TOMATOES
CULTURE: After the danger of frost is past, transplant outdoors into well worked garden soil. Work 1/4 cup of our blended organic fertilizer into the soil around each plant. If you have acid soils or have been bothered by blossom end rot, a handful of bone meal should also be added to each plant. Space determinate varieties 18-24 inches apart and indeterminate varieties 20-30 inches apart. Allow 36 inches between rows. If your plants have become leggy, plant them deeper; the stems will actually sprout roots. Water very lightly at first, allowing the stems to adapt.
Determinate varieties typically spread laterally and therefore do not need staking. Tomatoes on determinate plants also tend to ripen together, a good choice for gardeners who grow for market or love to can. Indeterminate varieties grow vertically until the bitter end and need to be staked or trellised for best production. They will produce fruits until frost, always leaving you some green tomatoes at the end of the season.
PLANTING: Plant the stem!! Yes bury the stem to within 6”, or so from the tip. Dig a trench 3”-4” from surface and lay the plant into it. Cover it over, leaving the tip sticking out of the ground. This will cause the plant to root like heck and you’ll have a better plant.
Open Pollinated Heirloom vs Hybrid plants- We use offer both Heirloom and Hybrid plants- We find that whereas we love heirloom taste- the durability of Hybrid plants is sometimes
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-Red Brandywine Heirloom 10-16 oz. Fruits. Indeterminate. Oversized beauty is considered by many to be the finest of all tomatoes. Thin-skinned variety produces better in cooler weather. Indeterminate, Mostly potato-leafed vine but also sometimes also has regular serrated (normal) leaves. Great for salads and Markets. Plant Spacing: 3’ Full Sun.
-Carmello - Heirloom - Carmello tomato plants are a beautiful French variety of 10-12 oz. red slicing tomatoes, is the number one market tomato in Europe because of its good sugar/acid balance and crack resistant skin. A hard to find tomato and easy to grow! VFN & TMV resistant this tomato ripens in only 75 days. Color of fruit: Reds Size of Fruit: Very Large Beefsteaks Time to harvest: Mid Season Size of Mature Plant: 18-24" diameter spacing Growing Type: Indeterminate
-Early Girl- Hybrid - Great for the Foothills! is valued because it is an early-ripening slicing tomato packed with flavor (not usually a strength with early-season varieties) – but also for its dependability. "If you're usually averse to F1 hybrids," says one gardener, "but would like to maybe have just ONE reliable early hybrid as a backup in case your OP varieties don't do well, then this is the early hybrid to get." Their flavor has been placed on par or even surpassing the most-respected heirloom tomatoes.Soft and juicy.. Moderate to Full sun- Moderate water.
-Cherokee Purple - Heirloom - Similar to red-fruited Cherokee, but much darker. Vigorous indeterminate plants produce slightly flattened, 6-8 oz. tomatoes with a purple cast. Good flavor, fairly stingy on yield. Mod Sun. Mod Water. Days: 80 Indeterminate. Season: Late-Season- Heirloom from Tennessee cultivated by Native American Cherokee tribe. Very productive plants producing loads of dusky rose to purple colored, 12 oz.-1 lb., beefsteak tomatoes with deep red colors to the interior flesh and dark shoulders.
-Zapotec Marvel Striped - Heirloom - Marvel Striped rare Heirloom12-16 oz. tomato from the Zapotec people of southern Mexico. Bicolored red and gold fruit, which are gorgeous when sliced on a plate. Great taste but a bit tender to bring to market Strong vines produce scads of large, sweet and juicy fruit. Heat & drought resistant! partial sun, Mod. Water. 75 days.
-Big Beef Beefsteak - Heirloom - Big meaty thick walled red tomato, the "go-to" tomato for burgers (veggie-of course) Produces thick and juicy 7-9 oz fruit. A favorite Slicer with a real tomato flavor. Produces late in the season, somewhat prolific producer.Hearty and not prone to cracking- Determinate. Moderate Water, Full Sun.
