Sorry.. what is BHN?

Wow, there are some amazing varieties in this thread!

I grew 8 varieties last year, but now have seed for more than 80 varieties. I will be starting various seedlings for about a dozen friends and family members by letting them choose the varieties they want and I will then finalize my own personal grow list based on what others choose. The plan is to have everyone grow different varieties so we can all share our experiences throughout the upcoming growing season.

I have container space for perhaps as many as 30 plants, but will likely trim that to a more manageable 20-22. Plans so far include the following (subject to change, of course):

Small (1-4 ounces):

1. Baxter's Early Bush;
2. Five Star Grape;
3. Napa Grape;
4. Sweet Million;
5. Sweet Pea Currant;
6. Ten Fingers of Naples;

Medium (5-10 ounces):

7. Beaverlodge Plum;
8. Cosmonaut Volkov;
9. Gezahnte;
10. Moskvich;
11. Paisano;
12. Polish Linguisa;
13. Red Pear Piriform;
14. Rosso Sicilian;
15. Sioux;
16. Speckled Roman;
17. Violaceum Krypni-Rozo;

Large (10+ ounces):

18. Brandy Boy;
19. Brandywine Sudduth's;
20. Cuostralee;
21. Gregori's Altai;
22. Marianna's Peace;
23. Neves Azorean Red;
24. New Big Dwarf;
25. Omar's Lebanese;
26. Shilling Giant;
27. Stump of the World; and
28. Todd County Amish

I will say the anticipation and excitement this time of year is almost painful. I am so looking forward to expanding my knowledge and experience with so many different varieties this year. It's mind-boggling how many tomato varieties are out there!

I am starting on my tomatoes for this year.

Already germinated are:

Cherokee Purple
Black Krim
Old German

I will be starting some others before the end of the weekend.

Will be starting list is:

4th of July (New to me it is a test of an early variety.)

Red Brandymaster (New to me as well) Hoping to get a few from it.

Weeks Giant Delicious (I doubt world record size, but it is a curiosity to see if it will give anything near what the Parks Whopper gave early last year.)

Steak Sandwich Hybrid (This is a trial year of this one as well.)

Yellow Pear (Repeat) Talk bad about it all you want. It was producing like crazy when everything else was floundering from the heat. A dash of salt, a splash of olive oil, and a couple of minutes under the broiler will bring out more flavor from them than most would imagine.

Mortgage Lifter (Not sure which one. It is from Burpee.) A trial run with this one as well.

That is my from seeds list.

Buying transplants of:

Black Prince will be a repeat. Great production from a fairly compact plant. A 52 inch HD purchased cage was all it needed. (I will run soaker hoses under landscape fabric to prevent the splitting problems.) I lost a few to bad splitting. On the first flush. I started picking at color break, and did not have anymore problems with the splitting. While not as intense of a flavor as Black Krim. It seemed close to me. I think of it as mini Black Krim that I get a bunch of tomatoes off of. Size was medium slicer size. Around that of a tennis ball, maybe wee bit bigger for some. They ripen fast, and have a short shelf life. None spoiled for us, and they were quite popular with my family, friends, and coworkers.

Bush Goliath will be making a repeat as well. It produced like crazy mad. Raquet to tennis ball size were the norm. Over 100 tomatoes came from one plant. Plant height was near to 3 and half feet tall. Width was about two or so feet. (I bought one in the large 3 gal basket cage planter. I will do the same again this year.

.00000000000000Next on the repeat list is Husky Cherry Red. Compact. Prolific, and tasty. My wife loved them. Two plants produced around 3 to 4 pints every couple of days when they were producing. Heat shut them down for about 3 weeks. As soon as the heat broke they went gang busters again.

I am leaving two slots of TBA from what I see that strikes my interest.

This year I am doing more peppers, and giant cantaloupe. As well a few dozen onions.

centexan254,

Just wondering... why are you starting your tomatoes so early? I believe the final frost date for zone 8 is March 15th and usually it's best to transplant a month following the last frost date (i'm in 6/b/7 and we don't transplant until May 15th).

