I was looking into buying from Tomato Fest too for summer 2008. I live more north than you and I was considering;

Bloody Butcher
Black from Tula
Coyote
Northern Lights
Red Brandywine
and a few others I haven't made up my mind about.

Planning to order Tennessee Britches, Brandywine (pending advice on exact variety)) and Prudens Purple from Victory Seeds. Bloody Butcher and Black from Tula from Totally Tomatoes. Have good Caspian Pink and Cherokee Purple seeds.

Are those the best places to get those seeds? Any sugesstions?

Victory Seeds should be a good place to get Brandywine Sudduth and Tennessee Britches.

Bloody Butcher can generally easily be picked up on the seed racks around here. Or I guess you could get that and BfT from Totally Tomatoes.

Tomato Growers Supply has Aunt Gert this year, and I think that's about it for public sources. Mariseeds had it last year, but I think she's out of stock.

TGS also has Black from Tula.

Disclaimer: every seed company occasionally makes mistakes or has crossed seed.

I would also recommend Tomato Growers Supply for seeds in addition to Victory Seeds. You could get your Black from Tula, apparently your AGG, and Kimberly (which I think is a great alternative to Bloody Butcher) all from Tomato Growers Supply. If you add on another variety or two (and I suggest Anna Russian and Chapman as personal favorites,) you'll also probably qualify for a package of whatever free seeds they give away next year.

disneynut1997, I am growing Brandywine Red (the one TGS calls Landis Valley Strain, but is basically the authentic Brandywine Red) this year and am very happy with it. Such a nice harvest of perfect medium sized and very flavorful tomatoes. I should have brought one with me to lunch today, but I was distracted by the new dog running around this morning.

Here is a link that might be useful: TGS - Kimberly page.

What is it about tomatoes? I was looking thru TGS' online catalog and I already had a list 15 packets long and wondering how I'll ever wait till next spring. Going to add Black Cherry along with my usual Sungolds. (Cherries do help stave off the tomato ennui until the main crop comes in)
Other musts:
Brandywine Sudduth
Eva Purple Ball
Black from Tula
Rutgers
For the mainstay, can't decide between Druzba, Mule Team or Box Car Willie

Has anyone tried Rose de Berne?

Black Cherry and Sungold is an excellent combo. I switch back and forth between that and Sugary and Sungold. I like the crunchy texture of the grape tomato, but I also like the taste of the Black Cherry. I'd grow all three in the same year, but then I get overwhelmed with the production.

Of the three you can't decide from, I'll cast a vote for BCW. I like it better than Mule Team. I also think it's a different tomato than Druzba, giving me larger fruits on average. As I mentioned above, I really like Brandywine Red and Chapman. I think I'm getting a better mainstay crop from the combination of the two than I would have gotten from a single planting of BCW, and I really>/i> like BCW.

jtmacc99, thanks for the comments on the RB. Do you prune your plants and if so, how many tot's would you say you are getting from each plant for the RB?
I was looking for a good slicing tot for sandwich's and believe it or not; I've never tasted a brandywine yet and people have told me it's tops for classic taste (I have a co-worker that has a small plot of land and does 100 plants a year, his favorite out of all of them is the red brandywine). I really wanted to stay with early and mid season plants because of the short season's I have (hubby did tell me he would build a basic heavy-duty plastic cold frame for me to start early and extend the season though for next year)so I wasn't sure at first about the RB, but I decided I would try it next year now.

I was impressed with Druzba's performance in the heat and (more importantly for me) its disease resistance. But honestly, I can't say it tasted better than Celebrity, which would have given me pretty much the same.

But then, I have a soft spot for Celebrity. Someday, decades from now, it will be the heirloom of the future, and people will say, "I've been growing Celebrity for years, and I think it's fabulous!" Just like Tito Puente.

No, I don't prune. I just stick them in the ground, put the big concrete-wire cage around them, and let the sun and water determine how big they are going to get each year.

I kind of messed up my growing season this year, so my plants didn't go into the ground until the second week of June. So, I won't see the second batch of tomatoes I often get from Red Brandywine this year. Having said that, I think I'll probably pick about 15-25 ripe tomatoes from each plant this year. In other years, it could be quite a few more.

