Growers’ Notes and Photos
Elser Farm’s Brown Derby. Indeterminate. The vine was vigorous, grew it in the greenhouse and it was doing great at first. But then it got too much nitrogen and started dropping blossoms because of the weather (constant rain and high humidity). Since it was shaded due to tight spacing, I pruned the plant heavily, leaving only the bottom truss where just one single fruit survived, just enough for me to taste it. Seeds came from SvetaR with the highest recommendations as her sweetest and most delicious variety from last season.
Beautiful oblate shape, greenish-ochre color with an orange tint inside. Weighed about 12.3 oz (350 g). Buttery flesh, very good flavor but with a decent amount of tartness. Dwarf Uluru Ochre is still better though! 🤭
Didn’t save many seeds, only got them from this one mater.
Svetikk said:
Elser Farm’s Brown Derby… I pruned the plant heavily, leaving only the bottom truss where just one single fruit survived, just enough for me to taste it…
Sveta, did you happen to regrow this one this year?
Tatka said:
Sveta, did you happen to regrow this one this year?
No, I wanted to but I only have a few seeds left. I did regrow my favorite Dwarf Uluru Ochre though. And a segregation I got from Cresta di Fuoco turned out very similar in both color and taste.
Verusik1982 said:
Thinking about sticking it on the sunny side of the greenhouse.
That’s exactly how it grows for me every year, in the second row but facing the sun. Didn’t bake at all in this extreme summer heat. Definitely not an early variety though.
My Derby. Flavor-wise, it’s my biggest discovery this year. There are tasty tomatoes, and then there’s this one, it’s just something special. The flesh is tender, almost like a ripe mango, with a bright zippy tang to it. You just want to eat this slicer raw, without any salt or spices, just like a treat. So incredibly good!Mine turned out mid-sized (definitely better to plant it on the edge of the greenhouse) and mid-late season. Weights were around 7-14 oz (200-400 g). The color in the photo didn’t translate perfectly, it’s more of an ochre in real life.
Huge props to @SvetaR for the seeds, thank you!
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Olga39 said:
In my opinion, it’s a very worthy and interesting variety with a rich and complex flavor…
Who did you buy your seeds from?
Anela said:
Who did you buy your seeds from?
Bought the seeds from Danko. Why do you ask, are there different strains of “Derby” out there?
Olga39 said:
Bought the seeds from Danko. Why do you ask…
Your photos are just beautiful.
Anela said:
Your photos are just beautiful.
It grew on the south side of the greenhouse, soaking up the sun 🙂
Here is the coloring I get! Never gets as bright as the photos above. But the flavor is always a bomb!
One of my absolute favorite ochre-colored varieties. The flesh is dense, buttery, and incredibly delicious. Fruits are huge, around 10.5-14 oz (300-400 g).It’s an indet vine, reaches about 5 ft (1.5 m) and does great in a side bed.
Full Summary: Plant, Yield, Taste and Growing Tips
- 🌿 Plant: Indeterminate, mid-late season. While it is a vining type, multiple growers across Zones 4 and 6 note that it doesn’t grow overly tall. It typically reaches about 5 ft (1.5 m), making it an excellent candidate for planting along the side walls of a greenhouse. The foliage is sturdy with large leaves.
- 🍅 Fruit: Large beefsteaks ranging from 7 to 14 oz (200-400 g). The skin is a unique greenish-ochre, while the interior flesh features an orange or brownish tint.
- 📈 Yield: Rated very highly by growers when given enough sun. It produces well both in greenhouses and outdoors (often grown under simple awnings in shorter seasons).
- 👅 Taste: Universally praised. The flesh is described as buttery, dense, and sugary, with a complex flavor profile that includes a zippy, fruity tang (one grower compared it to ripe mango). It is frequently compared favorably to the famous Dwarf Uluru Ochre.
- 💡 Growing Tips: It loves sunlight. Due to its slightly more compact indeterminate habit, growers recommend planting it in the second row or near the sunny edges of a greenhouse. Be cautious with early nitrogen applications to prevent blossom drop.
