Poultry Talk Ontario (pto.ca)

Ok...i have a dilemma..nothing serious but i ha ve no idea how to go about finding out...three years ago i had planted my veggie garden ( its a big deal here ) and on my way home one evening i stopped in at my local CTC store and chked out the leftovers in the soon to be closed garden center...there was this lovely robust tomato plant all on its own that caught my eye...no tag tho but it already had a little red tomato on it...for a buck the plant went home with me ( ya ya, I'm a soft touch )... I stuck it in MJs herb bed close to the house...it was further along than anything yet growing in my garden so i was thinking early tomatos for salads and so on...it grew well...only about two feet tall but bushy and OMG! the yield...dozens of tomatoes, about 2" in diameter and almost round and get this, not one blemish or crack...the chipmunks found some but hey, thats the way of it...i decided to see if this particular plant could reproduce true to type so i saved seeds from two different tomatoes and the following spring i started the seeds to see what happened...well, perfect clones...awesome yield ...so of course this is a staple for me...My Question...obviously this tomato is a heritage type but how does one go about finding out the variety...i would like to share with family, friends and neighbours but what to tell them...i just refer to this as my "fantastic patio" tomato...but obviously its a known variety, i just don't know what it is....gah!....

"CTC Specials"

KimChick wrote: ↑

Sat Apr 14, 2018 1:51 pm

"CTC Specials"

Lol...gee thanks Kim...

Do you have any photos of the plant? Each heritage plant has certain characteristics..someone might recognize it.

From your description it sounds like sweet millions-the original cultiver was a cheery tomato but over time they got a bit bigger about 2 inches and was just loaded in tomatoes. The tomatoes themselves are in geoups of 10-12 on a stem alternate....and go from green to yellow to red with a very short lived yellow period. Plants are tall and need staking but not leggy like some...more of a bush tyep very dense and lots of branches if not prunes or pinched back....

Kathy..thanks...i guess I will have to wait for the seedlings i now have to grow out and take some good photos...i really like this variety...i try to grow some different types every year just for the sake of interest ...

Only two feet tall with tasty tomatoes? Sounds like a winner! You could go back to the store and ask what varieties they usually sell. Did somebody who works there grow seedlings for them? You could also go there when they have plants for sale and see if you can find a dwarf with small fruit and if they do, you could buy a plant and grow it side by side with yours to see if that is your baby.

Alternatively, you could simply call it Tom's Tom :).

Linda

labradors wrote: ↑

Sat Apr 14, 2018 2:06 pm

Only two feet tall with tasty tomatoes? Sounds like a winner! You could go back to the store and ask what varieties they usually sell. Did somebody who works there grow seedlings for them? You could also go there when they have plants for sale and see if you can find a dwarf with small fruit and if they do, you could buy a plant and grow it side by side with yours to see if that is your baby.

Alternatively, you could simply call it Tom's Tom :).

Linda

Thanks for that Linda...i doubt the store would be any help...i have never found anyone working in a Canatian Tire garden centre that knew anything about any of the plants they sell..only where stuff is, if, and thats a big if, they actually recognize the plant in your question...and yes, the plant is a winner...my youngest daughter is an apartment dweller with a balcony so she gets one or two from me to grow in a pot...works well there too...

You might want consider going to Burts greehouses. I happened to know you will get awesome help there. They qwill be able to let you the variety and be able to sell you some nice looking plants.....alas, they might be a bit more expensive but i have always found them to be very healthy plants and worth the little extra to support a family business.

Oh geesh! Somehow I missed the fact that it was Scruffy Tire. Our store is so hopeless that when I sent hubby out to buy a hydrangea, he had to call me to find out where they were. The assistant had no clue, and they seem to specialize in killing plants there .

I always grow a few compact tomatoes in pots on the deck. They aren't too difficult to haul inside if the weather turns cool, and if they get started in mid-Feb, we can have fresh tomatoes by mid-May, all going well :)

Linda

Tom, If you save the seeds, and it breeds true, you get to name it !!!