Spartan, I just keep around the older saves as backups. I usually get sprouts from five-year-old seeds. This year the Brandywine I used were saved in 2012, and all sprouted. My Stump I last saved in 2008 which was too old, none of them sprouted this spring so I have to get more. I do need to remember to save my Brandywine this year as there are only a few more years of germination left on what I saved.
I grew Defiant tomatoes for the first time this year. It’s an F1 hybrid developed by NC State. Price for 15 seeds was ~$4 from Johnny’s.
The appearance is very much like that of tomatoes sold pre-packed in stores. Smooth, round, firm, good texture, and quite uniform in size. Mine have running 3 or 4 to a lb. Meaty for a slicer, but still juicy. The taste has plenty of acid, which I like. That acid and juiciness combined with good texture are what put it far above a store bought mater.
Interior is very deep and uniform red throughout.
Determinate, but continues to set blooms as fruits ripen. Harvests have not been continuous for me, but come in waves as do the blooms.
Very blight resistant. Plants stand out as extremely healthy in our Southeastern summer conditions.
No fruits affected by BER.
Has not cracked.
Works well for fried green tomatoes when picked while changing color. They are firm, juicy and tangy, but not too juicy for proper frying. I have not fried them fully green.
These are a winner for overall usefulness for me. I’m probably going to root some branches and try to grow them in my indoor grow tent over winter. Their growth habits seem that the 8’ tall tent could provide sufficient head room. It sure would be nice to have non-crunchy slicing tomatoes in the winter.
Some Orange Whoppers and a few Green Zebras. The Orange Whoppers are nice and meaty, good for sandwiches. Green Zebras are just all around good.
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I think I’m planting my tomatoes too late for good results! I’ve grown them for years, but only in RI for the past 14 years. Regardless I need your expert advice! I have in the garden this year, Roma, Golden Jubilee, Sungold, Kellogg’s Breakfast’, Hillbilly, Mountain Pride, and two mis-marked Green Zebras. One of the green zebra planted turned out to be a giant red tomato, the other is highly lobed and kind of purple. I have no idea what these last two tomatoes are as they were mis-marked at the nursery. Hate that! Anyway, the raised beds have new soil this year. Plenty of sun until about 6pm. Fertilizer every three days. Only three tomatoes are producing anything: sungold, mountain pride (fantastic) and one gigantic kellogg’s breakfast that is still green. My plants went in the first week in June. I didn’t have the strength to bend and plant them any earlier (I sat in a chair and planted). I put in a total of 15 plants and have nearly nothing but all green, smallish tomatoes to show for it. Pollination was horrible this year. And now, the bottom leaves are turning yellow and brown. And pink aphids have now showed up for the past three days! Help!
Mrsg, I enjoy tomatoes and grow them, but I’m not a mater expert, or even exceptionally good at growing them. Your growing area is vastly different from any of the threevery different ones that I’m experienced in. (Northern Va, coastal Los Angeles area, and central SC). I can empathize with not being physically able to get gardening done because I’ve had years like that, too.
I believe that you had an extra late start to summer this year. From the description of your growing year out there on the island, the first week of June doesn’t sound like it was too late to get a good crop. Where I live, bottom leaves almost always turn yellow and brown, and die off. Even if it’s early blight from your humid conditions, it’s not fatal, though it’s not pretty.
Why do you fertilize every 3 days? I take it that’s a very very mild dose. One thing about maters is that too much nitrogen gives them lots of vegetative growth at the expense of fruiting.
When it comes to aphids, I’m probably zero help. Since I don’t use anything on my veggies except for crushing bugs with my fingers or stomping them and spraying the bugs off with a stream of water. I want to keep my fingers and stompers here with me. 
So, your on your own with that, or you could find another way that is probably a better solution.
Tomatoes are self-pollinating. Give those puppies a gentle vibrating shake whenever you’re out there. That can help pollinate them.
Since, IIRC, frost also comes late for you, you probably still have quite a bit of time to get a stronger harvest. I wish I could be more help.
