Thanks, I'm glad they are doing good for you. I've grown BR for about 3 yrs now, I love them. The other two are new to me this season but I know they will be good. I do a lot of canning, esp. tomatoes. So many dishes that can be made out of mators. Last year I had 111 plants that put out great. I was glad I didn't have to find a pic your own field somewhere. It met our needs an I was able to help out a friend with some as well.
Last year was my first year growing tomatoes. Since I don't care much for raw tomatoes, I only grew the paste varieties. I didn't have much luck but I don't think they got enough sun. This year I've ordered some different paste varieties as well as the seeds I already have, and I'm going to put them in full sun. Last year I went with Roma, San Marzano, Viva Italia, and Opalka. This year I'm also adding Saucy, Amish, Golden Roma, Banana, and a couple others I can't remember off hand.
Opalka is one I have yet to try. Maybe next season. I am growing NJ Devil and Goat's Teat because of the pointed ends. I just found out a few weeks ago that Banana Legs is actually striped. It's just more noticeable in the green stage.
I am growing lots of tomatoes this year. I got some recommendations for flavor because I am not a tomato eater. I want to grow tomatoes for my Mom, family, friends, and for seeds. I do like tomato sauce and will have some sauce types too. From memory (which is bad from a head injury), I am growing the following: Brandywine Delicious Rutgers Marglobe Cherokee Purple Mr. Stripey Earl's Faux others. Robin
Seems alot of people are growing out Mr Stripey this yr. I am growing out Copia for the stripes. One of the coolest varieties I obtained is called "Yellow Submarine". It is the Potato Leaf form of Small Yellow Pear.
Wow, looking at all these different varieties is making my mouth water! I am only growing big boy toms, but I'm growing as many as I can get to germinate (out of 72 pots) I'm hoping this will be enough for my house and my mother-in-law's house as well. We do ALOT of italian, and spanish dishes between the two houses and hopefully these maters will work out well for that. Does anyone know what variety is good for making fried green tomatoes? We bought some last year for the 4th of July picnic and I was hoping to have my own this year. Gotta wipe the drool off my desk good luck to everyone with all those tomatoes!
Hmm, I am not sure if the "fried green tomatoes" are supposed to be unripened or a variety that is green when ripe. I'll get back to you on that. If you cook alot of Italian check out www.growitalian.com
Fried Green Tomatoes are southern in origin, and are just tomatoes that haven't ripened yet . . . Do not pick the small, hard underdeveloped ones . . . use the ones that you would normally pick if they were ripened. Here are some recipes: http://southernfood.about.com/od/greent ... 10712a.htm It is also the title of a great movie set in the southern USA (the state of Alabama!!!) Parts of it are very funny, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwYDQG0c-cs and it is truly a "slice of life." http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101921/
At first I didn't want to even try them because I had been disappointed for four years in a row...but the seeds were free and all I had to do was fill in a form answering questions about germinating, growth, production etc.
So far I've got: Yellow Pear Sub Arctic Plenty Oregon Spring As long as I order sometime in the next week, I'm hoping to have: McGee Caspian Pink Starfire Tiger Tom
I was going to plant Celebrity. A friend of mine said, her father plants enough (Celebrity) for half of East Texas. Last year they were giving them away, making pico de gallo (hot sauce), canning, freezing them for soup in the winter. So it sounds like I will be taken care of! And you can't beat that!!
I'll try different varieties each year. This year I got four new members: Giant Tree (tallest tomato plant?) Tiny Tim (smallest tomato plant?) Gloden sugar (soppose to be the sweetest yellow) Red pear (I had yellow pear last year)