$6.95 per pack of seeds ? That is a lot of money. I would never pay that kind of price for seeds. I I need is 2 -3 seeds. That is like $3 per seed. I would rather buy a seedling with that kind of price.
But OTOH , I want to grow Brandy Boy. How much that one costs ?

Seysonn

Brandy boy is $5.95 + they charge extra for shipping!

I'm sure that you know that you can store the extras for years, so that brings the cost down, if you like them.

I will be growing some more from saved seed, because I like them!

I noticed that several tomato plants I've planted do not taste or have the texture of those from years ago. The skin is very tough, and the tomato tastes bland. Have they changed the seeds? I miss the great tomatoes that were juicy and flavorful. What happened?

podany4tx, I have noticed the same thing.

I have been told that it's because of the change in taste over the years, and I'm old!

I remember picking fresh Rutger and Marion tomatoes from our garden in the 60's, when I was a wee child. I would bite in to them and they were very acidic, which I like, the juice would burn my lips and chin!

I can rub the juice on an open cut now and it doesn't burn at all!

Has anyone tried Jersey Boy Hybrid - I might have to spend $6.95 just to find out?

This post was edited by Hudson...WY on Sat, Nov 8, 14 at 9:16

Looks interesting...I will be ordering just to try along with brandy boy (new to me) and ~10 heirlooms for 2015.

In line with Hudson's point, I don't mind spending $6 bucks on Brandy Boy because I have read so many positive reviews/comments about it (Including Hudson's own).

But to spent 7 bucks (+shipping) on JB, then going through a 3 month process and then find out that it was not worth it, would be a big disappointment to me. YMMV.

Seysonn

I bought the Jersey Boy Hybrid seeds already Nugrdgnnut - they delivered today. I'm a sucker for trying a new Brandywine/Rutgers cross - @ $6.95 - especially from Burpees. It is a little easier to accept the risk - cost - effort - space etc. having done the same thing with Brandy Boy Hybrid with such great results! I loose big time on new varieties (not just tomatoes) every year - but I also find the one or two winners that make it all worth while!!

If you would like to sit it out for a year on JB - Seysonn - I'll do the review next year and you can decide from mine and others reports. It seems you planted quite an assortment of tomato varieties last year - but I know interest is paramount - there are some varieties that I would have to be paid before I would try them - haha!

That is a deal, Hudson. I'll wait to read your reviews on JB. haha

We all like to try new varieties all the time. This coming year I'll try Brandy Boy, Kellogg's Breakfast, Mini Roma and a large yellow grape. And I'll zap twice as many from my 2014 varieties, to make room.
Okee Docee. Come mid Feb, I will get started ( that will be 3 months from now).

Seysonn

Burpee offers free shipping codes now and then if you get regular emails from them. That's a good time to order if you only want to try one variety. I'm sure they would be glad to add you to their email list :) but I don't know when the free code will come up again :(

They usually send one at the end of the year and another sometime in early March.

I just briefly checked Burpee's internet store. Their average prices are DOUBLE+ what they put on racks at the big box stores. Plus shipping, plus hassle.. I would rather wait till they set up racks at HD.

Seysonn

I see others have posted about Burpee periodic free shipping offers which make it "somewhat" less expensive. The stuff on the racks in stores are usually names you have never heard of. If you are adventurous you can compare the days to maturity and description to some of the named varieties they sell. Good bet they are the same. I often see a tomato which is a dead ringer for their Fourth of July Hybrid with the same maturity, which as I recall is 49 days. Cant remember now what it is called.

Some of their seeds are available on local seed racks for a lot less money especially since many store around here discount them even more most of the time. I've noticed that the sizes are hard to compare...one will be in oz. the other in mg. or grams, or by seed count. And the most recent introductions never show up locally. I've picked up some new intros locally in "greenhouse" kits though, not that I consider a 4" by 10" plastic top and bottom a "greenhouse!" But the clearance price of $1 was worth it for what I got. Wonder why the store hasn't carried them in the last couple years ;)

One dollar for that little greenhouse thingie plus seeds? I'd have jumped at that. Good score !

I don't remember seeing Burpee's new hybrid tomato seeds being offered in BBSs.... I don't think many folks would buy them at the prices they want, so they offer them over the internet at inflated prices to those who do want them.

Just my $0.02.

