# Tomato Lineup



## whiskey1

Here's what we are putting in the ground this spring. We usually plant a bunch of heirlooms, the ones we've had good luck with. This year we'll have about 150 in the ground. 

San Marzano
Big Rainbow
Green Zebra
Opalka
Arkansas Traveler
Pink Brandywine
German Pink
Red Pear
Persimmon
Orange Plum
Yellow Ping Pong
Ildi
Russian Beefsteak

What are y'all planting?


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## tec

I only have room for about a dozen so most will be celebrities.


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## dbarham

When is the best time to sprout?


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## whiskey1

dbarham said:


> When is the best time to sprout?


Between now and about 2 weeks from now for most TX folks


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## Johnny9

Was shocked to see tomatoe plants already at SW Fertilizer today. We are not even finished with January !!!


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## Johnny9

Have any of you experts ever keep a tomatoe and reproduce the plants from a seed. I have one huge Celebrity left over from my fall garden and was thinking about seeing if I could reproduce from the seeds, How do I attempt it, open and let seeds dry out and how long?


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## whiskey1

juan said:


> Have any of you experts ever keep a tomatoe and reproduce the plants from a seed. I have one huge Celebrity left over from my fall garden and was thinking about seeing if I could reproduce from the seeds, How do I attempt it, open and let seeds dry out and how long?


Celebrity is a hybrid so the seed wont be a celebrity. It will be a representation of the parent plants. You could still try, still may produce good tomatoes.

Yeah just get the seeds and let them dry in a cool dark place.


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## SeaJay33

Only have room for six and have had success with these

Brandywine
Ping Pong
Early Girl
Purple Cherokee 

I want a longer producing season so I may change one of these out. Brandywine are my favorite so I'll plant three of these. Husband likes the Early Girl so it's in. Any recommendations for the other two spots? Preferably heirlooms.


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## Meadowlark

Here's my list:

Steakhouse ( to raise one bigger than RB)
Celebrity ( for the salt shaker)
Brandy Boy ( taste)
Roma ( salsas and canning)
Cherry ( for variety)
Jersey Boy ( experiment) 

My main garden concern right now is preparing my soils for potatoes which need to go in the ground in a couple of weeks. Its been so wet, and my cover crops are so tall and thick I need to get a disc in on them but the ground is just too soft.

Haven't seen this much rain in several years. 

I have huge turnips, beautiful cabbage, broc, Brussels, tons of Kale, and walker onions producing more than we and the neighbors can eat


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## whiskey1

SeaJay33 said:


> Only have room for six and have had success with these
> 
> Brandywine
> Ping Pong
> Early Girl
> Purple Cherokee
> 
> I want a longer producing season so I may change one of these out. Brandywine are my favorite so I'll plant three of these. Husband likes the Early Girl so it's in. Any recommendations for the other two spots? Preferably heirlooms.


We really liked Big Rainbow. Awesome tomato, excellent slicer.


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## Muddskipper

juan said:


> Have any of you experts ever keep a tomatoe and reproduce the plants from a seed. I have one huge Celebrity left over from my fall garden and was thinking about seeing if I could reproduce from the seeds, How do I attempt it, open and let seeds dry out and how long?


YEP!

Hybrids won't let you in reality....do to it being a genticly modified (GMO)

It's one of the reasons yoir seeing a big push to "herlioom" seeds. All herliooms can be used over and over.

This should help with the "how-to".

http://www.tomatodirt.com/save-tomato-seeds.html

I always have mystery tomatoes pop up becuse I try so many different herliooms. The kids and I guess what kind of tomatoe it will be and try to match it, but I believe it comes out as a cross between two herliooms.

www.rareseeds.com is a great source for all seeds that are NON- GMO

This year we are doing 

Thai pink egg cheery tomatoes
Riesentraube "Giant bunch of grapes"
Violet jasper
Pineapple tomatoe
Morado


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## whiskey1

I forgot one variety that we like. Hawaiian Currant. Its a really small grape like variety but the taste is amazing. We had literally hundreds of volunteers come up this fall from the spring crop. All over the neighborhood, lol. Y'all gotta try this one. Great to throw in salads.


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## slabmaster

Along with some of the usual suspects I am sprouting some Black Krims. Tried them for the first time last year and was blown away by the flavor. Anyone try Rutgers?