I'll probably still plant the same paste tomatoes I did this year: Black Plum, Opalka, Roma, San Marzano, and Viva Italia. But next year I'll try planting them in the ground in full sun (next to the fence perhaps, since I don't think I'll get the raised beds set up and filled in time). I planted the seeds in good time, but I'll try to get them set out earlier. And I'll spray with Spinosad or Pyola from the get-go, instead of waiting for the bugs to start razing my plants to the ground.

This year I got big tomato plants, but not a single blossom so far. The soil in the containers is definitely better than the moondust sand in my yard, but maybe they didn't have enough room. And they got sun, but maybe they need more sun.

It's still experimental at this point, although I was looking forward to homemade pasta sauce. I had the basil and the garlic ready.

Well, I checked Gardenwatch and saw a few things that concerned me about Totally Tomatoes, so I made some adjustments to my list (trying to reduce the number of places I was ordering from, yet still get the best seeds I could). It feels odd to order seeds this early, but I didn't want to miss out on trying Aunt Gertie's Gold...

I ended up ordering Brandywine/Suddith/Quinsberry and Tennessee Britches (along with many other vegetable seeds) from Victory seeds. If Johnny's had had Tennessee Britches, I would have ordered from them. I ordered Aunt Gertie's Gold (and Lilac bell peppers) from TGS. I have recent-enough Cherokee Purple, Prudens Purple, Caspian Pink, and Black Cherry seeds to go with what I have of them.

Six regular tomatoes and one cherry is as much as I can plant in the limited full sun area I have.

So my list for next year is set. I will have:

Brandywine/Suddith/Quinsberry
Tennessee Britches
Aunt Gertie's Gold
Cherokee Purple
Prudens Purple
Black Cherry
Caspian Pink (very optional, depends on if they do well this year - they have been bland the past 2 years).

I'll be planting a Big Beef again as my lone hybrid backup. I used to use Celebrity for that, but I think Big Beef tastes a bit better.

So, I'm committed for next year. LOL!

The others I really considered were Bloody Butcher, Black From Tula, Black Krim, Paul Robe, and Sioux. But I had to make some choices.

I had a real sentimental desire for Pink Ponderosa because my Grandfather and Father saved the seeds for decades before they were lost in a move, but I decided there were better heirlooms to grow and save.

Well, I went over things (changed a few) and decided on what I want to try for next year.

Northern lights-2
Fireworks-2
Black cherry-1
Orange roma-3
Black from tula-2
Blondkopfchen-1
Purple Russian-2
Red Brandywine-3
Tobolsk-2
German Gold-2
Peacevine cherry-1
Valencia-2
Moskovich-2
Bulls Heart-2
Opalka-3

I can't even begin to imagine how much seeds are gonna cost me this year. I have a big Disney trip in mid Oct, so I'll try to start getting my seeds together right after. I belong to another group yougrowgirl. I did alot of trading with some members last year, so I can buy most and try to trade for the rest.

All those would probbly cost only $45 max. Not bad for a fatastic year of tomatoes. And you can save seeds from lots of them for free!

I think that is more than worth the cost of a couple Disney rides...

you're going to be quite busy keeping the weeds out of your 25 acres of tomato plants if you plant all of those!!:-)

I got my AGG from Marianna's, on Carolyn's recommendation, and they are just loverly. ;~) I'd guess you could find most of the others there, or at Sandhill Preservation.

Here is a link that might be useful: Marianna's seeds

Here's the link to Sandhill...another good source.

I also bought chicks there this spring, and they are really gorgeous birds.

Here is a link that might be useful: Sandhill Preservation

"you're going to be quite busy keeping the weeds out of your 25 acres of tomato plants if you plant all of those!!:-)"

LOL
I went back through things and pulled 3 of them and added 1, of course I guess my list could completely change by next month anyways:)

Yardenman your right $45 isn't that bad and I'm trying to look at that I should never have to buy seeds of these types again too......and also I always start extras and last spring I was toying arounds with the idea of selling my extra plants through work for a cheap $$$. Some of my co-workers garden, but don't start their own. I might be able to unload my extras and put some $ torwards the cost of seeds.

That's the spirit! Radiator Charlie paid off his mortgage with seedlings, right? ;)

Seriously, most home gardeners buy junk seedlings at local big-box stores, so why shouldn't you sell some better-tasting varieties and get some money back?

