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Winning the popularity contest of all garden vegetables is, of course, the tomato. The greatest-tasting tomatoes in the entire world are raised in backyard gardens and in farmers' fields in our area. Those picked while green and shipped long distances never compare with our own "home-grown" tomatoes.
I seldom subscribe to the idea that there are secrets to growing plants. Successful harvests depend on several variables that gardeners only partially control. Since vegetables are at the mercy of weather, other environmental factors and pests of all kinds, start by choosing the winners. The right variety is largely dependent on what's right for you. Hundreds of varieties are on the market each year; some are new and some are old favorites, yet each fills a specific niche in the garden.
Tomatoes are classified many different ways. One system separates them into cherry, small, medium and large. Other systems make the division based on color, shape, texture or sugar levels. Even the vines are separated into "determinate" plants, which reach a certain height and stop growing, and "indeterminate" plants, which continue to grow throughout the season.
My favorite cherry-type tomatoes are Sun Sugar, Sweet 100 and Sweet Million. I think they are far superior to old-fashioned types. They are very sweet and tasty. These are indeterminate, so don't plant too many. I have seen plants more than 8 feet high with an equal spread. This makes for a lot of tomatoes. Yellow pear, plum and several other varieties round out these selections.
Early Girl is my favorite early variety, and Early Cascade also does well under normal conditions.
Medium-size, midseason varieties are my best garden performers. Celebrity is an excellent, flavorful variety with a smooth skin and excellent disease resistance. Floramerica has all the same qualities and is even more resistant to cracking. Varieties that do well in our area include Fantastic, Jet Star, Champion, Red King Hybrid and Big Beef. Other popular varieties include OG 50, Heartland, Campbells 1327 and Heinz 1350. Don't forget Long-Keeper, which ripens later but will store for many months. The DX-5212 or Hamson tomato was specifically developed for our area. It has a higher solid content than other varieties, so it is excellent for canning or for juice.
I avoid many of the very large beefsteak types that usually ripen too late for our area. Although our growing season is long enough to keep the plants from dying, they must have warm temperatures to ripen and produce flavorful tomatoes. Those with a harvest date of more than 70 days usually end up with more green tomatoes than red ones when frost comes.
There is no excuse for anyone not to have luscious, vine-ripened tomatoes. Several varieties grow well in containers on patios or balconies. Good, well-drained soil and plenty of sunshine are the main necessities. Apply fertilizer only when needed. Excessive nitrogen will grow huge vines at the expense of producing fruit. Phosphorus is usually needed at planting, particularly in cool, wet spring weather.
Less traditional varieties include the paste tomatoes. Since salsa has now replaced catsup as the most popular condiments, these make good sense. Popular varieties include Roma, Royal Chico and Square Paste.
Each gardener will soon develop his own list of favorite varieties. Some are old, some are new and all are tasty. The best variety, in most cases, is the one that is ripe right now. Planting them soon as the weather allows will give growers luscious, tasty treats for that summertime picnic or barbecue.