Smithmal, this is the BHN variety I use:

https://totallytomato.com/dp.asp?pID=00073

It's an insane producer for me.

I think it's all about experimenting to see what works with your weather and soil. I gave up growing Brandywine (and its strains) many years ago because it just didn't produce for me. I figured that if it's not happy in my garden, it's time to find something which is.

I am thinking about including Lucky Cross...has anybody got experience with this one ?

I have not grown "Lucky Cross" but grown "Ananas Noire" which is like a twin to Lucky Cross.
I love its taste, texture and color. Here is a picture (2014) . Thre fruits weigh 14 to 20 oz.

Seysonn.

BTW : You can get the seeds for either one from Sample Seeds Shop.($1.50)

Lucky Cross is an excellent flavored tomato. It tends to get septoria early in the season so make plans to spray it with a fungicide. Copper is reasonably effective as is Daconil. Note that several of the varieties you listed are also susceptible so don't cull based on this.

Smithmal I am planting early due to the fact that in this area we have lots of very nice days thrown in there until the LFD. Also I have a low tunnel set up in the back yard. I will work in hardening the plants off at 8 weeks. Any that need potting up will be potted up to 1 gallon containers. The thing is I will still be able to move them inside for any extended cold snaps.

Our early season is so short that if you want anything close to a good per plant harvest before the 100 degree weather kicks in you need to have plants that fill out a 1 gal or larger container to plant on plant out day. If not it will be a crap shoot with the more odds against you. The only plants I start with the 4 inch transplants are the quick growing early, and cherry varieties.

Last years best producer started out as a 3 gal basket planter. I got well over 100 tomatoes off of that plant. It grew to about 3 and half feet tall. Near onto 2 and half around. BTW it was a Bush Goliath.

Above is a pic of the plant taken 5 May last year. It went in ground in mid March or so.

I'm trying to finalize my list for this year and would appreciate any help from you experts! I like a strong tomato taste, somewhat acidic. I also like a variety of sizes.

Cherokee Purple - a favorite!
Black Krim
Mountain Pride
Mariana's Peace
Japanese Black Trifele
Black Prince
Sungold
Sunsugar

I definitely need some good Roma options and red cherries...
Am I missing any other varieties that are must-haves?
Some I've tried with limited success or I didn't especially like the taste:
Box Car Willie, Red Star, Marglobe, Green Zebra, Rutgers, Paul Robeson. I would be willing to give some of these another try if they're highly recommended....

I sure won't argue with anyone who says Cherokee Purple is a favorite! I like the average Cherokee Purple better than the average Brandywine. And Cherokee Purple is generally healthier and more productive too (for me - here). I like the flavor better overall. Meaning that I have had a few of each that made me change my opinion on that day, but I mostly like the Cherokee Purple better.

But my Gampa and Dad swore that Ponderosa Pink was the best tomato they ever ate. Might be worth a try.

It depends on what you like best about a tomato and that varies from person to person.

Sure taste is mostly subjective. But there are certain common standards too. Like they say "beauty is in the eyes of beholder" but there are age old standards of beauty.

Having said that I pick my varieties by certain common standards and based on some kind unscientific survey, as there is no way possible for me to try every single variety that is out there myself. I can only do that in a small scale.

On Brandywine & Cherokee purple:
Actually I have tried them both about 3 times. That is why I no longer grow Brandywine but will grow CP. I admit that CP is not a good producer but a few that it does are worth the efforts.

Seysonn

Seysonn, OK, tell me what tastes as good as a Cherokee Purple and produces better. There is still time for me to order some new seeds. And I ask YOU because you say you have grown both Brandywine and Cherokee Purple and claim to have better.

Name your best other two and I will get them and grow them in the best conditions I have next to CP and Brandywine (especially Cherokee Purple).

