larger. I harvested ~ 20 tomatoes last evening and 5 of them were over a pound; most were over 10oz. In seasons past, I normally had my largest tomatoes right at the beginning of the season with later fruit being smaller.. not so this season, not so at all.

KEEPS:

1884 - This plant continues to pump out HUGE tomatoes that are beautifully round, slightly ribbed, very little if any cracking. Meaty, not overly juicy. Outstanding all around.

Brandywine Sudduth's - Delicious and large. SOTW still tops it for me, at least so far, in both flavor and production. The Brandywine Cowlick's in the same Earthbox is only just starting to blush now, but has dozens more tomatoes than Sudduth's.

Chianti Rose - See notes on Rebel Yell and SOTW. Excellent, large, meaty pink beefsteak sure to please anyone.

Dr. Wyche's Yellow - Outstanding sweet/tropical flavor, gorgeous, huge fruit, very productive. I have harvested two 12oz tomatoes and have at least 25 more on the plant. Very excited about this newbie to my garden!

Krasnodar Titans - Thick skinned, very meaty, 5-7oz perfectly shaped tomatoes. No cracking at all. Gorgeous, even coloration. Very little juice. Most excellent in fresh garden pico. I will also save a bunch for canning since they're so meaty.

La Roma III VFFNA - While I'm sure this is a highly productive hybrid, mine hasn't produced in huge numbers.. yet. Our hot summer is dictating fruit set, but hopefully a warm fall will produce additional fruits. The tomatoes I've harvested so far are very meaty and outstandingly tasty. I grew this last year with dismal results, but decided to try again. I am very pleased so far.

Pink Berkeley Tie Dye - Beautiful red and green striped fruit. Medium-sized at about 7-8oz. Delicious, rich flavor, but not a good keeper. Ripens extremely quickly after first blush. Juicy as heck.

Rebel Yell - Gorgeous, delicious pink beefsteak that is right up there with SOTW and others. Very meaty with little gel or juice.

Stump of the World - Currently my favorite tomato ever, though 1884, Chianti Rose and Rebel Yell are coming in close. I have yet to sample the Brandywines, so it's up in the air if SOTW will be dethroned this season.

Stupice - Nice flavor for such an early variety. I've never harvested a ripe tomato of any kind earlier than August 7, so to get several on July 14 this season (54 DTM) was quite the treat. And they don't disappoint in flavor.

Uncle Mark Bagby - Very nice pink beefsteak. May or may not grow again next season, but I'll definitely grow again in the future.

FENCE:

Abu Rawan - Very attractive and robust plant, sets many golf-ball sized fruit. Heat tolerant, but then most of my varieties have done fine in the heat. Fruit tend to maintain a green shoulder, which I don't particularly care for, especially with such small fruit. We'll see how it does through the rest of the season.

Cream Sausage - These are beautiful little pale yellow paste tomatoes that have a wonderfully mild flavor. Delicious in pico. The plant, unfortunately, is very wispy and has succumbed to some sort of disease prematurely. I had no issues with BER, but apparently it can be very prone, not unlike many paste varieties. I'll likely try again next season, but not because of productivity.

Moskvich - I've moved Moskvich to "Fence" because of low productivity so far. The flavor is very nice and the fruits a perfect size for burgers, but it doesn't seem to love the heat so much. If production ramps up, this will be moved back into the "Keeps" list.

ZAPS:

Bush Early Girl - Flavor is fine, fruit are predictably beautiful with little drama. Lost one plant to disease early on and the other plant produced about 25 right away and then lost its vigor. Perhaps with a very warm fall we'll get a second flush, but I still plan to use the garden space for another cultivar next season.

Gregori's Altai - I am just chalking this one up to our weather, which I believe is too hot for this variety to perform at peak. I'll get about 6 medium-sized pinks out of it and that's about it. Plant has struggled all season and I won't grow again anytime soon.

Paisano - I've now tried this past for two consecutive seasons and it just doesn't seem to want to hold up. Died before it got started last season and is now dying (no disease) after setting quite a few fruit. Won't be growing again anytime soon.

Rutgers Select - Plant isn't doing much, though it's healthy and vigorous like most of the plants. I might have a dozen smallish tomatoes and they're very slow to ripen.

Talking about Zaps, today I inspected my Green Copia : NO fruits on it. So I pulled it.

Checked Boxcar Willie : There were few tomatoes on one of 3 branches. So pruned the ones with no fruits and kept the one with tomatoes of it. Same story with Costoluto. Pruned it to one branch.

The Keeps are doing great.

