Master Gardener: Growing tips for winning tomatoes
When I was little, my Dad started a family garden contest: Whose tomato plant would yield the first ripe tomato of the season? The winning family member proudly showed the tomato to Dad and basked in victory over other siblings. The contest continued well into my adult years and, despite my best efforts, I never managed to produce the first ripe tomato.
In 1993, as a friendly tease, my Dad gave me a ballcap for placing No. 2 in the contest. But what I did win and continue to appreciate is my Dad’s knowledge and enjoyment of growing tomatoes. Passing along this knowledge, as I hope to do through this article, is a way of carrying forward a fun, meaningful and delicious tradition.
Choosing a tomato variety
According to the World Tomato Society, there are more than 6,200 varieties of tomatoes. What is the best variety of tomato to plant? Each tomato grower will have their favorite varieties. The five varieties discussed here are my preferences, based on my many years of growing tomatoes.
If I were to plant just one variety of tomato, it would be the Fourth of July Tomato. Fourth of July Tomatoes can be transplanted outdoors in mid-May and yield a golf-ball sized tomato around the Fourth of July holiday — certainly a promising winner in a growing contest! It is an indeterminant tomato, meaning that it will grow and yield tomatoes the entire season until frost. (Determinant tomato varieties produce essentially one crop of tomatoes and die off toward the end of the season. Both flavorful and diverse, the Fourth of July tomato is tasty eaten fresh, canned or juiced.
I enjoy arranging fun colors of sliced tomatoes on a serving plate. The Polaris and Mr. Stripey varieties are my choices for this. Polaris is a deep, burgundy-colored tomato. Sliced, the Polaris has a dark, almost black circumference with a beautiful deep red center. It has a rich, sweet flavor and excellent, firm texture. Mr. Stripey tomatoes have yellow and red stripes on the outside and a marbled interior of beautiful reds and yellows inside. Like the Polaris, Mr. Stripey tomatoes are firm and sweet. Both these varieties are indeterminant so they will grow throughout the summer with the vines sometimes as tall as six feet. For a smaller, pop-in-the-mouth treat, Brad’s Atomic Grape Tomato tops my list. When ripe, this elongated, grape-shaped tomato is olive-green blushed with red and brown/blue stripes.
There are two beefsteak tomatoes worth trying
Two varieties of beefsteak tomatoes that I like are Brandywine and Bodacious Hybrid. Brandywine tomato is an heirloom variety that dates back to 1885 and often wins “most flavorful” contests. This tomato, lighter red in color, is not perhaps as big a producer as other varieties, but fruits after others have stopped producing, assuring a summer end treat. The Bodacious Hybrid Beefsteak, a very productive, indeterminant variety, is both tangy and sweet and adds pizzazz to sandwiches, burgers, and salads.
Local greenhouses should be able either to guide tomato growers to varieties discussed here or to discuss the characteristics of varieties available at that site. If you’re new to growing tomatoes, choose only one or two varieties and one or two plants of that variety. A small start will allow a new gardener to research best growing practices for a particular tomato and keep the gardening project manageable. If you have limited space, or no garden space, smaller varieties of tomatoes such as Brad’s Atomic Grape Tomato, can be grown in large pots on a sunny balcony or deck.
I can also highly recommend starting a tomato growing contest with family and friends. In addition to the extra motivation in tending your plants, it’s a unique way to connect with others and enjoy nature. Of course, it’s always a win to share the fruit of the harvest with others.
In a couple of weeks, look for the next segment of my article which is a guide to planting and nurturing tomatoes.
Dan Millinger was assisted by Joyce Konieczny in submitting this column. They are members of the Sandusky and Ottawa County Master Gardeners.
This article originally appeared on Fremont News-Messenger: Growing tips for winning tomatoes
