Firm skinned red/gold bicolor?

[zachsierke]

Does anyone know of large red/gold bicolor tomato that has firmer skin that is less prone to splitting than others? I have grown hillbilly, pineapple, and marvel striped. These fruit taste unbelievable: something more like tropical fruit than tomato. However, though they may ripen to a wonderful flavor at my 30 degree latitude sun, they are very prone to splitting open just before ripening , especially later in the season. If anyone has a variety that will resist this splitting please let me know. Thanks.
By the way, I garden in almost pure silica beach sand that is well amended with compost and manure; very spongy but drains very, very well. Also, my area tends to get between 80-90 inches of rain annually. It is one of the wettest places in the country.

[Hollowbrook]

Most of my heirloom tomato efforts seem to tell me the heirloom varieties are more susceptable to splitting in heavy rains. But the zebra ones do pretty well, and they are a green and yellow striped variety. Don't know of any red/gold varieties offhand.

[Hollowbrook]

Hold, on, there is a red zebra tomato (striped red and yellow). THat might work for you. 80 days propegation time. :)

[zachsierke]

Thanks for the input. I grow both green zebra and tigerella. They are small firm skinned, striped tomatoes. You are correct in suggesting them as crack-resistant varieties. However, they do not taste anything like the big red, gold bicolors about which I am concerned. Perhaps I'll just have to be content with the relatively few fruits that do make it to full ripeness.

[wildseed2u]

Hi I have the same problem, most heirloom varieties are prone to splitting. I find that if I give them a bit of Ebson Salt durring the warmer months and only water at night that they will crack less. also I try not to water them to heavily. I really like the large Bi colored ones , there is one all red type that I like its called Italian Giant Beefsteak it is not a very smooth variety but has a very nice full tomato flavor. One more thing I noticed is that Tomatoes are prone to splitting if they get to hot, you might want to try giving them a bit more shade. I plant my Tomatoes in a North, South direction this seems to help some to. You might want to keep some of the seeds from Tomatoes that don't show any signs of splitting while the other ones do. at some point you will have a variety that you really like that resist cracking and splitting. This trate can be bred into your plants by chosing various thick skinned types and using them to breed in with the type that you like. One more note on this , Big Juicy types tend to crack more than the paste types as these types are thicker and meatier with less juice. you might try growing some of the large paste types like Howard German or even Giant Paste Some of the Oxheart types do not crack as bad, but as they have very small leaves they tend to get Sun scald.
George W.

[redbrick]

I for one wholeheartedly recommend Howard German. Also you could try Mr. Stripey, not to be confused with Tigerella (also called Mr. Stripey). I just managed to get a plant this year, after having lost the strain for about 6 or 7 years. This was before I saved seeds. Hopefully, I can offer seed for swapping this fall.

[zachsierke]

Thanks for your input. In my very coastal growth zone 8b at 30 degrees lat. I get really hot in the summer. Though, my tomatoes may keep growing through the summer, they really suffer and stop producing fruit in July. I will try some shading this year or I may start a fall crop in July to put the ground in late august or september. By doing this we are sometimes blessed with christmas tomatoes. Epsom salts, huh? I'll give it a try. It only the big and soft bicolors that split. However, they are the only ones that seem to have that awesome fruity and tropical taste. Also, I do plant mine in a north to south direction. This year I have plantings from saved seeds, so we'll see what improvements are being made.

[Hollowbrook]

Try planting seeds that are from a climate similar to yours. For example, I find that cherokee purple tomatoes do well in hot, dry summers. That's because they were bred for that kind of climate. Sometimes you can tell by where the seeds are from, how they'll do in your climate.


I wish I lived in a coastal growth zone! What is with this weather? I planted out my heirloom tomatoes this weekend. May 15 is supposed to be the last day for frost in PA. Just two counties north of mine, they had lows of 28 degrees last night. Guess I'm lucky, we got a low of 45. But still, very little rain for May! I need to get better irrigation than my tripod sprinkler. The gardeners' worries have just begun! Thanks for the epsom salt tip.