Sey

Just had a delicious New Big Dwarf. Very sweet but with a good balance of acid. I neglected all my container plants quite a bit this year, so it hasn't been very productive, but I would consider bringing it back and doing it right to see whether I can get better production out of it.

gor....NBD was probably my best dwarf out of the 4 I grew this year. It will return next year. Give it another shot.

Thx, fireduck. I'm actually impressed with it. Considering how hard I was on it, it still produces really great-tasting tomatoes. I definitely don't consider it a "zap". I rarely repeat varieties since I have little space and so many varieties I want to try, but I may save a container for it next year.

Adding Pruden's Purple to my keeps. It may have beat brandywine and cherokee purple as my favorite tasting tomato.

Zapping Jaunne Flame. It's a nice little tomato, produces well, but it's really closer to a large cherry than a slicer and I don't really have much use for it.

I am growing Indigo Rose and Indigo Apple side by side, in the same containers size. The IA is out performing IR hands down. Since their fruits are almost the same in size and color, therefore there is no need to grow both. So I am zapping IR and keeping IA.

Sey

High level overview: GROW these (Box Car Willie, Sungold, BumbleBee,
Momataro, Cabernet, Cosmonaut Volkov) AVOID these (Cosmic, Vernisage,
Matt's Wild Cherry, Triple Climbing Crop)

Growing Conditions: I grew 19 plants. In 15 gallon smart pots (unless otherwise noted),
zone 4.5. In a mix of 80% compost, 20% peat moss, with mixed in handfuls
of Alaskan fish pellets, Dr Earth, Bone Meal, Powdered Milk, Epsom
Salts, (a bit of baking soda), some rock dust. Plants got full sun for
about 8 hours. During the season I fed with liquid Dr Earth, then
Alaskan Fish, some Tiger Bloom in August. If
anybody has suggestions about how to improve my method or outcome, throw
it at me.

Box Car Willie (Livingston from Lowes) - Grow Again. Flavor
approaching that of an heirloom with nice uniform shape, some shoulder cracking and average yield and speed of production

Cosmic (Baker Creek Seeds) Would not grow again. This was a boutique
variety. As is typical with these, didn't look as good as the
best case scenario in catalog/website (a beautiful marbling of purple,
orange, green, red). Flavor was alright, like a green variety. Fruit
size was Medium-Small. The novelty of this one makes the price high and
the outcome not worth it in my book. Yield was average to above average.

Black Prince (Baker Creek Seeds) Grow again (if I have space) An
heirloom taste profile, salty, maybe even smokey (Like the bacon). This plant didn't have the highest yield, fruits were
medium-small. I've had other plants of this variety that I enjoyed in
the past. I think I'd try it again with a different seed source to see
what happens.

Caspian Pink (Baker Creek Seeds) - Grow again (if I have space) Large
fruits, that had the worst shoulder cracking of all varieties this year. Taste is
Heirloom but not as sultry as the black varieties. Had some early
blight issues.

Moscow (MIGardner Youtuber) - Would not grow again. This plant had 28
Medium fruits at one time, but the flavor was supermarket variety. It
is supposed to be quite cold tolerant but I have not reached these
extremes yet to test this. This one also had some early blight issues.

Vernisage - 10 gallon (Baker Creek Seeds) Would not grow again. Very
pretty tomato, but extremely slow for a tomato this small and the
thickest skin I've ever seen in a large cherry type. Also had a large
pithy center and sort of a supermarket roma taste.

Sungold (2) one 10 gallon, one 15 gallon (Territorial Seed) Grow
again, and probably add a third plant. This one is candy like, when it
goes to 100% ripe in the heat of July you'll get some almost like a mango in flavor. This year I had some issues with flies that
would all congregate on a split fruit and drink up that nectar so
keeping an eye on that issue is important.

Bumble Bee - 10 gallon (Baker Creek) Grow again. A bit slow and
frustrating at times but the novel beautiful fruits and taste are worth
it. Very plump and crispy once they make it to full ripeness. Cripsy as
in the casing on a old fashioned hotdog that resists the bite but then
gives way and the juices spring forth.

Cabernet - 10 gallon (Territorial Seed) Grow again and probably add
another plant. Nice Grape variety that has good grape tomato taste,
fruits resist disease spotting, comes off the plant cleanly and hangs
heavy with fruit through the summer

Matt's Wild Cherry - 10 gallon Would Not grow again. Novel tiny
fruits that hang in half dozens, but don't come off the plant well
individually, they tear and split at the top. Flavor is concentrated,
tasting equally of tomato and like the plant itself than a tomato (like
the smell on your hands after pruning). Leaving them on for longer helps this but I'd rather roll the dice on a well reviewed new Cherry type.

