Tomato Survey
Homegrown tomatoes. I pick them right when they start to turn, to protect them from the mockingbirds. Yes, they still taste divine!
I was asked to talk more about the varieties of veggies that do well for me, so here’s a start. I walked through the tomatoes last week and made notes on size, production, vigor, and health. Here’s what I’m seeing in this very difficult season (really wet spring followed by really hot, dry weather).
All of these tomato starts came from the Collin County Feed and Seed. I bought one of pretty much each variety they sold.
Sunmaster: short, bushy, tons of tomatoes, slight mite damage
Celebrity: mid-height, bushy, tons of tomatoes, mite damage
Sunpride: short, full, decent tomato production, still setting in heat, flea beetle damage
Super Fantastic: tall, decent tomato production, super-blighty
Better Boy: tall, so-so production, blighty and blossom end rot (I won’t be growing blighty-boy again)
Cherokee Purple (heirloom): short, spindly, very low production
All in all, I’d say the Sunmaster, Celebrity, and maybe Sunpride (jury’s still out) would be worth growing again. I’m getting the most high-quality tomatoes from the first two. And given that they’re both determinate, they’re much better behaved.
Of course, the downside is that they’re both hybrids. I’m not a fan of the big seed companies, so I would prefer to grow varieties that produce viable seed. I just haven’t made that a priority yet. I will someday. So many things to think about!
We’re eating tomatoes 3 meals a day now, and Jan canned one gallon of whole tomatoes last weekend. As you can see from the photo taken this morning, the toms are piling up again, so he’ll probably can again think weekend.
The mites are rough this year. I’m not sure how long these plants will last. But I’ll be heading over to North Haven nursery, in Dallas, to buy more transplants in July. I haven’t tried that before, so I’ll report back.
Oh, and I bartered two tomatoes for a bunch of firewood and wood chips this week (from an arborist working next door). I’m making this garden pay!
Like you I planted a variety of tomatoes this year (most came from North Haven). My Cherokee Purples are very low producing as well, but the taste is worth it! If you haven’t ever tried the Supersweet 100′s, or Porter, try those. Very prolific and what a taste!
My Celebrity, Black Cherry, Roma, BHN’s, and Arkansas Traveler are full of fruit, just still green! All in all, I’m not complaining as this is the first year we’ve ever had a garden that produced! The past several years we tried planting directly in this clay soil (which was amended), but to no avail. Our raised beds have definitely come through for us.
I’m also going to try for two crops of tomatoes as well as other veggies. Good Luck!!!