Our local grocery store (Wegman's) sells a type tomato called
"tomatoes-on-the-vine" there are 4-6 tomatoes on a vine (go figure) and they
are about the size of a baseball or smaller. I really like these but I don't
know what kind they truly are and I want to grow my own. Does anyone here
know ?

-thanks
James

Why don't you ask THEM at your grocery store?

Tomatoes are tender perennials not vines.


James Bass wrote in message
.. .
Our local grocery store (Wegman's) sells a type tomato called
"tomatoes-on-the-vine" there are 4-6 tomatoes on a vine (go figure) and
they
are about the size of a baseball or smaller. I really like these but I
don't
know what kind they truly are and I want to grow my own. Does anyone here
know ?

-thanks
James

Tomatoes are tender perennials not vines.


Be that as it may, the name for these in the grocery stores around here is
"tomatoes on the vine"

Susan

So what?

You should still ask them what kind it is.


Susiemw wrote in message
...
Tomatoes are tender perennials not vines.


Be that as it may, the name for these in the grocery stores around here is
"tomatoes on the vine"

Susan

touche'
thanks.

I will ask but I was apprehensive that they wouldn't know and I thought that
I could find a more informed answer here.

james


"Susiemw" wrote in message
...
Tomatoes are tender perennials not vines.


Be that as it may, the name for these in the grocery stores around here is
"tomatoes on the vine"

Susan

On Tue, 20 May 2003 12:31:45 GMT, "James Bass"
wrote:

I will ask but I was apprehensive that they wouldn't know and I thought that
I could find a more informed answer here.

Poor you. :-) I see the same thing. If your grocery store is anything
like mine, they will simply say they came from "the big truck." I
imagine they may be any of a large number of varieties with smallish
fruit grown in greenhouse conditions. You might check the label and
try to look up the grower on the web.

On Tue, 20 May 2003 07:43:32 GMT, "Cereoid-UR12"
wrote:
Tomatoes are tender perennials not vines.
You should still ask them what kind it is.

Susiemw wrote

Be that as it may, the name for these in the grocery stores around here is
"tomatoes on the vine"

There's also the term "vine-ripened" which I've never quite
understood. Guess it means they weren't picked green and gassed. Fat
chance! The thing that makes me crazy is supermarket ads for
"beefstake" tomatoes. Directs my thoughts toward Dracula....

tOur local grocery store (Wegman's) sells a type tomato called
"tomatoes-on-the-vine" there are 4-6 tomatoes on a vine (go figure) and they
are about the size of a baseball or smaller. I really like these but I don't
know what kind they truly are and I want to grow my own. Does anyone here
know ?

-thanks
James

These usually fit into a group loosely called cluster tomatoes, sort of an
overgrown cherry type. Most of these grown commercially are F1 hybrids
specifficaly bred for this purpose and are not generally available to the small
grower. they are also usually impotrted. You might seach the web sites of the
commercial seed producers such Syngenta, MontSanto etc to find a variety touted
for that purpose. As a last resort you may try saving seeds from the
storebought toamtoes. About half of the F2 generation will be true and with
todays hybrids being mostly crosses of inbred strains, you may not be able to
tell the differnce in the other half. Totally tomatoes does offer several home
garden varieties, among them Cluster Grande and Sweet Cluster

Thank you very much for the intelligent & informative answer. I will
definitely look into those that you recommended.

James



"FarmerDill" wrote in message
...
tOur local grocery store (Wegman's) sells a type tomato called
"tomatoes-on-the-vine" there are 4-6 tomatoes on a vine (go figure) and
they
are about the size of a baseball or smaller. I really like these but I
don't
know what kind they truly are and I want to grow my own. Does anyone here
know ?

-thanks
James

These usually fit into a group loosely called cluster tomatoes, sort of an
overgrown cherry type. Most of these grown commercially are F1 hybrids
specifficaly bred for this purpose and are not generally available to the
small
grower. they are also usually impotrted. You might seach the web sites of
the
commercial seed producers such Syngenta, MontSanto etc to find a variety
touted
for that purpose. As a last resort you may try saving seeds from the
storebought toamtoes. About half of the F2 generation will be true and
with
todays hybrids being mostly crosses of inbred strains, you may not be able
to
tell the differnce in the other half. Totally tomatoes does offer several
home
garden varieties, among them Cluster Grande and Sweet Cluster

James, I live in Rochester, and the Democrat & Chronicle ran a story last
year about a greenhouse operation somewhere south of here (near Letchworth,
if I recall) which supplies fresh tomatoes to Wegman's. Call Wegman's and if
they can't tell you the name of the variety, ask for the name of the
supplier and call them.