[zachsierke]

Cherokee is my "old standby" of sorts. It is the most consistant producer for me. It also tastes deep and luscious. Wonderful, but on the other side of the taste spectrum from the big bicolors, which are tropical and fruity. I am growing out a cross of hillbilly/cherokee purple this year. Maybe I'll get the best characteristics of both.
I put my tomatoes out at the beginning of February in my garden. I start the seeds in December inside under lights and harden them off on warm January days. I plant them in deep, deep holes that I dig in my almost pure silica sand soil. Well, not pure sand. The garden beds tham selves are spongy with compast and manure down about two feet, which is about how deep I put my seedlings in the ground. I amend the planting holes with a gallon or so of my homemade black goo compost at least a pound of bonemeal and chicken manure. This is where my tomatoes wait out the sometimes chilly days of the early February spring. By March they are reaching above the soil surface , which is kind of a crater that funnels rain and irrigation down to the root zone as well as protecting most of the plant from weather extremes.
My oldest tomatoes are now over head high tied to there bamboo stakes. I picked my first ripe tomatoes two days ago: tigerella, put out at the end of February. The cherokee purple are starting to turn color as i write this. Spring is ideal tomato weather here on the northern gulf coast. Days in the upper 70's/lower 80's nifght in the high 50's/ lower sixties. By the end of June, however, things will probobly take a different turn. It is much easier to protect tomatoes from the occasional cold spell of early spring than form the millions of insects and fungus that thrive in our humid summer heat.

[DS Berry Farms]

I'm voting for Mr. Stripey and Cherokee Purple. I have learned that as long as I keep my tomatoes evenly moist by using mulch, mulch, and more mulch, I don't have the cracking. I've kept tomatoes going through August here in our 90 plus Arkansas heat. I've seen 100 plus in July and August. If I keep "their feet" moist, they are happy campers and I don't have the cracking. Cracking is usually due to uneven moisture. By the way Mr. Stripey is my most favorite red/yellow striped tomatoe ever! Sweet and big.

[Hollowbrook]

Think I'll try Mr. Stripey as well! All my tomatoes are planted out. We are finally getting a little rain along with a Nor-Easter. High today of 52 degrees in central PA. I'm envious of your tropical climates and the fact that you already have tomatoes to harvest. Sounds great! I can see why so many people leave PA for the warmer climates. Maybe when I'm older . . .
Anyway, I should have tomatoes in late July if all goes well. I plant a variety of produce b/c if the summer brings cold and wet conditions, then certain plants do well, and if it is hot and dry, then others do well, so I'm never at a total loss. Planted out purple potatoes yesterday in a light rain. Yukon Gold, Cobbler, and All Blue. I like to serve patriotic (red, white and blue) potato salad. Have a nice Memorial Day weekend, y'all. :)

[Nemophila]

I'm voting for Mr. Stripey and Cherokee Purple. I have learned that as long as I keep my tomatoes evenly moist by using mulch, mulch, and more mulch, I don't have the cracking. I've kept tomatoes going through August here in our 90 plus Arkansas heat. I've seen 100 plus in July and August. If I keep "their feet" moist, they are happy campers and I don't have the cracking. Cracking is usually due to uneven moisture. By the way Mr. Stripey is my most favorite red/yellow striped tomatoe ever! Sweet and big.

I absolutely agree about the Mr Stripeys! They are what started me gardening, and what I most look forward to harvesting every year.

[Johnny Apple Seed]

I have grown German Gold the past few seasons, it's a big yellow tomato with pinkish-red blushes, the flavor is sweet and fruity, my neighbor had one of my plants last season it yeilded very heavy for this type of tomato, several were over 2lbs, must have been close to 15 fruits with some smaller ones.
it does well in wyoming ,you would have to experiment to see if it does any good in a costal climate. Another possibility might be to try row covers if it gets too hot or wet, it might ease the extremes, just an idea.

[Horsea]

Zach - last year someone gave me a 10-year old package of a tomato called Flame, put out by McFaydenSeed Co. Ltd. of Brandon, Manitoba. It is described as a heritage variety. Well, the seeds germinated in spite of their age. It is a red-gold bicolour, stunning to look at (like flames), and, yes, real tasty. I looked up the tomatoes you mentioned - Hillbilly, Pineapple & Marvel Striped - and Flame seems to look somewhat like Hillbilly (maybe). Hard to tell from a photo on a computer. Anyway, it is a large-ish fruit, I saved the seeds, and have one growing in my garden this year. The skin did not split. I can save some of the seed for you to plant next year if you wish. (God willin' and the crick don't rise...)

Oh, I just remembered, I also grew Old German last year, which are also a bi-colour which didn't split.

[GreenZone]

We offer Flame Tomato with Hillbilly as a synonym.
--Randel

[Horsea]

Thanks for the information, Green Zone. - Horsea.