Living out West in zones 7-9 and I'm looking for suggestions on which tomatoes to put in the garden this year. Here is what I am looking for: Large for sandwhiches, colorfull for presentation, and flavourfull without dressing them up. I have "big box" stores close by that have multiple types...what would you suggest?
Which tomatoes for me?
- Thread starter dinnertym
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digitS'
Garden Master
Can you be a little more specific about your location, Dinnertym?
I mean, are you in zone 7 - 9 in the southern California desert or zone 7 - 9 on the Puget Sound?
Some nice big red tomatoes are fairly widely adapted. I grow Big Beef and Goliath hybrids each year. They are great!
Usually, heirlooms are not so adaptable. I've got some that are early and do fine in an arid climate. Thessaloniki is one. Probably someone else would need to respond if you are in a Northwest coastal area.
Steve
I mean, are you in zone 7 - 9 in the southern California desert or zone 7 - 9 on the Puget Sound?
Some nice big red tomatoes are fairly widely adapted. I grow Big Beef and Goliath hybrids each year. They are great!
Usually, heirlooms are not so adaptable. I've got some that are early and do fine in an arid climate. Thessaloniki is one. Probably someone else would need to respond if you are in a Northwest coastal area.
Steve
- Thread starter
- #3
California zones 7-9. Sorry. Reason I ask is that I was at a store last week and they had several different varieties. They had striped, black, orange, red, and yellow tomatoes. Just curious if some are all show and no flavor??? Any thoughts will help so I don't have to buy all, LOL.
digitS'
Garden Master
Thank you, Dinnertym! Now, where are our southern Cal gardeners?
Some folks would say that you aren't going to get "true" tomato flavor without going with a heirloom. I'm not one of those but I usually grow lots of those quicker-maturing cherry tomatoes. (Quicker maturing is important for me. After all, I garden where it snows on March 27th
!)
I am becoming convinced that tomato flavor is tied rather closely to tomato color. The darker the tomato, the stronger the flavor - pink tomatoes are milder, yellows and oranges are different.
For your long season fresh garden choices, I see no reason for you to buy determinate varieties. The Big Beef and Goliath are indeterminate and that means the plants should produce over a long period of time. The plants may grow quite large during all that time. (Determinates may well produce all at once on quite small vines, then quit. If you were freezing or canning tomatoes, determinates might be a better choice.)
I will just throw one other widely available red hybrid in: Better Boy. A garden friend grows Better Boys and they sure do fine!
Steve
Some folks would say that you aren't going to get "true" tomato flavor without going with a heirloom. I'm not one of those but I usually grow lots of those quicker-maturing cherry tomatoes. (Quicker maturing is important for me. After all, I garden where it snows on March 27th
!)I am becoming convinced that tomato flavor is tied rather closely to tomato color. The darker the tomato, the stronger the flavor - pink tomatoes are milder, yellows and oranges are different
.For your long season fresh garden choices, I see no reason for you to buy determinate varieties. The Big Beef and Goliath are indeterminate and that means the plants should produce over a long period of time. The plants may grow quite large during all that time. (Determinates may well produce all at once on quite small vines, then quit. If you were freezing or canning tomatoes, determinates might be a better choice.)
I will just throw one other widely available red hybrid in: Better Boy. A garden friend grows Better Boys and they sure do fine!
Steve
skeeter9
Deeply Rooted
Hi Dinnertyme,
I'm also in zones 7-9 in the foothills of central Ca. We have good luck with Thessaloniki, Arkansas Traveler, Super Sioux, and Big
Beef. All of these do pretty well in our long, hot growing season.
I'm also in zones 7-9 in the foothills of central Ca. We have good luck with Thessaloniki, Arkansas Traveler, Super Sioux, and Big
Beef. All of these do pretty well in our long, hot growing season.
Ridgerunner
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I can't tell you which ones will do well in your area. If you want to spend the effort, you can do some research and maybe find which heirlooms were developed in climates similar to yours. These are the ones that should do well for you. But then I'm in Arkansas and have beed dissapointed in Arkansas Travelers. We are all in our own microclimates and some of us have different weather each year.
I also do not find you need an heirloom or open-pollinated tomato for flavor. Some of the hybrids when allowed to ripen taste really nice, but some are more for appearance or volume. I personally do not like the flavor of certain heirlooms, while others find those specific heirlooms delicious. We all have different taste. Some herlooms produce real well for some people but not for others. Same for some hybrids. Some heirlooms and some hybrids are more prone to certain problems, like blossom end rot or splitting, and that can vary by your growing climate.
Are the pretty ones all show and no flavor? One of my best producers year to year has been Mr. Stripey, a large yellow tomato with red stripes. I find the flavor is tremendous, I get a lot of them, and I find them very attractive. I find the Japanese Black to have my favorite flavor, rich and intense, kind of smoky maybe, but it may not be the favorite of everyone. They do not produce a lot here, but for fresh eating, it does not take a lot. We all have different tastes.
We have different goals. Some (practically all) of us are into fresh eating, but even that could be eating whole, slicing for sandwiches, or in salads. Some of us are also into canning, but do you want canned tomatoes, paste, or puree? Some of us grow them for Farmer's Markets. We have different requirements for our tomatoes, which means different varieties work for each of us.
If you have room, I suggest you try a few different ones, some hybrids and some heirlooms. Since Skeeter9 mentioned certain ones, I'd certainly be on the lookout for those, but have fun with it. Don't be afraid to experiment. Over a few years you will find which work best for you.
Good luck!!
I also do not find you need an heirloom or open-pollinated tomato for flavor. Some of the hybrids when allowed to ripen taste really nice, but some are more for appearance or volume. I personally do not like the flavor of certain heirlooms, while others find those specific heirlooms delicious. We all have different taste. Some herlooms produce real well for some people but not for others. Same for some hybrids. Some heirlooms and some hybrids are more prone to certain problems, like blossom end rot or splitting, and that can vary by your growing climate.
Are the pretty ones all show and no flavor? One of my best producers year to year has been Mr. Stripey, a large yellow tomato with red stripes. I find the flavor is tremendous, I get a lot of them, and I find them very attractive. I find the Japanese Black to have my favorite flavor, rich and intense, kind of smoky maybe, but it may not be the favorite of everyone. They do not produce a lot here, but for fresh eating, it does not take a lot. We all have different tastes.
We have different goals. Some (practically all) of us are into fresh eating, but even that could be eating whole, slicing for sandwiches, or in salads. Some of us are also into canning, but do you want canned tomatoes, paste, or puree? Some of us grow them for Farmer's Markets. We have different requirements for our tomatoes, which means different varieties work for each of us.
If you have room, I suggest you try a few different ones, some hybrids and some heirlooms. Since Skeeter9 mentioned certain ones, I'd certainly be on the lookout for those, but have fun with it. Don't be afraid to experiment. Over a few years you will find which work best for you.
Good luck!!
I am in so cal, and some of the more popular varieties here are:
Early Girl
Celebrity
Better boy
Brandywine
Cherry tomatoes are fun
Sun Gold are a yellow-orange cherry and are fantastic
Yellow pear are good and heavy producers
It is early and I am drawing a blank....I will
pull out my Sunset Western Gardens book after I drive the little one to school and update this post in a couple hours. But, garden centers are usually staffed with fellow gardeners, I have always gotten great advice from the employees, you can always get feedback on a tomato variety from someone who has either grown it or gotten feedback from customers.
Good luck and most importantly have fun!
Early Girl
Celebrity
Better boy
Brandywine
Cherry tomatoes are fun
Sun Gold are a yellow-orange cherry and are fantastic
Yellow pear are good and heavy producers
It is early and I am drawing a blank....I will
pull out my Sunset Western Gardens book after I drive the little one to school and update this post in a couple hours. But, garden centers are usually staffed with fellow gardeners, I have always gotten great advice from the employees, you can always get feedback on a tomato variety from someone who has either grown it or gotten feedback from customers.
