Not Your Usual Tomato Post

The tomato is probably tops in what people want to grow for their dining table. It is just a guess, but due to the lack of good tomatoes available in groceries and the many ways we use them in our cuisine, that seems like a safe guess. So garden articles, posts, and even books, are dedicated to the topic of how to grow a good tomato.

Actually, I inserted the word “good” which how I think the tomato opus ought to be written. Tomatoes are easy to grow, it is the high quality of the fruit that can be a challenge.
Nevertheless I will probably include some facts and links to sites that are better at a blow by blow set of directions on growing your transplants. My one hard earned piece of advice on your baby transplants: harden off. Harden off is the careful introduction of plants from the nice cozy environment of your home to the cold cruel world of your garden. OK, not cold, because you have to wait until after the frosts are totally over, but definitely cruel with real sunshine, actual wind, and soil.

Tomatoes and squash never fail to reach maturity. You can spray them with acid,
beat them with sticks and burn them; they love it.
– S. J. Perelman

That is where the path of my post here will divulge from the main road of tomato growing advice.

What is a good tomato, first of all?

The one that tastes good, and the one that meets the need for the use at hand. It is that simple. There are so many varieties, colors, qualities, sizes, and flavors of this fruit that the answer isn’t any more simple or complicated than that…. until you try to compile a list of all the possibilities.

I’d like to say which ones I like the most, and leave it to you to experiment with finding your own favorites. some people are going to insist that certain types of tomatoes are the best- but the next section of this post will debunk those ideas.

Here is My List of Favorites
Plum:
‘Amish Paste’ is one of the best. Paste tomatoes are good for cooking, sauces, and anywhere a meaty tomato is desired.
‘Marzano’ types of plum tomatoes (the other designation of paste tomatoes because of the meatiness of the flesh of the tomato). {oops, lost that part of the post when I was editing}

This type of tomato has few locules, which are the seed pockets; most tomatoes have between five an seven of these, while the plum tomatoes have two. I found plum tomatoes to grow from seed very well.

Eating:
For fresh eating I like many of the “garden variety” of tomato-

“Better Boy” is tangy and large, with not too much watery stuff inside. That is called the “gel” and I generally don’t like it. Tomato seed gel is reputed to control skin oiliness and to keep blood platelets from clumping. I ‘m happy to allow for such uses, but don’t give me seeping gel on my sandwich, please.

“Early Girl” has smaller fruit that comes on earlier here in Ohio. I like the flavor and it is a plant that toughs out problems with growing conditions. This is a big deal for me after having lost a tomato crop to wilt a few years ago. It is one reason why I like the good old hybrid varieties.

Beefsteak “Brandywine” types. I don’t love big beefsteak tomatoes, but I make exception for the Brandywine ones.

“Caspian Pink” is the hands down favorite of these because the flavor of the pink tomatoes seems to be what I most like in an eating tomato for fresh use.

The last few years I majored in “heirloom” varieties, and tried numerous types. To be entirely fair those years were not the best conditions to grow tomatoes, but I had more problems with disease, and less production than what I was used to with hybrids like “Better Boy”.

This year I want to give some of the black tomatoes like ‘Black Krim’ another chance, but I will likely only choose one or two plants i find at the nursery.

A word on yellow tomatoes: people often love them. They are my mother’s favorite because of their low acid flavor. I don’t care for them, so they aren’t listed here, but “Lemon Boy” is one that my mom liked. You might want to look at the tomato growers list that shows you how many are available- they are a pretty contrast for salads, but I’d as soon have banana peppers for that. I can’t imagine the horror of a white tomato, so don’t ask me about them.

I’ve also grown some cherry tomatoes, but they aren’t my favorites either. Too much skin for my liking. I’m just as happy chopping up a good tomato to size if I want something smaller.

Tomatoes are easy, but hard

The seeds aren’t too small,they don’t take too long to germinate, they can be somewhat hardy (they produce plants here after very cold winters), and they aren’t picky about conditions. However, they do need a long growing season so you need to start them inside ahead of time here in the North, and the growing conditions will affect production and flavor of the tomato fruits. Aye, that is the rub.

Want to start your own? I’ll give you a few good links here- but essentially you can get an old empty egg carton, fill the spaces with moistened seed starting soil, plant the tomato seeds in each cell, keep in a warm sunny window, keep slightly moist but not wet… and voila: tomato plants. There can be more to it than that, but that will work.

• I liked this page. Clear simple, and a few illustrations. Tomato seed starting Nice seed saving directions, too.
• Renee’s Garden, not only tells you how to plant tomato seeds, but offers some of the most tempting varieties for sale.

A few other tips garnered are: Don’t over-water or over-feed,”water for 3-4 hours once a week rather than watering them for 30 minutes everyday. Over-watered fruits will often taste that way, watery. ~ Online Tomato Vine”. Tomatoes are picky about such things. A page of Tomato FAQs, including the answer to “cracking” prevention: even regular watering. That is important when it comes to blossom end rot, too.

I don’t know that I’ve come across the next point I want to make, although maybe it is just a matter of emphasis and I overlooked it when reading tomato growing information. That is that your particular soil will make a difference in how your tomatoes taste. that is why you will have to experiment a little. Maybe do it the easy way and sample some neighbor’s tomatoes, then ask what varieties they like that best for the names of some to try.How you go about that is up to you, but it would be a boon in time and effort if you get some garden advice from people in your neighborhood.

When I moved out here in corn and soybeanland I thought I would have the best tomatoes imaginable. Not so; my city garden produced superior ones- of course I grew them right out of the compost bin area in that cramped little garden…. and I’m sure that had a good effect on the flavor. I think the care we give in our smaller spaces probably explains some of that, too.

The way I would debunk the normal advice on which varieties to grow is that heirlooms are always best- no they are not, and just because some garden or cooking expert likes a certain type does not mean you will. It’s OK, people have different tastes and sensibilities. Yours is good, theirs is good, -it’s all good. In the tomato tasting world, anyway.

So here is my advice in a nutshell:

Get garden tips on the best types of tomato to grow from your neighbor and from your own garden efforts.

Try out new varieties, but remember that VFN resistance is not over rated- it is a real asset in plant health and survival.

One man’s gourmet is another man’s garbage. Taste test, and take notes on what you like.

Pay attention to your tomato plants. Check them for pests (tomato hornworm is a veritable beast); water regularly but do not “over love” with moisture or feeding; if you stake, stake early; when your tomatoes come to harvest, be ready- it is a veritable shower of surfeit.

And if you make tomato sauce, get one of those Victorio Model 250 Food Strainer/Sauce Makers. I’m serious. Get one.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ // ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
© 2010 written for Ilona’s Garden Journal. Copyrights apply.