If you like Cherokee Purple you would probably also like Black Krim, which I prefer to both CP and Brandywine. In fact, it has become one of my must-grow varieties. My husband, who wouldn't eat raw tomatoes when I met him 30+ years ago, always asks if I'm growing "that purple one." It's his favorite.

caryltoo - Thank you greatly. I have to admit I keep hearing great things about Black Krim. But since the best tomatoes I get are Cherokee Purple, I've hesitated to try another dark one (especially since I have plenty of CP seeds saved).

But I still hope to hear from Seysonn. ;)

You all might wean me away from Brandywine yet.. And possibly Cherokee Purple...

Yardenman I just responded to you on another thread and I highly recommend Black from Tula and Indian stripe and for a red I forgot to add neves Azorean red.

Yardenman,

+1 on Indian Stripe. Much more prolific than CP with a very good taste. I've grown CP for the past 5 years and IS blows it away in terms of production and ripening time.

Why are you growing both SunSugar and Sungold? They are basically the same variety (gold/orange sweet cherry).

For some variety, I'd throw in some greens/yellows/oranges/bi-colors to your list....

Here's my thoughts on some well known/reviewed varieties of each:

Greens: Cherokee Green, Dorthy's Green, Humph
Yellows: Dr. Wyche's Yellow, Hugh's
Oranges: Gold Medal (otherwise known as Ruby Gold), Kellogg's Breakfast
Bicolors: Pineapple, Hillbilly, Lucky Cross, Virginia Sweets

If you'd like a different cherry variety, one that is extremely prolific and gets great reviews here is Black Cherry.

A few more I will start that I picked up seeds for yesterday while at Lowe's.

Big Rainbow
Pruden's Purple
Box Car Willie
Abe Lincoln
Patio Princess
Jubilee

I will be on the look out for more Cherokee Purple seeds. As the stock I have from last year will be planted out. (100% Germination rate so far from seeds that have been stored in my dresser drawer.)

At that I am done on getting seeds.

I mean it for real. (Honest I am not a seed addict. I do not have a problem with having tons of plants, and no space for them.) (Humor)

I plan on a couple of plants for each to grow in my garden. The rest will be sold to recoup some of the cost involved this year.

Yardenman ,, Some years ago, in another place, I planted Brandywine and got few ripe fruits. I remember it was tasty. In 2013 I grew it in my current location and did not get a single ripe fruit. So that is why I stopped growing it. The same year I planted Black Krem too. It had good taste. What I didn't like about it was that it cracked and had green shoulders.

My recommendation to you (yardenman) is to try "Ananas Noire". I have posted a picture a few posts before. Another one is Japanese Black Trifele. I grew it last year. It is very tasty brown tomato. This year I am going to add another black/brown, which is "Black from Tula".

So far my favorite in brown/black category are: CP, AN, JBT

Seysonn

I grow for myself and 8 neighbors, friends and a small non profit cafe'

All my heirlooms I graft, I plant 2 of each variety, double leaders, drip and black plastic mulch. My soil is great and I have a detailed soil test done at U Mass every year.

Rose, as good or better tasting than Brandywine, very large, more productive, I will grow both as neighbors can tell the difference on looks alone.
brandywine
cherokee purple
black krim
valencia
moskvich
german johnson
great white
prudens purple
aunt gurtie german green

cherry type
sun gold, pick every other day or they will crack. people that dont care for tomatos love sun gold, I'll add 2 sun sugar this year and compare them side by side
super sweet 100
black cherry Winner of Penn State blind tasting and always in the top 3
gold nugget
blue indigo, (no more, they were vigorous but were very slow to ripen when they attained maximum size, they were hard for a few weeks) I grew the for 3 years. I gave a dozen plants away the reports back were similar to mine.
I eliminated 1 yellow mini ???? so I'll add the Bumble Bee and Tiger collection. they were big hits at the local farmers markets last year

Martha Washington, tasty, medium large size, uniform plants (4)
BHN 821 medium size, determinate, orange

