What is a good IND medium-size red tomato for an EB - resistent to stem cracks?

[greatgardens]

I'd like a good red that is (nearly) immune to stem cracking, but still good.  Needs to be IND, medium-size, and of course, flavorful.  My experience is that not all IND plants do well in an EB.  Most will do well if there is only one plant per box.  (I realize that others may not share this opinion, but that has been my experience.)  Many that are great in soil crack in the constant high-moisture environment of an EB.

Big Beef is a great tomato that doesn't crack much, but they are really bigger than I'd like -- 6-8 oz would be ideal.  Any ideas.  BTW, I have no issue with hybrids -- I'm quite willing to pay more, since IMO tomato seeds are still cheap considering what you get in return.

-GG 

[gardendoc]

Celebrity is always a good choice, Homestead is another

[greatgardens]

Interesting that you mention Celebrity.  I had not considered it recently, but I did grow it a few years ago, and it did well.  I don't remember about cracking, but if it had done poorly, I probably would have recalled that.  Celebrity was the most Septoria resistant tomato I grew that summer, trouncing "Iron Lady."  Along that line, I have seeds for "Stellar," so I probably ought to put both those on my list of candidates.  I saw a couple of videos about Celebrity, and those also suggest it might be a good choice.

[pmkdo]

I am a big fan of Better Boys. They are delicious, indeterminate, and the size you want. I have not had trouble with stem cracking. The do get BER but I do fine when I use both weekly Ca+ Nitrate (the "cocktail") AND one application of hydrated lime which I add when the tomatoes are 3 feet tall. I not longer wait to see the BER like in the EB instructions, I lose to many fruit.

[greatgardens]

Thanks! I had not thought of Better Boy, and your comments on BER are interesting.  I have not grown many IND plants in the EB, but I've found that BER seems to be more of a problem the first season when I've started with all new planting mix. So the first season, I go heavy on the dolomite -- about double what is suggested. (I've never used anything other than dolomite.)
-GG

[greatgardens]

I asked Burpee's customer service and got a recommendation of 4 crack-resistant varieties (one is DET):

Madame Marmande Hybrid 54335A - 72 day, 10 ounce fruit, French beefsteak type
Summer Girl Hybrid 50580A - 52 day, 5-6 ounce fruit, good yields
Tasti-Lee Hybrid 69810A - 75 day, 6-9 ounce fruit, but is a determinate plant
Thessaloniki 68965A - 66-80 day, 4-6 ounce fruit, Greek variety

I'll also add one other Burpee variety that I'm very familiar with -- Orange Wellington. Rarely has any cracking for me, but of course, a mild orange variety.

I ordered and will add to Celebrity -- Summer Girl and Tasti-Lee.  I've wanted to try both of these anyway.  I was able to use the 5-for-$15 sale +$2.99 shipping, so the prices weren't too bad. Aside from having good varieties (IMO), Burpee is usually fairly generous with their seed amounts, so I'm a fan when on sale.

-GG