The Most Interesting Tomato Plant of the Month! August 2023

Weekend Haul (Partial)

I don't always grow tomato plants. Wait, that's a lie. I've been growing tomato plants every summer for 25-years straight. So, I guess my message to you should be: Grow Tomatoes, My Friends.

The photo to your immediate right? That represents my big weekend activity for the month of August. I'm either collecting ripe tomatoes to make gobs upon gobs of canned tomato sauce (with the bite of Jalapeño peppers I might add), OR I'm throwing them into bags and BEGGING my neighbors to take them.

This is the moment in August where heirloom tomato production is positively off the hook. It's not over yet. There are three times as many green tomatoes on the plants that I harvested from today than those that show the color of absolute peak heirloom ripeness. This means another month, or even two, of heirloom tomato harvests. This is, of course, provided the weather holds out.

Cold nights can screw up an heirloom tomato harvest. The tomatoes still turn a pleasing color of red, pink, yellow, orange or whatever variety you are choosing to grow. But sustained cool temperatures at night can play havoc with that heirloom taste.

Tomato of the Month

The nights, unfortunately, have been getting a bit cooler recently. It's not cold yet. But it's near the end of August, which means cold weather isn't very far off. It hasn't affected the taste yet. Today's serving of the giant pink monsters known as Marianna's Peace (MP) were positively off the hook. But, I do worry.

Although I could easily give the August title to MP, or any one of a number of other heirloom producers, I've saved this singular honor for a new variety that popped up in my garden this year. It's called Bread and Salt. It has been an absolute pleasure to grow and the production has been rather outstanding.

This is not a new variety. Not by any stretch of the imagination. It is somewhat new to the United States. But, in the heart of Mother Russia, this variety is well known. I can only tell you that the seeds for this variety did, in fact, come from Russia. I'm not sure exactly where, since this variety is apparently grown all over the Eastern European continent. I'm not at all surprised.

Bread and Salt

Bread and Salt is what tomato growers call an "oxheart" variety. It is a very large oxheart variety. How big? As big as my big, fat hand. Perhaps even bigger. I was blessed with two Bread and Salt starter plants this year. I gave one away and planted the other. I didn't give it much thought beyond that. I didn't know what to expect out of this variety because it's not one I had been expecting to receive as a starter plant.

This heirloom tomato variety may be called Bread and Salt. But it doesn't taste like that. The name, however, is symbolic. It is a Russian custom to provide gifts of bread and salt, which acts as a symbol of good health and fortune. A Bread and Salt variety grown in any fresh tomato garden is certainly going to bring those very good benefits. This is one good tomato. It's meaty. It's tasty. That zing of tartness is in every bite.

This plant doesn't get very large. Maybe four feet tall? That's the size of many standard determinate varieties. There's nothing wrong with determinate varieties. Any vine-ripened tomato is good eating. But most determinate varieties aren't worth writing home about in my opinion. Bread and Salt is different. My plant started producing in mid July and hasn't stopped. New tomatoes continue to form with every passing week, which means this plant won't play out until Mother Nature puts a stop to all summer garden production with one of her patented cold snaps.

Bread and Salt Tomato

I made sure to include a few ripened Bread and Salt whoppers in my canned tomato sauce creations this year. Bread and Salt tomatoes have found their way into more garden salads than I can count. I give as much of them away as I possibly can, without wearing out my welcome as a "good" neighbor. It's just one of those reliable heirloom varieties that you can count upon in any summer vegetable garden.

I can't make any promises, but it may show up in another future garden at some point. It certainly deserves another chance or two after the show this variety put on this year. I just thought you should know about it. It is, without a doubt, the most interesting tomato plant of the month!

This Ain't No Ripple!

Ripple!

It is just like a fine wine. And I can't stop drinking it. It's smooth. It's tasty. It goes down the gullet just right. This ain't no Ripple! This is a Château Lafite Rothschild or something similar. I have no idea what a Château Lafite Rothschild tastes like. But Google tells me this is a fine wine. It ain't no Ripple!

I am, of course, being a tad facetious. I don't drink anymore and even when I did drink, my first choice was not wine. And it certainly wasn't Ripple! That was my mother's wine of choice. Ripple was big in the 1970's. It was produced by E&J Gallo in Modesto, which just happens to be my home town. It is described as a "low end fortified wine." That means CHEAP. Which means it always had a prime spot in my mother's refrigerator.

