[Goldfinger]

Has anyone else heard of the variety?

This is my second year growing them, and they seem to be (yet again so far), doing better than the others.....

Potato leaf


Alicante on the left and a 'Sugar plum grape'  on the right from dad off interweb. 




I've now hunted high and low to track down the (or any) variety of 'Potato leaf' tomato, to try a get some more info', but I'm having no luck.

Has/does anyone else grow them, and maybe able to give me some more info on them please?

[sunshineband]

I have Black Sea Man growing from seeds given to me by a kind  friend - they are potato leaved and just grow like others to be honest.

These ones are bush types but I dont know if all potato leaved varieties are  

Brandywine is another one

[maxyboo]

I grew some called Tamina which I'm  sure were potato leaf. They didn't grow very well but this was the first year I grew veg so had no idea what I was doing. 

[mumofstig]

It's amazing what you find if you Google .......I thought I'd have a look and found this long list of potato leaved varieties 
http://t.tatianastomatobase.com/wiki/Category:Potato_Leaf_Tomatoes

356 varieties  Many I've never heard of but I've tried a few of them, Brandywine, Japanese Trifele and Stupice.  Outdoor Girl is one I grew on the allotments years ago and Cherokee Purple I have growing this year.
I don't find they are any stronger, you just see more foliage as it's less divided.

Apart from potato leaved and the ordinary foliage ones, I've grow some that have finely divided/ferny type foliage. These grow tall and look very delicate, but seem to grow just as much fruit as the others...I'm growing Purple Ukraine and Lemondrop this year

[AnneB]

I am growing some Essex Wonder this year, that are potato leaved.  Slow progress on the growing front due to the weather though. They are outside.

[lacaya]

I bought a mixed packet of seeds on eBay and when they came up I thought I'd been conned!
Must be the potato leaves you're talking about.  Summer Cider is one and Cream Sausage. I've never seen this type of leaf on a tomato before.

[Trillium]

Potato leafed toms are the more hardy heirloom varieties and I believe modern toms had the potato leaf style bred out of them for some reason.

My mother grows stupice (pronounced stoo-peek-a) every year and they're a short, fast maturing variety with a nice tomato flavour. I think this is the first year that I don't have a potato leafed variety in the garden but likely will next year since I love trying varieties.

Cream sausage sounds lovely, lacaya. You'll have to tell us what it looks like and how it tastes.

[Goldfinger]

Is this why they're doing so well, compared to the others I've got, that the heirloom 'strain' has NOT been bred out of them?

If they do anything like last year, I think I'll stick to these types from now on. 

Just a shame I didn't know the exact variety if you's are say there's 300+ varieties.

[New shoot]

I grow Black Sea Man and as Sunny says, its a bush type but a large plant that produces beefsteak toms very early  compared to most.  Got loads of seeds saved from last year, so if you would like some, just pm me your address  





These are pics from last year when I grew them outside.  Been so cold and wet up to very recently, decided to grow them in the greenhouse this year and they are like triffids   The fruit is a dark blackish red when ripe and they are tasty  

[sunshineband]

I was eaten up with envy there New Shoot, and then go to the end of your post and they were last year's fruits .... phew!!

I have mine in the greenhouse, and they are romping away, but the tomatoes so far are less than marble sized.

[lazza]

My summer cider variety are growing faster than any other variety, despite the rubbish weather, already with around 8-10 small tomatoes developing and a similar number of flowers/buds

[lacaya]

Cream sausage sounds lovely, lacaya. You'll have to tell us what it looks like and how it tastes.

I can hardly wait to see these, I understand they are a paste tomato with a good flavour so am hoping to make some very pale but tasty pasta sauce.

[DoubleDigger]

"Tamina", in the Conservatory....


& in the garden ( in pots )


rooted & grown on 'sideshoots'.  Should have been out weeks ago, so they have "stretched" a bit 
 

[spuriousmonkey]

I'm growing stupice. It is also supposed to be a potato leaf tomato. It's nice because it is easily recognisable because of the foliage, even when i lose the label on an individual plant.

[Goldfinger]

New shoot,

What do you mainly use them type of toms' for?

Many of ours will be made into different kinds of passata.  :happy:
                             



                                  -----------------------------------------------------------



And so, depending how the Alicantes and the others are doing this year [insert rude rasp' here], I may stick to the potato leaf varieties looking how they did last year, and how they are doing (so far) this year.  :happy: