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Growing tomatoes is rewarding. The rewards range from little snacks to eat right off the vine, to adding them to salads, or cooking them in a variety of dishes. Its a delightful to share the interesting shaped ones with friends and visitors, and the occasional fruit bat / other critters. September / October gets us busy with preparing some of the bounty for storage.
Each year, I am always looking for new varieties to grow along with a few tried and tested reliable ones that my family enjoys. My local nursery Alden Lane, and OSH have a wide variety to choose from, and I don’t really venture out growing them from seeds as I just need one of each variety for an abundant harvest.
With the weather inconsistent so far, some of the tomatoes haven’t taken off completely yet. The peas are continuing to produce and cabbage is continuing to grow. However many eggplants and tomatoes have started pumping out delicious fruits. This year, thriving in my garden are:
Indeterminate varieties : The rambling vines that need a lot of support, and will keep on producing until frost kills it! You can prune the suckers on these plants if you wish.
- Snacking / salad / slicer varieties
- Sungold cherry tomato – This is a reliable producer and a staple in my garden. We love to snack on these for an instant sugar fix while working in the garden. They taste great in salads, if it makes it to the table. With just 57 days maturity its one of the early kinds to produce.
- Sweet 100 cherry – 65 days maturity.
- Yellow pear – profusion of pear shaped tomatoes thats perfect for the snack tray.
- Black cherry – a profusion of cherry tomatoes on a rambling vine. I planted this in a large container next to a sturdy trellis. Experimenting this variety in a terra-cotta container, and I think as long as it has space to sprawl, it should do good.
- Pink berkeley tie dye – this is a compact indeterminate variety reaching unto a maximum of 5ft, with just approx 65-70 days to maturity. They are a beauty to look at, and the taste is phenomenal and complex. They reliably produce well in cool weather.
- Nepal – this is a new addition in my garden this year. It has a traditional tomato flavor and a heirloom variety. With approx 80 days to maturity, they produce well into the cool season, ripening off the vines that are 6-8 ft tall.
- Pastes and cooking
- Early girl – need not say more, its one of the earliest varieties to produce with just 50 days to maturity after transplanting, and the last ones to die holding up well into late Fall. Its perfect for the dry inland weather. Plant it again in summer for harvest until low temperatures of 40F. In my area, until about November, I have some producing, though not ripening as quick as summer.
- San marzano – This is somewhat cold tolerant; mild, low acid for paste and purees. 70-80 days maturity.
- Black Krim – It is ideal for use in salads, hot dishes and soups. It has a pretty complex and interesting taste, which is sweet, salty and a bit hard to explain, but in one word is FLAVORFUL”. Its easily preserved or made into sauces. Black Krim matures in about 12 weeks.
Determinate varieties: The petite ones that will produce abundantly even in containers with minimal support. Most of the fruit produced will be in a short time span. Do not prune, as fruits are set at the tips!
- Celebrity tomato. This is companion planted in the asparagus bed. My first time growing tomato in the asparagus bed. They are thriving so far and put out beautiful meaty tomatoes waiting to ripen on the vine.
- Fredricks Tomato san marzano heirloom. This one requires no pruning or staking. Its easy to pop this in anywhere without having to worry about rambling vines.
- ACE tomato – determinate variety from my local nursery @ Alden lane. This is one of my favorites as its low acid and makes delicious chutneys. Takes 75 days to maturity. I planted this in my largest bed, along with with peas, celery, okra and pink Berkeley tie dye.
Beginning of July, I plan to add a Stupice tomato, that particularly successfully overwintered last year, until a late frost killed it. I plan on experimenting again this year in the same spot as it fared pretty well, and make sure I protect it during frost!
I feed my peppers, tomatoes and eggplants every two weeks with epsom salts, and once a month during growing season with tomato and vegetable food (Dr. Earth or E.B Stone), or any OMRI listed product meant for organic gardening.
I hope you enjoy my selection this year. I will write an update post at the end of the season with details on the bounty, and perhaps a few recipes!
I would love to hear from you the varieties you are growing this year, and your favorites ones to grow.