I have several more that escape me right now.
I also grow a sauce tomato, the seed came from a small village in Greece, a neighbor arrived as a little girl in the late 40's early 50's these seeds were give to her as a going away gift, they have good vigor and good lief coverage, fruits are 6-9 oz, with about 10 % growing a pound or more and several close to 2 lbs. very few seeds and few foliage concerns. Because when she offered me seeds, I asked about a label, it was there in the bag with the seeds, IN Greek !, so because of the square shoulders I called it the Pepper Shaped Greek Tomato or PSGT

I think different areas of the county will produce different results. soil and water types, to much sun not enough sun. I believe you have to feed your plants regularly and never let them dry out to much. I'm not organic but I'm as close to it without getting certified as such

ron48,

I'm interested in the Bumble Bee series as well, but have heard they are all look with no taste (similar to the Indigo cherries). Which Bumble Bee have you grown and how is the taste?

smithmal

We grew nearly 80 heirloom varieties last year for the first time.

The ones we are growing again this year are:

Amana Orange, Arkansas Traveler, Aunt Gertie's Gold, Aunt Ginny's Purple, Big Rainbow, Black from Tula, Dana's Dusky Rose, Indian Stripe, KBX, Liz Birt, Pruden's Purple, Cherokee Purple, Cowlick's Brandywine, Spudakee, Stump of the World, Vorlon, JD's Special C-Tex, Winsall

If I were to put them into 3 categories, it would go like this:

Very Productive, Decent to Good taste:
Amana Orange, Arkansas Traveler, Aunt Gertie's Gold, Stump of the World, Black from Tula, Winsall

Very Productive, Good to Excellent taste:
Indian Stripe, Dana's Dusky Rose, Spudakee, Cowlick's Brandywine, KBX, Aunt Ginny's Purple, Big Rainbow, Pruden's Purple, Liz Birt,

Not as Productive, Good to Excellent taste:
Cherokee Purple, JD's Special C-Tex, Vorlon

If I had to pick a "top 5" from all those, off the top of my head, it would probably be Indian Stripe, Spudakee, Cowlick's Brandywine, Liz Birt and Aunt Ginny's Purple.

hockingapple,

Awesome information there. Thanks for your post. I've never heard of Dana's Dusky Rose, Spudakee, and Liz Birt, but now they are on my radar.

I was planning on growing both JD's Special C-Tex and Vorlon, I expect black heirlooms to be moderately productive and was really surprised by how well IS produced.

Are there any other blacks you're considering this growing season?

smithmal, Dana's Dusky Rose was by far one of the most productive of the 80+ varieties we grew, was also one of the most beautiful, and although it didn't have quite as much "sweet" to my palate as Indian Stripe or Spudakee, it was still quite good. Indian Stripe and Spudakee were also very productive (and early). Liz Birt is a cross of Brandywine and Cherokee Purple, so with a pedigree like that how could it miss?! It was one of the "meatiest" varieties we tried last year, had some definite "sweet" flavor to it, and overall we just liked it very much. It was moderately productive, and was very early for us.

We liked both JD's Special C-Tex and Vorlon quite a bit, they just weren't quite as productive. JD's also had a fair bit more catfacing and cracking than IS, Spud or Vorlon, but the flavor and texture were worth it to grow again.

We are planning to try 2 other black varieties this year, Indian Zebra (supposed to be very much like Indian Stripe except a little larger) and Black Giant, which is supposedly very good and very productive.

Sample seeds is great.. wonderful. The packets themselves don't have a lot of information but Remy is pretty good about splitting up what's an annual, perennial etc on her site as you shop by page by those categories. Varieties have great descriptions on the website too. She's also more than happy to help through her facebook page etc and stuff if you need it. One of the best out there I think!

And on topic to this thread...

I'm growing a lot of tomato types from the dwarf tomato project, also found at the website proper but also at Sampleseeds.com. I grew Sweet Adelaide last summer and we loved it! I'm going to try them in buckets with drip irrigation.

