Anyone grow heirloom tomatoes?

[Liberal Veteran]

Lately it seems that a lot of the tomatoes I have grown aren't really any better than the store bought ones.

Me wants good tangy red juicy tomatoes that bite back!

[Sympleesmshn]

1. I don't grow tomatoes any more

But I used to have 2 heirloom varieties of Peaches. Best ones I have ever had, one white, one yellow...

[Liberal Veteran]

2. Agribusiness has sucked the flavor out of almost all produce...

....it seems.

[Sympleesmshn]

11. It has...

I hate buying fruit in the store. I go to a little market where the guy grows his own stuff when ever I can. My Grandfather, his brother, and my Great-Grandfather were all in the fruit industry out in California. My Grandfather left it in 1943, to fight in WWII, but his brother did not retire until the 70s. Every time I see my grandfather and we have peaches, he complains about them. In an attempt to cut cost, produce more, ripen at the same time, and get a hardy tree, the genetic engineers have killed the fruit of old... It isn't homegrown any more, it is, like everything else, mass produced...

If you like peaches, buy canned in like juice, they are the best if you can't get fresh REAL ones. As for tomatoes, you might try growing a Roma or a Plum... If you have a small garden store, go and ask for sweet tomatoes. I used to grown cherry tomatoes, and I would let them ripen in full sun. They are the best I have ever had...

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

3. The best for flavor are Early Girls and Celebrities

The flavor of a tomato doesn't have as much to do with whether it's an heirloom, but the PH and water content of the fruit..that's why they tend to be tangier in drought years.

[Liberal Veteran]

4. I tried growing Early Girls last year in 5 gallon buckets....

...and was diappointed in them. Of course then later on I heard a report that the our summer had just been too mild to grow decent tomatoes at all, so maybe that's why.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

8. They need lots of warmth and sun

Plant early :D

[HereSince1628]

5. Not sure what you mean by better...

Are you talking about the plants or the fruits?

[Liberal Veteran]

9. Fruits.....The plants can look like a dead stick if they produce...

...decent fruits.

[HereSince1628]

14. I've done ok. I don't grow in containers and I pinch the suckers

and the early flowers until the vines get reasonably large.

I was taught that you need big plants to produce decent tomatoes, I've never tested that by justing letting my tomatoes go.

[ProfessorGAC]

6. I Like The Better Boys

My wife and i have really good luck with those. They have tang, they're really firm and have lots of the hollow space for the juice and seeds.

We had a cool summer last year, and we still got an average of 20 per plant. I would say 80% were good or very good and about 25% of those were great.

We planted about 5 different varieties, but the Roma's are stictly for sauce or soup, and we planted cherry and grape tomatoes. But, those don't even make into the house. I'm out there pickin' and the little ones are just eaten at the moment. We did probably get a couple hundred of those too.

We're going to try a slightly different variety this year, though. But, better boys will still be on the list.
The Professor

[flamingyouth]

7. I did last year and will again this year

I had so many I could barely give them away.

My yard is all mulch and compost, so the soil is really great for growing just about anything (I've had red-leaf lettuce all winter in Seattle...)

I personally love heirloom tomatoes - they have so much flavor :9

[DenverDem]

10. Heirloom tomatos I have had success with.

Cherokee Purple-Large meaty fruit, dark pigmentation, complex taste.

Arkansas Taveler-Also a large fruit with red meat.

Yellow Pear-Cherry tomato size with pear shape.

Get seeds here:
<http://www.heirloomtomatoes.bizland.com/varieties.htm>

[lastknowngood]

12. Here ya go have fun

http://www.heirloomtomatoes.bizland.com/
p.s. dark river bottom grows them best.

[Malva Zebrina]

13. I have six tomato seedlings growing in my window called

Brandywine. I have never planted these, but up here in the frozen north, tomatoes are not great anyhow. Really have to pamper them and only a few ever really ripen. Back of package says: "Few tomatoes can claim the mystique of Brandywine. It is generally thought to be an old Amish variety passed down through generations of gardeners. Whatever its heritage, modern gardeners agree that its flavor and texture cannot be beat! 12 to 20 oz fruits with flavor like your grandmother used to grow" Seed packet is from Lake Valley Seed, Boulder, CO but I picked it up , like I do all my seeds after the season is over for ten cents in my local hardware store. Seeds are still good a year later after they are packed.

[denverbill]

17. Seeds are good a LOT longer than that.

I bought a package of asparagus seeds back around 1989, but forgot all about it and never planted it at my house. When I moved about 4 years ago, I found the package and figured what the heck, I'd throw them in some starter mix and see what happened. Lots of them still sprouted.

I've kept many seeds for 5-8 years. The germination rate goes down every year, but just toss in a couple extra seeds and you're good to go.

[cornermouse]

15. Another heirloom tomato source

http://www.sandhillpreservation.com/Seeds.htm

[Redstone]

16. We're going to start this year

I hear Brandywine is a real good one.

Redstone

[redqueen]

18. I have for the past few years, but not this year.

What fertilizers are you using? Best to use organic. Ours always turned out delicious.

Good luck!

[redqueen]

19. Oh and the ones we liked

Rose, Brandywine, Better Boy, Big Boy... and Black Krum.

[Liberal Veteran]

22. I always use fish emulsion for mine.

Stinks to high heaven.

[Lisa]

20. I've been trying the darker, more intense varieties ...

Most of them aren't even red -- and some of them are downright ugly -- but they are noticeably better, even than in-season supermarket types.

I've had a lot of success with Black Krim, Cherokee Purple, Purple Calabash, Green Zebra, Paul Robeson, Old Flame, and Aunt Ruby's German Green. Trying Nepal, Black Zebra, and Black Plum this summer. I experimented with Pusa Ruby last year -- nice little red tomato that's very tangy -- if you don't mind more seeds than normal, that's a possibility.

A bonus is that a lot of these are drought-resistant (and pulled through last year even with watering restrictions and a late-summer blight that killed most of the neighbour's crop).

It sounds like some folks here are also in areas which have cooler summers, e.g. on the coast or up north. Might want to try varieties which are known to ripen well even in cool and/or damp conditions? Some of the regional heirlooms are intended for areas that get at least a few weeks of heat (e.g. the Brandywine, around the Great Lakes). Some people I know, with a garden in the "cold" part of town, swear by Moneymaker and Saltspring Sunrise. I'm checking out Nepal partly for this reason (supposed to do well even if the summer isn't too warm).

West Coast Seeds suggests that people trying Brandywines on the coast put a plastic canopy over them -- retains heat longer, and also keeps off some of the rain.

[Elidor]

21. Oh no! I have to be ready to plant in less than a month!

I just realized.

I grow numerous varieties. But I was disappointed with last year's crop. Many of my Early Girls and Better Boys, in particular, seemed prone to toughness and hard pulp. Only the Tommy Toes were perfectly juicy and sweet.