Determinate Tomato Varities NOT red

General Gardening
#1

So here in Texas, it’s hot. My grower buddy who grew determinate tomatoes is pulling fruit off his plants, left and right. Meanwhile my not red indeterminate mostly heirloom tomatoes produced 2-3 tomatoes max, and decided it was too hot for them, so they were going to take a break. A long break. They are still on break.

For my part of the market, I like to grow not red tomatoes. So does anyone have any determinate only not red tomato varieties to recommend? Looking for next year. Please no heirlooms unless they are not red and determinate. They probably work great where you are at, but here in the cool part of Texas where the temperature climbs past 95 F every day since late May, not the best option.

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#2

Just curious why not an indeterminate like Lemon Boy Tomato? They are hybrids I realize so seed cannot be saved which I don’t like.

#3

Determinates are supposed to set within a short window, indeterminates set over a longer period. If the tomato plant can set before the full heat of the summer sets in, I get more tomatoes.

I hadn’t heard of lemon boy. If I can’t find any non-red determinates, I will give that one a shot next year.

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#4

No experience with these varieties, but Johnny’s lists two: Gold Nugget and Sunrise Sauce. Three if you count the “red-orange” BHN 871.

https://www.johnnyseeds.com/search/?q=determinate

@Fusion_power is sure to have some thoughts on this subject.

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#5

Yellow or lemon yellow tomatoes usually have insipid flavor. Orange tomatoes can actually be fully flavored, particularly if they have the b^og gene (beta carotene).

I’ll suggest an alternative to determinates. Look for some compact indeterminates. They have concentrated fruit set especially early in the season but they don’t stop producing like full determinates.

One of the better varieties I would suggest that is a compact indeterminate with heavy early fruit set is Jaune Flammee. Flavor is in the tart sweet group. I have seed of 97L97 and 97L63 which are very high carotene determinates. I’d be glad to send some seed but with a huge caution that when carotene is ramped up to 40X normal, flavor takes a huge hit. I usually mix the high carotene tomatoes with better flavored varieties for a boost in vitamin content without the hit on flavor.

You might look on Tatiana’s Tomatobase for determinate non-red varieties.

http://tatianastomatobase.com/wiki/Category:Tomatoes

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#6

Clip the top off your non red indeterminant tomatoes after 2 flower cluster and it will bush like a determinant, with lots of fruit.

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#7

You mention your “part of the market”, so I’m not sure if you are growing to sell or for yourself. Also, I’m not sure if you are trying to replace large slicers or are open to smaller fruit and different shapes. But here are a few thoughts.

This year I’m growing Pertsividnyi Zheltyi, which is a determinate, or possibly semi-determinate paste type that has good taste and can be used for cooking or fresh eating. They are actually longer and skinnier than regular pastes, almost like long yellow peppers. They are fairly early.

It isn’t red, but has red/pink as part of the striping, so not sure if it qualifies, but Maglia Rosa is a semi-determinate grape type that is faster to produce than most small fruited plants that are generally quick to produce anyway. It is worth a try and is one of my favorite small fruited types for taste.

And finally, although it is red/pink, my earliest to ripen has been Limbo, which is a smaller determinate plant that is very productive. The first ones ripen a week or two before any other tomatoes in my garden. While it is a paste type in shape, it is a bit smaller than a roma and not nearly as dry. Because of that it tastes great for fresh eating, but can also be used for cooking. I donate several hundred seedlings to the local PTA plant sale and a lady came up to me this year who got a Limbo last year and said they made the best sauce she has ever had. I eat most of mine fresh. Here is one I just picked, although it will need a few days on the counter to ripen up.

Limbo
Limbo3024×4032 2.34 MB

I can save and share seed from any of these if you let me know you want to try them.

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#8

And here are what the shape and size of the yellow pastes look like, although they aren’t ripe yet. I got a late start this season.

yellowpaste
yellowpaste3024×4032 2.58 MB

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#9

Here is a list extracted from Tatiana’s site that merges determinate varieties with yellow/orange varietes. Of the few I have grown, Golden Bison is a decent yellow and Banana Legs is a decent elongated variety. I’ve read that Morden Yellow is a reasonably good producer. I would generally avoid the varieties listed as Dwarf as they tend to be unproductive.