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## RonnieS

http://www.settfest.com/2009/02/se-texas-tomato-growing-calendars/
This site, it's methods, and timelines has greatly improved my tomato yields. I went from ok to what the heck are we gonna do with all these monsters? I have several hundred plants from 2 to 6 inches already. Will put them in the garden again in early March. If you read all the links, you will learn pretty much everything you need---until the stinkbugs show up.
Oh yea,

JD's C-tex--Best flavor and yield--our favorite
Cherokee Purple Excellent flavor and Hi yield--a favorite
Paul Robeson--new to me
Berkley Pink Tie dyed--Excellent flavor and yield
Brandywine Sudeth's- new to me
Vorlon-New to me
Japanese Trifele- new to me
Indigo Rose- Unique ,prolific and pretty good
Purple Bumblebee- Great flavor, prolific, cherry size---a favorite
Black cherry- New to me
Black Brandywine-New to me
Umberto-Prolific, small, good flavor
A couple more I can't remember right now.

YMMV


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## Wordsaw

Hands down, my favorites are Cherokee Purple and Pink Berkeley Tie Dye. Check out Baker Creek Seeds -- all heirloom and non-gmo seeds.


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## whiskey1

Meadowlark said:


> Here's my list:
> 
> Steakhouse ( to raise one bigger than RB)
> Celebrity ( for the salt shaker)
> Brandy Boy ( taste)
> Roma ( salsas and canning)
> Cherry ( for variety)
> Jersey Boy ( experiment)
> 
> My main garden concern right now is preparing my soils for potatoes which need to go in the ground in a couple of weeks. Its been so wet, and my cover crops are so tall and thick I need to get a disc in on them but the ground is just too soft.
> 
> Haven't seen this much rain in several years.
> 
> I have huge turnips, beautiful cabbage, broc, Brussels, tons of Kale, and walker onions producing more than we and the neighbors can eat


That winter garden was something else wasn't it? We've had some picture perfect stuff come out of it this year.


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## dmc63

juan said:


> Have any of you experts ever keep a tomatoe and reproduce the plants from a seed. I have one huge Celebrity left over from my fall garden and was thinking about seeing if I could reproduce from the seeds, How do I attempt it, open and let seeds dry out and how long?


If you have a large plant and healthy you can always take the suckers from it if you don't want to plant seeds.


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## peckerwood

I planted 20 Celebritys last summer,but since I'm retiring the 1st day of April,plan on planting 10 since I won't have a place to take my overflow stuff.Celebrity's have never failed me except by over-producing some years,like last year.


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## whiskey1

Muddskipper said:


> YEP!
> 
> *Hybrids won't let you in reality....do to it being a genticly modified (GMO)
> *
> It's one of the reasons yoir seeing a big push to "herlioom" seeds. All herliooms can be used over and over.
> 
> This should help with the "how-to".
> 
> http://www.tomatodirt.com/save-tomato-seeds.html
> 
> I always have mystery tomatoes pop up becuse I try so many different herliooms. The kids and I guess what kind of tomatoe it will be and try to match it, but I believe it comes out as a cross between two herliooms.
> 
> www.rareseeds.com is a great source for all seeds that are NON- GMO
> 
> This year we are doing
> 
> Thai pink egg cheery tomatoes
> Riesentraube "Giant bunch of grapes"
> Violet jasper
> Pineapple tomatoe
> Morado


Hybrids including Celebrity are not GMO. Just wanted to clarify that so that it doesn't scare anyone off from growing it.


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## fishingtwo

Where is a local source to buy seeds?
Is it to late to start seeds?


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## whiskey1

fishingtwo said:


> Where is a local source to buy seeds?
> Is it to late to start seeds?


Its not too late but you need to get them started in the next week. We order ours online, maybe someone else will chime in on local suppliers.


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## fishingtwo

Thanks 
I just got back from Home Depot and bought some Beefsteak, Gardeners Delight and some Steak Sandwich Hybrid tomato seeds. Going to get them started.
They had individual plants about 8-10 inches high for $3.49 each. Did not get any of those.


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## trout250

just planting celebrity and sweet million this yr. fooled you jalapenos, a hybrid haberno that is not hot and sweet banana. have 4 raised beds 4 ft x 24 ft.


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## old 37

I have had the most success with Early Girl and this year am trying Early Girl grafted on a hardier root stock. I'll let you know how it works.


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## wet dreams

Mountain Pride, Mountain Pride, Mountain Pride along with a few cherry and a few more Mountain Pride....BTW mystery plants are called volunteers and you WON'T find Mountain Pride at a big box store...only a few feed stores or nuseries


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## Rubberback

wet dreams said:


> Mountain Pride, Mountain Pride, Mountain Pride along with a few cherry and a few more Mountain Pride....BTW mystery plants are called volunteers and you WON'T find Mountain Pride at a big box store...only a few feed stores or nuseries


Never tried those. I looked them up & they didn't mention Texas as a region where they grow well. That might be why there hard to find. I think I've seen them before & if I see them this year I'll try some. Thanks. There's so many different ones it blows my mind. I've had good luck with champions but there hard to find. I like celebrity as well. Personally, I like big slicer maters but I do can them so this year I'm gonna get a bunch of roma maters.


