Let's talk Tomatoes here for 2022. There are so many great ones to choose from.

We got here from the 2021 thread.
The thread "2021 Tomato Thread" in Vegetables and Fruit forum

Happy New Year Rita, so glad to see this thread.

Thanks Rita!

In my seemingly never-ending quest to find a replacement for my favorite sauce tomato, Viva Italia, I'm trying several new varieties this year:
LaRoma 3 (a determinate hybrid)
Milano Plum (a determinate open pollinated type)
and Granadero (a hybrid semi-determinate type)

I'm also trying a de-hybridized version of "Big Beef" (from Tomatofest), and 'Independence Day,' an OP type that should be similar to the hybrid '4th of July.'

and probably a couple more new ones, but haven't decided which ones yet...

Has anyone grown any of the above - and if so, what did you think of them?

People actually grow their own tomatoes??? Who'duv thunk it?????

Yeah, it's hard to understand when the ones sold in the grocery store during the winter are so good

Sarcasm there? Sandy ?

Who? me?

Who was joking about a black-AND-white tomato?
https://renaissancefarms.org/p...

Don't really know what I'm growing, it's kind of a blur. But work just announced we're closed tomorrow, we have snow predicted, (and besides, with our pandemic situation, practically half staffed at my location, I think they just said Oh, heck with it.. ) so I may get out the seeds!

Weedwhacker said:Yeah, it's hard to understand when the ones sold in the grocery store during the winter are so good

I had a weak moment at Costco last week. I bought a tray of some really pretty little tomatoes, all still in a bunch. They actually had a fair taste, but the texture was, how shall we say it, "cardboard-ish"? We've got a few left that we're letting sit in there to ripen(?) more. But, uh, yeah...these winter tomatoes create an altogether "different experience".

Btw, I took a couple of the Costco tomatoes to my gardening buddy last Friday when I went to watch the college football playoffs with him. I've tried to contact him since....voice, texts, but nada. I think he tasted one of the tomatoes and isn't speaking to me right now.

I bought some paste tomatoes today, I bought 2 eggplants today too, they were 3lbs for a dollar. I need them for a lamb/balsamic dish.

sallyg said:Who was joking about a black-AND-white tomato?
https://renaissancefarms.org/p...

I guess beauty really IS in the eye of the beholder - I looked at that and thought "that is about the ugliest tomato I've ever seen!" (showed it to my husband - without making any comment about it - and he said "it looks like it's rotten") And I can just imagine starting seeds and giving the plants to my brothers-in-law -- although maybe I wouldn't have to ever start plants for them again if I did; hmmmm.

Brad Gates produced what I would call an ugly tomato, it's called Aromic Grape. He really struck out on this one. It looks like someone hurled up on it. A total mish mash of colors, emerald green meat, and a funky taste to it. Not attractive, to say the least. I could get by that, but the taste totally turned me off.
Sticking to my guns and not doing a lot of tomatoes this year. I will be growing a bush watermelon again, plus pole and shell beans. And onions!

Weedwhacker said:Yeah, it's hard to understand when the ones sold in the grocery store during the winter are so good

Winter grocery tomatoes are a whole different , er, animal. I take them for what they are, but they are NOT summer home grown ones.

Usually the Romas I buy are OK. Kind of. But the last two were spitters. Unbelievably gross!

I have to choose from the following this year

Rio Grande
Arkansas Traveler
Brandywine red
"Large red Cherry"
Ace 55
San Marzano
Beef steak
Homestead
Roma
Super Beefsteak

Going to try to not overdo it this year... I do want some productive buggers to be able to make some sauce with. Probably just a plant or 3 with intent of slicing/fresh eating only. Then maybe 1-2 of some of the new to me varieties just to see how they are.

Binford, Beefsteak (hybrid) was very productive of nice large tomatoes in my high tunnel last season. That's the only one on your list that I've grown, at least in the recent past.

I've grown brandywine, Arkansas Traveler, homestead, and large red cherry. Bendy wine produced very late for me, and not a large harvest. Arkansas traveler has a really good taste, a pink tomato, good harvest but here it's not disease resistant. Oh, also Roma, which is the paste tomato everyone here grows. I don't make paste, I prefer tomatoes for fresh eating. I was not impressed with homestead, not a lot of taste and a so so harvest. San Marzano seems to have a larger harvest than Roma here, we grew them for the sale one year and folks seemed to like them.