[mention]Paulf[/mention] - have you grown Clear Lake Heirloom before?

PlainJane- yes, this will be the third or fourth year. Beautiful deep red, almost a black like Cherokee Purple, very productive flattened globe (for me more round than flattened) sweet tasting tomato in the 10-12 ounce range in my location. Seeds from Sand Hill Preservation. Grew it first because as a former Iowan I liked the idea of a a tomato from Iowa. This is an every, or most every, year tomato for me.

Marianna`s Peace
Bloody Butcher
Matina
KBX
Anna Russian
Big Beef
Persimmon

It looks like the Early Girl is trying to recover from whatever animal got after it, and the Celebrity plant is looking even better.

AlittleSalt wrote: ↑Thu Apr 09, 2020 11:53 pm It looks like the Early Girl is trying to recover from whatever animal got after it, and the Celebrity plant is looking even better.

That's great news glad to hear it. If they don't recover you can always have your wife pick up one or two from work.

MissS wrote: ↑Fri Apr 10, 2020 11:14 am

AlittleSalt wrote: ↑Thu Apr 09, 2020 11:53 pm It looks like the Early Girl is trying to recover from whatever animal got after it, and the Celebrity plant is looking even better.

That's great news glad to hear it. If they don't recover you can always have your wife pick up one or two from work.

Thank you. I personally will not buy a Bonnie plant. To have my wife pick up anything goes against who I am. I don't want to explain any of this reply other than, "Thank You" It means thank you for caring.

Paulf wrote: ↑Tue Apr 07, 2020 4:43 pm PlainJane- yes, this will be the third or fourth year. Beautiful deep red, almost a black like Cherokee Purple, very productive flattened globe (for me more round than flattened) sweet tasting tomato in the 10-12 ounce range in my location. Seeds from Sand Hill Preservation. Grew it first because as a former Iowan I liked the idea of a a tomato from Iowa. This is an every, or most every, year tomato for me.

I grew it last year and was really impressed; it’s back this year, 2 plants instead of 1.
It was the earliest large tomato for ripe fruit, very good taste and production. It also held up very well in my humid N. Florida conditions. My seeds also came from SHP. I hope more people try it!

AlittleSalt wrote: ↑Thu Apr 09, 2020 11:53 pm It looks like the Early Girl is trying to recover from whatever animal got after it, and the Celebrity plant is looking even better.

One morning I noticed that I had somehow lopped off the head of one tomato I am looking forward to growing. I do have a spare but the 1st was better. Now I figure I will have a two stemmed plant rather than a single.

Sad day. Most of my tomato plants froze this morning. I didn't think it would get that cold, especially with the greenhouse being on black plastic. Usually the cold does pick off some plants in a given year, but this got almost everything.

Fortunately, I planted such a vast number of tomatoes that the survivors should give us plenty of fruit. Unfortunately, I'm out of seeds for possibly many of those that died. And it looks like we're getting some natural selection for seedling cold-tolerance (and seedling heat-tolerance, too; most of the plants near the sides of the greenhouse got scorched several days ago). I think I'm going to plant more seeds, today.

I need a new greenhouse. I've had this one since the spring of 2016. This one isn't as insulated as it used to be, it's missing some support beams (the clips broke), and the vents are in tatters. It used to handle colder temperatures (at least down to 27° F.) without problems. I think I'm just going to direct-seed most of my watermelons and muskmelons, this year, as I don't have much room in the greenhouse, and I don't trust it's tempermentality this year anyway. I have some tricks to try to get them going faster when direct-seeded (and I can pre-germinate them, too).

Fortunately my 3-fruit fuse wonderberry survived, despite being near the edge of the greenhouse, and some tomatoes and other things hadn't sprouted, yet, anyway. The tomatillos survived, too (also near the edge).

Shule, what varieties are you out of? Perhaps some of us can help. Heaven knows you've given me enough seeds in the past.

I have way more tomato plants than I will grow (about 150 seedlings), lots to give away.
Microdwarf:
Red Dwarf: I have 60+ plants to give away. It's a micro and will fruit in a sunny window... maybe in the dark!
Determinates:
Three of the Skippers from last year - a pink-black, a brown-black, and a beef (Napoli Fiaschetto X Black Cherry X Zolotoe Serdtse X Black Early)
Petrusha Ogorodnik - last grown 2013. This pink paste type bore heavy crop even outdoors, excellent flavor when cooked. From Marina.
Zolotoy Zapas: last grown 2013, from Carolyn. Late and not a heavy cropper that year, but what a taste. Om nom nom. Orange fruit.
Indeterminates:
Black:
Chernomor - mom's favorite black
Black Kitten Paws F5 - started these when my friend N. couldn't find her F6 seeds - but she found them (Stupice X Black Cherry)
Skipper Pink F6 - from my friend's farm (Napoli Fiaschetto X Black Cherry X Zolotoe Serdtse X Black Early)
Yellow:
Finch F3. Still hoping to find a determinate this generation. (V desyatku X Warbler (Kimberley X Zolotye Kupola X Medovaya Kaplya) This F2 was a medium sized fruit with nice slightly pointed shape and fruity flavor.
Pink and Red:
Yaponskiy Krab: last grown 2013. Beautiful pink slicer, earlymid, seemed tolerant of cold and heat extremes.
KPEPI Pink F2: a side cross between Black Kitten Paws and (Eva Purple Ball X PI 120256)
KPEPI Red F2: same as above. The F1 was very vigorous, early and tasty, so we're hoping to see that again.
CG?AR: Costuloto Genovese type from a pack of Anna Russian seeds in 2011. Some germinated... will be looking for any wispy leaves.
Moravsky Div: This is a reference standard for earliness, to compare with the crosses especially, since selection for earliness has drifted.