Black Krim - 10 gallon (Pinetree Garden Seed) Would not grow again.
I've liked Black Krim in the past, but this one under yielded extremely
and was prone to blossom end rot. I think I'd try another
Russian/Ukrainian variety next year instead.

Black Moor (Baker Creek Seeds) Would not grow again. Prolific yield
of small roma size with beautiful blackish color. This was the MOST
prone to blossom end rot of all the plants. Flavor was better than roma,
not heirloom, not sweet. The flavor seemed to wash out as the fruits got bigger.

Granny Cantrel (Baker Creek Seed) - Would not grow again. I had one
seed from this entire packet that actually germinated. Plant was quite
prone to blight, just about all the fruits were spotted with it. It did
have a medium high yield though. Flavor was between average and
heirloom.

Caiman (Territorial Seed) Would grow again* This plant was setting
fruits before all the other large varieties (same time as cherry types!)
Flavor was sort of like a good hot house grown supermarket variety.
Claims to be blight resistant and seemed to be through the majority of
the season. No shoulder cracking. Produced the largest tomato I've ever
grown at 1.88 pounds. *I'll be regrowing this from those seeds to see
what monsters I get next year.

Momataro (Territorial Seed) Would enthusiastically grow again. Caught me by
surprise. Flavor has a distinct 'personality' that seems playful, and
fruity for a tomato this big. Color is definately pinkish which adds to
it's unique impression. Claims to be blight resistant, stayed that way
for the bulk of the season. Uniform and no shoulder cracking.

Cosmonaut Volkov (Territorial Seed) Would grow again. Dang this one
is sweet, deep, salty, the whole enchilada. I could only wish for larger
fruits than the medium small pleated heirlooms this produced. Was more prone to blossom end rot despite my soil amendments.

Triple Climbing Crop (Pinetree Garden Seed) Would not grow again.
Very oddly named for a tomato that didn't climb, and produced one
tomato. Flavor was good. Plant was the most susceptible to blight and I put it out of it's misery in august

Orange Rousilini - 10 gallon (MIGardner Youtuber) Would grow again
only because of the taste orgasm it gave this youtuber when he reviewed
it on his channel and described it as sweeter than sungold with layers of fruit flavor and complexity. A largish cherry type and Itallian family heirloom
sent to him by a fan. Something didn't work right on my end, the flavor
was not notable, not sweeter than sungold as reported. I grew one of
these in pots at the home garden and 2 more in ground at my charity
garden with none quite living up to expectations. I'm interested enough
to try it again to see what might happen.

Thanks for the review,

srj19(4)

If your growing method produced good results, then that is all it counts.

About Black krim substitute I can recommend Black From Thula . It is the most productive dark/black in my garden this year and was last year. Indian Stripe is another one. Both of these are more purple and probably not as dark as Black Krim. Black From Tula is an early mid season.

Sey

I see one of my Keepers (box car) was on your Zap list. What supplier of seed did you use?I think the first year I grew it I didn't like it, then I grew in better sun and with Livingston seed from Lowes and it turned out much better. I think with the older types and especially the Brandywines, there can be a lot of different strains.

I'll have to try Black from Tula Again, it's been a few years. What seed supplier do you recommend?

I find myself wanting to try some of the very foreign Russian and Ukrainian types out there on the Tomato Database.

Do you put any science into your selection of a new variety to try such as coming from a similar latitude/climate? I'm Zone 4.5 so I think I'd do pretty well with the Russian and Ukrainian types.

SrJ,

My source for Boxcar Willie is Ferry-Morse. BTW it is OP/Heirloom not Hybrid. This means you can save your own seeds.

The reason for putting BW on zap list is being late and not productive. I have not yet gotten a ripe tomato off of it. I know it was a bad year here in 2016. So if the tomatoes ripen to be tasty, I might decide to grow it again.

My method of picking varieties is mostly based on peer review and eventually growing them myself to verify.

My source of seed for BFT was donation by a member here 2 years ago. I have a lots of seeds and will share if you are interested .

Here is a picture of 2016 fruit

As you see it is actually a purple tomato and not black. The color and texture is very close to Cherokee purple (on of top popular ) but CP is not a good producer overall . My Cy has about 6 big tomatoes but BFT close to 20 maybe more.

Sey

sjr19 - In 2015 I also planted Cosmonaut Volkov from Territorial Seed and got tomatoes like you described - delicious, but small and deeply pleated. This year I bought seeds from a different source (I got mine from High Mowing, but a lot of vendors sell this seed) and got tomatoes like the ones shown in the pictures. I'd recommend to keep trying, as this tomato is definitely worth it.

