My local Ace hardware sells veggies this time of year. Used to have a fair selection, but not so hot this year. However, they do have an Heirloom tomato.....that's the name, Heirloom. If you're only gonna plant one heirloom, this has got to be the one!

Chuck

If you are after taste in any tomato, raise the brix level (sugar level)....some would be around 6 to 10 etc, but you can shoot for 14 to 20....supplying all the minerals, not just few will help...
azomite volcanic rock dust it a good start, also seaweed products...compost is must....no chemical fertilizer or poisons allowed.....good strong plants can defend themselves and give you a longer growing season (2 o3 degrees frost protection)...the indian

This is easy for me: Azoychka!!!

Azoychka is a yellow indeterminate heirloom tomato that comes from Russia originally. It is kind of uncommon in the US. It has a strongly acid type favor with lots of zing. It tastes unlike any tomato I've ever had before and it is probably the first tomato I have ever grown that I will probably grow every year. Truly fantastic!! I am on cloud nine about discovering it!

Angie

Yuck!

Admittedly, the Azychka that I tasted at a tomato tasting may not have been ripe, but I thought it was astringent and nasty!

I prefer them sweet, but full-flavoured.

If I could only grow one, it would probably be Rose de Berne.

Linda

To me a ripe Azoychka tastes like a fusion of tomato and lemon flavorings. And I am eternally flavoring things with lemons and lemon juice, so that's perfect for me! :)

Angie

For sandwiches: Orange Strawberry

For eating alone in slices: Kellogg's Breakfast

Angie, I only hope I get to taste an Azoychka! Still waiting! I have to say that I grew Orange Strawberry last year and for me it made the most delicious sauce, sweet and tart. But I didn't like the flavor of it fresh. I enjoyed Black From Tula and BW Sudduth. No favorites yet!

I am still looking for that perfect tomato. Until then i will try varieties. So far this season, I am munching on Sun Gold right off the wine. It tastes great. But I also want my Cherokee Purple.

Marianne Peace not a perfect tomato for zone 5, kinda late... but will know with my eyes closed the difference in taste

Just One:

-- Has to be early. ( ~ 65 days)
-- To taste good ( not the best but good enough)
-- Good size tomato ( ~ 6 oz)
-- Compact plant (Det, under 3.5 ft)

SILETZ got it .
I Can plant 2 of them in place one HUGE indet. That is like hitting two birds with one stone.
I am growing other early ones too( Matina, Bloody Butcher, Stupice) but the have much smaller fruits ( ~ 1,5 - 2 oz), they are overly tall indets, hard to manage.

The answer to this question changes every year,HaHa.........The weather,soil conditions,and what you feed them makes a big difference even when you plant just one variety.Last year Amish Rose and Eli were the best in my garden,and I planted 80 different kinds.I have probably 500 different tomato seeds in my seed bank,but add a half dozen more each year.Jet Star(a hybrid)consistently goes into my garden EVERY year.....It is IMO the best tasting tomato in the world...................Compost,Compost Tea,Kelp,Calcium,Magnesium,and a organic fertilizer low in nitrogen will help you grow Good tasting tomatoes,HAPPY GARDENING.............................................If only it would rain one inch of rain every 5 days consistently this would be soo much easier!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOL

It is a tough decision.

I could name Cherokee Purple for taste but then it has been a poor producer.

Probably I will change my mind and Name Big Beef. It is a pretty good producer and tastes good too.

Sey

I answered this thread back in Dec of 2008 and all of tomatoes have been grown by me since then, but my answer then still holds true - Stump of the World.
There are tons of tomatoes that I think taste wonderful, but I'm not sure I'll get one to ever surpass Stump.

And I made many posts about this back in May of 2008 and I'm not changing my mind either, even though I've grown many more new ones or had my seed producers grow them for me since I can no longer grow my own tomatoes.

Yes, those of us who have posted many many years ago still get notices when a thread is revived and if someone is still alive, ahem, they can answer them. I seldom answer them, occasionaly I do.

I do think it's a good idea to read thru a thread before asking questions that have already been answered and consider not saying something like I want to know how this or that did this past summer.

Just semi-cranky Carolyn chiming in. LOL

Carolyn

since papabell decided to bring this thread back from the dead...I can breathe a little life into it. haha. Cherokee Purple....so far, right now.

This thread is not a problem solving one. I consider it an entertainment.

Then, in 8 years things can change so do our likes and preferences. 8 years ago I did not know the difference between OP and Heirloom and barely knew what hybrid is and how it is done but not what F1 was supposed to mean..so fort and so on.

On the site notification : I would never ever put up with that horse thing(LOL); NO NOTIFICATION !, no email, no following for me.. I don't have time for all that kind of stuff. MAYBE< UNLESS, MAYBE (?) when/if I was the OP of the thread. YMMV

Sey

What a great thread!

I've only been growing heirlooms for 5 years now, and have grown around 50 different varieties. So far, my favorite tomato has been Church. Great production, meaty, disease tollerant, heat tollerant, outstanding bold and balanced flavor with complex and subtle nuances, and can get very big. I got a 3.2 pounder in 2013.

2nd would be Earl's Faux

3rd Caspian pink

I'm a fan of bold, balanced, and complex tomato flavor, and these three have delivered that, with good production to boot.

I've grown a lot of the different brandywines, (sudduths, cowlicks, otv, Landis red, potato leaf red, lucky cross, yellow platfoot strain) and although they are delicious, they just don't produce well enough out here (so cal) for me to justify the use of limited garden space. Also, at least in my garden, Church, Earl's Faux, and Caspian pink taste a bit better.

ymmv.

Michael

disciple-

Hopefully the flavor of the Church tomato has more nuances than nuisances... :-)

So far black krim. I think this year, I'm going to try Cherokee Purple. I'm getting excited for tomatoe season.

Kudzu

The wonders of autocorrect never cease to amaze me lol!

Disciple--

That's a relief...just wanted to make sure before I planted it :-)

Definitely fewer nuisances than nuances Kudzu.

In all seriousness though, it really is an excellent tomato, and one that isn't mentioned often.

I've probably answered this in the past, but...

Cuostralee, Indian Stripe, and Amana Orange have been my favorite of ~30 heirlooms that I've grown. Many of the others are also very good... Kellogg's Breakfast, German Red Strawberry, 1884, Paul Robeson, etc.

Disciple-

All joking aside, I am always experimenting with my tomatoes, so I'll try to find that one.

One only for taste is Cherokee Purple. There are others that are great as well, though if it was for only that would make my list.

Kudzu.

I got my Church seeds from Tomato Growers Supply.

disciple-

Thanks. I've got my 40 varieties germinating for this year, but I'm adding Church to my shopping list for next year, and I've had good luck with Tomato Growers Supply.

Goose Creek from Laurel when she first offered it and seeds bagged and saved ever since. The finest tomato I have ever tasted and does very well in the cold zone 4 North with cold, wet, rain in spring and intense heat in summer. Had one year that it didn't survive, but that was my fault for planting too soon. Sweet wine, balanced flavor with texture like pudding and skin so thin that it peels without blanching. Makes a fine tomato for fresh eating, cooking, and whatever else you want to do with it. THE BEST in my dirt!!

Rebecca

Kudzu

You must have some serious space to be able to do 40 varieties a year. That's awesome. I can only do about 25 plants max in my little suburban back yard. I'm super jealous.

Rebecca

I'm gonna have to check out goose creek. Sounds amazing!

disciple-

I waited many years to get a house with a bigger yard...just wish I had done it sooner. If you are doing 25 plants in a suburban backyard, that's impressive.

Kudzu

We'll thank you. I do what I can with what I have. That being said, every time I go back and visit my dad in southern Ohio, all I can think about is finding a place with more usable land. Lord willing, I'll get to retire out there or somewhere similar.

disciple-

If you would like to swap some tomato seeds at the end of the growing season, click on my user name and send me an email...

Disciple, message me and we'll talk seeds.

Rebecca

Brandywine (Glicks)

One heirloom, as many plants I want ?

Cherokee purple. It is not a workhorse but has tasty fruits.

Sey

My best tomato sauce is when i mix all varieties grown into one sauce. I try to grow 10 varieties a year. Favorite? Brandywine!

I looked back and noticed that I have changed my answer 3 times already.

This time I will wait til the end of season and make a choice.

Sey

Seysonn-

What's wrong with three favorites? :-)

kudzu9(Zone 8a - PNW)

Seysonn-

What's wrong with three favorites? :-)

---------------------------------

hahaha :) Nothing wrong but we were supposed to name/pick just one and not flip flop. LOL

I'm giving you permission to think outside the box...I like all of your favorites ;-)

Thanks Kudzu, fellow PNWerner : )

Sey

Anyone want to weigh in on the subject of your favorite heirloom ?

Or perhaps a new cultivar that rivals the heirlooms...

Why not start a new post on this so that people don't have to wade through 13 YEARS of outdated recommendations?

Labradors, I have tried to make new posts and cant get it to work, it used to be so easy. ..I'm lost in the Houzz maze, can't seem to get any response from their help feature, and have to rely on the old posts to have a topic I can add to. It has been FRUSTRATING !!!

I know what you mean Berrypie7. Life used to be so easy.....

When I click on Houzz (the growing tomatoes one). At the top of the page it says "Start a discussion". You might have to close the page and start fresh to get there. Good luck!

Linda

Wow, I think I got it to work - this old dog can still learn new computer tricks !

Thanks Linda, I may never have tried without the encouragement.

My favorite is Aunt Ginny's Purple.

(and life is easier over at tomatojunction.com) ;)

I'm so glad you wrote Gary,

Aunt Ginny is buried in my stash , I have to quick start a few seeds if it's not too late ...

and I will check out tomatojunction .

Yeah! Come on over to the junction!