As July begins, so does the growing season in earnest. Up until now, we have had small harvests of many things, most of which do best in cooler weather (think peas, greens, lettuce, etc). With summer in full swing and temperatures well into the 90's, the summer crops are coming into their own.
This year we planted approximately 75 tomato plants of different varieties. In previous years, we have always had a good mix between cherry, medium and large tomatoes. Unfortunately, here at the PCR, the large varieties of tomatoes just do not do well. If we are lucky, we get a few off of each plant (frustrating). This year, we decided to forego the large varieties and stick with what does best here, cherry and medium tomatoes.
The varieties that we planted this year are:
Sakura: Early, delicious, attractive cherry tomatoes. Sweet tomato flavor and firmness without being hard. Among the first to ripen, Sakura keeps going all season long because of its disease resistance. Very tidy, compact plant fits well in tight spaces. Prolific yielder of bright red, shiny, medium-large cherry tomatoes that average 20–22 gm. Indeterminate.
Tommy Toe: Red cherry tomato, Fruit ripens throughout the season, Superb flavor, very productive. Indeterminate.
San Marzano II: San Marzano is considered one of the best paste tomatoes of all time, with Old World look and taste. Whole 4–6 oz. tomatoes peel easily and cook down quickly. Indeterminate.
Purple Bumblebee: Purple Bumble Bee is an eye-catching combination of the dusky purple seen in heirloom tomatoes and metallic green striping. Sweet flavor and meaty texture provide a nice accent to any salad. Like all the Artisan™ tomatoes, Purple Bumble Bee was bred with high vigor to perform under tough conditions. 20-25 gm. fruits. Indeterminate.
Pink Bumblebee: Excellent sweet flavor. Pink Bumble Bee is an alluring combination of light pinks, yellows and oranges and is great in a mix with the other Artisan varieties. Like all the Artisan™ tomato es, Pink Bumble Bee was bred with high vigor to perform under tough conditions. 20-25 gm. fruits. Indeterminate.
Sunrise Sauce: Much sweeter flavor than others in its class. Sunrise Sauce produces high yields of 4–6 oz. squat, Roma-shaped fruits within a concentrated period, which makes it perfect for saucing. Not to mention it has exceptional fruit quality and flavor and cooks down quickly. The perfect patio tomato. Determinate.
Sunrise Bumblebee: Gorgeous combination of yellows and reds, inside and out. Excellent sweet and tangy flavor. Adds a nice pop of color to any mix, but also stands alone as a premium-quality cherry for snacking and salads. Like all the Artisan tomatoes, Sunrise Bumble Bee was bred with high vigor to perform under tough conditions. 20-25 gm. fruits. Indeterminate.
Citrine: Exceptional snacker with rich, balanced flavor, a meaty bite, and resistance to the splitting and cracking common to many similar market varieties. Citrine produces reliable crops in harsh conditions. Beautiful orange color and ideal cherry size (20 gm.) Indeterminate.
Defiant*: This mid-size slicer has high resistance to late blight and intermediate resistance to early blight combined with great flavor. The 6–8 oz., globe-shaped fruit are smooth and medium-firm with good texture. Deep red internal and external color. High-yielding, medium-sized plants are widely adaptable. Determinate.
Paisano*: Thick-walled 4–5 oz. fruits in the true San Marzano shape. Good flavor and high solids for sauce or canning. Concentrated sets of paste tomatoes midseason. Most of the bright red fruits are blunt tipped, so they don't crush during harvesting. Medium determinate plant.
We added nine raised garden beds and two additional cattle panel trellises to grow the Determinate* tomatoes. As you can see from the photos, they are doing really well on the panels. I'm curious to see if they'll make it all the way to the top of the trellises this year.
Sakura tomatoes on the vine
Which varieties are our favorite you ask? That's a difficult question actually. We absolutely LOVE picking the bumblebees straight off the vine and popping them in our mouths while working or walking through the garden. Nothing beats a fresh, warm tomato right off the vine, NOTHING. When it comes to canning or using the tomatoes in cooking, the San Marzano tomatoes are the best you can get! Their texture and taste are second to none. For beauty and flavor, the Sakura tomatoes take top spot. They are stunning in their cascades of ripe, red fruit and their flavor is amazing.
Tomatoes were the first crop we grew when we started our garden journey 12 years ago. They will always have top billing in our gardens. We look forward to the first ripe tomato each year with great anticipation. We find that store bought ones just do not compare and we find ourselves missing them during the off season.
Do you grow tomatoes? If so, which varieties do you like best and why? We'd love to compare notes. Now I'm off to pick a tomato or two.
Happy Gardening,
The Pirate Chicken
**All seeds and descriptions are from Johnny's seeds. Johnny’s Selected Seeds | Supporting Farms & Gardens Since 1973 (johnnyseeds.com)
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