-Striped German - Heirloom - - 80 days, Heirloom. Indeterminate. Smooth refreshing gourmet flavor and texture Solid fruits provide highest yields when summers are long. Origins which trace to a German family living in West Virginia. - Mod. Water, Full Sun.
-Black from Tula- Russian Heirloom --80-85 days) A robust Russian heirloom and the largest of the ramatic blacks, with dark, greenish-black shoulders on dark, brownish-red, slightly flattened fruits that grow to 3 to 5” in diameter. Full flavored, chocolate-brown flesh with green gel is rich and satisfying. Performs well in dry conditions. Indeterminate.
-Valencia -Heirloom - 69-80 days). Heirloom from Maine. Medium (under one pound). Brilliant carrot orange 6 oz. fruits are very meaty with few seeds and very fruity. Indeterminate, Full Sun.-Pineapple - Heirloom - Huge meaty tomatoes are safer held in 2 hands rather than 1. Beautiful 1lb red & yellow streaked tomatoes. A must for great salads- Good transportable, Farmers Market variety, Great old-fashoned, full bodied tomato flavor. Indeterminate. Moderate Sun. Mod. of water. 80 days, indeterminate.
San Marzano Hybrid - THE classic Italian paste tomato with rich, complex, sweet flavor essential for making traditional Napolitano sauces and whole canned tomatoes. The large plants produce loads of small, elongated red tomatoes late in the season and need to be staked. Indeterminate Calendar Days to Harvest- Heirloom Size: 2 oz. fruit Hardiness: Tender Annual Easy to Grow: Yes- Sun: Full/Partial Water: Moderate Seed Planting Depth: 0.25" Days to Germination: 7-14 days Plant spacing within a row: 18"-24"
Black Cherry Heirloom- Plentiful clusters of juicy-sweet deep-red tomatoes with a blackish hue. An heirloom too rarely encountered, this delectable variety fully merits a place in the garden and on the dinner table. Yields plentiful clusters of perfectly round 1" true cherry tomatoes that are deep red with a blackish hue. The flavor is complex, rich, juicy and sweet. Indeterminate. Fruit Bearing: Indeterminate Days to Maturity: 65 days.
Indigo Apple -Heritage- 75 days. Immature fruits show deep purple, almost black coloration, which is caused by high anthocyanin (an anti-oxidant). The 2- to 4-ounce, cherry-type fruit turn red when ripe, have a good, complex yet sweet tomato flavor. A descendant of the famed OSU Blue Fruit tomato. The pendant clusters of immature black fruit present a striking appearance in the garden! Resists sun-scald and cracking, lasting long into cool autumn weather when others have quit. Shows disease tolerance and great shelf-life. A classic is born!
Juliet-Hybrid 60 days from setting out transplants. Indeterminate. Somewhere between a grape and a Roma tomato is Juliet, the delectable saladette-type tomato that won top honors from the All-America Selections in 1999 and has been a home gardener favorite ever since. Plump, deep red, ultra-sweet yet meaty little fruits just 2 inches long and about 1½ inches in diameter, they hold up to 2 weeks on the vine, resist cracking, and offer nonstop production all season long!
-Supersweet 100 Cherry -Hybrid - Indeterminate. Bite-size sweetness! Extremely productive, too. The 1-inch fruits are higher in Vitamin C than most other tomatoes. Great plant to let the kids pick and eat right off the vine! Produces up to 100 fruits on each stem, hence its name. 65 days, full sun.
-Sun Gold Cherry - Hybrid - Cherry -65 days. Indeterminate. Tropical flavor from bright apricot-orange round globes are 1 1/4 inches across on long, 10-20 fruit, grape-like trusses. Disease resistant. Kids eat right off the vine- Sprawling plant so make plenty ot room! ModerateWater. Full Sun.
-Yellow Pear Tomato- Heirloom. Grown since the late 1800s, popular for mild flavored, pear-shaped fruits. Low in acid, it has a sweet lingering flavor in salads or pickled. Clusters of 1-2 in. very productive Indeterminate. (70-80 days)75 days, Full- Sun. Moderate Water,