You have to be careful on Zaps and Keeps. Most years, Cherokee Purple is my best tomato. But this year, Ponderosa Pink did quite well and Cherokee Purple just sat and sulked. And I didn't get a single Striped German. We had a cool wet Spring. That's why I grow a few each of 6 different heirlooms. You never know which will do best in any given year.

BTW my usual list is Brandywine, Prudens Purple, Cherokee Purple, Striped German, Aunt Gertie's Gold, and Ponderosa Pink.

Thanks Mark.

It is true that growing just one plant, in one season might not be conclusive. But my aim is to find those that even do better under not so favorable conditions. If I get one out of three winners that is enough for me. This year I am growing close to 15 new varieties. I've got 5 sure winners and 5 zapped already. Another 5 are on the fence and pending. So I am pretty much set what to grow next season.

Sey

Zone 5 here and I am very pleased with this years tomato crops. I started harvesting the middle of July and I'm still at it. Picked about 60 yesterday and still have many more to go. I'm most pleased with Amish Paste, and a pink cherry that I tried this year. Amerikanskiy Sladkiy, very sweet and very productive. I tried the New Big Dwarf, initially I wasn't too impressed but now, it's really providing some great fruits. We had a pretty hot July and August, I'm not sure it likes that hot weather but it's doing great now. Glad I planted several of them. Not a fan of Black from Tula and Purple chocolate, too tangy for me. My Sungolds were a complete disappointment.

Sungold didn't produce or what it produced wasn't great? I just went to an event that discussed the importance of the ratios of nutrients in the soil. I think when a variety with a good reputation is lackluster, it maybe indicates these ratios are off. Other times it may be a variety that just doenst build the sugars and flavors as well as another type.

Didn't taste good. Perhaps my expectations were high based on the reviews. I will be trying it again next year but only one plant.

I've used sungold seed from both Territorial Seed and Botanical Interests and both were good living up to the reputation. When they are at the height of the season, and 100% ripe, picked warm off the plant they are like a mango. Territorial is a better deal, Botanical gives you 10 seeds total if I remember.

For me, Sungold has to be ultra-ripe, preferably falling off the vine into my hand, and then they are divine. Under-ripe Sungolds don't taste good to me.....

Linda

Anybody have a recommendation for a tomato variety that continues to produce a good flavor into the late late season? I've found in zone 4.5 that whatever I get from my best varieties really goes down hill in flavor toward the end of Aug and absolutely by September. I'm wondering if there are any types that shine in the late season.

Another question, do you all save your heirloom seeds for replanting each year? In general I don't do it with tomatoes, but maybe I'm missing the boat. I've just been concerned that with almost twenty varieties within feet of each other that my cross pollination rate would up my risk not getting the desired type.

I haven't really experienced the flavor of any tomatoes 'going downhill'. Sure, some tend to be a bit different than another even off the same vine, but I think that's a reflection of a number of variables, including weather, and at what stage of maturity they are picked.

As far as heirloom seeds... yes, I save them. Tomatoes don't cross pollinate easily, but for your own garden, just save seeds from a few different tomatoes of the same type (usually you want to save seeds from tomatoes that stand out for some reason... flavor, size, etc...) Saving seeds from more than 1 tomato pretty much ensures you'll have some pure seeds. If you do get crosses, my advice... embrace variety. You never know, you might even get something you like.

When it comes to sharing seeds, or seedlings, just give a caution. When it comes to selling... just don't.

If you want to save seeds and ensure purity, look into bagging branches/flowers, entire plants, or growing a plant or 2 under row covers.

Once the angle of the sun is noticeably closer to the ground, the daylight reduces and the day and overnight temps start to drop the tomatoes coming off my best plants get less and less stellar. It really starts to be noticeable in late August.

Yeah, I just noticed your zone. Here in Tn. that's not usually an issue. Diseases and weather do our plants in long before sun-inclination becomes a factor. By the time our sun-angles get too low, I'm burned out with fighting pests and disease for the year to even care lol. That's probably why I don't notice flavor changes. The closer to the equator, the more consistent one's day-length.

Below is my list of ZAPS and KEEPS from 2016. I won't necessarily grow all of the KEEPS next season, or even for the next few seasons, but they'll have a place in my seed catalog and I would recommend them to others. I had several plants in the garden that weren't what they were supposed to be, so I did not review them. We are expecting temperatures down to around 34º later this week, so that should end what turned out to be my best tomato year yet (everything else in the garden was mediocre at best). As much fun as it's been, I'm ready to put the garden to bed and start planning for next season. The anticipation starts almost immediately, at least for me. :)

KEEPS:

1884 - Best pick for me in 2016. Consistently huge fruit, well over one pound, very little cracking, zero catfacing and outstandingly delicious. Will grow again in 2017.

