Tomatoes for 2025

[SPedigrees]

I am thinking of growing an heirloom tomato next summer, rather than the Arctic Plenty variety I grew this year. I think that now with my indoor grow light kit, if I start the plants early they might have a hope of ripening before frost. A short growing time was my main reason for planting Arctic Plenty variety, but while very *plentiful* (like their name) they fell short on flavor.

Has anyone grown Riesentraube cherry tomatoes, and how was your experience with them?

Their general description is :
(Solanum lycopersicum). This old German heirloom was offered in Philadelphia by the mid-1800s. The sweet, red 1-oz fruit grow in large clusters. The name Riesentraube means “giant bunch of grapes” in German. This is likely the most popular small tomato with seed collectors, as many favor the rich, full tomato flavor that is missing in today’s cherry types. To top it all off, the large plants produce massive yields.

Tomato Seeds, Riesentraube

Experience the joy of growing your own Riesentraube Tomatoes with seeds from RareSeeds.com. Shop now for pure, natural, non-GMO heirloom seeds!

www.rareseeds.com

 

[heirloomgal]

I am thinking of growing an heirloom tomato next summer, rather than the Arctic Plenty variety I grew this year. I think that now with my indoor grow light kit, if I start the plants early they might have a hope of ripening before frost. A short growing time was my main reason for planting Arctic Plenty variety, but while very *plentiful* (like their name) they fell short on flavor.

Has anyone grown Riesentraube cherry tomatoes, and how was your experience with them?

Their general description is :
(Solanum lycopersicum). This old German heirloom was offered in Philadelphia by the mid-1800s. The sweet, red 1-oz fruit grow in large clusters. The name Riesentraube means “giant bunch of grapes” in German. This is likely the most popular small tomato with seed collectors, as many favor the rich, full tomato flavor that is missing in today’s cherry types. To top it all off, the large plants produce massive yields.

Tomato Seeds, Riesentraube

Experience the joy of growing your own Riesentraube Tomatoes with seeds from RareSeeds.com. Shop now for pure, natural, non-GMO heirloom seeds!

www.rareseeds.com

I've grown it, I liked it very much. I thought it was considerably above average for a red large cherry. It isn't super sweet like Sungold, it's more balanced. I was surprised how much I liked it actually, I had read it was sour but the year I grew it I thought it had complex and balanced taste. Rich.

Sub-Artic Plenty is extremely popular here, but I don't know why. There are so many better tomatoes out there that mature just as early. Moskvich is a great early tomato, beautiful red beefsteak. Marmeladnye Krasnye
is a good one too. Russia has developed a lot of wonderful early varieties.

 

[SPedigrees]

Sub-Artic Plenty is extremely popular here, but I don't know why. There are so many better tomatoes out there that mature just as early.

Probably its popularity is because it was developed in your country. I chose it because of how early it bears fruit, and with our short growing season this was a draw. These tomatoes were fine in salads, and made 4 big containers of spaghetti sauce, one eaten and the other three in the freezer. However for snacking, they were lacking in taste.

My dad is 98 and since he and his wife (he remarried after my mom passed) have everything as do I, gifts these days are usually edibles. So recently I sent them a wine and fruit box, and also happened to send a photo of my kitchen counter covered in Arctic Plenty tomatoes. He wrote back that he would have liked a box of those! I wrote back that these were not the best tasting tomatoes. He concurred, saying that he always buys heirloom tomatoes at the fruit market because they have the best taste. Reminded that he always keeps a box of cherry tomatoes on the kitchen counter to snack on, I realized that home-grown heirloom tomatoes would make the perfect gift.

Thanks for the review of Riesentraube tomatoes. These are the only heirloom cherry tomatoes in all my seed catalogs. No telling, at my dad's age, if he will still be here to share in next summer's harvest, but I'm going to grow them regardless.

On edit: is there anything one can do to (additives to the soil, fertilizers) that will ensure against sourness?

