My Early Cascade tomato project

[dirtsunrain]

I've always grown a hybrid tomato called Early Cascade. I dont care that it is a hybrid, I do care that it preforms wonderfully for me. If I stake well, and mulch mightily, the EC climbs to 8 feet and set loads of tomatoes. Taste wise, they are nothing spectacular, but they are useful to me because they are always reliable. I bag them up in 2 gallon bags or pulp them and freeze it and my poultry feed well all winter.
A few years ago, I could not find my EC's in my regular catalogues. I located some from a seedhouse in Nova Scotia and was able to buy 100 seeds. I've been growing them out and saving seed. 2010 will be the F3 growout year. I went googlyoogling around the other night to find some info on the parentage of the Early Cascade and I found this..

www.organicfieldschool.org/activities/seed-breeding-projects/

It seems that an organic garden school in Minnesota also values these tomatoes. They appear to be ahead of me in their growing out schedule. I'm tickled tomato red to find them and I have sent them an inquiry about their results.
So, it isn't just me who likes this hybrid and would like to continue growing out....aren't amateur plant breeders wonderful?

[johno]

There's a lot to be said for reliability! Sounds like you made a wise choice. Did you see many different forms in the F2 generation?

[darwinslair]

<laughing> Gardens of Eagan. Project run by Atina Diffley.

Small world. My office is in Eagan and it is on the corner of Pilot Knob Rd and Diffley. Until I started growing my own I bought sweet corn from them.

Tom

[dirtsunrain]

So, if you're in Eagan, you can cruise by and check out their tomato patch for me next summer. THen I'll have an idea of what to expect in the future. darwinslair - tomato spy.

My first generation grow outs were just more red tennis balls. There was nothing to give me a clue as to parentage. I have heard that First Lady might be one of the parents so I'm on a mission to locate some seed to grow alongside and compare.

I selected for vigor, uniformity and strength of the plants. The six EC plants outperformed anything else in my garden but it was an offyear. I have no idea on Lblight resistance since I didnt have any up here. Other than some leaf curling due to excess rain, I had a pestilence free year.

[darwinslair]

They used to be in Eagan. Family was one of the founders. In the real estate boom they were "zoned" out of the city and their farm condemned for parking. Of course now that land is unused and they are south of there maybe 15 miles in Farmington. I live 45 miles west of my office, but I am "in Eagan" 5 days a week generally.

I think a little day trip down from the office would be fun. Could even pick up a tomato or two and get you some seeds if you like.

Remind me of it later this year, summer time.

Tom Kleffman

[dirtsunrain]

I found my First Lady seeds from a seedhouse in Manitoba. the description of FL sounds very close to my experience with Early Cascade. The First Lady tomatoes mature in 66 days.

That patch of my garden is going to be one big Early Girl family reunion, as I suspect that EG is a parent in most of these hybrids.
Tom, I'd love some seeds from Eagan, thank you.