Greetings,

Not all my varieties are even ripe... yet still I'm planning what to grow
next year.

What are your favorite early varieties? I grew a variety named 'Glacier'
this year. Nice looking tomatoes, but no flavor whatsoever.

Next year I'd like to try a yellow variety, and a black/purple variety. Any
suggestions?

Suggestions for large, bold flavored heirlooms are always appreciated.

Here's a list of what I'm growing this year:

1884 - 2nd year growing this one. Large, and great flavor. This one has
earned a lifetime residency in my garden.

Rose De Berne - One ripe so far. Great flavor.
Russian Rose
Sweet Millions - 2nd year. Produces a boatload, and very sweet.
Green Zebra - 2nd year. Makes a mean salsa.
Aussie - None ripe yet... but they're HUGE.

Hungarian-Italian Paste - Picked the first ones today. Good flavor.
Indeterminate... makes a good substitution for Roma, which I don't much care
for because the fruit seem to fall off the vine very easily, and it's
sometimes hard planting them where they won't get shaded by the big
indeterminates.

Brandywine - 'Nuff said.
Brandywine Red, Landis Valley Strain - See above.
Costoluto Fiorentino - Remarkable flavor.
Drubza
German Giant - Not so giant, as of now... Though it bears some nice size
fruit.
Glacier - Bland.
Pantano Romanesco
Violacium Krypni-Rozo - Very good flavor.

This is my 3rd year gardening, and my 2nd year starting my plants from seed.

Ah... another question. I read that you should sow tomato seeds 6-8 weeks
early when starting them indoors. At the 6th week, the plants were gigantic,
and it was still too cold to plant. They weren't leggy.. just HUGE, with the
roots growing through the sides of the 3" diameter peat pots.

I think I may know what I did wrong. I started them in my basement, which is
kinda cool.. as basements tend to be. I left them on the heat mat the entire
time. I'm thinking those seedlings may have grooved a little too much on all
that heat. The light was always withing a couple inches of the top of the
seedlings. They just got happy.

Next year, should I remove the heat mat right after they germinate?

Thankya,
Gary
NorthWest Ohio