What you're seeing is not a vine, by the way. It's a normal branch piece
like you'll see on any tomato plant. The "on the vine" label is simply to
imply freshness. In the case of those tomatoes, it's actually true. They're
delicious.

The on-the-vine tomato is clearly NOT one of the low-acid hybrids, nor is it
one which was bred for size, obviously. The closest thing I've grown in the
garden has been an old variety called Rutgers. I've never seen it sold as a
plant locally. You have to grow it from seed. Burpee carries it:
http://www.burpee.com/shopping/produ...91&itemType=PR
ODUCT&RS=1&keyword=rutgers

I found the seeds at Chase Pitkin once, but seed displays tend toward the
newest wowee names when it comes to tomatoes. I'm not sure if Harris has it,
but I have disappointing results from their seeds anyway.

Rutgers has little or no disease resistance, so don't make it the only
tomato in your garden, in case we have a season where all the conditions are
right for fungus and other horrors. But, Rutgers is still available, which
speaks volumes about its quality. The taste is amazing.

Thanks for the info Doug, I'll do that.

James


"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
. net...
James, I live in Rochester, and the Democrat & Chronicle ran a story last
year about a greenhouse operation somewhere south of here (near
Letchworth,
if I recall) which supplies fresh tomatoes to Wegman's. Call Wegman's and
if
they can't tell you the name of the variety, ask for the name of the
supplier and call them.

What you're seeing is not a vine, by the way. It's a normal branch piece
like you'll see on any tomato plant. The "on the vine" label is simply to
imply freshness. In the case of those tomatoes, it's actually true.
They're
delicious.

The on-the-vine tomato is clearly NOT one of the low-acid hybrids, nor is
it
one which was bred for size, obviously. The closest thing I've grown in
the
garden has been an old variety called Rutgers. I've never seen it sold as
a
plant locally. You have to grow it from seed. Burpee carries it:

http://www.burpee.com/shopping/produ...91&itemType=PR
ODUCT&RS=1&keyword=rutgers

I found the seeds at Chase Pitkin once, but seed displays tend toward the
newest wowee names when it comes to tomatoes. I'm not sure if Harris has
it,
but I have disappointing results from their seeds anyway.

Rutgers has little or no disease resistance, so don't make it the only
tomato in your garden, in case we have a season where all the conditions
are
right for fungus and other horrors. But, Rutgers is still available, which
speaks volumes about its quality. The taste is amazing.

On 20 May 2003 19:07:35 GMT, (FarmerDill) wrote:

tOur local grocery store (Wegman's) sells a type tomato called
"tomatoes-on-the-vine" there are 4-6 tomatoes on a vine (go figure) and they
are about the size of a baseball or smaller. I really like these but I don't
know what kind they truly are and I want to grow my own. Does anyone here
know ?

These usually fit into a group loosely called cluster tomatoes, sort of an
overgrown cherry type. Most of these grown commercially are F1 hybrids
specifficaly bred for this purpose and are not generally available to the small
grower. they are also usually impotrted. You might seach the web sites of the
commercial seed producers such Syngenta, MontSanto etc to find a variety touted
for that purpose. As a last resort you may try saving seeds from the
storebought toamtoes. About half of the F2 generation will be true and with
todays hybrids being mostly crosses of inbred strains, you may not be able to
tell the differnce in the other half. Totally tomatoes does offer several home
garden varieties, among them Cluster Grande and Sweet Cluster

I just got a 'Tommy Toes' plant which is 'heirloom' and variously
described as producing 'large cherry' to 'apricot-sized' fruit. I'm
really looking forward to these.

Happy surprise! A neighbor put 2 rolls of new, light fencewire AND
new, sturdy metal stakes yesterday for today's garbage pickup. I
trotted over and got one roll and 2 stakes for my 2 plants, and as
soon as it stops raining, will construct some cages that will, I hope,
prove inadequate to contain the eventual growth and production. I
mean, I'd love to have 6' cages of concrete-reinforcing wire, but this
freebie is a step up from the silly little inverted-cone schlock big
box stores sell.