It didn't last long. Mom loved her Ripple. She wasn't alone. So did a lot of people. This list includes Fred Sanford (Redd Fox) of "Sanford and Son" fame. Fred could never get enough Ripple. He was famous with combining E&J Gallo's favorite concoction with champagne. It was a creation he dubbed "Champipple."

Ripple!

I bring this admission to you because, I will admit, that I have been enjoying the table grape alternative to Ripple wine. These table grapes have been on sale at my local supermarket. They are priced at 98-cents per pound. That's my kinda price. I love table grapes. I love cheap table grapes even more. So, every four to five days I find a reason to visit my store of choice to pick up another 4-5 pounds of cheap red or green, Ripple type, table grapes.

Are they great table grapes? Of course not! They are kinda sweet and kinda crunchy. They're also cheap! Good enough for me. But, I had forgotten about the "fine wine" of table grapes that I planted and grew long ago. It's just been so long that I had forgotten about that signature taste. Not anymore. I am extremely fortunate.

Thanks to an extraordinarily nice lady who is a member of the Sacramento Chapter of the California Rare Fruit Growers (CRFG), I am once again enjoying the "fine wine" of CA table grape production.

Diamond Muscat Grapes

You will not find these grapes in your local store. You  probably will not find them at a farmer's market. You will find these types of special grapes growing in selected California backyards, and I am one of those fortunate few who will get to enjoy and savor that special taste again.

I had forgotten about these signature table grape tastes. Oh my!

The first selection I would be gifted with is a variety that I grew at one time, but also had to leave behind (divorce). I've never forgotten about the Diamond Muscat. I even wrote about this variety once, singing its praises. This was another "impulse purchase" on my part. It would turn out to be the greatest table grape that I would ever plant, harvest from and eat.

Diamond Muscat Vine

The Diamond Muscat is one excellent table grape. It has been a decade since I last tasted one. Thanks to a wonderful gift that came out of the blue, I get to sample seven pounds of them. Seven pounds of Diamond Muscat grapes may seem like a lot to some people. It probably is to most. But for someone as table-grape-obsessed as I am, seven pounds of Diamond Muscat grapes is a "snack."

If the gift from this lady had ended with a full box of Diamond Muscat grapes, I would be so very grateful. But, it didn't end there. Oh yes, there's more! This is a table grape that I did not have previous experience with. Yet, I can tell you, without a doubt, this one is also very, very good.

It is called Summer Royal. It is known as a Thomcord type of table grape. Introduced by the USDA Agricultural Research Station in Fresno in 1999, this is one fine grape variety to snack on. I had never tasted it before. Yet, if I ever get the chance to plant another vineyard again in my lifetime, the Summer Royal will be part of that list.

Summer Royal Thomcord

So, which table grape variety is better? Diamond Muscat or Summer Royal? I can't make that decision. I can only tell you that I am enjoying both of them. What a nice gift for a fresh fruit afficianado to enjoy. Thank you kindly, my very special friend.

So, there you have it. No more Ripple-type table grapes for me! At least for a short while, I get to snack on a bit of home-grown heaven.

Tomato Plant of the Month! June Edition!

DYING Tomato Plant

The summer of 2023 has arrived. Grow tomatoes, my friends. Although this represents the "plant of the month" that is growing in the yard of the Gullible Gardener, this is nothing to celebrate. Because, as you might notice to your immediate right, this tomato plant is DYING.

DYING? Wait! Are you sure? The Gullible Gardener doesn't grow or plant tomato plants that DIE. Something ain't quite right here. The Gullible Gardener provides advice to other, younger gardeners, who are killing off plants left and right. The Gullible Gardener does not suffer this misfortune.

The Gullible Gardener learned how to garden from the likes of Farmer Fred Hoffman! He drank in the knowledge provided by nursery owners such as Don Shor at Redwood Barn Nursery in Davis and Angela Pratt of Digging Bliss and Plant Foundry Nursery in Sacramento! Feats of the Gullible Gardener have been highlighted and lauded by the likes of former Sacramento Bee Garden Editors and writers by the names of Dan Vierra, Pat Rubin and Debbie Arrington!

Healthy Tomato Plants!