I have grown Rutgers before (6 yrs ago ?). I liked it .
I have grown BrandyWine ( 6 yrs ago, 1 yr ago, ). I did NOT like it.

Probably I will grow Rutgers again this year.

Boy - you guys are penny pinchers - I like to shop for seeds - but not tomato seeds - I want the best source and the exact seeds !! The last place I will shop for seed is the big boxes!! Especially tomato seeds! One reaps what one sows!? - haha

To me it is not so much the "money". I spend a lot of money on gardening mostly as hubby and certainly can afford a few bucks more.

OTOH, buying online from Burpee is no different from buying Burpee seeds at the big box stores. Better than 50% of all the seeds sold in those stores is BURPEE's.

Seysonn

I am wrong - I didn't even know that the big boxes sold Burpee Seeds. I didn't know what I was talking about - the closest big box store is a 2 1/2 hour drive from our house - that's why I don't shop at big box stores for seeds - and I didn't know that they carried Burpee - I have never looked. If there were a big box store where I live that carried Burpee Seed - I would certainly save the shipping cost and pick them up locally.

Having said that - we do buy our tomato seeds from the best source possible and usually order from 3-5 different suppliers - for just tomato seeds - to get the source we trust for the specific variety we want.

Well, in my area HD carries only Ferry Morse and the Martha Stewart brand of Ferry Morse, not Burpee. Lowes has some Burpee, but those seeds are mostly years old, I think, and displayed outside during the times of year that they should be in the air conditioning, and they never have interesting newer hybrids. I was forced to order Brandy Boy, for example.

In my area HD sells mostly Burpee, also ferry Morse, plus Ed Hume seeds. And some not so famous organic stuff. Burpee's concentration is on hybrids that is what makes their exclusivity. Heirlooms and OP are sold by so many marketers.

Price wise, Burpee faces competition and have to cut prices to be able to stay on the supply-demand curve. I think great majority of people buy seeds from big box stores an they are the best vehicle for companies like Burpee to move the products. Their newer hybrids are usually sold a premium. If ordinary ones price 2 bucks the new ones are price like $3.50.

Anyway. All I need just some Brandy Boy hybrid. The rest of my picks are all heirloom/OP.
There this small internet store called: sample seeds shop (dot com) . they maybe over 100 varieties and the price is $1.26 per pack, Shipping about 3 bucks for average order. They also have peppers, vegetables , herbs. Worth visiting their site. I would never buy anything from Burpees online at inflated prices, as a matter of principle. The next vender to avoid is Bonnie.

Hudson, I'm sure I'd do things differently if I lived where you do. I have a locally owned nursery 5 miles away that stocks hundreds (probably more like a few thousand) of different varieties from companies including Botanical Interests, Burpee, Livingston, Hart, and others. Some years they even have Thompson and Morgan. Every week in Feb and March at least one company's seed is discounted significantly. I could spend hours looking at rack after rack if only the smell of nearby fertilizer/pesticide products wasn't so strong. Sure wish they would take care of than. Still there are varieties that I can't get there and I'll usually send off an order or two each year.

I enjoy the pictures you post of the veggies you grow in your challenging climate. Your harvests are amazing and your greenhouse set up is awesome.

As I said above, I don't think you will find BrandyBoy or Jersey Boy in the Burpee seed displays in the BBS... they sell exclusive Burpee hybrids on line. The other tomato seeds they sell for $1.99 per pack in their display are tomatoes that others sell, just with a burpee name.

Again my $0.02.

regards,
tom

Thanks Naturegirl !
Hudson

Burpee is offering free shipping on any size order thru Sunday.

Time to order seed!

There already is a variety that's a cross between Rutgers and Brandywine, available from TGS and Linda has listed it for several years.Please see the link below.

Hope that helps and this fact was pointed out to me by a friend, and I offered to post it here.

Carolyn

Here is a link that might be useful: Red Rose

Could not resist ordering Jersey Boy. I needed more Brandy Boy seeds so figured I would kill 2 birds with 1 stone and order both. I didn't want to try and see if I could find this in the nurseries this spring. Hope I won't be disappointed cause I have high hopes for this one.

Carolyn hit it :

Any hybridiser can cross Rutgers and Brandywine to produce , more or less, the same outcome. So if I was interested in Jersey Boy I would rather buy Red Rose ($2.95).

Seysonn