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 Ensure the best flavor and greatest results by
selecting the most disease-resistant varieties and growing your
tomatoes in full sun and moist, well-drained soil.
Select plants with the growth habit that works best with your garden
space and gardening style. Determinate tomatoes are perfect for
small-space gardens and containers. They grow to a certain height,
stop growing, and produce their fruit over a relatively short
timeframe.
Indeterminate tomatoes continue to grow throughout the season,
producing flowers and fruit until frost kills the plant or you prune
off the growing tip found at the end of the main stem(s). Stake or
tower the plants to save space, reduce disease and insect problems,
and make harvesting more convenient.
Further narrow down your selection and grow varieties best suited to
the intended use. Plant tags often provide recommendations. Or, save
time and do a bit of research before visiting the garden center. The
Bonnie Plant Tomato Chooser (bonnieplants.com/tomatoes/
choose-your-tomato/) can help you select the best tomato for your
growing conditions and the intended use.
Bite-sized tomatoes are great for salads, relish trays, and
snacking. Red Robin and Sweet ‘n Neat produce clusters of red cherry
tomatoes on compact plants. Grow them in containers or even a window
box.
Tumbling Tom Red and Tumbling Tom Yellow cherry tomatoes are
compact, cascading plants that create an attractive edible display
in tall containers, hanging baskets, or window boxes.
Grow the explosively sweet Sun Gold and Sun Sugar cherry tomatoes.
They’re the candy of the garden and will get even your most
reluctant family members, young and old, to eat their tomatoes.
Stake or cage these tall plants and, if space is limited, grow them
in a 24-inch-diameter pot.
Paste and sauce tomatoes have meatier fruit, making them perfect for
sauces, soups, and preserving. Roma is the traditional favorite. The
egg-shaped fruit has thick walls and few seeds. Use them during the
growing season for sauces, chop and add them to an omelet, or can
and freeze them for future use. [to top of second
column] |
Expand your options with San Marzano heirloom paste
tomato. Popular with gourmet and home chefs, the sweet, complex
flavor makes a fabulous sauce. Chop a few and add them to salads, or
slice and top your favorite sandwich. You’ll enjoy the flavor and
versatility of this tomato.
Grow a few slicing tomatoes. Most gardeners look for large, juicy
tomatoes to enjoy on their sandwiches, hors d’oeuvres, and salads.
Look for varieties that are suited to the growing conditions. Solar
Flare and Creole are heat-tolerant and keep producing despite high
summer temperatures. Start picking tomatoes as soon as 65 days after
planting by growing short-season varieties like Early Girl and New
Girl tomatoes.
An All-America Selections winner, Celebrity, has
great disease resistance and is an excellent all-around tomato. Grow
this determinate tomato in a cage, or stake the plant to save space.
Heirloom varieties have been grown for more than 50 years and have
maintained their original traits and popularity. Cherokee Purple’s
rich flavor rates high in taste tests. The dusky pink fruit with
deep red interior looks as beautiful as it tastes. Add some fun and
sweet flavor with Mr. Stripey. The irregular striping of the red and
yellow beefsteak-type fruit make this a popular choice.
So, gather your favorite recipes and create a list of both longtime
favorites and new tomato varieties to include in this year’s garden.
[Photo by Bonnie Plants] |