This is what the tomato garden of the Gullible Gardener should look like! Green! Lush! Healthy! Loaded with tomatoes! The Gullible Gardener does not suffer disasters like this! Those are reserved for "the others." Yet, the photos do not lie. The tomato plant labeled as "Chef's Choice Bi-Color Hybrid" is kicking the proverbial tomato bucket. How on God's Green Earth could this happen to someone with a mouth as big as the Gullible Gardener?

Am I bummed? Not just bummed! More like completely frazzled! Beside myself! I don't kill tomato plants. Ever. Well, that is somewhat of a lie. At one time I would kill my fair share of them. A result that normally took place after I tried something extremely stupid. But, I stopped doing that years ago. Well, kind of.

Tomatoes I Will Never Taste

I decided to write about this rather unfortunate experience after looking some distressing news from another long-time gardener. She is dealing with her own garden maladies at the moment. I know exactly how this gardener feels. This just does not happen to us! To others? Yes! To us? Absolutely NOT! Life ain't fair.

I could ask for help and advice on a Facebook Gardening forum that I troll regularly. But that's an exercise in futility. It will invite some rather odd and conflicting advice. Some of those helpful suggestions are sure to include the following:

-Spray it with Epsom Salts!

-Dump some fertlizer on it!

-Spray it with Lysol!

-Liquid Viagra!

-Dawn dish soap and table scraps!

Pass. I do have some suspicions on why this might be taking place. I have noticed that Bandit the Border Collie has taken quite the liking to this plant and has demonstrated that love by "watering it" perhaps a little too often. Before you can utter the two words of "that's disgusting," I'd much rather he choose the tomato plant instead of the side of my bed.

Bandit the Border Collie

So, I did subject this dying plant to a bit of drip therapy from the garden hose last night. About six hours worth of a slow drip. I was hoping that might lead to some improvement. Alas, it's still acting like an unhappy limp noodle. An unhappy limp noodle, I might add, that is positively LOADED with early production. I like to count the tomatoes forming up on my tomato plants because I'm certifiably insane.

So, you might have noticed that the posting for the June Edition of the "Tomato Plant of the Month" is two days late. That could be it to, I suppose. I'm two days late and multiple brain cells short. But, it just goes to show that garden maladies can strike at any place and any time. Even a garden goober who writes under the pen name of the Gullible Gardener.

Late to the Summer Garden Party!

Sugar Pea Pod Vines

I'm late! Late to the Summer Garden Extravaganza. That picture to your right is the reason WHY I'm so late to the summer party this year. This, and two other sad plants that are not pictured, are all that remains from my fall garden planting efforts. My fall garden doesn't normally look quite this sad, but California's epic amount of rain this winter drowned just about everything EXCEPT what you see pictured to the right.

This spot happens to be the highest spot in the backyard garden. Not pictured is the rest of the garden. Why not? Because for much of the winter that section of the yard was under several inches of water. That's what happens when an area that had not see much rainfall in two or three years suddenly receives TWICE the amount that normally falls in any given year.

That was the winter we needed in Northern California. Unfortunately, a lot of good comes with a little bit of bad. Two to three inches of rain can be very good for fall and winter gardening efforts. Thirty inches of rain is a different story entirely. You needed a rowboat to pay a visit to some areas of the garden this past winter. I could only watch as the fall and winter greens drowned following one epic storm after another.

Lake Northern California!

BUT, there was one bright spot. It was that high section of garden that I'd set aside for the sugar pea pod plants that I'd received from a gardening friend. 12-of those starter plants went into one cirle. 12-others went into another. The plants in the lowest section of the yard, like many other fall garden plants, drowned after the backyard turned into a lake. But the other 12 did just fine.

The unusual winter weather not only covered some sections of the garden completely, it also stunted the growing efforts of those plants that remained above water. So, when the time came to start prepping the garden for spring and summer exploits, the sugar pod pea plants that survived the lake-like conditions were just starting to flower.

Spring Peas

I had a choice. Pull the plants out and declare the fall and winter season to be an entire bust, or wait. I chose to wait. While other gardeners were prepping garden areas for tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and other summer efforts, I patiently waited for those blooms on the sugar pod pea plants to turn into garden peas. That patience would be rewarded.

The wait resulted in a weight of 1.1 lbs. of sugar pea pods. That's enough pea pods to fill up a collander. Which is a lot of peas. The vast majority of those were added to some sliced mushrooms and put into a soup creation which resulted in a lot of leftovers. I will be eating the last of that soup for lunch today, which will put a finishing wrap on the rain-challenged fall and spring gardening efforts.

