Not nearly as many people visit this forum. Almost all heirloom tomato talk is in the tomato forum. I have grown Black Cherry-delicious and prolific, Prudens Purple, grew in a cooler year and need to try again-but still delicious.
Aunt Gertie's Gold is a family heirloom introduced on this forum a couple years back I think. Don't know if there are commerical sources yet. I have grown it once. It is fabulous! Have not grown the remaining two. Again, do check on the tomato forum. You could ask if anyone has a few extra Aunt Gertie's seeds on the tomato exchange. Someone will more than likely be glad to help. And you will find some deep south tomato gardeners too.

Best wishes for a great 2005 garden.

Mary

Aunt Gertie's Gold is available from Heirloom Tomatoes, set up by Chuck Wyatt and run, since he passed away, by his friend, assistant and neighbour Donna.

Aunt Gertie's Gold is also available from mariseeds.com in case stock at Heirloom Tomatoes is out since Donna has not raised tomatoes and doesn't produce her stock as Chuck did when he was alive, although he did buy quite a few varieties as well.

Again, as Mary suggested, I suggest you come on over to the Tomato Forum, link at the top of this page, and also take a look at the seed exchange there, link at the top of the first thread on that first page of the Tomato Forum.

Carolyn, who suggests being in GA you might also look at the website for Tanager Song Farm since Cindy grows/sells seed for, many many varieties in GA.

Being new I realize that I'm in the wrong forum. Thanks for the seed sites.

Turfgardner,

You aren't in the wrong forum. We're here to discuss heirloom plants and exchange information. The tomato forum is is just a different book on the shelf.

Please come back after you've checked out the tomatoes. You're gonna need heirloom corn, beans, potatoes, and onions to go with them. :)

Ray

turfgardener,

May I suggest "Cherokee Purple", and "Brandywine, Red" from VictorySeeds.com.

(We live near Atlanta too, so I just had to respond.)

-Ron

Be sure to get Creole for disease resistance, and Pink Ping Pong and Lahman's Pink for flavor. I don't know how many of these you can get outside of SSE though. I know a guy in S GA who loves big tomatoes, but can only grow them part of the year, he's stuck with the little ones in the heat. I will warn you away from one particularly good tomato, Green Grape, a favorite of mine with zero disease resistance. Every year I swear I wont' grow it again, till I get a ripe one in my mouth. Some years I don't get even one. If anyone knows a more resistant strain of this delicious tomato, I'd like to hear it.

Be sure to get Creole for disease resistance, and Pink Ping Pong and Lahman's Pink for flavor. I don't know how many of these you can get outside of SSE though.

YOu can get prety much all of them outside of SSE Donna.

Creole, bred at LSU, does not have any diseases tolerances next to it's name which means it's not ben challenged, is available at Tomato Growers Supply, said to be tolerant to Fusarium, but that's all. Has currently been discussed a bit o9n the main tomato forum.

Pink Ping Pong is also at TGS .

And to search at Google, si nce I don't have the time to look at individual websites, one woud have to use the corre ct name for Lahman Pink which is Grace Lahman's Pink. But based on my SSE Yearbooks back for many years, I don't see why so special re GA.

I'm sure turfgardener got lots and lots of suggestions for humid hot areas after being advised to go to the main Tomato Forum where there have been thread after thread about this.

Heirloom tomatoes are discussed in the main Tomato Forum about 99% of the time and it's always been that way here at GW. Makes sense since there is a Tomato Forum.

Donna, if you're the Donna I once knew from SSE, as in Donna N, as I recall Hi!

Carolyn

Hi turfgardener...I'm in the metro-Atlanta area. Last year I planted Brandywine, Cherokee Purple, and Mortgage Lifter. Had one of the biggest (and longest) harvests ever of these three heirlooms. A fellow master gardener told me that Mortgage Lifters "couldn't be grown in Georgia". A photo of my wheelbarrow loaded with Mortgage Lifters from a single day's harvest seems to prove otherwise. Luck to you...Victoria

Hi Victoria, that' surprising that someone told you Mortgage Lifter couldn't be grown in Georgia. The Southern Living Garden Guide specifically mentions that one as a good heirloom tomato for our climate. Off the top of my head, some others they mentioned were Eva Purple Ball, Creole, Arkansas Traveller, and Cherokee Purple.