My official list looks like this, trying a lot of new ones this year:

Lost Marbles
Hog Heart
Earl of Edgecomb
Red currant
Uluru Ochre
Matina
Garden Lime
Sweet Adelaide
Chocolate Champion
Clear Pink Early
Sophie's Choice
Stupice
Sungold F1
Golden Queen USDA
Tiny Tim- For pots and gifts
"Big Rainbow"- Dunno what it really is but I've been growing this and saving seed from it every year for years now, a favorite of our family. Is what it sounds like.

Good luck to everyone this season!

Just a quick comment about AGG - one of the most delicious tomatoes I've eaten especially for a yellow/gold tomato, but also one of the most frustrating. Late to produce, very few tomatoes and disease prone, at least where I grow it, in zone 5b. Starts out strong but not many fruits. So I'm giving up on it this year. Might try Sweet Ozark Orange.
SunSugar for me might not be as productive as SunGold but doesn't crack and I find the taste sweeter.

Seysonn, let me know how you like Brandy Boy. Again, my crop last year was so-so, but I had problems with disease last year and BB was affected also much to my disappointment.

hockingapple,

What size and shape did you see with Dana's Dusky Rose? It is my understanding that this variety is not yet stable so growers are getting lots of variation from their grow outs.

Also, where did you get the seeds?

smithmal, according to my records, my average size for Dana's Dusky Rose tomatoes was around 11 oz., pretty close to Indian Stripe. Tomato shape was also very similar to Indian Stripe. I hadn't heard anything about the claims of DDR being unstable, but I had 3 plants and they all turned out the same type tomatoes, in abundance. Here's a picture of one I took last season.

I got my seeds from Double Helix Farms (doublehelixfarms.com).

Hi, here's my list, this is double what I planted last year. I have a seedling sale in May which did pretty well last year, and I am expanding....Anyone see a dud, please let me know! I got the seeds from several sources: Pinetree, DustBowl, MyPatriotSupply, SampleSeeds, TomatoGrowersSupply and Seedaholic(Rosada tomato).

Oxheart Red
Oxheart Pink
Cherokee Purple
Earl of Edgecombe
German Red Strawberry
German Orange Strawberry
Tomato "Blush"
Black From Tula
Jaune Flamme
Malachite Box (green/yellow)
Sungold F1
Momotaro F1
Big Beef F1
Neves Azorean Red
Sweet Hearts F1 (grape)
Pink Berkeley Tie-Dye
Kosovo
Manyel
Pork Chop
Prudens Purple
Taxi
Armenian Persimmon (from my cousin)
Peacevine (red cherry)
Rosada (from Ireland: Seedaholic--very large grape?)
Big Rainbow
Indigo Rose

Thanks!
Eve

Seysonn, let me know how you like Brandy Boy.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

@Sharon, I will definitely let you and others know about Brandy Boy. But it is when the time comes.

@Eve ... you have a nice selection. Good luck !

If you live in a difficult environment for tomatoes. Maybe the galapagos tomato is something.

I read a lot of good stories about them. Im trying them out this year for the first time! hope the stories are true..

they give little yellow fruits.

Im trying out 4 plants also. 2 galapagos and the other 2 i dont know yet. i read a lot of sun gold users, so maybe ill try those.

Good luck!! hope you grow good!

Eve,

I like just about everything on your list except for Indigo Rose. Many have labeled it as a "novelty" cherry with a bland taste. There are much better cherries you could grow in its place.

Will grow most of what I grew last year with a few exceptions. Here is a list with my experience with each.

Cherokee Purple: This was my most productive and best tasting that I grew and also one of the earliest.

Anna Russian: Almost as good as CP, not quite as productive but certainly up there and one of the earliest.

Green Zebra: Good taste and production but lots of BER.

Armenian: Very large and good looking tomatoes and very sweet, almost like eating a peach. I prefer a more tart acid taste but will try it again.