[mention]Shule[/mention] IDK if mine will end up as yours, because they will have to go in the greenhouse early - I don't have space for that many indoors for eight weeks. I hope you end up with plenty, in spite of it!

[mention]Nan6b[/mention]

Thanks. It looks like I'm out of these (and have one to three seeds left from an unknown amount of others, including all but two the ones Marsha gave me that I planted, and lots of seeds for some others—fortunately, Trucker's Favorite is one of those):

* Mr. Brown
* Chadwick Cherry AKA Camp Joy
* Pierce's Pride
* Wild Tiger (this survived the freeze; so, I should hopefully be good on this one)
* Sweet 'N' Bright AKA Hellfrucht (hadn't sprouted, yet; might sprout, still)
* Tundra
* Polaris
* Neves Azorean Red
* Marzano Fire (Eyegrotom is sending me seeds.)
* Malakhitovaya Shkatulka
* Crimson Cushion
* Box Car Willie (I may or may not have seeds from another bag; I'd have to check)
* Blushing Bride
* Brown Berry
* Lucid Gem (Hadn't sprouted yet; so, it might be alive)

I guess that's less than I realized. I can replant quite a few of the others, if desired, it seems (I might pre-germinate where I have low seed counts).

[mention]Tormato[/mention] might be pleased to note that Purple Calabash has survived, so far! Red Calabash wasn't so lucky.

Those to survive included B.S.X., one plant from each Galapagos Island, ISPL (one cell), Carbon (both cells), one Better Boy F2, some Marions, only one Tart Brandy Boy cross F3 plant (of several cells), only one Napoli plant (of six overseeded cells), Sausage, Pink Ping Pong, Yellow Plum, Stellar F2, Summer of Love, Wild Tiger, Purple Calabash (one cell), a plant of the Medovaya Kaplya cross, a plant of the Mexican Yellow cross, and maybe a few others.

[mention]Bower[/mention]
I have to grow mine outside in the greenhouse, because I'm light-sensitive, especially to fluorescent lights, and there are pest/disease problems indoors. I hope yours will be fine!

If the greenhouse fails I can always pre-sprout them and plant them directly in the ground later on. There are advantages to that.

[mention]Shule[/mention] If you need them I have a few seeds of Mr. Brown, Crimson Cushion, Malakhitovaya Shkatulka (3-4) and Neves Azorean Red. PM me if you need them.

[mention]Shule[/mention] I have Box car Willie and Lucid Gem Should I send them to you along with the other seeds. Mike

I've got some Wild Tiger.

Thanks, everyone! Sounds great. My Wild Tiger should be alive, but sometimes plants look alive for a bit before they fully die from cold; hopefully that one is fine, though. I'll PM you all.

Alas, I can't find any Wild Tiger seeds here. Does anyone else have it?

Lots of interesting varieties being grown. How do y’all pick them, word of mouth, trial and error, something else?

Mine are mostly mundane, but it’s all relative, my buddy only grows celebrity and Roma, lots of each.

Hybrid indeterminate
Carmello
Super Fantastic

Cherry or grape
Sugary
Red grape
Lemon drop cherry

Hybrid determinate
Celebrity
Top Gun

Open Pollinated indeterminate
Mortgage Lifter
Hillbilly
Pineapple
Amish Paste
Old German
Cherokee Purple

Not sure where they fit
San Marzano
Lemon Boy
Roma

Plan generally is to have some reliable productive varieties and some interesting and tasty alternatives. Climate plays its part in selection, still trying to understand what works where and when.

Paring down this year so I can grow multiple Estler's ML plants from different sources.

Estler's ML, Probably at least 8 plants from myself and Eddie
Brandywine Sudduth
Box Car Willie
KB
Girl Girls Weird Thing
Stump of the World
Gallego
Black Cherry
Sophies's Choice and Azoychka will go into pots

Greatgardens wrote: ↑Thu Apr 02, 2020 12:30 am I've got several balcony varieties ready with tomatoes on them: Linda, Russian Saskatchewan, and Mega Bite. Early dwarfs: Dwarf Pink Passion and Iditarod Red. Patio Choice Yellow F1. And I just started Sunorange and Madera. Also have Neon, Purple Rain F1, and Behold F1 eggplants and King Arthur bell peppers.

Next month I'll start Galahad F1, EM-Champion, "new and improved" Matsu Express, Pervaya Lyubov, and Maglia Rosa. Finally, Stellar F1 (great producer with no cracking, so great shelf life for fall) and a couple of TBDs. So glad I'm cutting back

Can u tell something of youre experiance with Galahad F1?