That's what I was thinking. I always double the amount of plants I want to put in the ground to be safe. It's not like I'm trying to make money, I just want to see if I can get a few bucks to go torwards cost of seeds. I would think the idea of various heirlooms compared to your wimpy diseased plants at the local store, most people would pick these up from me quick.

yardenman, I guess you don't want any early tomatoes. Bloody Butcher will ripen 2 weeks earlier than any of the tomatoes you plan on growing, and will taste great. Although Kimberly is similar, it is smaller and not as perfectly red (bloody)and tasty as the Butcher.

disneynut, you can't go wrong with Moskvich in our climate. Its a great tomato, big and early in a warm year; still very productive, but not early, in a cold year. It is in my top 10 for flavor whether the season is cold or hot. It's also a beautiful tomato, as smooth and big as a hybrid.

I stopped having "seasons" a few years ago...:)

But I know what you mean yardenman. You're talking main growing season that starts late spring. Well, I have all winter to decide on that....LOL

But my "seasons' stopped when I started growing Red Robins all winter in a south facing sunny bay window in my dining room. Last winter I decided to grow a Momotaro in there along with a few Red Robins and I was surprised the Momo's did so well. I did a little selective pruning and had a nice steady supply of Momo's all winter and they sure are a nice treat in February! This year I am growing two Momo's from cuttings in that window. They are already flowering. My outdoor garden usually gets torn down in mid October. I may not miss a beat this year. I may have ripe tomatoes all year through. Man I love going in that room in January and smelling those plants. Takes some of the grey out of winter...:)

Plus, last year I didn't get a single spec or spot or disease of any kind on that Momo plant! Soiless mix and the leaves never getting wet. A little fish/kelp is all I need...:)

I tried transplanting the huge plant outdoors around May 1 but it didn't make it. Just too big a transplant I suppose...

But for next year I will plant my "Must Grow's":

Brandywine Sudduth
Brandyboy
Neves Azorean Red
Pruden's Purple
Momotaro
Big Zac
Big Beef
Kellogg's Breakfast
Marianna's Peace
Porterhouse
Sun Gold

I miss Cherokee Purple and Black Cherry so I'm growing them again after a couple year's absence.

Kind gardeners here sent me seeds for:

KBX
Orange Heirloom
Neves/Brandywine cross

So they will go in too.

I will be tempted further by posts here and by catalog blurbs of new varieties so I know my list will grow.

It never ends. And that's the way I like it...:)

Well, I'm locked in too. I went and started looking at other places to buy seeds online and came across a seller on Ebay (decent reviews) that had some of the varieties on my list above, than I noticed they also had some other ones I really wanted to try, but wasn't sure about how they will do in my summers. Before I knew it, I had ordered 17 different varieties (spent half the amount of money). Here they are;
Caspian Pink-already decided yes on this before
Black of tula-was considering it before
Big Rainbows-was considering it before
Black Cherry-already decided yes
Box Car Willie-took this on a whim
Cherry Roma-took this on a whim
German Johnson-took this on a whim
Giant Belgium-took this on a whim
Golden Jubilee-was considering it before
Hillbilly-was considering it before
Matina-took this on a whim
Nicholayev-changed this out for the other yellow cherry
Orange roma-already decided yes
Pineapple-was considering it before
Red Zebra-was considering it before
Siberia Russian-took it on a whim
Speckled Roma-took it on a whim

I know this seems like a lot. I only plan on doing 32 plants, so most will be doubles and cherries single.
it's gonna be a fun year.

Barkeater - It's not that I don't want early tomatoes, but the ones I have grown have been so unsatisfactory. I've tried Stupice and Matina, and they were no better than what I could buy in a grocery store.

But I will reconsider Bloody Butcher. 2 weeks earlier of good-tasting tomatoes would be worth the space and Bloody Butcher sure was on my list. I did lose track of maturity times as I was adjusting my list of available seeds vs consolidated orders.

Thanks for the reminder of Bloody Butcher and pointing out that it matures earlier!

I just received my seeds from Tomato Growers Supply. I have Ball's Beefsteak VFFT Hyb, Cherokee Purple, Aunt Gertie's Gold, Brandywin Sudduth's, Sun Gold Hyb, Sugar Snack Hyb, Costoluto Genovese, and a bonus pack of Marianna's Peace. I'm sort of new at this and have never grown from seed before. What's the best way to store seeds until time to plant? Oh, and I think I'll add a pack of Black from Tula to my collection.