Your top 10 best tasting tomatoes

[MalachiteJen]

Malakhitovaya Shkatulka aka Malachite Box
Clear Lake
Captain Lucky
Sun Sugar F1
Uptown Funk
Pink Berkeley Tie Dye
Cherokee Purple Cherry
Dwarf BrandyFred
Dwarf Blackfire
Dwarf Rosella Bi-Color

[CtGrower]

I'm thinking of trying Stump of the World and Marianna's Peace this year.

When looking at seed companies descriptions as well as legacy blog posts from Tville I am wondering which is the correct variety.

Is Stump of the World a potato leaf or regular leaf plant? The seed that is available is potato leaf, but the Tville blog with the grandson of the originator indicated it should be regular leaf.

@tormato you mentioned that Marianna's Peace has an imposter. Where can the correct seed be obtained? Tomatofest?

Thanks

[Karla66]

My top ten
1. Black Bear
2. Uncle Mark Baby
3. Kosovo
4. Santa Maria
5. Dwarf Purple Heart
6. Czars Hat
7. Aunt Ginnys Purple
8. KY Cabin
9. prudens Purple
10. Dwarf Confetti

[peebee]

For the past 3 years I've only grown around about 6 varieties but in multiples (like 2 to 3 of each) so I will only say what has been the best one yearly and it's Stump of the World. In fact it's the only one still alive and producing here in my garden. Granted, the winters are mild, temps down to 60 at the lowest during the day, 40s at night. But my other tomatoes were done by October. So tasty so productive I'll grow it every year.

[Tormato]

Stump Of The World, an indeterminate PL, pink beefsteak, is my benchmark towards judging all other tomatoes, having balanced rich flavor. It is the first tomato that I recommend people to grow.

As for Marianna's Peace, I would seek out a gardener who considers it one of their favorites, or their absolute favorite tomato, and anal retentively saves seeds. There is likely still a lot of the rough shouldered poor tasting imposter seed around.

[TerraCayda]

1. GGWT
2. Vorlon
3. Malakhitovaya Shkatulka
4. Green Tiger, Pink Tiger, Blush (they all taste the same to me)
5. Kiss the Sky
6. Big Cheef
7. Goose Creek
8. Mikhalych
9. Moskvich
10. Unknown Cross that mysteriously appeared

Cherries:
1. Ambrosia Rose
2. Rosella
3. Snowberry

F1
1. Sungold
2. Fourth of July

[Seven Bends]

@TerraCayda Nice list. And I'm happy to see some love for Fourth of July, an excellent, reliable early red tomato that doesn't seem to have as many fans as I'd expect. We grow it every year.

[Tormato]

@TerraCayda Nice list. And I'm happy to see some love for Fourth of July, an excellent, reliable early red tomato that doesn't seem to have as many fans as I'd expect. We grow it every year.

It's small, it's round, it's red, it's early, it's determinate and it's a hybrid. What could possibly be wrong with it, to a tomato snob?

[TerraCayda]

Many years ago Home Depot had a 6-pack "variety pack" tomatoes, and Fourth of July was one of them. If I planted them in late April back when was in CA, I had ripe tomatoes by 7/4. Very reliable & low maintenance, so I continued to grow them although the taste is nothing special. When we're dying for fresh garden tomatoes in the early Summer, Fourth of July was definitely good enough for me. Will see how it does in AZ heat.
I've grown OP Fourth of July once. It wasn't as vigorous as F1, but I may try OP again next year.

@TerraCayda Nice list. And I'm happy to see some love for Fourth of July, an excellent, reliable early red tomato that doesn't seem to have as many fans as I'd expect. We grow it every year.

[TerraCayda]

It is indeterminate, and it produced a TON for me. Once OP tomatoes start coming in, Fourth of July is excellent for tomato sauce without gritting teeth over cooking favorite OPs.

@TerraCayda Nice list. And I'm happy to see some love for Fourth of July, an excellent, reliable early red tomato that doesn't seem to have as many fans as I'd expect. We grow it every year.

It's small, it's round, it's red, it's early, it's determinate and it's a hybrid. What could possibly be wrong with it, to a tomato snob?

[Seven Bends]

@TerraCayda Nice list. And I'm happy to see some love for Fourth of July, an excellent, reliable early red tomato that doesn't seem to have as many fans as I'd expect. We grow it every year.