97L63
97L66
97L97
Amber Colored
B cont.
Banana Legs
Bulgarian Veliki
Buyan Zheltyi
Chello
Clementine
D-a-c-l-r-y
Délice d’Or
Extra Eros Zlatovlaska
Fargo
Galapagos Wild
Gold Dust
Gold Nugget
Golden Bison
Golden Delight
Green Paint
Green Thumb
Hanigan’s Large Yellow
Hardin’s Miniature
Ida Gold
L. macrocarpum lutea
Lisichka
Little Sun Yellow F1
Mini Gold
Morden Yellow
Mountain Gold
Native Sun
Ola Polka
Olga’s Round Yellow Chicken
Orange King
Orange Pixie
Orange Pixie F1
Oranze
Oranže
Pear Drops F1
Pendulina Orange
Pendulina Yellow
Podarok Fei
Polish Yellow Dwarf
Qiyanai-Huang
Roger’s Sweet Light Yellow
Roma Golden
S cont.
Solguld
Sun Surprise
Taxi
Utyonok
Vita Gold
Wagner Mirabell
Yellow Dwarf
Yellow Pear brachytic
Zolotaya Pulya
Zolotoy Korol
Zolotoy Vek

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#10

Yep, my family sells tomatoes and other vegetables at the local farmers market. There are two main kinds of buyers- people who want simple vegetables like the kind their parents or grandparents grew and tourists who want a few vegetables to make a meal at their bnb or something that will travel and they can take home with them. So honestly, if we had more non-red tomatoes, they may not sell as well. I haven’t reached that point in my production just yet though.
Paste tomatoes unfortunately do not sell well for us. When we have grown them in the past, people will buy a few, but my mom mainly ended up taking them home and cooking them into sauce herself.

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#11

Are there orange tomatoes that are actually orange? When I grew Chef’s Choice orange this year, it was yellow. Though I might have gotten the seed mixed up with Great White (produced like Great White did last year too…)

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#12

There are two variants of orange tomatoes. The first is from the tangerine gene which results in more of a pale orange color. Kelloggs Breakfast is an example. The second is from the beta carotene gene which results in a medium orange internal color. Jaune Flamme is an example. I highly recommend growing both varieties as each has unique but exceptional flavor.

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#13

Hello

I’m looking for 97L97/97L63 seed, for my high Zeaxanthin project.

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#14

@Perseed

We know @Fusion_power is the right guy to ask. If you go back to 2008 you can read what he says here
http://tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=9922

" USDA tomato 97L97

Is there a source for these seeds? Thanks
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Old December 24, 2008 #2
carolyn137

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Quote:

Originally Posted by kygreg View Post

Is there a source for these seeds? Thanks

Does it have a name? Most, but not all listings in the USDA PC GRIN have a name and an aquisition number associated with it, be it an NSL number or otherwise.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything listed just as USDA/

What traits does it have that appeal to you.

And I’m sure you know that only professional hybridizers with documentation can request seeds from the USDA, with few exceptions.

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Old December 24, 2008 #3
kygreg

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If it has a name other than 97L97, I don’t know it; its listed in Tatiana’s T-base as 97L97, supposed to have high beta carotine content.

I didn’t know about the USDA requirments for receiving seeds; I requested some from them 3 or 4 years ago and
received them.|
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Old December 24, 2008 #4
Fusion_power

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Send me a pm and I’ll mail you some seed. I grow 97L97 just about every year because I like it in a salsa mix.

97L97 is a determinate paste with 40X carotene developed by Stommel. It is poor flavored as a fresh fruit, but makes a pretty decent salsa tomato when mixed with something a bit sweeter.

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Old December 25, 2008 #5
kygreg

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Fusion power - thanks for the offer and the info; will send a pm

I am in Huntsville for Christmas, so maybe not too far from you.

Happy Holidays.

Gary|"

"

97L97

MO MU K

Determinate, regular leafed plants. Midseason. Orange paste fruits. High beta-carotene (vitamin A) breeding line for improving nutritional quality of processing tomatoes used for paste, juices and sauces. About 10x greater beta-carotene than normal tomatoes. Adapted for eastern and midwestern production. This line does not do as well under California growing conditions.

Seed source:

John Stommel (breeder), USDA ARS

Year grown: 2001

Location:

History

  • Breeding lines developed by the USDA ARS program (John Stommel) from L. cheesmannii.

Related (potential cross)

"

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#15

Yes, I have fresh 97L97 and 97L63 seed. Send a DM with address and I’ll mail you a pack of each.

For background, 97L97 is a very productive determinate paste. 97L63 is more of a small orange slicer. I don’t normally eat them fresh, but often make salsa and canned tomatoes because they boost the vitamin content into the stratosphere. A single fruit provides the RDA of provitamin A.

You can read about the genetics from online articles. Short version, the b^og gene is combined with an enhancer gene to produce very high levels of beta carotene.

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#16

I’m sorry I revived this and got it off topic.
I just registered the other day and thought I was sending a private message, but It seems I can’t do that as for now.
Thanks @clarkinks I felt very welcomed. I knew he was the right guy.

@Fusion_power Thats very kind of you.