PV,I think if you want a good sandwhich tomato, you might want to try Beefsteak.yummy
cAROL

I think the Cherokee Purple is great tasting, but I never get as many fruits as I want. :) Cherokee Chocolate is another tasty one. Actually, I am a fan of the black tomatoes, period. Black Krim is just about my favorite now. Your Cherokees will be GREAT sandwich tomatoes. I love just the tomato on toast with a little salt and pepper--PERFECT.

The Green Zebra . . . I am not a fan. To me, it is not a sandwich tomato because it is too lemony. It is interesting in salads, but because of it's tangy tartness, I don't like it for a sandwich. I was also frustrated with my Zebras because I had such a hard time telling if they were "done." If the stripes were too light, then the tomato was too firm and tart. If the stripes got too yellow, then the tomato flesh was too mushy and "bleh" tasting. I had a hard time picking the Zebras when they were "just right," but they are too tart/tangy for my taste. They are beautiful, though, in a salad with mixed greens and other toms.

Have you tried Pineapple? This is a orange/red/yellow tomato that has amazing flavors and is another one that is great for sandwiches.

cheers,
Norabelle

I agree with Norabelle 100% on the Green Zebra. Although, I have heard of great reviews on them, not a fan here.

Aunt Ruby's German Green, that one is supposed to be good for slicing and such. I hear Cherokee Purple is wonderful. This year I am trying Black Krim, among others.

Pineapple is a nice suggestion. This year I'm trying Mr. Stripey b/c I wanted to last year and the seed was available at my local feed store :)

I've grown both Black Krim and Cherokee Purple, as well as chocolate. The look of those black tomatoes does take some getting used to, although the taste was OK. They just look kind of rotten to me and that's something of a turnoff. I have trouble overoming the preconceived idea that a good tomato should be a pretty red or orange or yellow. If I were blindfolded they'd taste better to me. That said, PV, I think I'm going to try your famous Black Cherry this year for a cherry tom.

I'm also planning to grow Stupice for an early choice and Brandywine Suddeth's strain.

Karen

Hi pvick!
Just thought I would add my 2 cents worth! I grew both the Cherokee Purple and Black Krim last year. Black Krim wins by a mile! The taste is amazing. As for the Green Zebra, I grew them a few years ago and while really cute to look at I found them lacking in flavor. I have a multitude of different tom seeds. If you would like to try any, email me and I will send you the list. I usually only plant 2 seeds per variety and almost always get both to germinate (indoors though, not wsed).

Thanks all for the feedback. I wasn't really all that impressed with the one Green Zebra I had last year, but figured I'd try them anyway. I could always give the plants away ...

Re: Black Krim - I gotta agree, they are a great tasting tomato! Tried them several years ago. But the best tasting one I've ever grown has been Kosovo (thank you, Trudi!); unfortunately I was so busy chomping on them that I forgot to save seeds!

Karen - you are going to love the Black Cherry. I was never a big fan of cherry tomatoes, until I grew those. If you need seed, let me know. Those seed I didn't forget to save.

ccoupkir - thanks for the offer, but I have lots of different varieties still to try, mostly from Trudi and wintersown.org.

So ..... I'm going to give Cherokee Purple a shot, and go through my stash for another choice to backup/replace the Green Zebra.

Thanks again ......

PV

@gardenunusual, the Mr. Stripey is similar to Pineapple, but I think Pineapple has a better flavor. I thought Mr. Stripey was amazing for the size of fruits and was tasted good, too. However, if I had to choose a Mr. S or Pineapple, I would definitely got with the latter.

@Karen--let me know what you think of EG. I grew Stupice for two years and I was underwhelmed; Wisconsin 55 and Nebraska Wedding were two other early varieties I've tried. A little earlier, yes, but meh on flavor. As a result, I have not been eager to try more. I would love to find an early tomato that is more than just a little early. (I do wonder, though, if the cooler June/July temps of my Wisconsin climate zap the flavor of early tomatoes.)

Sun Gold is also another wonderful cherry tomato--ripens early and is delicious and prolific. Sun Gold is a staple in my tomato garden.

cheers,
Norabelle

Norabelle, don't know what you mean by "EG"?
Another early tomato I'e grown is Matina and I think it tastes good. I'm replacing it with Stupice this year just to try something different, I like to try new ones. Lots of folks say Stupice is a good tasting early one.

PV thanks for the seed offer but I had some commercial ones.

I had maters on the brain today so I sowed them this afternoon. A couple
of cups each of black cherry, Delicious, stupice, brandywine. And a couple of Snow White for friends by request.

Karen

Where do you all get your tomato seeds! I did sow Black Cherry. But never heard of Stupice, or Kosovo? Can you get them from Bakers'?

OK, I'll bite - what/where is Bakers?

I've gotten a lot of my seeds from Trudi at wintersown.org - she does a tomato SASBE over there. Really nice variety. Have also gotten a few in trade, and bought way too many more.

Back about 10-11 years ago, I knew of three types of tomatoes - big round red ones, little round red ones and plum type red ones. Ah, how I've grown over the years!

PV

ladyrose, you can get tomato seeds from lots of places. Just google "tomato seeds".

I bought mine from Diane's this year. I've bought a lot from Tomato Growers Supply in the past.

Karen

Norabelle - Pineapple is one I really wanted to try this year. Couldn't find it in the garden stores, didn't order it online only because I have so many varieties I'm trying this year. The days to maturity I believe are up to 95 which made me wonder if it would fruit in time before the frost hits.

Love love love Sungold. Grew them for the first time last year, I was picking them as snacks every day and wishing I grew another plant.

@Karen--sorry about my faulty reading/remembering, I thought your second tomato was Early Girl (EG)--(Sudduth/Brandywine looks so similar to Early Girl on the computer screen--not :P)
I will have to look around for Matina.

@gardenunusual--When I have grown it, I definitely have not gotten many fruits from Pineapple--maybe six or eight, and the longer growing season is probably the reason. I grow my tomatoes in Earthboxes and raised beds and I use wall-o-waters starting in April, so I don't know if these help get a bit of a start for a longer maturity period.

cheers,
Norabelle