Brandywine Cowlick's - Very productive and tasty. Not as large as I was expecting, but makes a fine slice on a sandwich.

Bush Early Girl - Not the best tasting tomato in the world, but the tomatoes were a very nice size and the plant very compact. Produced extremely well and the tomatoes are great on sandwiches. Juicy, but not overly so.

Chianti Rose - Large, pink beefsteaks and very meaty, as most of those on this list are. Productive and yummy. Won't grow in 2017, but probably will in 2018.

Cream Sausage - Definitely a unique roma-like tomato. Very mild flavor with a pretty light yellow color. A fun addition to pico and salsa.

Dr. Wyche's Yellow - Ridiculously productive plant that produces huge, gorgeous yellow/orange tomatoes with the most amazing flavor. Will grow again in 2017.

Hahms Gelbe - Fantastic micro tomato that produces the most deliciously sweet and tart little orange cherry tomatoes on 8" tall plants. I grew 3, but some of the tomatoes fell off early in the season and germinated new plants which grew and produced readily. I've been picking a few handfuls a week all summer long. Outstanding for containers and a great treat to snack on while working in the garden.

Krasnodar Titans - Amazingly thick-walled fruit with admirable shelf life (two weeks, at least). Dense and meaty with little juice. PERFECT for fresh pico and salads. Compact and productive. An excellent canning tomato.

Moskvich - Reminds me very much of Early Girl. Prone to shoulder cracking. Productive and very tasty, especially the first few fruits of the season. Early to mature and the fruits are a perfect size for sandwiches.

Red Pear Piriform - Produces interesting medium-sized fruits that were somewhat hollow for me. Thick-walled and would make good stuffing tomatoes. Fun to grow and great in fresh pico, as it's not overly juicy.

Stump of the World - While not as prolific this season, the tomatoes are huge and amazingly delicious. Does well in hot/sunny or cool/cloudy, at least for me. Seems more resistant to disease than other heirlooms.

Uncle Mark Bagby - Very productive, some catfacing. Meaty, nice flavor. On par with Chianti Rose and Brandywine Cowlick's for flavor.

ZAPS:

Abu Rawan - While it was a productive plant and quite beautiful, the tomatoes are an odd size; larger than a cherry tomato, but smaller than a slicer. I found it difficult to figure out what to do with all of the tomatoes and didn't find it much fun. Won't grow again.

Gregori's Altai - Not impressed with the flavor or productivity. Definitely prefers cooler weather and did not do well through the heat of summer.

Oregon Spring V - I have similar issues with this as I do Abu Rawan above. I prefer either smaller or larger tomatoes. The flavor is fine and it's good in salads, but that's about all it's good for as it is very juice and not great for canning.

Paisano - Grows well initially, but then gives up before it really produces well. This is the second season with poor performance and I will not grow again.

Rutgers Select - Did not perform well in my garden and it's flavor was mediocre. Don't plan to grow again.

FENCE:

Brandywine Sudduth's - Delicious tomato, but not overly productive. I'll probably try again, but not for a few seasons.

Grandfather Ashlock - Produced large, fine-flavored fruit, but was not particularly productive. Fruit more prone to catfacing than any of the other varieties I grew this season.

La Roma III - Nice, large roma tomatoes with good disease resistance. Didn't produce all that well for me, maybe 100 tomatoes total, but the tomatoes are great for all things canning/salsa. I'll grow again, perhaps, but not for a while.

Pink Berkelely Tie-Dye - Productive, BEAUTIFUL and flavorful fruit, but extremely juicy. Almost too juicy. Ripens almost immediately after first blush, especially during the height of summer, and has a very short shelf life. I will grow again because it's beautiful and fun to grow, but not in the next few seasons.

Roma - Productive and reliable, but not much fun to grow. I really like growing new varieties. I'm going to skip it in 2017, but may grow again in the future.

Stupice - I was very impressed with how early this tomato was to ripen (53 days in my garden), but then it barely produced all summer long. Definitely one for cooler climates, or for spring/fall. Once the cooler weather set in during September, it started producing abundantly again. Might try again in a few seasons.

Yaqui - Prone to BER early in the season - the only one of 30 plants to get it this season. Produces well and the fruit are good for canning, but the prevalence of BER will keep me from growing for a few seasons, at least.