It's small, it's round, it's red, it's early, it's determinate and it's a hybrid. What could possibly be wrong with it, to a tomato snob?

It's definitely indeterminate, extremely productive, disease-resistant, and it has excellent tangy red tomato flavor. Another one of the tomatoes that, if it were OP and called Granny Somebody's Something-or-Other, people would rave about it. It is not a sweet tomato, however.

[habitat-gardener]

@TerraCayda Nice list. And I'm happy to see some love for Fourth of July, an excellent, reliable early red tomato that doesn't seem to have as many fans as I'd expect. We grow it every year.

I haven't tried it, but the local university vegetable expert (who developed the "what to grow when" chart for home gardeners that the extension service promotes), now retired, says that "heirlooms won't grow here" and plants a bunch of Fourth of July F1 every year. I've been to his garden, and he has some very well thought-out quirky things going on there. For instance, his support system for tomatoes is a wooden frame where he inserts horizontal boards (iirc 1x2s but bamboo would also work) as the plants grow. It looks like a jury-rigged scaffold. He only grows a few, or fewer than a dozen plants, anyway. iirc he does try other varieties but his main crop is always Fourth of July.

I may have paid more attention to his recommendations if I hadn't already tasted and grown a bunch of knock-your-socks-off OPs in both summer-dry climates where I've gardened, both here in the summer inferno and in my previous mild-summer climate.

Plus I guess I must be a red round tomato snob. That is, I roll my eyes when people around me at the community garden rave about Early Girl F1 and Juliet F1. Another gardener from a similar climate loves Roadster F1. Still, I have grown Bush Early Girl F1 because it's nematode resistant and incredibly prolific, and I give most of them away or cook with them. Same for Jersey Breeze, an OP indeterminate I grew last year that looked exactly like it.

[CtGrower]

@TerraCayda Nice list. And I'm happy to see some love for Fourth of July, an excellent, reliable early red tomato that doesn't seem to have as many fans as I'd expect. We grow it every year.

I haven't tried it, but the local university vegetable expert (who developed the "what to grow when" chart for home gardeners that the extension service promotes), now retired, says that "heirlooms won't grow here" and plants a bunch of Fourth of July F1 every year. I've been to his garden, and he has some very well thought-out quirky things going on there. For instance, his support system for tomatoes is a wooden frame where he inserts horizontal boards (iirc 1x2s but bamboo would also work) as the plants grow. It looks like a jury-rigged scaffold. He only grows a few, or fewer than a dozen plants, anyway. iirc he does try other varieties but his main crop is always Fourth of July.

I may have paid more attention to his recommendations if I hadn't already tasted and grown a bunch of knock-your-socks-off OPs in both summer-dry climates where I've gardened, both here in the summer inferno and in my previous mild-summer climate.

Plus I guess I must be a red round tomato snob. That is, I roll my eyes when people around me at the community garden rave about Early Girl F1 and Juliet F1. Another gardener from a similar climate loves Roadster F1. Still, I have grown Bush Early Girl F1 because it's nematode resistant and incredibly prolific, and I give most of them away or cook with them. Same for Jersey Breeze, an OP indeterminate I grew last year that looked exactly like it.

I appreciate having a very early prolific tomato. This is many times the round, red types that don't always taste the best. I will be growing some bush early girl this year just to have some kind of tomato early in the season. I'm not expecting it to be the best tasting tomato... but I will be happy having something. I personally haven't tried 4th of July, but maybe it also falls in this category? Since this particular thread is about the best tasting tomatoes, I personally am interested in finding out what you describe as your knock-your-socks-off types of tomatos for taste!

[Seven Bends]

I wouldn't put Fourth of July on my own "best-tasting" list, but it's on my "grow every year" list. I consider the flavor to be very good to excellent for an early red tomato but definitely not the equal of the best-tasting heirlooms. I prefer its texture and juiciness over that of Early Girl & Juliet, both of which I find to be a little bit pasty/mealy. Fourth of July has a standard, traditional red tomato flavor, which some people like and others don't. I think its main drawback besides fruit size is the amount of gel and seeds; they're not very meaty, more like a really large cherry tomato.

I grew Red Penna last year, a large heirloom red, and its flavor definitely was superior to Fourth of July. I didn't feel the same way about Guido, Grasa de Calina, Bulgarian Old Sort, and Neves Azorean Red, though I've only grown them once and they all deserve another try.

