North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Ginda Kaplan Fisher <list@ginda.us>]

Well, it's that time of year, and I'm debating which tomato seeds to 
buy.  I know this isn't what this list is for, but I know most of you 
grow tomatoes, and I beg your forgiveness.  Please reply off-list.

I really like a meaty tomato, but I'm the only tomato-eater in the 
family, and the giant beefsteak tomatoes are just too big.  I grew 
Jetstar for a couple of years, and I liked the tomatoes, but despite 
what the catalogs say, it isn't really indeterminate - all the fruit 
ripens at about the same time.  I seem to get better yields with 
hybrids that claim resistance to everything than with heirlooms.  Some 
combination of soil viruses and less than a full day of sun (6-8 hours) 
is probably the culprit.  I have inoculated these with various 
beneficial fungi, although I suspect my soil already has ample fungal 
colonies.  Most of my seed has come from Fedco, but I'm willing to buy 
a packet fo tomato seeds from almost anyone.  Here's my experience to 
date:

Big Beef - years ago, in a giant pot in very full sun.  These were 
great if I remembered to water them every single day.  The damn things 
needed more than a gallon of water on every sunny day or they wilted.  
I liked the tomatoes, but they are bigger than what I hope to grow this 
year.

Jetstar - tasty and a good size, but the season is short and there's 
too much at its peak.  (Too much is not a serious problem, as I can 
give them away.)

Brandywine - One large delicious fruit and one tiny one.

Early Girl - lots of dry flavorless (but pretty) fruit.

Rutgers - Perfect fruit, but only two of them.

Cosmonaut Volkov - Not a single ripe fruit.

I usually grow one cherry tomato plant, too, and I've had good luck 
with both Sweet 100s and Peacevine Cherry.  I have a lot of Peavevine 
Cherry seeds left from last year, so I'll probably grow that again.  
I'm not looking for cooking tomatoes, as I find some of the canned ones 
are very good, and my sunny space is very limited.

Thanks,
Ginda Fisher
eastern MA, zone 6