Re: [tomato] Difference of opinion

Alex & Pat (Tomato@GlobalGarden.com)
Fri, 09 Oct 1998 08:42:39 -0400 

Hi Marlynn (and other listers),
I, too, like to experiment, and usually try one or two new
varieties every year in addition to my tried-and-true varieties,
with little regard for whether they are heirlooms or hybrids.
Some work out, and some don't.
I know someone in my area who has grown 4th of July tomatoes and
loves them, and yet just about everyone else has found them
lacking. (I haven't tried them.) In addition to differences in
taste, it seems that what works well in some gardens, might not
work well for someone else, and one can have different results
from season to season with the same varieties. It's just too bad
that some people seem to take differences in taste and opinion so
personally. 

I'm always glad to hear about varieties I haven't tried, and I'm
certainly not against adding more heirlooms to my garden. I've
had consistent success with Rutgers, and Dona also does well in
my garden. I refuse to grow Early Girl. It's not all that much
earlier than the others, and I find the taste/color/texture
uninteresting. 
This year I tried Better Bush for the first time and was pleased
with the results. The fruits were nicely shaped and grew in
generous clusters. The flesh was red and "meaty", so much better
than Better Boy, which seems to be a favorite in the area where I
live.

Any good suggestions for next season?
Pat


Marlynn Marcks wrote:
> 
> I wrote about my excellent success with Solar Set, not to "mix
> things
> up"  but to share my experience with other tomato lovers.  I
> specifically said I did not like the taste of the heirloom
> large
> tomatoes I've grown so that those of you who adore them would
> not be
> tempted to try a hybrid just because of what I wrote.  I also
> named
> hybrids with similar taste to the heirlooms I didn't like so as
> to let
> people know what taste would not be found in Solar Set.  I
> named as many
> as possible so as to give a broad spectrum and reach those who
> have
> tried one or more.
> 
> I suggest, Chuck, that you do not try Solar Set as apparently
> our taste
> in tomatoes differs.  But for those of you who are experimental
> and not
> wedded to heirlooms as the only correct tomatoes to grow, I'd
> certainly
> give it a try if the weather is hot where you are.   I assure
> you I am
> not touting super market tomatoes.  I won't even buy them and
> go without
> tomatoes 9 months of the year rather than eat orange wax.  But
> it seems
> to me it is foolish not to sample hybrids which may have been
> improved
> for reasons other than commerce such as resistance to
> temperature and
> moisture fluctuations.
> Marlynn Marcks
> Michigan, zone 6b
> 
>    ---------------------------------------------------------
> [Image]