I just called Totally Tomatoes

Looked at all my catalogsa. none of them have the drouth resistant varities, other than black krimm in Gurneys

Had them last summer, did not fair any better than others.

warmest place in some houses is on top of the refridgerator, once they germinate they will tolerate cooler temps.

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"Agriculture is our wisest pursuit, because it will in the end contribute most to real wealth, good morals, and happiness."
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My refrigerator is about the same size as a doz and a 1/2 egg carton opened up square lol

NW Arkansas. In normal years you probably get bit more rain than I do. Seems like lot rains hit NE OK then head up towards SW MO and miss AR altogether. But overall my climate is very similar to yours.

I couldnt live in a house where I didnt have at least one warm room. Drive me crazy walking around bundled up all the time.

There is available warming mats for just thing you want to do. Plug in the mat, set seed starting pots on the mat and it provides bottom heat without any danger of over heating, thermostatically controlled, much like electric heat tape you wrap pipes with. Bottom heat is most important getting seed going. I have seen them for sale, imagine if you look in back of some of seed catalogs where they sell gadgets, they will have them, though probably find them cheaper elsewhere.

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"What would you do with a brain if you had one?" -Dorothy

"Well, then ignore what I have to say and go with what works for you." -Eliot Coleman

Taste wise I liked it. It is a determinate type I think. Mine only fruited once. I also thought they were on the small side.

I keep an electric bathroom heater going morning and night, But it dosent do anything hardly in the bathroom when its DANG cold outside.

Tall and leggy no problem. Lay them in a trench sideways instead of a hole. Pull all leaves off except top set. Lay them down and turn the top upwards. Everything buried in the trench forms new roots and benifits from the warmer soil. Set out around 350 one year with no apparent problems.

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A socialist will trample over one hundred poor people just for the chance to throw a rock at a rich man.

I really like the "if they are leggy just plant them deeper" thinking. Not like there is anything else wrong with a plant that was not getting what it needed. It is only starved and malnourished. it will do fine. I follow the rule "If it is leggy throw it out and start over" Do it right the second time. TI will probably save you from getting your starts frozen by a late frost anyway.

Mine did well... as well as any others. I really like the taste. Yes, they aren't a large tomato, and they're more pink than red.

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Even purchased tomato plants should be planted deep (or even sideways)... about 2/3 of the plan underground. Makes for much sturdier, healthier plants, IMO.

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Before you marry someone, ask yourself, "Will they be a good killing partner during the zombie apocalypse?"
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Tried it 2 years ago, Had a wonderfully huge crop from every other tomato plant but not a single tomato from the Arkansas Traveler.

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Apocalyptic and Survival Fiction - Readers and writers welcome

Whelp, that answers my question. thanks~
So what about Cherokee Purple. What's y'alls opinions on that one?

Ive planted them several times. They get huge, and sometimes mushy, and they tend to crack alot

That one does well for me. My personal feeling is that I make sauce out of this one as the taste is not quite right to my taste buds for slicing and eating. But that's me -- you may like it.

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Apocalyptic and Survival Fiction - Readers and writers welcome

My dh is getting persnickety lately on his tomatoes. For years I've grown Brandywine,which I think tastes great but he's keeps saying they don't taste right any longer.:help
So I'm looking for a good tasting one. Does anyone like Beefmaster?

Heads up on possible heat/drought tomatoes. Look at Baker Creek Seed catalog and read about some of the Iraqi heirloom tomatoes. Tomatoes by way that Iraqi farmers are no longer allowed to raise since the American occupation. They are now forced to only grow government "approved" modern corporate hybrid varieties. Also another site mentioned a Polish paste tomato that does well in heat/drought. Olpaka? guess that was name of the tomato.

Also take look at African tomato varieties. Not so easy to find, but if its from equatorial Africa...

And I'd have to go look it up, but there is a small hobby seed company out of Kansas that sells drought resistant varieties of various garden seed. http://skyfiregardenseeds.com/ Read through their tomato listings, several exceptional drought varieties. For instance Millet's Dakota...

Just saying, dont limit yourself to bigger seed sellers or sellers you are familiar with or the varieties you've heard of. And face it, catalogs can and do lie or propagate existing lies without actually testing claims themselves, but varieties pointed out as drought/heat resistant are good place to start. You just have to experiment on your own to find your favorites among them. And frankly no tomato is going to survive severe heat and drought with no watering. Just isnt going to happen, but some will do better than others. In my own personal experience the yellow pear and the currant tomatoes are some of most drought resistant. But they basically just hunker down, go into sort of heat induced hibernation, and then come back when the rains come. Works sort of except at this latitude, yellow pear doesnt have time to releaf, bloom, set fruit, and ripen that fruit before frost. When I grew them, basically ended up with huge amount of tiny green pear tomatoes. Now with a water supply and drip irrigation, and heavy mulching, sure you can get production out of any variety that can set fruit in high heat. Much what that las Vegas tomato lady I mentioned in earlier post does.

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"What would you do with a brain if you had one?" -Dorothy

"Well, then ignore what I have to say and go with what works for you." -Eliot Coleman

Well, If I want seeds, ive found them. i want plants. Guess what I get and what I want can be 2 different things.

Well around here, in spring, Arkansas Traveler tomato PLANTS are abundant. They have a following here. Even sold in Walmart and other box stores. Also at Farmers Coop. But you want little known variety plants, its pretty much grow them from seed yourself.

Sorry if nothing but the usual hybrids available where you are at, but plant growers like other merchants tend to go for lowest common denominator in what they offer for sale. They try to sell some weird named tomato plant that nobody has heard of, guess what, it wont sell unless its particularly well adapted to the local climate and they give it a few years to develop a following of loyal buyers. That is usually more time/effort than seller is interested investing.

Drives me crazy that I cant buy actual fruit trees locally that do well locally. Wrong root stock, wrong varieties. They just sell names they think people will be familiar with and graft them to whatever is cheapest rootstock. Its the quick buck mentality, not about selling best product for local conditions.

I'd also be very wary ordering tomato plants from long distance away. Maybe not so good condition when they arrive. Dormant trees are lot more shippable than live growing tomato plants.

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"What would you do with a brain if you had one?" -Dorothy

"Well, then ignore what I have to say and go with what works for you." -Eliot Coleman

yeah, I know that to be right HJ. Im going to order a heat pad