 

[digitS']

With all the rain that you had in the 2024 growing season, SPedigrees, ..

. I would have expected that "lacking in taste" would have been not so much to do about sourness but being bland.

Yes, I used to grow Subartic Plenty and was happy enough to move on from those. Keep in mind that I usually need not be concerned about too much rain during the time that tomatoes are ripening but, it happens sometimes and they have lost flavor.

Steve

 

[SPedigrees]

Yes, I used to grow Subartic Plenty and was happy enough to move on from those. Keep in mind that I usually need not be concerned about too much rain during the time that tomatoes are ripening but, it happens sometimes and they have lost flavor.

Too much rain will dilute flavor? I didn't know that. Here's hoping we have drier conditions next summer.

 

[heirloomgal]

Too much rain will dilute flavor? I didn't know that. Here's hoping we have drier conditions next summer.

Yes, on almost everything, especially fruits. Herbs too taste better in more arid conditions. Fresh beans are actually the best after heavy rain though.

I have found sourness to be mostly tied to the variety, though drought can affect that. I found one of the keys to getting the best flavor no matter the variety is to give them just enough of what they need, but not too much, for everything including fertility. Lots of leaves help too since that's where the taste in tomatoes is manufactured, more leaves = more taste. It transfers to the fruit at the very last stage of maturity.

 

[R2elk]

is there anything one can do to (additives to the soil, fertilizers) that will ensure against sourness?

All of my tomatoes pretty much tasted the same no matter what variety. When I discovered azomite and started using it, they all started having different flavors. The azomite seems to improve the sugar content among other things.

I live on a sand dune so I must make repeated applications. A person with good soil may be able to get by with one annual application. Azomite contains trace minerals and is mined near Salt lake City, Utah.

 

[SPedigrees]

All of my tomatoes pretty much tasted the same no matter what variety. When I discovered azomite and started using it, they all started having different flavors. The azomite seems to improve the sugar content among other things.

I live on a sand dune so I must make repeated applications. A person with good soil may be able to get by one annual application. Azomite contains trace minerals and is mined near Salt lake City, Utah.

Thank you! This is interesting, and I'm definitely going to look into getting azomite and trying it out.

 

[ducks4you]

I wanted to be sure you'all saw this tomato seed special. I found Victory Seeds when I was looking for heirloom tobacco seeds. Reputable seed company!
For you tomato lovers and experts, check this out:
218 tomato varieties available this week only

Victory Seed Company
From:tomato@victoryseeds.com

Seasonally available tomato varieties now available, for this week only!

Ever heard of 'Giant Heart Climber' Tomato? It's a gigantic pink heart-shaped tomato that can be up to 32 ounces. And yet, we only sold a few dozen packets of it last year. Or how about the variety 'Stick'? That one is one of the most unusual plants, with straight stalks that look like sticks. The leaves develop into tight clusters that look like pom-poms. Truly an extraordinary variety, yet we only sold exactly 12 packets of it last year.

Other companies would simply discontinue offering poorly selling varieties, because it takes a lot of effort to keep seed in stock and most companies don't want to lose money maintaining varieties that few people want to grow. Not so with us! We're in the seed preserving business and we're determined to keep these varieties alive and available to our customers. But, we do relegate these underperformers to a special week each year in which customers can order them. Therefore, we have now opened up ordering for 218 of our rarest and most under-rated tomato varieties. They will only be available for purchase starting now until the ordering window closes on January 11th.

Seasonal Varieties​

These varieties are only available for purchase during a one week period in early January. To learn more about our seasonal variety program, click here.

victoryseeds.com

 

[digitS']

Click on that Giant Heart Climber link, then go to the Seasonal Varieties link on the Victory Seed webpage. Just going to their home page or even the tomato page doesn't get you to the seasonal offers for this week.

Victory used to sell old time candies. They almost had me there .

The company went into the Dwarf Tomato Project in a big and important way for that breeding effort by growers. If you are limited on space or just interested in smaller plants – there you go.