The sugar pea pod harvest did finally allow for some summer garden prep. In fact, that prep started the moment that the pea harvest ended and the plants were removed. But, I will admit, I'm a solid month behind the efforts of many others. The tomato plants are already beginning to produce pea-sized tomatoes, but there will be no "early harvest" this summer. If I get a cherry tomato to ripen up by the 4th of July holiday I'll consider myself lucky.

Spring Pea Harvest

Fortunately, I get to benefit from a special climate called "California Weather." As unpredictable as it has been this year, you can still count on a long summer growing season out west. So, even if you are like me, a month behind schedule, it doesn't matter for us California types. The garden planted in late May will eventually catch up with those gardens planted in late April. When the month of September rolls around, you won't be able to tell the two apart.

The real benefit, however, is all that water stored behind our massive Northern and Southern California reservoirs. Plus, a massive snowpack that is slowly melting in the Sierra Nevada. It's a snowpack that is so very large that all of it may not melt. Our fantastically warm summers won't be warm enough or last long enough to melt all of that water trapped in the high country.

Which is fine by me. That's irrigation water for backyard vegetable gardening efforts!

The Breba

Breba Crop-Fig Tree

Most fruit trees grown in California share a common trait. The same rule applies to most bushes or ground covers that produce fruit. It does not matter if your fruit of choice is a juicy peach, or if it's a red and ripe delicious strawberry. Your fruit of choice generally spends the entire year to gear up and produce a single big crop of fruit.

The same rule of thumb can apply to some tomato plants that are known as hybrids. They produce one big crop for an entire season and that's just about it. Don't get me wrong. It's a good crop of tomatoes. But, you only get one.

There is only one type of fruit tree, that I'm aware of, that laughs at this time-honored model of production. This type of fruit tree says "hold my beer." I must warn you that I do not have a great deal of experience with this fruit variety. I can only tell you that it begins to produce tree-ripened fruit much earlier than most fruit trees. But, it doesn't stop there. It keeps right on growing new crops that become tree-ripened fruit throughout the summer.

Breba Crop 2023

It has more energy than your standard Energizer Bunny.

That first crop, pictured above right and again to your immediate left, is called "Breba." It comes from the Spanish word of Breva. This is the first crop that is produced by your average fig tree. I happen to have one of these trees. It is anything but average. It is also unlike any fruit tree or bush that I've ever grown.

I must admit to you: I have grown my fair share. This includes five different varieties of peaches. Why five? Because four is never enough. Come to think of it, five wasn't enough either.

The Spanish are responsible for bringing the fig tree to North and South America. Blame the Spanish. They also brought peach trees and pigs. They would also bring numerous plagues and diseases that the natives had no resistance too, but we'll save that sad story for another day.

Tree of Gluttony

You know what the worst part of this fruit tree experience is? I'm not even sure what kind of fig tree I have. I know it came from Dave Wilson Nursery. But that is the extent of my knowledge. The tree was in a bucket that was labeled with the name of Kadota. This is NOT a Kadota fig tree. Not even close. It's some kind of black fig because the skin of the fruit is black.

My best guess is this is the Black Mission Fig. That is the industry standard. But judging on the color of the skin and the color of the flesh (red), it could be another variety. This includes the Black Jack, the Purple Smyrna or even the Violette de Bordeaux. In short? I'll never know. I just know this one tree produces a boatload of fruit.

As of right now, this tree is loaded with an eye-popping amoung of Breba. But you ain't seen nothing yet. The main crop will dwarf the size of any and every Breba crop. Or, at least it has so far.

Breba here, Breba there

I give away as much as I can. Neighbors, friends, family members, you name it. You want figs? I got figs. Last year I convinced two members of the Sacramento Gardening Group on Facebook to come over and strip the tree. You know what? They did! They nabbed huge sacks of fruit! Guess what? It did not matter! Because the tree was free to grow a third crop, and it did!

I am kind of sad and disgusted to admit this. But there came a point last summer where I had given away as many figs as possible. I had used the fruit to make gallons of fresh Kompot. Anyone who wanted a whack at that fruit production was welcome to it. Despite this, hundreds of figs dropped from that tree and rotted.

Mango the Magnificent!