Aren’t you kind. Open heart surgery and its recoop is not great for gardening so I’m taking it slowly. I picked ten sungold tonight and two 'Hillbilly’s which really look like ‘Valencia’ tomatoes. Made, a small sauce for dinner and called it a night. I"ll work harder on the tomatoes next year. Thanks so much for your help.
Mrs G,
You can also train them to a central leader, it helps with the blight/aeration and helps concentrate growth. The picture below is how a friend of mine does that on his pacific northwest farm.
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The strings of tomatoes are so long. There is a farm here that grows the best sweet corn and ok tomatoes. His cherry tomatoes are grown the same way. It is such a sight and I think its fantastic. My ‘Sungold’ cherry blossoms just look like ‘twinkle’ lights!
Here in the Washington DC area blight has been a problem in recent years, so this year I tried the new hybrid Magic Mountain, which is said to be resistant to both early and late blight. And it has shown great disease resistance. The plants right now are in pristine shape, while the heirlooms near them are starting to lose it. The tomatoes are about the size of golf balls and taste pretty good, and the plants are super productive – a very good backup tomato. My favorite this year has been Cherokee Purple. I’ve tried Brandywine, which is awesome, but the plants went downhill pretty quick. I also have used Calcium Nitrate this year with good results. I got a 2lb Cherokee Purple in our early super wet period and have had no cracking on any tomatoes. It’s also great for peppers. I might try Brandwine again next year with the Calcium Nitrate. My (not particularly strong to start with) organic scruples are gradually being worn away.
This is Indigo rose tomato. It is quite productive for the tiny tomato I planted out in June. It is more for fun then for the main production. The taste is OK, not bland, you can feel sweet and tangy notes. It is better than the taste of Bulgarian triumph which has the same size of fruits.
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What pretty tomatoes. The taste sounds good.
I do a few things that might help you. Plant a few plantings, not all at once. The leaf disease struck early planted plants and later planted tomatoes didn’t get any of those diseases. Try getting them out earlier. As long as it is about 50F they will be fine, even some dips into the forties won’t hurt them that much. I use a cold frame to get them out very early. Mine are outside in April. I use a balanced fertilizer till fruits show, then switch to a bloom buster type fertilizer, or use a tomato fertilizer like Tomato Tone or Texas Tomato Food.
Also rotate plantings. You should not be planting them in the same spot every year. A 3 year rotation is best.
In my cold frame if it is 40F outside, it is 60F in the frame. I bring plants in at night. it is a lot of work although works well. Here are some peppers in my cold frame.
I better start by switching raised beds. There have never been tomatoes in that one. Have be replanting in the same bed for far too long. Just adding new soil every year. I have old windows from our house that would make a great cold frame. I might look up directions for making one. I really need a small greenhouse. Thanks Drew.
I’ve been planting in the same spot year after year for the last 8 years or so, I may be an aberration, but healthy soil = healthy plants. In my small city lot, gotta do what i gotta do, you city folks know what I mean. 
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Yes many do, but not one University or county extension service of any state will ever tell you to do that. The reason you do mention…healthy soil. It’s quite difficult to keep soil healthy otherwise. Not just tomatoes, just about everything should be rotated.
wow, lot of fruits. I want to grow tomato like this. So should I strip off all the leaves below 2 feet or so? Does all tomatoes grow this tall?
He trains them to a central leader, cutting away any side shoots and trimming off the lower leaves as the plant gets taller.
I think that depends on the type of tomato. Some tend to be bushier than others. But I’m no expert. I grow mine in standard rows and let them turn into almost a hedge. I ran out of stakes this year so used some old ski poles to hold things together. Not pretty.
But good yields 
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Thanks. You got a lot of tomatoes!
I would pay you for your green zebras! How beautiful. Making sauce?
I heard some of the green tomatoes make an excellent ketchup! I want to try this myself sometime. Yes, impressive harvest for sure!