[Tormato]

@TerraCayda Nice list. And I'm happy to see some love for Fourth of July, an excellent, reliable early red tomato that doesn't seem to have as many fans as I'd expect. We grow it every year.

It's small, it's round, it's red, it's early, it's determinate and it's a hybrid. What could possibly be wrong with it, to a tomato snob?

It's definitely indeterminate, extremely productive, disease-resistant, and it has excellent tangy red tomato flavor. Another one of the tomatoes that, if it were OP and called Granny Somebody's Something-or-Other, people would rave about it. It is not a sweet tomato, however.

I'd call it Granny's Throwing Spitter.

[Seven Bends]

@TerraCayda Nice list. And I'm happy to see some love for Fourth of July, an excellent, reliable early red tomato that doesn't seem to have as many fans as I'd expect. We grow it every year.

It's small, it's round, it's red, it's early, it's determinate and it's a hybrid. What could possibly be wrong with it, to a tomato snob?

It's definitely indeterminate, extremely productive, disease-resistant, and it has excellent tangy red tomato flavor. Another one of the tomatoes that, if it were OP and called Granny Somebody's Something-or-Other, people would rave about it. It is not a sweet tomato, however.

I'd call it Granny's Throwing Spitter.

I'm not sure what I did to get on your s*** list but I don't enjoy being on the receiving end of your insults-disguised-as-jokes. Do you really want to discourage people from posting on this board? We've lost a lot of good contributors already in the past few years. I've cut way back on contributing because I'm tired of reactions like this. It feels a little cliquish around here sometimes.

Also, why have such an adamant negative opinion about a tomato you don't know well, given you think it's a determinate? All I wanted was to say I agreed with the poster that Fourth of July is a good tomato and that it deserves more appreciation. Couldn't you have found a way to participate positively in that discussion, something useful about specifically how you find it lacking, maybe in comparison to other early varieties? Instead it's like you're posting just to say "ha ha, you probably think Velveeta is real cheese!"

[TerraCayda]

It largely depends on "what grows best in your condition". OP in general tastes far better than hybrids, but I've grown many tasteless OP tomatoes, and of course I'd choose F1 Fourth of July over those. "Worst tasting OP" can be another topic . Some of knock-your-socks-off tomatoes my husband and I nearly cried and fainted were reported not that impressive across the country after seed exchange.

I've had Early Girl directly from a farmer, and I actually thought it was pretty good. Vine ripe. That's why grocery store "organic heirloom tomatoes" don't taste like anything, let alone gassed-to-death regular tomatoes.

I appreciate having a very early prolific tomato. This is many times the round, red types that don't always taste the best. I will be growing some bush early girl this year just to have some kind of tomato early in the season. I'm not expecting it to be the best tasting tomato... but I will be happy having something. I personally haven't tried 4th of July, but maybe it also falls in this category? Since this particular thread is about the best tasting tomatoes, I personally am interested in finding out what you describe as your knock-your-socks-off types of tomatos for taste!

[CtGrower]

I wouldn't put Fourth of July on my own "best-tasting" list, but it's on my "grow every year" list. I consider the flavor to be very good to excellent for an early red tomato but definitely not the equal of the best-tasting heirlooms. I prefer its texture and juiciness over that of Early Girl & Juliet, both of which I find to be a little bit pasty/mealy. Fourth of July has a standard, traditional red tomato flavor, which some people like and others don't. I think its main drawback besides fruit size is the amount of gel and seeds; they're not very meaty, more like a really large cherry tomato.

I grew Red Penna last year, a large heirloom red, and its flavor definitely was superior to Fourth of July. I didn't feel the same way about Guido, Grasa de Calina, Bulgarian Old Sort, and Neves Azorean Red, though I've only grown them once and they all deserve another try.

Good to know your experience, Thanks! Taste is very personal and also a function of what your growing conditions are. I will probably try 4th of July next to Early girl just to gauge how it works in my conditions in the early season. I haven't heard of Red Penna. My personal experience with large heirlooms is that I get very few large fruit that taste great, but I wish for more quantity. I think there is a place for both types. It is certainly a consideration for folks who have limited space.

[TerraCayda]

Moskvich and Goose Creek are not my "must grow every year" list, but they were prolific like Fourth of July when I was in S. CA. You're right about large OP taste & look great, but since you're after quantity rather than the size & color, you may want to consider those two. I love Fourth of July for its production & low maintenance nature, and we probably could save seeds despite it's F1, but Moskvich and Goose Creek are definitely OPs. They are balanced rich tasting tomatoes (boring mid-size red).