There was a day and age when various critters would help with stripping the crop. Rats, possums, skunks and birds ate as much as they wanted. But that day and age ended when Mango the Magnificent arrived and made his presence known. One day my three month old kitten put on a show for me by racing up and down that fig tree. Guess what? Critters no longer visit. They say "pass."

So, should you feel the desire for tree-ripened figs this summer, be sure and drop me a line. You can take as much as you like. I will beg you to take even more. You might even get a free ginger cat out of the deal.

That Instagrammable MUTT!!!

Bandit's Instagram Moment

There he is! In all his glory: I give you the Instagram Moment of the elder generation (this means old). This is Bandit. He is a rescue mutt from the from the Bradshaw Animal Shelter. I believe he is a Border Collie or at least a Border Collie mix. He is in his element. Among the wildflowers currently in bloom at Marco Dog Park in Roseville.

I snapped this photo a few days ago and placed it on Instgram. It has all of seven likes. Bandit has gone viral. Or, as viral as Bandit is going to become. I am not a social media darling and never will be.

For most of the year, Marco doubles as a drainage ditch smack dab in the middle of the busiest of commercial district in all of Placer County. It was built as a flood control facility, but also does double duty as a dog park. After a winter of record rain and snowfall, followed by a few warm spring days, the so-called drainage ditch begins to take on the look of a pristine Northern California foothill setting.

Marco Dog Park-Roseville, CA

This was Bandit's second visit to this park. This is about the time he discovered the well-worn dog trail that multiple other dogs have created. It's a ring of a trail around a park high above the ditch below. This trail gives mutts like Bandit and others an unprecedented view of the countryside. It's also about the time that Bandit would discover this trail and dog park are alive with gophers and other critters that he can chase to his heart's content.

A rescue mutt hath no greater joy than this. Unless, however, a jackrabbit should cross his path.

I am a fan of the many dog parks in Northern California. I am required to be fan of them. That's the price you pay for adopting a Border Collie or any other Border mix such as an Aussie Shepherd or a McNab Shepherd. These are "working dogs." They are a working breed. They need a place to work. Since there are no sheep or cattle nearby for them to run after or herd, a dog park offers the next best thing.

Looking for the Chase

Marco is unlike most dog parks that I've visited. Many of these parks are square or rectangular in nature. There are usually two of them joined together. One side is for small dogs. The other is for larger breeds like Bandit. Most are covered by a large expanse of grass. Others, like C-BAR-C Park in Citrus Heights, feature an undulating hill and a sprinkling of native oaks and other trees.

Marco, however, is unique. If a dog wants to vanish in the undergrowth, he or she can. They can run up a steep hill to the rim of this park and run among the trees, bushes and other plant life that dominates this park. They might be less than 25-feet away, but you will never see them. This is Paradise for a dog. They can run. They can sniff. They can play. They can be safe from trouble. The comfort of a chain-link fence keeps them away from busy city streets and within the confines of the park area.

But the best feature of this park, at least in my option, is the drainage ditch itself. As of right now, it's full of water. It really is just a ditch. But with nature's overgrowth on both sides of this basin, it doubles as a stream cutting through the park. If Bandit isn't chasing a gopher or two on the trail that rims the upper portion of Marco Dog Park, he's playfully splashing after any unfortunate bird that dares to land in this drainage area.

Seasonal Stream (Ditch)

A good hour of running the dog park trails, bounding through high grasses and chasing after gophers or birds produces the required result: a tired herding dog. Tired herding dogs tend to sleep at night. If you don't tire a herding dog out during the day, they might spend the night chewing your favorite shoes into pieces. Or, chasing the cat all over the house.

I do imagine, at some point, the water will stop running through this ditch. The intense heat of summer will turn those green grasses brown and gray. It won't be as pleasing to look at, or for a dog to play in. But, if you're looking for a unique dog park that offers some unique dog exercise, this dog park fits that bill and more.

Is it Spring Yet???

California Humor

This is a question that millions of people in California are asking at the moment. This is especially true if these Californians like to plant vegetable gardens. Which many of them do. By the way, do you like that photo to your immediate right? I sure do, which is why I STOLE it from the Facebook Page of a high school classmate.

