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  • From: Road's End Farm <organic87 AT frontiernet.net>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] monsanto varieties
  • Date: Sat, 5 Feb 2011 10:00:07 -0500


On Feb 4, 2011, at 10:02 PM, Ryan Wood-Beauchamp wrote:

The following is a list of Monsanto varieties stocked by Johnny's I was disappointed to learn that Big Beef was one. Does anyone know a good replacement?



I'd like to know the answer to that one also; I've been trying to find one for several years. I have heirlooms that have better flavor than Big Beef; but it's hard to find Big Beef's combination of earliness, flavor, and production of large standard round, red, smoothly shaped tomatoes for those customers who are unwilling to buy anything that doesn't look like their idea of "perfect tomato".

Matchbox is nearly as good as Super Chili; average size of peppers and production may both be slightly less, but not by much. Peacework is a very good early red sweet pepper, but seed isn't really available this year; try Fedco next year.

Johnny's own strain of Delicata has always done better for me than Bush Delicata anyway. (Are you sure Bush Delicata is now Monsanto? Did you get the list from Johnny's?) And I like Table Queen better than Table Ace.

(Let me note here also that I know there are people on this list who see no reason not to buy from Monsanto. This is a concern for some of us, but not others, for various reasons; I'd rather not have the list get into a debate on that issue. If someone has had a bad experience with any individual company, for whatever reason, and wants to discuss alternative varieties they could source elsewhere, I think that's a legitimate question to ask on the list, even if others are happy with the specific company. Could we treat this question in that fashion, please?)


-- Rivka; Finger Lakes NY, Zone 5 mostly
Fresh-market organic produce, small scale







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