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## Meadowlark

Rubberback said:


> ... but I do can them so this year I'm gonna get a bunch of roma maters.


 I predict you will love those romas...best salsa and tremendous producers in addition to best canners.


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## Rubberback

Meadowlark said:


> I predict you will love those romas...best salsa and tremendous producers in addition to best canners.


I noticed in a post that you mentioned romas for canning. I grew them before & agree they are good producers. So their on the list. I have a 16 x 32 bed behind my house that is gonna be used strictly for maters. It grows some mighty fine maters back there. It holds moisture better than my other gardens. Its ready to roll. This year instead of using black plastic I'm gonna use wood chips.
You can see the moisture in the pics. 
I did grow papas there last year but I added a bunch of mushroom compost & tilled it in. So, I think it will work.
If you look below the window there is a piece of metal about three inches that runs all the way across. Under that is my root cellar.


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## Johnny9

I'm not even thinking about planting any maters with 2 more Canadian Expresses coming down. I will wait until 1st to 15th of March


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## Meadowlark

Rubberback said:


> ...Under that is my root cellar.


 Tell us about that root cellar.


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## Rubberback

Meadowlark said:


> Tell us about that root cellar.


OK! That space below that ridge is for storing veggies. Its pretty big.There's a room above it. It was added on to the barn after the barn was built. It was originally a screened in porch. I however turned it into a room in my barndo. I haven't stored papas or onions in it because its lined with plastic on the ground. Reason I lined it was because I have a pergo floor in that room & to protect the floor I had to line the bottom with plastic. I've always been nervous to store veggies there because I lined it. But this year I'm gonna give it a whirl. What do you think ML. I was thinking I could use some hay that I grow here & put my onions & papas in to store them.


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## wet dreams

Rubberback said:


> Never tried those. I looked them up & they didn't mention Texas as a region where they grow well. That might be why there hard to find. I think I've seen them before & if I see them this year I'll try some. Thanks.


Spugersalties dad got me to growing them, he plants several hunderd a yr and has been for 15+yrs, when they 'come in' he will sell 3-400 lbs a day, he plants them the same way he does his strawberries (in plastic)which he plants 25,000 of....A nursery over here starts 10,000+ Mountain Pride and will sell out of them before the others...


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## Rubberback

wet dreams said:


> Spugersalties dad got me to growing them, he plants several hunderd a yr and has been for 15+yrs, when they 'come in' he will sell 3-400 lbs a day, he plants them the same way he does his strawberries (in plastic)which he plants 25,000 of....A nursery over here starts 10,000+ Mountain Pride and will sell out of them before the others...


Interesting! I usually use the black plastic for melons, peppers, & maters. It has worked well for me. It helps keep the soil warm & weeds down. I think I've seen both of the variety's you've brought up at producers. If they have them I will try them.


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## Meadowlark

Rubberback said:


> ...What do you think ML. I was thinking I could use some hay that I grow here & put my onions & papas in to store them.


Apologies to the OP for getting away from tomatoes...

Might work RB ...but as they say, I wouldn't put all my veggies in the same basket.

For summer storage, the only thing that has worked for me in this climate has been total darkness, free flowing air, and space such that nothing touches each veggie. For winter storage, a hole in the ground with protection around the veggie still works...but I don't have much need for winter storage....just summer storage.

My parents and grandparents, back in the day, up in the Ozarks, used underground methods for root storage. As I recall, they stored turnips, spuds, carrots, and beets that way...all root crops. They used a permanent root cellar as well as just a hole in the ground. The permanent root cellar served as storage for all the canned goods through the summer as well as a tornado shelter...a very real need. I'll never forget the smells in that root cellar...very pleasant memory.

However, I can't recall that any of them could keep onions successfully like I have done...to the point where I never have to buy any onions from the store ...and we eat a whole lot of them.

The keys to onions, IMO, are as mentioned above.. darkness, free flowing air, and no touching. I'm down to my last three 1015 onions from last year...and will use walkers when they are gone until this years 1015s come in...and the thinings will start coming in late March/ April. I've also planted the last of my potatoes from last year...and will have to go with some store bought until April when mine start coming in.


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## Rubberback

My apology to the op I got away from the subject.


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## G-O-T-B

1. Cherokee purple
2. Mortgage lifter
3. San Marzano
4. Box Car Willie
5. Giant Ox Heart
6. Atkinson
7. Ace 55
8. Triple L Crop
and a handfull of hybrids my wife brings home from the box store


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## krfish

Tycoons and 444 will be going in the garden this spring


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