Her name is Penelope. Which, as you might be able to guess, is not her real name. I made it up to protect her identity. Penelope, as you might be able to tell, has a wicked sense of humor. She had that in high school. She has it now. In spades. If I run across a Facebook post from Penelope, I'm guaranteed to laugh. She's that good. It's why I've used her name for a character in a book I'm writing. Perhaps, one day, I'll actually get around to publishing it.

Don't give up hope, Penelope!

Pooch Park, Citrus Heights, CA

Truth be told, however, Penelope has a point. Like her, I'm getting tired of waiting for spring to hit the Golden State. Californians are normally spoiled rotten by six month summers. In 2022 however, our normally temperate weather suddenly went south in October. It started to rain and snow in December. It hasn't stopped since and the weather hasn't warmed up either.

While the non-stop rain has stopped some work in the garden, I've been able to "plow" ahead with other work. But, when I say "plow," I don't mean using an actual plow. I'm just working. The mostly clay soil that makes up most of my backyard is very easy to work with at the moment. You can dig a hole two feet deep with a post-hole digger in two or three minutes.

Try doing something like that when clay soil is dry and has the consistency of concrete! It will take a tad longer in two to three minutes! And, if you're lucky, just might result in major back surgery!

Easy Dig Post Hole

But, I digress. I did use our wet weather to indeed dig a hole two feet deep. In fact, I dug two of them. Those two holes are now home to two "sticks." They look like sticks. They are just sticks! At the moment. But soon, those two sticks will take on the names of Himrod and Flame.

Got any ideas of what those might be?

If you guessed the answer of "table grapes," points to you my friend. They are indeed two separate and well known varieties of seedless grapes. These are the types of varieties that I was hoping to pick up when I attended the most recent Scion Exchange hosted by the Sacramento Chaper of the California Rare Fruit Growers. I came away with carefully pruned scions (sticks) for Himrod, Flame and Kish Mish (Thompson Seedless).

Himrod is apparently a close cousin to the Kish Mish,* as is the most popular table grape grown in California today: Thompson Seedless. The Himrod variety is actually a cross between the Thompson and Ontario varieties. It is considered to be the most successful table grape variety released by the Cornell University Breeding Program in 1952.

Emerging Kish Mish

The Himrod is designed to grow well in cold weather regions. In California, where it is just a tad warmer during most years, Himrod also does well. Thanks to California weather conditions, which range from warm to hot, the Himrod is considered to be an early-ripening variety.

Flame Seedless, meanwhile, is pure California. Hybridized and released by the USDA Agricultural Research Station in Fresno in 1973, it caught on quickly. Thousands of acres of Flame table grapes are planted from one end of California to the other. If the table grapes you purchase from your local neighborhood store during the summer are red in color, chances are it's the Flame.

Why plant table grapes? Because I absolutely LOVE table grapes. Is that good enough? No matter how many pounds I purchase from the store, it's never enough. I always run out. I always want more. The best answer to this table grape addiction is to plant your own. Since one single vine can produce as much as 100 lbs. of table grapes, I won't run out until I'm absolutely sick of of them. That sickness is temporary, however. The urge to consume table grapes always returns.

The gardener in me loves to experiment. Rather than amend the soil that came out of both planting holes and use it for growing both table grape varieties, I instead filled both holes with good, old-fashioned, smelly, amended steer manure compost. In other words, cow poop.

Planting Medium

All gardening is local. All gardening can be experimental. What works for me in Northern California may not work as well in other parts of the country, or the world for that matter. The urge to experiment with different growing methods and mediums comes from arborists and others who always advocated for a new approach, rather than the tried and true.

I'm sure Penelope would approve.

Table grapes grow and produce rather quickly in California. That's the reason why so many of them are produced here and shipped to destinations all over the world. The weather, soil and water here are perfect for wine and table grape production. California weather is just about perfect for growing anything and everything under the sun.

Provided the weather warms up. Right, Penelope?

*The Kish Mish table grape is the grandaddy of the table grape industry. Originally believed to have been sourced from Afghanistan, the Kish Mish made its way across Europe and the Mediterranean. Once established in various grape growing regions, it quickly became the table-grape of choice. It is known by a variety of names. These include Sultana, Thompson Seedless, Lady de Coverly and many others. It's believed that early California plant breeder Felix Gillet was the first or among the first nurserymen to bring the Kish Mish to the United States. The Kish Mish adapted well to the California climate and was highly prized because it was one of the first seedless grapes. Today it is known and sold under the name of Thompson Seedless.