Lightbulb moment

[nachoqtpie]

So, yesterday I'm bringing in my tomatoes for the evening (some of which are still purple) and I said to my husband "These ones don't look like tomatoes... they look more like peppers, but they looked like tomato seeds when I put them in the pot! What the heck?" and he said "Well, what kind of tomatoes did you plant?" and I said "I have no idea! It just said 7 heirloom variety." and he says "Well... who's to say some tomatoes don't have smooth leaves like that instead of the jagged shaped ones we're used to." I said "There you go thinking with that Indian brain of yours!" (He's Native American) and we both laughed, but secretly I was thinking "This man is nuts! There aren't any tomatoes with smooth leaves like that!"

I guess I'm going to have to make some crow this morning!! Just on a whim I googled "tomato plant with smooth leaves" and what pops up?? (I'm sure all you seasoned gardeners know what I'm about to say) BRANDYWINE TOMATOES!

I have 3 for sure, but 2 more are looking like they might be Brandywine as well. so a possible 5 out of 12 tomato plants (possibly 11... one is looking a little rough and beat up yet). It really is killing me to not know what type of tomatoes I have sometimes. Other times I think I'm going to have homegrown tomatoes that I started from seed! WOOO!

 

[Ridgerunner]

You might want to google some more. There are two basic types of tomato leaves, the regular serrated ones most people are used to and the smooth ones called potato leaved. Since this is nature, there are some sort of in between.

There are several varieties other than Brandywine that could have those smooth leaves. You are going to have to have patience to find out what you have. I predict a future thread on here with pictures of ripe tomatoes asking "Which variety is this?"

 

[trunkman]

awesome, let's see some pics!

 

[nachoqtpie]

Oh Ridgerunner... you popped my bubble!!

I will take some pics and post them.. they don't look like much right now tho... LOL

 

[nachoqtpie]

Here's some pictures. Keep in mind that this is homegrown compost... and that my husband has a NEED to throw peanut shells in there even tho I've told him multiple times that it takes forever for them to break down. LOL

The 3 in the back are the ones that have the purple stems and leaves

The 3 in the front are the suspected brandywines



Wow... I didn't realize there were so many heirlooms with the potato leaf! Yikes! RR you are probably right about the "What type is this?" thread later in the season!

 

[digitS']

I had problems using my photographs as links to YouTube videos. When the video is removed from YouTube, my photo disappears from TEG .

If you do a topic search of Mystery Tomato, you will see me going on all atwitter about a "Mystery Tomato" that showed up in my flats of Early Girls. Later in 2011, another mystery potato-leaf plant showed up in a later-sown flat. From saved seed, there are a few to try again for 2012. The plant I placed in my garden (gave the other away) was kind of puny but the fruit was virtually identical to Early Girl. (The neighbor's plant grew normally but I lost it in his "jungle" so had to save seed from my puny one :/.) Here is that one's picture while still in with it's buddies:

I used the same picture in last year's thread but it is gone - you can only go back and share my early season enthusiasm. It seems possible that I've got the Early Girl's mother.

Anyway, the leaves really do look more like a potahto than a tomahto. They also look more like a pepper or an eggplant. But, I think your husband may be right, qt.

Steve

 

[897tgigvib]

Those are looking good.

There REALLY AND TRULY are a whole lot of other "potato leaved" varieties of tomato besides Brandywine.
Some of them look similar, some look very different.

There is also ANOTHER leaf type besides smooth and regular serrated. It's called Rugose.

Rugose leaves on a Tomato variety that has them are beautiful, ornamental sometimes. A variety called Patio has Rugose leaves.

There are varieties of Potato leaved tomato that make small plants, but most make big plants.

Quite a number of tomato varieties have those reddish baby stems. I think it looks cool!

 

[nachoqtpie]

Cuh-razy Steve!!! It's amazing how 1 little plant can cause even a seasoned gardener into a frenzy! LOL

I think they are looking pretty good too... its just too bad that they SHOULD have been 2 months old by now, but since I forgot them outside overnight one time when they were little. *DOH!* They're about 2 weeks old or so now. I can't remember when I replanted, but it was towards the beginning of this month, so they're not really all that far along, considering they're SUPPOSED to go in the garden in about a week!