Good luck and most importantly have fun!
ninnymary
Garden Master
Hi dinnertym and welcome to teh! Where exactly are you? Are you in the bay area? and if so, what city? Like Ridgerunner says we have all kinds of micro climates. I live in Alameda which is small and it could be raining 1 mile away from me and be sunny where I live, or foggy, etc.
If you have a cool summer, the early girls do really well. I personnally prefer the small tomatoes. It's just my husband and I and I don't like to put half a tomatoe back in the fridge.
I would ask your neighbors to see what grows well for them.
Mary
Where exactly are you? Are you in the bay area? and if so, what city? Like Ridgerunner says we have all kinds of micro climates. I live in Alameda which is small and it could be raining 1 mile away from me and be sunny where I live, or foggy, etc.If you have a cool summer, the early girls do really well. I personnally prefer the small tomatoes. It's just my husband and I and I don't like to put half a tomatoe back in the fridge.
I would ask your neighbors to see what grows well for them.
Mary
Here is a link that may give you some ideas
http://www.sunset.com/garden/fruits-veggies/how-to-grow-tomatoes-sunset-guide-00400000041787/
Top picks according to my Sunset Western book;
Early varieties-
Early Girl
Oregon Spring
Quick Pick
Prairie Fire
Heirlooms-
Brandywine
Cherokee Purple
Mortgage Lifter
Constuloto Genovese
Paul Robeson
Large fruited hybrids-
Beef master
Beefsteak
Big beef
Delicious
Burpee's Supersteak hybrid
Main crop-
Better boy
Big boy
Celebrity
Heatwave 11
Pearson
Novelty-
Black prince
Caro rich
Evergreen
Green zebra
Health kick
Long keeper
Mountain gold
Yellow stuffer
Paste tomatoes-
Roma
San Marzano
Viva Italia
Small fruited-
Gardeners delight
Isis candy
Juliet
Patio
Red pear
Sun gold
Super sweet 100
Sweet million
Sweet 100
Tiny Tim
Yellow pear
Hope that helps!
http://www.sunset.com/garden/fruits-veggies/how-to-grow-tomatoes-sunset-guide-00400000041787/
Top picks according to my Sunset Western book;
Early varieties-
Early Girl
Oregon Spring
Quick Pick
Prairie Fire
Heirlooms-
Brandywine
Cherokee Purple
Mortgage Lifter
Constuloto Genovese
Paul Robeson
Large fruited hybrids-
Beef master
Beefsteak
Big beef
Delicious
Burpee's Supersteak hybrid
Main crop-
Better boy
Big boy
Celebrity
Heatwave 11
Pearson
Novelty-
Black prince
Caro rich
Evergreen
Green zebra
Health kick
Long keeper
Mountain gold
Yellow stuffer
Paste tomatoes-
Roma
San Marzano
Viva Italia
Small fruited-
Gardeners delight
Isis candy
Juliet
Patio
Red pear
Sun gold
Super sweet 100
Sweet million
Sweet 100
Tiny Tim
Yellow pear
Hope that helps!
wifezilla
Deeply Rooted
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or 3" of snow on the 28th! LOL
The cooler night time temps, the smaller the maters you might want to grow. If your nights are nice and toasty, you will have a lot more options.
As for flavor, I think it has a lot to do with the minerals in the soil. Bland tomatoes come from depleted soils.
I threw a handfull of crushed oyster shells in the holes I dug for my plants last year. I also used some epsom salts in the water I poured on the hole before I planted. My maters went nuts. If you don't have oyster shell on hand, crushed egg shells will work too. I always have the shells on hand for my duck hens.
All had good flavor. I think my black plum tomatoes were pretty tasty and had the highest yield. The pink climbing tomatoes had the best flavor EVER but the yield was low. Hubby's favorite were the purple cherokee.
