I grow a very old variety of yellow plum/cherry tomato every year. Kids just can't make it in the house with a bowl.....they eat 'em before they get there! We pick them until frost and never get tired off them.

But......I have tried 4 or 5 varieties of large red tomatoes and have yet to find one I really like. Last year I tried "Walter" from Totally Tomatoes. Not bad, but not too productive and not too large.

This year I'm going to try Homestead 24, Marglobe Select, Campbells, or Rutgers......unless you folks can recommend something better.

I live at the border of Zone 6 and 7 in Southern Tennessee, so we have long, hot, humid summers. A variety with some disease resistance is a must as is determinate growing habit.

Thanks!

-- Jason in S.Tenn. (AJAMA5@netscape.net), January 01, 2002

Answers

P.S. I forgot a very important requirement.......MUST be open- pollinated.....as I'm a devout seed saver.

-- Jason in S.Tenn. (AJAMA5@netscape.net), January 01, 2002.

Hi Jason,

We grew a pink tom this year that fits all your requirements called Ozark Pink. We got the seeds from Southern Exposure Seed Exchange. It did great for us in Arkansas. Whoops just realized these guys aren't determinate and need to be tied up. We grow for market and this was our best producer last summer. It was just made to grow in the south!

-- kim (fleece@eritter.net), January 01, 2002.

I would vote for Anna Russia from Totally Tomatoes. I try a lot of different kinds and that is a very good one. The best one we have tried is just called Russian but I didn't save enough seeds this year to let anymore go.

-- Mel Kelly (melkelly@webtv.net), January 01, 2002.

Dad's Mug is a wonderful variety as it is deep pink , sweet and hardly no seeds. I freeze whole and take a couple out to put in soup or chile and WOW.They do good in hot humid weather. Another good variety is Giant Italian paste for both freezing,canning or eating fresh. Needless to say Dad's Mug is like eating a piece of fruit(I guess it really is) out of the garden. The place to get the seed is Fox Hollow Herb, PO 148,McGrann, Pa. 16236-0148

-- Terry Lipe (elipe@fidnet.com), January 01, 2002.

Hey ther Jason, I live in southeast Tenn. and have trouble with the humidity and growing tomatoes too. I'm going to buy all my tomato seeds from Southern Exposure this year, they have a list of ones that are the most disease resistant and do good in our climates. These are the ones I'm going to try...Mule Team, Mortgage Lifter VFN, Ozark Pink, Tropic VFN and Peron Sprayless. Kim, thanks for the info on the Ozark Pink. Have you tried any of these other ones? They are new varities to me.

-- Annie (mistletoe6@earthlink.net), January 01, 2002.

Jason, I use a variety called Brandywine. They have large fruit and are hardy in our climate. They resist splitting and are heirloom. And, you can do anything with them, can, freeze or dry. You can, also, save the seed for next year. I haven't got a greenhouse yet but the ag teacher at the local high school said he would grow them and harden them off for me. Good luck.

-- Gary in AL (rgmattox@yahoo.com), January 01, 2002.

If you want BIG tomatoes-stay away from Marglobe ans Rutgers-they are both small/mediums.

-- Jim Deweese (jedeweese@earthlink.net), January 01, 2002.

I second the Brandywine reccommendation. They are easily the best tasting tomato I have ever had.

-- Melissa (me@home.net), January 02, 2002.

Jason,

I've tried sioux, it was released from Univ. of Nebraska in 1944, is an heirloom variety, has incredible flavor, grows here in the heat of the chihuahuan desert, Tomato Growers (www.tomatogrowers.com) has it in their 2002 catalog, #4242 at $1.95 for 30 seeds. BC

-- BC (desertdweller44@yahoo.com), January 02, 2002.

Add another .....Ace 55.....and narrow the list to it, Campbells 1327, and Homestead 24. So far I am thinking planting Homestead 24 and Ace 55.....both are determinate and take 80 days....so maybe a little cross-breeding will produce a new variety!

Thanks for all the recommendations!

-- Jason in S.Tenn. (AJAMA5@netscape.net), January 02, 2002.

I can recommend about ten good large red tomatoes, but none of them are determinate! There's a great OP Italian heirloom tomato grower in Dickson, TN. You might phone (615) 446-9191 or write for the catalog to: Pomodori di Marianna, 1955 CCC Road, Dickson, TN 37055. The catalog costs $1.

You might look at some of the Polish and Russian tomatoes. www.seedsavers.org lists a red 6 ounce determinate tomato called Czech's Bush, that has the flavor of a good beefsteak, but still doesn't have the zingy tomato flavor I like, although it's better than Rutgers, Walter, or Stone.

There's also Stupice, recommended by Dr. Carolyn Male. It's early, it's mid-sized, red, has a great flavor, and while it isn't determinate, it is a very stocky indet. that tends to top out at around four feet tall.

Good luck!

-- Julie Maruskin (jam@booksmail.com), January 04, 2002.