This heirloom Russian tomato tastes great but has distinct disadvantages. As my pictures reveal it is subject to serious catfacing, scaring and lobing. At this point in my gardening career, while I am always excited to try new (to me) varieties I am focusing on taste and practicality. Very few of the Paul Robeson's are defect free and it often consumes too much time cutting around the defects in comparison to the resulting usable tomato. I also found it difficult to pick them at the correct ripeness. At first the dark green shoulders deceived me into waiting too long and harvesting a mushy, very juicy tomato. Then I over compensated and picked them too early. They do seem to go from one extreme to the other quickly. All in all an interesting garden curiosity with good taste and decent yields, but too much work for me. The Paul Robeson Tomato is available from Fedco Seeds, my favorite seed company.
No comments:
Post a Comment