Another pic - have a couple more if interested

Another pic - have a couple more if interested

This post was edited by lartomato on Mon, Aug 26, 13 at 15:52

The variety Rostova, a large red excellent beefsteak from the Rostova area of the former USSR was renamed Sunset Red Horizon by Gary Ibsen of Tomatofest, with the agreement of the folks who were selling Rostova.

For the first two years what was sold was the correct beefsteak one, and then it kind of morphed into a heart.

I was sent seeds for SSRH, nee Rostova, one of those first years and it was excellent.

Linda Sapp at TGS had listed it as a heart, I know Linda well and have since about 1990, so I sent her the last seeds I had in that pack, and I never did find out if she got them going.

All to say that your fruits, what what I can see, do look like beefsteaks, not hearts, and if so, what was the source of your seeds for SRH, nee Rostova? And please correct me if I'm wrong on fruit shape.

Very curious I am,

Carolyn

Carolyn - thanks for your response and information. I received my seeds from DIANESEEDS this last spring as I heard they do well in high altitudes - and they are doing well. I wound up with three plants (three beefstake and one heart shape as the photo below shows). I will save seeds of the beefstakeas I do not tast any difference.

OK, so the seeds are still crossed.

If you do save seeds save them only from the beefsteak ones and use several fruits per plant.

Nothing wrong with saving seeds from the plant with hearts if you like the fruits,,but it's not SRH, nor is it Rostova.

Would it be worthwhile for you to contact Diane's Seeds and tell them what you got, if you are comfortable with that and I don' tmind it if you also tell them the background info I've given to you.

Hope that helps,

Carolyn

My SRH gotten from Tomato Fest are Heart, and on the smaller side from what I was expecting as well. lar, if you're interested in any swapping, I'd like to get my hands on a couple from one of your beefsteak saves.

CH

I think everyone I know who got seeds for it directly from TOmatofest got hearts, after the first two years.

So it occurred to me that seed production would have been done by Diane's Seeds, in which case that's why there are two fruit forms, one per plant.

And if so then one can't conclude that the beefsteak one is true SRH/ Rostova.

The fruits should be red and I guess we don't know if the beefsteak ones will be red or not.Yet.

Am I making sense here?

Summary,can't conclude that the beefsteak ones are SRH since it could well be that some X pollination was going on for the seeds that were sold.

Carolyn

Well they both tastes great only the hearts are a little smaller. The beefstakeas make a great meaty matter sandwich which gets all over your face

Having grown true Rostova, as I noted above, I think it's a great variety, but I havent seen anyone with true Rostova in many years.

I was curious to see what Tania said, but I kind of knew before I grabbed the link b'c we'd discussed it before .So I linked to it below and she's spot on.

Carolyn

Here is a link that might be useful: SRH