Below is a list of varieties that I did not get a lot of production from mainly from disease problems but will try again:

Italian Heirloom
Pantano Romenesco
Neves Azorian Red
San Marzano Redorta
Opalka
Pruden's Purple

Below are some that I wasn't too impressed with

Stupice: Very productive but a bit small for my liking, but I grew them for the earliness and they were only a couple of days earlier. Will not grow again.

Big Beef OP: Very vigorous plants and productive but tomatoes hung on the vine forever in a half ripe condition and were somewhat small. Might try one plant again.

Kellogg's Breakfast: Very large Beefsteaks and vigorous plants but not very productive and the tomatoes did not have good texture. Might try one plant again.

Brandywine Yellow: Grew this the last couple of years and not very productive for me.

New varieties I would like to grow this year:

Aunt Ginny's Purple
Stump of the World
Omar's Lebanese
Brandywine OTV
KBX

Last year taught me I need a few hybrids in case the weather is like it has been the last two years. Even with a regimen of regular spraying with Daconil I lost just about everything mid season.

Big Beef F1
Big Boy F1

Homer Fike's Yellow Oxheart is one of the best tasting and prolific yellow tomatoes. I like it sooo much better than Kellogg's Breakfast. Homer Fike's is also very fleshy with few seeds and you can peel the skin off it raw. Huge and flavorful fruits!

And for a bi-color I like Big Rainbow but think that Virginia Sweets is better flavored and more prolific. Another favorite bi is Hazel Mae -- though if you grow it you'd better know that this variety likes to grow out quite a bit before it flowers and then it goes gangbusters! The first time I grew it I was distressed because it was getting towards mid-June and it was big and leafy but no flowers. And then, almost overnight, it was loaded with flowers.

For pink/red I grow Julia Child, Rose and Purple Passion. These all have great flavor and and medium to very large beefsteaks. I've grown Italian Heirloom and it can be great one year and so-so the next.

Dark tomato favorites are Cherokee Chocolate, Cherokee Purple and Chocolate Stripes.

Cherries I grow are Chocolate Cherry, Lemon Drop, Velvet Red, Mexico Midget and Brown Berry.

I also grow Sweet Pea Currant, which is a charming plant and the tiny fruits are as full-flavored as a good beefsteak, but it is prone to early blight. (A favorite tomato story of mine concerns my sister-in-law. I was coming to visit and she wanted me to bring some tomatoes. I told her I was bringing about 100 and she gasped. She was relieved when I handed her a quart ziplock full of Sweet Pea Currants; she put them in a chicken pasta salad and it was terrific!)

bluemater,

Yet another fabulous tomato variety I've never heard from. The pics I've seen of Homer Fike's Yellow Oxheart make it look absolutely stunning.

I love Kellogg's Breakfast/KBX as a orange yellow when it does well. That being said, I've had a couple seasons when it has not. How long have you grown HFYO and have you notice good production each year?

Due to the meatyness of HFYO, it also looks like it would make one a really nice sauce or salsa.

smithmal...Homer Fike's makes an awesome sauce and salsa! I made a sauce just from them and it was a gorgeous yellow sauce with full/sweet tomato flavor. My friends were very surprised by it.

I've grown it for the last 3 years and they are prolific and the fruits are very large and heavy. The fruit lasts a long time after picking -- doesn't go bad if it sits around for awhile. I think the plant itself is pretty hearty and don't recall BER problems.

The only real draw back is that if you like to collect seeds, you'll need to harvest a good half a dozen or more to get a decent amount. This tomato is very fleshy with little seeds or jelly yet the flesh is not dry or grainy.

If you have space for a good yellow give it a try. I've got a bunch of seeds and can mail you 10 or 20 gratis.

I have room for ~10 plants.

