Those three should be fairly easy to differentiate. Grandma's pick is one ugli tomato. Did not do anything for me but hopefully you will have more success.

Fantastic is a medium large round red. Similar to Celebrity in fuit size and shape, but indeterminate and in my case an excellent producer. I have not grown Buffalo Steak, but it is advertise as a relatively smooth beefsteak type.

what is what & where. . . .

people think I've got OCD when they find out I have a map of my flower gardens. . . with measurements for each section!! I list what is where, how deep bulbs were planted. . . . measurements help with ordering seed, planning what fits mature-wise! But the best laid plans. . . when my garden helper had to move all the plants from one garden (emergency: management surprised everyone by cutting down shading trees), he transplanted them to another garden wherever there was space and neglected to also transfer their names!! So I have 3 plants left that aren't identified (they didn't bloom, so STILL can't tell which 3 varieties didn't survive and/or what THESE 3 varieties are!!) and this fall must have my new garden helper move/re-arrange plants in that garden!!!

As for tomato ID, since I grow these in containers. . . .I cheat!!! I write their names directly on the container with a large, black Sharpie!! (I cross out the names of LAST year's variety, so I don't get confused.) With daily tending of my Tomato Jungle, this makes keeping individual production easier!!

I think maps are more reliable than stakes. Sometimes I wonder if some demented squirrel decided to decorate his or her nest with plastic plant stakes!

Or more likely my looney neighbor.

oh, yeah..I also have a spreadsheet on my PC to keep tomato production records and rate them. I may remember stuff about the varieties I tried 3 years ago. . . but my memory is. . . . not reliable??

BetNC said:what is what & where. . . .

people think I've got OCD when they find out I have a map of my flower gardens. . . with measurements for each section!! I list what is where, how deep bulbs were planted. . . . measurements help with ordering seed, planning what fits mature-wise! But the best laid plans. . . when my garden helper had to move all the plants from one garden (emergency: management surprised everyone by cutting down shading trees), he transplanted them to another garden wherever there was space and neglected to also transfer their names!! So I have 3 plants left that aren't identified (they didn't bloom, so STILL can't tell which 3 varieties didn't survive and/or what THESE 3 varieties are!!) and this fall must have my new garden helper move/re-arrange plants in that garden!!!

As for tomato ID, since I grow these in containers. . . .I cheat!!! I write their names directly on the container with a large, black Sharpie!! (I cross out the names of LAST year's variety, so I don't get confused.) With daily tending of my Tomato Jungle, this makes keeping individual production easier!!

No maps here as I simply change things around all the time. Too often to change any maps.

But the tomatoes I have learned just to mark on the cages. That way I always can see what they are. And really I do remember most of them but not all.

I always mark the cages AND make a diagram of what tomatoes are where... but in your case, Rita, with -- HOW many tomatoes do you have?? -- I can certainly see why a diagram wouldn't be too practical!

Weedwhacker said:I always mark the cages AND make a diagram of what tomatoes are where... but in your case, Rita, with -- HOW many tomatoes do you have?? -- I can certainly see why a diagram wouldn't be too practical!

I have 120 this year and I am finding it slightly overwhelming. I have to pick everyday. I try to keep ahead but I don't seem to get ahead.

I really need to cut back next year. I am thinking to increase the amount of pepper plants here and decrease the amount of tomato plants.

I did my best to strip the backyard heirloom plants to today to get anything near ripe. Filled a nice big box. It was raining but I had to pick. So I bought them to my mechanic's (works on my car) shop. They really take good care of my car and I bring tomatoes each season.

Anyway they can divide them up between the guys there.

Mega Bite. These are small plants but really sturdy and stocky. Earlier tomatoes were larger than these set now but the rest seem to be in this size range. Taste is surprisingly good.

Thanks for the great ideas everyone It should not be hard at all to keep track of what I have as my garden is small. I think I only have 6 tomato plants and I give most away as I can't eat too many. The acid causes my collitus to flare up.

@farmerdill - Well I guess I can rule out Gramdma's Pick because none of the tomatoes I have look like that.

My first tomatoes to start getting red!

robynanne said:My first tomatoes to start getting red!

And then the feasting will begin.

Sometimes, I forget we're not all in the same/near USDA zones!!
My plants are nearing the end of their season; A few varieties have all but quit, already. I've planned on cutting all my tomato plants done and storing stuff, the second weekend of Sept (in 4 weeks). I'm already cutting back on the watering (hoping for them to have a "natural" death!!

This year, that's about 2-3 weeks early. . . . I need to have all my gardens put to bed for the winter, before I go have knee replacement surgery.

robynanne said:My first tomatoes to start getting red!

What kind of tomatoes are those, Robyn?

Weedwhacker said:

What kind of tomatoes are those, Robyn?

Lol, well, my daughter took an ice cream bucket and filed it with dirt and some seeds. This is what grew from that, it was in the ground actually through a couple below freezing nights this spring, I went out at night and tucked a big woolen knit hat over it so it wouldn't die. That's why it is the first to have tomatoes. I think she used some plain old burpee salad tomatoes, based on their size. I had thought she used cherry tomatoes, but these are too big.

Funny! The reason I asked is that they look an awful lot like the Viva Italia tomatoes that I have

I think sometimes we make all of this way too complicated ...

Well there are a lot of them so hopefully they make some nice sauce or paste for us. I was hoping they were jelly bean tomatoes but clearly not.

Hemlady said: ... and I give most away as I can't eat too many. The acid causes my collitus to flare up.

Have you tried some yellow tomatoes? Many or most of those have less acid (but then they taste bland).

(I used to use Ranitidine (Zantac?) but now I use Omepresol (Nexium??). Before that, I ALWAYS had "heartburn" and tomato sauce made it burn much worse. If collitus could be cured with simply "less stomach acid", those do work very well. At least well enough to let you eat more fresh tomatoes when they're in season!)

As Nietzsche should have said: "What doesn't kill us, does taste very good."

Honestly it depends on your taste (and the variety). I don't think yellow tomatoes taste bland.

I have found Lemon Drop and Lemon Cherry good, not so hot on Lemon Boy, and bleh on Yellow Pear. I do find yellow much milder than red tomatoes - not as much zing. That said, there are plenty of bland red tomatoes as well. I just keep experimenting and only grow 4-6 varieties per year so it's a slow go for me.

Bonehead said:I have found Lemon Drop and Lemon Cherry good, not so hot on Lemon Boy, and bleh on Yellow Pear. I do find yellow much milder than red tomatoes - not as much zing. That said, there are plenty of bland red tomatoes as well. I just keep experimenting and only grow 4-6 varieties per year so it's a slow go for me.

Yup, tastes vary. And certainly not all yellow tomatoes are the same. I grew Taxi this year and I am not impressed.