Good to know your experience, Thanks! Taste is very personal and also a function of what your growing conditions are. I will probably try 4th of July next to Early girl just to gauge how it works in my conditions in the early season. I haven't heard of Red Penna. My personal experience with large heirlooms is that I get very few large fruit that taste great, but I wish for more quantity. I think there is a place for both types. It is certainly a consideration for folks who have limited space.

[Tormato]

@TerraCayda Nice list. And I'm happy to see some love for Fourth of July, an excellent, reliable early red tomato that doesn't seem to have as many fans as I'd expect. We grow it every year.

It's small, it's round, it's red, it's early, it's determinate and it's a hybrid. What could possibly be wrong with it, to a tomato snob?

It's definitely indeterminate, extremely productive, disease-resistant, and it has excellent tangy red tomato flavor. Another one of the tomatoes that, if it were OP and called Granny Somebody's Something-or-Other, people would rave about it. It is not a sweet tomato, however.

I'd call it Granny's Throwing Spitter.

I'm not sure what I did to get on your s*** list but I don't enjoy being on the receiving end of your insults-disguised-as-jokes. Do you really want to discourage people from posting on this board? We've lost a lot of good contributors already in the past few years. I've cut way back on contributing because I'm tired of reactions like this. It feels a little cliquish around here sometimes.

Also, why have such an adamant negative opinion about a tomato you don't know well, given you think it's a determinate? All I wanted was to say I agreed with the poster that Fourth of July is a good tomato and that it deserves more appreciation. Couldn't you have found a way to participate positively in that discussion, something useful about specifically how you find it lacking, maybe in comparison to other early varieties? Instead it's like you're posting just to say "ha ha, you probably think Velveeta is real cheese!"

I apologize that my post has hurt you.

You're not on any list of mine, nor would you ever be. Any list about people, is a list that you've created.

It is Fourth of July that is on my s*** list. No insult is directed at you, it is directed at the tomato. Many tomatoes are on my opinionated s*** list, most are early types, antho types or dark/black types. And my list is just my opinion, nothing more. Most, here, know of my despisement of many dark tomatoes, and disregard my opinion of them. As for FoJ, even you said it doesn't seem to have as many fans as you'd expect. There is a reason for that. A lot of people do not find it having the excellent flavor that it has for you. It doesn't deserve more appreciation because a few people think it is a very good tomato. It deserves exactly the appreciation that it gets, and that is all anyone should expect.

I don't know all of its aspects well, because I grew it only one year. I do know its flavor well, as many others do too. The plant was only about 3 feet high for me, so maybe it was just a runt that year. Plus, I read a few, but not many, online posts all calling it a determinate. I do not put much research into varieties that I have no desire to ever grow again.

I do not find it lacking, in comparison to nearly all other early tomatoes, as nearly all other early tomatoes are just as lacking in flavor, in my opinion. My way of participating positively is to tell others to use caution when trialing early tomatoes. Compared to later ripening tomatoes, I do not know of a single gardener that likes early tomatoes more than they like mid-season or late-season tomatoes. Not one.

If you want something positive, I'm always here to help. For a small, round, red, indeterminate, but not an early variety, I recommend comparing Fourth of July to Bulgarian Triumph.

Some people like my humor, I now know that some don't. You are the first to point that out to me. I'm unaware of a lot of good contributors who have left, nor the reason(s) that they have left. I don't know if I contributed to their leaving. In my opinion, I've never seen a finer tomato site than Tomato Junction. I thought that we all got along fine, because I haven't seen any threads or posts saying that we didn't get along fine (other than a few posts/posters over in the controversial area, posting about politics). Newbies who post are always welcomed, and appreciate the welcome. There are few sites that even have an introduction forum like T'junction. I use levity because it seems to mellow out people who sometimes take things too seriously. Tomato sites that I've seen that had no humor often devolve into continuous arguments.

I don't want to see you post less. I will try to remember to set the humor aside in threads that you post to. But, do not expect me to set the humor aside, in threads where it is appreciated.

In my opinion, whoever came up with the name Granny's Throwing, has a great sense of humor.

And, if you don't want to read a thread joking about cheese, don't read the one about the Reuben casserole.