any heirloom tomato experts out there? - Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community

moncton golden flames · 07-14-2009, 05:58 PM

so, this year i am trying my hand at growing heirloom tomatoes. i bought a variety pack and started them from seed. they have been hardened off and are outside full time, in containers. the variety pack included brandywine (black, pink, red & yellow), cherokee purple, green zebra, white wonder and nebraska wedding.

most of the plants are similar in shape, size etc...except 2 plants...does anybody know which type these are?

yellow flower with very 'finger' like leaves.

purple flower that seems pretty hardy and flowering off every leaf set.

Locke · 07-14-2009, 06:03 PM

What? What language was that? I didnt understand any of that? Stop mumbling, no one can understand you when you mumble...

Methanolic · 07-14-2009, 06:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Locke

WhBat? WhBat lBanguBage wBas thaBt? IB didBnt underBstand aBny oBf thaBt? StBop muBmblBing, nBo oBne cBan underBstand yBou wBhen yBou muBmble...

Fi-Bixed!

Suzles · 07-14-2009, 06:27 PM

Not an expert by any stretch of the imagination but regarding your second photo I always thought tomato flowers were yellow. I would be interested to hear what happens when the flowers drop off. Looking at the leaves you may have an aubergine there. (Potatoes have purple flowers as well.) I have just looked up a little about heirloom tomatoes and there are varieties that have what is known as a potato leaf variant - which could explain the non-tomato type leaf. Sorry not any help at all but I am very interested in seeing what crop grows.

Shazam · 07-14-2009, 06:40 PM

First: weed
Second: weed.

Jedi Ninja · 07-14-2009, 06:42 PM

The second looks kinda weedlike to me.

Try posting on GardenWeb or the Calgary Horticultural Society forum or somewhere like that.

Flash Walken · 07-14-2009, 07:07 PM

I think the yellow ones could be a brandywine.

The brandywines get real heavy and rotund, which I believe is why the plant doesn't get to 'stalky' and tall.

I could be wrong though.

Further, once you do grow them, brandywine's are especially good in curries and pasta sauces. After a few minutes in a pot, they melt into delicious tomato paste. Good stuff.

moncton golden flames · 07-14-2009, 07:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jedi Ninja

The second looks kinda weedlike to me.

Try posting on GardenWeb or the Calgary Horticultural Society forum or somewhere like that.

i just finished posting on gardenweb. we'll see if anybody over there can help.

thanks to all who have helped so far.

missdpuck · 07-14-2009, 07:36 PM

I'd offer to help you with a taste test but...

moncton golden flames · 07-14-2009, 07:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by missdpuck

I'd offer to help you with a taste test but...

but....?

Zevo · 07-14-2009, 07:43 PM

The second one does look kinda weed-like.....try smoking it.

or rub it on something

moncton golden flames · 09-24-2009, 10:01 AM

reviving an old thread......they were weeds. but i did manage to get 4 plants going this past summer. with the late start i had plating my seeds and the poor spring, i have only managed to get about 3 tomatoes per plant.

right now i'm planning ahead to next spring and am looking online to buy my seeds. anybody have a favourite online store they would like to share? right now i am only looking at tomatofest.com.

also, what kind of tomatoes did you grow this year, did you get a good crop? what do you plan on growing next year?

notoepik · 09-24-2009, 10:10 AM

I grew Brandywine tomatos this year. The plants grew big and the tomatoes are abundant. They are so heavy they toppled the tomato cages I had around them.

One of the Brandywine plants seemed to have crossed with a Pineapple tomato I planted near it. This gave me a really big funky lookng tomato. The Pinapple tomato is yellow/orange and has the shape of a beefstake tomato. The crossbred tomato plant has large orange beefstake shaped tomatos, along with regular round and fat Brandywine tomatos. All of them taste good!

moncton golden flames · 09-24-2009, 10:38 AM

do you keep seeds from your tomatoes for the following year, do you buy seeds or buy plants?

notoepik · 09-24-2009, 10:49 AM

I bought plants. They were about a buck a plant, that beats having to grow them from seed IMO. So no I don't keep seeds for anything except Sweetpeas.

I will grow Brandywine again, I like them. And I have a couple of really good Picnic tomatos too. I usually try a couple of whatever oddball plant the little nursery I like to shop at has brought in for the season. If I grow the Pineapple tomato again, I will put it in a different part of the garden, away from any other tomato plants.

notoepik · 09-24-2009, 10:58 AM

Where is redforever the Diva of gardening in this thread!

moncton golden flames · 09-24-2009, 11:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by notoepik

Where is redforever the Diva of gardening in this thread!

looks like you're is kalispell, is that a similar zone to calgary?

also, it sounds like you plant your tomatoes in the ground, and not in planters. what would you say are the pros/cons of doing so?

assuming you plant in ground, do you rotate your crop annually, if so, is there a methodology to it?

Bagor · 09-24-2009, 11:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by moncton golden flames

also, what kind of tomatoes did you grow this year, did you get a good crop? what do you plan on growing next year?

Planted sweet 100s and a grape tomato plant I can't remember. In total 5 plants. All bought from Superstore, allways had good results with their plants.

Probably have harvested 1500-2000 tomatoes. Still producing but starting to slow down.

As well I've had plants shoot up all over the place from last years crop.

Definitely a longer and better growing season in Ottawa than Calgary.

redforever · 09-24-2009, 12:51 PM

Redforever has been busy harvesting, copious amounts of everything this year. I thought this year would be a write off since the whole growing seasoning seemed to be at least a month late, but since August, gardening weather has been just great.

I have been pickling, jamming, jellying, baking and freezing, you name it, very very happy with my garden.

But redforever does not grow heirloom tomatoes. I live in the foothills SW of Calgary and the growing season is simply not long enough for most of those varieties here.

Now I do grow abundant amounts of tomatoes, and I think this is the year they have ripened earliest right on the vine.

But I grow varieties like Celebrity, Champion, Roma, Early Girl, SunGold, Sweet 100 and this year, bought a plant, which I misread as being a "cluster" variety. BUT it is actually CUSTER.

It does grow somewhat in clusters, is about the size of Clementine oranges, actually quite tasty. Indeterminate variety, grows like Sweet 100 cherry tomatoes.

redforever · 09-24-2009, 12:55 PM

I should maybe add that my mother grew some heirloom tomatoes. She lives in Saskatchewan and for the climate there, she found OxHeart to be the best.

Very large tomatoes, all uniform in size and shape, very tasty. No striping etc like some of the heirlooms growing now, just a deep solid red variety and of course, somewhat heart shaped.