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| Just received my Dona F1 seeds from France. Supposedly they're the "real deal". Looking forward to growing them out to see if they're as fabulous as many claim them to be. |
Follow-Up Postings:
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| How are they supposed to differ from the Dona F1 seeds sold by US based seed suppliers? Dave |
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| Dave From what I understand DonaF1 seeds are no longer available in the US. The "Dona" seeds currently available are actually open pollinated and per others here on GW are inferior to the original/real Dona F1. |
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- Posted by missingtheobvious Blue Ridge 7a (My Page) on Thu, Jan 24, 13 at 23:54
| I find listings for these US vendors: Kitchen Garden Seeds -- F1 -- out of stock Reimer -- Dona F1 -- out of stock (but when they had it, they apparently charged $3.50 for 10 seeds) Renee's -- "no longer produced" TomatoFest -- they'll sell you a generous amount of seeds of something named Dona, but there's nothing whatsoever to say whether it's OP or F1. Good grief. === I found this with something called "Google custom search beta" which lets me search for seeds from online vendors. I copied it from a link on a news forum years ago; it still works for me, but I have no idea if this is the same sort of free custom search Google offers to people with web sites. I keep it on my Firefox bookmark toolbar, so I don't have to copy and paste the whole address. Yes, it's huge. But it works. Here it is, if anyone wants it. You'll have to clear the Search field and enter the name of the seeds you're looking for. Any site that has their seed list in Adobe format probably won't show up. Here's a clickable link: And here's the non-clickable address: http://www.google.com/custom?hl=en&client=google-coop-np&cof=FORID:13% 3BAH:left%3BCX:Vegetable%2520varieties%2520for%2520gardeners%3BL:http: //www.google.com/coop/intl/en/images/custom_search_sm.gif%3BLH:65%3BLP :1%3BVLC:%23551a8b%3BGFNT:%23666666%3BDIV:%23cccccc%3B&cx=003472780514 561857771:_eyckfdgfmi&adkw=AELymgXKKcoj8ExjLwA_2QQUrTOC56hT5csg6nztOXo mwH8QqjOuDih_7udDMbvIgLtF5VsgbKHSInqxR4nHxAwQ_0whzhEXXL9uATYXLPKd8h_o- a-yOzkd46y21DaRePcq3852tVK6X7nnQOMrOZPm4Cm5kLSxSQ&boostcse=0&q=Royal+C hico+Tomatoes&start=10&sa=N |
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| Good to know since I still have some of the Dona F1 seeds from several years back. Guess I'll add a couple plants to my plans for this year. Dave |
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- Posted by rnewste 8b NorCal (rnewstead@aol.com) on Fri, Jan 25, 13 at 14:46
| I grew the Vilmorin Dona F1 seeds last year. Tasty tomato although the skins were a bit thicker than I like. I also grew the TomatoFest Dona OP alongside in the same container and frankly, it was a pretty close match.
Raybo |
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| Now that is really good info to have Ray. I know Gary Ibsen at Tomato Fest says something similar - that there is little to no difference - but it is good to hear it from another trusted source too. Thanks. Dave |
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- Posted by rnewste 8b NorCal (rnewstead@aol.com) on Sat, Jan 26, 13 at 14:04
| Dave, The Vilmorin F1 Donas were more consistent in size than the OP version from TomatoFest (which is what one would expect from an F1 versus an OP) but other than that, not so much difference, as I recall. Raybo |
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| How nice to see someone else taking the trouble to get Dona F1 seeds all the way from France. How did you do it? Doesn't sound like you went there to get them. By mail or online order? If so, what company and how was delivery? I have ordered online from lemondedujardin.com before and probably will again. However, it was expensive and slow, taking about a month. I think at the time they just weren't expecting any US order and were a bit floored, but they did fill. It is clear from your pic of the package that you really do have the real thing from the only company that breeds and sells them. BTW, there are NO US based sellers of Dona F1 hybrid I have myself saved seeds from a Dona F1 plant and planted @digdirt - If your "old" seeds don't do well for you, let me @mewste - Do you mind saying how and where you got One last note - Dona F1, in my experience, is quite similar |
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| sneezer2 thank you for the great information. I am looking forward to finally growing this variety. I did purchase the seed from the person you referenced. I did so online with a credit card. I was surprised how quickly I received them. I believe in less than 2 weeks!! But yes, they were expensive. Thanks again for your input. |
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| Yes, I suspected that. I'll order there again. I was probably the first American who ever did, in 2010 when I found out that Vilmorin had brought Dona back. Unfortunately, as far as I know, no one in US has picked them up. Anyway, LMJ is OK and probably now they are not completely flummoxed by a US order. If you look around the websites of French seed sellers you Interestingly, there is a Vilmorin retail store in Paris and it is |
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| @gponder. BTW, I do not want to mislead and thereby cause any disappointment. Don't expect Dona F1 to be one of those varieties of tomato with a blow-the-top-of-your-head-off intensity of flavor. There are those and I like them as well but Dona F1 is not that type. By contrast, it is relatively mild and that seems to disappoint some folks. I enjoy it that way, though, because it allows for a complexity and subtlety of flavor that I have not been able to find anywhere else. Also, here is another one you might like - Moreton F1. Now Reach them at: http://www.njfarmfresh.rutgers.edu/jerseytomato.html I hope this info is of use to you. See as well a thread I |
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