1.52 lb. tomato, Porterhouse

zong · #1 07/25/12, 12:24 PM

I had to take this tomato off the vine today, it split from the recent rains. The variety is called "porterhouse" somebody gave me a small pick of those seeds a couple years ago. This is not the biggest one of that variety in the garden, and I have several other varieties pushing the same size, also.
Most of the porterhouse variety, a hybrid, are badly deformed. Also, it does not seem to be very prolific, only a small number of fruit per vine. The taste is OK. The advertisements for the variety claim 2-4 pounds, I see a green one on my vine that will certainly go better than 2 pounds right now. So, if you want a big, deformed tomato, Porterhouse may work OK for you. I'll not bother with it again.
The next vines over are "Carbon" which I got from Martin, all nice, well formed and in the one pound range. At this point in time. I'd say the carbon is producing 4 times as much as the porterhouse, by weight. Of course, it's early and we had 108 degree days. BUT, both vines got the same weather. Of the 12 varieties I have this year, the Porterhouse is the least productive.

clovis · #2 07/26/12, 01:02 AM

Interesting.

I've often wondered about the ads for Porterhouse, claiming tomatoes that will grow as big as your head.

rockhound · #3 07/26/12, 05:36 AM

For a big tomato, I like "Delicious". They are always pretty productive with lots of tomatoes, and a few real honkers. I've grown Porterhouse, notnymore! Same with Aussie, big but too few.

squiggyflop · #4 07/26/12, 06:01 AM

wow...... now im anxious. im growing mortgage lifters and they supposedly average 2.5lbs.. if thats what 1.5 pounds looks like i think my tomatoes will be way more than my family can manage to eat. (i have more tomatoes on the plants than i can count accurately and new ones seem to show up every day)

and thanks for the heads up about porterhouses looking deformed.. i was gonna grow them next year but now im not sure i will bother

jcatblum · #5 07/26/12, 11:44 AM

Carbon has been my favorite this yr. they haven't all been pretty, but they have all tasted yummy! Thanks for reviewing porterhouse. Arkansas traveler isn't a large tomato, but has been my best producing heirloom during our heat wave.
Mortgage lifter was on my list for next yr, will check back to see how it does.

rockhound · #6 07/26/12, 01:57 PM

Arkansas Traveler is not an heirloom. It's a stable, Open Pollinated hybrid from the U of Ark. Good tomato tho.

jcatblum · #7 07/26/12, 09:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rockhound

Arkansas Traveler is not an heirloom. It's a stable, Open Pollinated hybrid from the U of Ark. Good tomato tho.

Every seed catalog discloses that the tomato comes from the university of Arkansas. The Kerr center for sustainable agriculture here in Oklahoma grows Arkansas traveler as an heirloom.Seed savers exchange yearbook, Seeds of change, tomato fest & Baker Creek all list it as an heirloom as well.
So I will continue to grow it as a variety that we enjoy as an heirloom.

Paquebot · #8 07/26/12, 10:08 PM

Arkansas Traveler is a little less than 10 years older than any "heirloom" tomato. Arkansas Traveler was released around 1970 and there were no "heirloom" tomatoes until later in that decade. Until used as a fund-raising gimmick then, the only heirloom vegetables had been beans.

Also, 95% of all "heirloom" tomato varieties known are a stable hybrid. The other 5% are genetic mutations of those 95%.

Martin

rockhound · #9 07/27/12, 04:43 AM

@#$%^&* Now how do I get the lid back on this can 'o worms? Didn't mean to start nothing. It's true, "Heirloom" is a newer application of the word that just doesn't mean the same thing to everybody. What I meant was AT is a nice, but newer, tomato. Great, great grandaddy never tasted one. Save the seeds and enjoy!

Paquebot · #10 07/27/12, 09:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rockhound

@#$%^&* Now how do I get the lid back on this can 'o worms? Didn't mean to start nothing. It's true, "Heirloom" is a newer application of the word that just doesn't mean the same thing to everybody. What I meant was AT is a nice, but newer, tomato. Great, great grandaddy never tasted one. Save the seeds and enjoy!

It's no problem. Everyone has been looking for an official determination ever since it was first used by the founder of SSE and there is none. Since he originated it, anything that he promoted as an "heirloom" must be an "heirloom" since he alone would know.

Martin