Penelope Periwinkle wrote:
On 24 Aug 2006 14:57:43 -0700, wrote:
Why are our Brandywines taking so long? Why is there such a fruit size
difference between Stupice and Brandywines?
They're different varieties, that's why. Brandywines have been
selected to produce fewer but larger tomatoes, and it takes longer
for them to grow. Stupice have been selected to produce lots of
tomatoes quickly in cooler temperatures, thus the size of the tomatoes
is smaller.
This fall, get some gardening catalogues or peruse the web for
heirloom tomatoes. Read up on the different varieties, find out which
ones do well in your area.
We bought Stupice seedlings from Seed Savers.org in Decorah, Iowa.
Their description in catalog is:
"One of the four original Czechoslovakian varieties sent to the U. S.
by Milan Sodomka. Potato-leaf 4' plants loaded with 2½" by 2" diameter
fruits borne in clusters. Extremely early, great flavor. Heavy yields
all season. Produces well in northern climates. Indeterminate, 55-70
days from transplant."
Our Stupice fruit is 1" too small. It seems that the Brandywines are
more typical,
"Our best selling tomato and one of the best tasting tomatoes available
to gardeners today. Large pink beefsteak fruits to 2 pounds. Incredibly
rich, delightfully intense tomato flavor. Indeterminate, 90 days from
transplant."
We will harvest our first Brandywine tomorrow and tell you our opinion.
I grow a mix. I like Stupice for my early tomatoes. In my zone 8 yard,
I can sometimes get ripe tomatoes the first week of May with Stupice.
But I like large slicing tomatoes, too, so I grow a few Brandywines.