Hey Victorias_ I'm glad to find another Atlantan, I'm wanting to hit a home run my first year into the game and want a few good choices. From reading the forum I'm thinking you got lucky with the brandywine, but if you have any other first choices, I would be grateful.

Try Mariseeds.com Marianne has one prticular cherry I would love to grow in U.K. but am unsure whether we have hot enough weather. Whether the weather you might say!!!

Some people swear by Marianna's Peace, Kelloggs Breakfast, Marvel Striped, Schellenberg's Favorite, Heatherington Pink, Cherokee Chocolate.

"Celebrity" is a hybrid & not an heirloom - but stay away from it just the same. I bought & grew it some years ago when it came highly recommended for hot/humid areas.

I have a lot of experience growing vegetables, had FABULOUS soil (lots of well-composted horse manure always at the ready), but compared to all the other tomatoes I grew, "Celebrity" was just plain sad as far as productivity, and more importantly - taste.

Stick to the heirlooms - you'll rarely go wrong with any variety you choose

Though not GA, or even USA, I too have long, hot, humid summers to contend with. Cherokee Purple and Gregori's Altai were the star performers in my garden last/this year. Riddled with fungal disease, and decimated by nematodes, they still pumped out good numbers of yummy tomatoes. Jaune Flammée (aka Flamme), also did very well with great taste, and it's such a pretty little tomato. All readily available from many sources.
You might find that in mid-summer, most varieties will give up temporarily. I prune mine back as the worst of the weather hits and look for fresh growth that will provide a another crop into the autumn. Seems to work well with the indeterminates.
Hope this helps.

Turfg,

Here is a list of excellent performers for your area:

Big Beef (hybrid but very productive)
Arkansas Traveller
Creole
Tropic
Mule Team
Marianna's Peace
Eva's Purple Ball
Cherokee Purple
Kellogg's Breakfast (light orange tomato!)

The most heat tolerant are near the top of the list. The very best flavored are closer to the bottom.

How do I know they are excellent performers for your area? A good friend of mine lives just north of Atlanta and these are the varieties he is most successful with.

Fusion

GACAC of SSE lists what he says are the best 200 of 700 varieties for his area, around Augusta GA. I decided to order from him this year instead of TNJOM, who loves every one of her 500 vars. I have not been all that impressed with some of them, so I prefer a guy who knows how to pick and choose. When I look at my own seeds, each year as I decide what vars to plant, I note that I have saved seed from certain varieties nearly every single year. These are the ones that impressed me when they were newbies with one or two plants along the edge of the garden. Others have cracked or had no flavor or melted in the rain (the plants that is, from blight). Some, alas, had great flavor but no disease resistance. When you find the good ones for your area, be sure to save seeds. And talk them up and spread them around. Donna

Here in SC, Rose did very well for me last year in our very hot, humid weather. When nothing else would set fruit, my Rose plant set fruit like there was no tomorrow. Good flavor too! I gave plants away to my brother and his family, and they also found it to be a top performer.

I am wondering about a variety called "Georgia Streak". I grew it here in California, where summers are desert dry and not too hot near the coast (82 deg. average summer hi temp). It was fruity, sweet, and overall delicious, though not too productive (15 fruit, each maybe 10oz to a pound or so). It was beautiful. No one has mentioned it specifically, but I wonder if being named for the state, if it would grow well there. Just curious, I guess.

I planted Cherokee Purple and Ozark pink this year. Both were a bust in the garden, but the ozark pinks did well in the greenhouse. Disease took them out early in the garden. That said, early girl, health kick, park's improved whopper, and better boy all stayed healthy and produced a nice crop out in the garden.

I have tried to grow Big Beef 3 times.I have never had one to taste.Wonder what the curse is?
J

I've been growwing tomatoes in Atlanta (zip code 30307) for over 15 years.
My experiemce, during heat, drought, and other more typical weather summers:
CHEROKEE PURPLE - the best! incredible flavor, great production
Virginia Sweet
Georgia Streak
Brandywine
just about any cherry tomatoes do well.
- I like yellow and some unknown teeny-tiny (1" at biggest) red ones whose name I have forgotten.

My experience has taught me that the really big tomatoes only do well in years where there is a lot of rain (makes sense).

Agaim, the CHEROKEE PURPLES ARE THE BEST !!!!!!