I think that not only was he right, but that not much else tastes sweeter than homegrown tomatoes!
Starved for the taste of a delicious, plump, vine-ripened tomato I actually bought some at the grocery store this week, and they were admittedly much better than the tasteless red things that they often try to pass off as tomatoes and we affectionately refer to as “hoodles” at our house. These actually had some flavor, and it reminded me how much I am looking forward to this year’s crop of tomatoes, fresh from my own garden and still warm from the summer sun.
Now that I’ve whetted your appetite for these wonderful vegetables, why not plant some this season? There’s a tomato for everyone’s garden and taste.
Top tips for growers
If you live in a cool area and don’t have a particularly long growing season, there are several options and tricks for you to try.
First, purchase the largest plants you can get. Some places will have tomato plants in gallon containers that have been growing for some time. This is an easy way to get a jump on the season. Many gallon-size tomato plants will already have a small tomato or two on them.
Work your soil well before planting and add plenty of good, organic material like compost, Back to Earth, and well aged manures. You may want to add a layer of weed barrier to help keep the weeding to a minimum. This is important because the weeds will compete with the tomato plants for food, nutrients and water.
Once planted, use a Wall O’ Water or Season Extender to surround and protect your plants from our cool evenings. These walls are filled with water that heats up during the day, then uses that heat to protect them against the chilly evenings. Using Walls O’ Water can extend your growing season by several weeks and help you get a jump on your harvest.
Fertilize on a regular basis. I can’t stress this enough. Think about what you would look like if you didn’t eat for the whole summer! Your plants are the same way – they need that nutrition on a regular basis to develop strong stems and produce an abundant crop. Fertilizer is the cheapest insurance you will purchase to ensure a great harvest from your plants.
Tomatoes like warm nights and warm days. Try planting them in containers that can be moved in and out of a garage or porch so that they can be kept warm at night in order for them to perform at their best. If you have a stucco house, or other area that will hold some heat from the day, consider planting them there for a natural micro-climate that your plants will love.
As for the choices, it’s really a matter of personal taste. For short seasons, consider the Early Girl and Fourth of July varieties. These are smaller tomatoes than some, and have smooth, round shapes. Early Girl has been around for years and is a good, reliable producer. With a growing season of approximately 50-52 days, these plants should produce into and through the summer. Early Girl is a smaller tomato than some of its cousins, but is just fine for salads, slicing and other uses.
Fourth of July is another short-season tomato and I’ve had vine-ripened tomatoes off of my plants as early as June 28 when I planted early and used Walls O’ Water.
A tomato for every taste
Mid-sized tomatoes and mid-season tomato choices are practically endless. Some of my favorites are Celebrity, Champion Bush, and Super Fantastic. These usually take between 68 and 72 days to mature. They are good for slicing and salads as well.
If you prefer large, meaty tomatoes, then you will want to look towards the Beefmaster or Better Boy varieties. These tomatoes are large and oval in shape when you slice them and sometimes have “wrinkles” at the top where they connect to the vine. They often get large enough that, when sliced, one slice will cover an entire sandwich.
A tomato that everyone should try at least once is Health Kick. This tomato contains 50 percent more lycopene than any other tomato. Lycopene is a cancer-fighting anti-oxidant and for that reason alone, is worth a try. It is also flavorful and delicious.
If traditional tomatoes are not what you seek, then think to some of the more unusual varieties. Try Lemon Boy or Yellow Pear tomatoes. These produce wonderful eating tomatoes, are lower in acidic content than the red varieties and make a colorful addition to recipes when using them for cooking. And my personal favorite, La Romas, are probably the best for making tomato paste and use in other traditionally Italian recipes.
Cherry tomatoes are often a favorite in salads or eaten right off the vine. Sweet 100 or Topsy Tom’s are small, sweet cherry tomatoes that are very prolific producers. Great right off the vine, they are also good in salads and as a garnish for other dishes. Because of their size, cherry tomatoes do well in containers making them suitable for small space or patio gardening.
No matter how you like your tomatoes, this is the time to start thinking about them. And as John Denver accurately pointed out at the end of his song, “There’s only two things that money can’t buy and that’s true love and homegrown tomatoes!”
Gail Vanik can be reached at Four Seasons Greenhouse and Nursery at 565-8274 or by email at “fourseasons@animas.net.”