Repeaters:
Opalka
Cuostralee
1884 Purple
Sungold
Big Beef

New:
Brandy Boy
Indian Stripe
German Red Strawberry

New and considering:
Jersey Boy
Kellogg's Breakfast
Box Car Willie
Arkansas Traveler
Neves Azorean Red
Mariana's Peace
Omar's Lebanese
Pruden's Purple
Rutgers
Richardson

As I only have 3 others I have room for, any recommendations from the "new and considering" list is appreciated.

regards,
Tom

Tom,

From a variety standpoint after looking at your list, I would go for the following:

Arkansas Traveler - prolific slicer
Marianna's Peace - fabulous pink beefsteak
Kellogg's Breakfast - a great orange beefsteak

Here is my list for 2015. I wanted to go with varieties that came in a little earlier this year (except for Cherokee Purple, anyway). My current garden plan has room for 44 plants. So, I'm figuring 4 of each...

1. Fireworks
2. 4th of July
3. Cherokee Purple
4. Kosovo
5. Anna Russian
6. Eva Purple Ball
7. Black Early
8. Roma Grande (still trying to confirm that this Burpee variety is the same as Rio Grande)
9. Opalka
10. Bloody Butcher
11. Momotaro

Trying to narrow down a good source for Black Early and Momotaro. The others seem to be more widely available.

thank you smithmal!

tjinpgh,

Last year I grew Momotaro and Eva Purple Ball. I couldn't tell the difference in looks or in taste. Someone, who grows a ton of tomatoes in a greenhouse agreed with me on that! Perhaps you can eliminate one. I will keep EPB because it's open pollinated.

HTH,
Linda

Linda,
Thanks for the response.

Momotaro got added to my list as a result of losing the hand written list I'd made up. I was able to figure out 10 out of the 11 I'd decided on. Came across Momotaro while looking through some listings for early tomatoes.

Open pollinated, TBH, doesn't make much difference to me. I grow too many different varieties in too close a proximity to want to save seeds.

It was my understanding when I picked it that it came in rather early. If those of you who have had experience with it suggest differently, then I'd certainly consider picking a different one. Especially since the seeds seem to be a bit pricey and hard to come by.

Reviews of the flavor seemed positive, though, for a relatively early variety.

Momotaro seeds can be purchased by TGS (see link).

From scanning the net, different people have had different experiences growing Momotaro.

If it were up to me, I'd pick EPB before Momotaro as I have yet to hear one is way more productive than the other. If all things are equal, I usually default to OPs vs Hybrids.

That being said, I've read another variety, Pale Perfect Purple, beats both Momo and EPB hands down. I've never heard of PPP,, but everyone that grows it raves about it.

Here is a link that might be useful: Momotaro Seeds (TGS)

I just placed a seed order-- I got overwhelmed looking at varieties and just ended up picking some without doing much additional research.

Flavor is my top priority, then yield. I wanted to try new varieties-- I was not pleased with my "box store" plants last year.

Big Bite (not the beefsteak version)-- I got a few plants of this variety a few years ago and they were the best tomato I have ever eaten. I chose the site I ordered from this year because it appeared to list the correct variety (~4 ounce tomatoes with excellent tomato flavor).

Snow White Cherry-- I haven't grown a cherry tomato before, and like the idea of having lots of fresh tomatoes for salads.

Gary O'Sena-- supposed to be a brandywine/ cherokee cross with good flavor. I think it should do well in my climate.

Heidi-- I'd like to try canning some pasta sauce this year for the first time.

smithmal,

Thanks for the info and the link. I'll check it all out.

I wound up purchasing -

Jet Star
Sweet Tangerine
Sun Gold
Golden Rave

Most were chosen due to their lower acid content. I plan to grow 2 plants of each.

Peter1142,

Love all except for Golden Rave. I've never grown it but there are limited reviews and from the ones I have read, the flavor isn't very promising (google Dave's Garden and Golden Rave). Seems similar to yellow pear which is probably the top ZAPPED variety on everyone's list.

Some good alternative yellow/orange cherries include:

Galina's Yellow
Gajo De Melon
Jaune Flamme

smithmal

I got the Golden Rave as my wife has had it before and it didn't give her heartburn... no other reason. We'll see! :)