GROWING GUIDE: Tomatoes
Tomatoes are America’s #1 choice for vegetable gardening. Picked fresh off the vine, they are full of flavor, nutrients and fun. There are many varieties to choose from and all have something to offer specific to their variety. Here’s a list of the choice varieties that we currently grow. Please call to check availability, as not all varieties are always ready at the same time.
Determinate tomato varieties are plants which reach their full size quickly and then bear all their fruit in a fairly short time.
Indeterminate tomato varieties continue to grow and bear fruit until frost.
|
NAME |
TYPE |
DAYS/RIPENS |
DESCRIPTION |
|
Beefsteak |
|
96/Late Season |
Large, meaty, deep red fruits. Good sandwich tomato. |
|
Big Beef |
|
73/Early Season |
Large, great taste. Disease-resistant. Good slicer. |
|
Big League |
|
47/Very Early Season |
Very large, firm, tasty red fruit. Great for sandwiches and salads. |
|
Candyland Red |
|
55/Very Early Season |
Very sweet, dime-sized fruit with high yields. Perfect for fresh eating an mixing in salads |
|
Cherry Cascade |
|
55/Early Season |
Prolific cascades of sweet, juicy, on-inch red fruit. Perfect for baskets. |
|
Chocolate Pear |
|
70/Early Season |
Light red with swirls of green or brown shades, pear-shaped fruit. Huge crops |
|
Dorothy’s Delight |
|
70/Early Season |
Medium-size red fruit. Heart shaped. Extremely good flavor. |
|
Early Girl |
|
60/Very Early Season |
Solid tasty medium fruit. Very disease-resistant. Great slicer |
|
Grape |
|
62/Early Season |
Grape-size red tomato. Great for snacking or salads. |
|
Heirloom Marriage Genuwine |
|
75/Mid Season |
large, sweet, flavorful fruit. High Yields. Great for fresh eating, slicing, canning, and freezing. |
|
Heirloom Marriage Marzinera |
|
75/Mid Season |
Large, meaty, red roma paste tomato. Perfect for salsas, sauces, cooking, and canning. |
|
Indigo Rose |
|
75/Mid Season |
Deep purple, 1-2 oz. fruit. High Yields, very high in Vitamin C. |
|
Kitchen Minis Siam |
|
60/Early Season |
Small, red, sweet cherry fruit. Compact habit. Great to grow on your window sill or in a container. |
|
Oregon Spring |
|
70/Early Season |
Meaty, large tasty tomatoes. Great for sauces and eating. Disease-resistant |
|
Patio Tomato |
|
70/Early Season |
Perfect for container gardening. Smooth, firm, and flavorful |
|
Rapunzel |
|
70/Early Season |
Sweet, bight red cherry tomato. Perfect for salads and fresh eating. |
|
Roma |
|
78/Mid Season |
Plum-shaped Italian fruit. Meaty, not too juicy, few seeds. |
|
NAME |
TYPE |
DAYS/RIPENS |
DESCRIPTION |
|
Sugar Rush |
|
53/Very Early Season |
Super sweet, elongated ¾ in.-1 in. red fruit. Very productive all season long. |
|
Sunsugar |
|
62/Early Season |
Golden-orange cherry tomato. Incredibly sweet. Highly productive |
|
Sweet Million |
|
65/Early Season |
Very high yield plants with bite-size, super sweet fruit. |
|
Willamette |
|
75/Mid Season |
Medium-size, tasty tomato. Developed by Oregon State. |
|
Yellow Pear |
|
75/Mid Season |
Sweet, clear yellow, pear-shaped fruit. Produces high yields. |
Heirloom Tomato Varieties
Heirloom tomatoes are generally considered to be varieties that have been handed down for many years because of specific, highly valued characteristics. Many gardeners love Heirloom tomatoes because of their distinctive taste, reliability, interesting shapes and colors, as well as their high nutritional value that is lacking in modern supermarket varieties. The varieties are endless, but we have chosen our eight favorites to offer you.
|
NAME |
TYPE |
DAYS/RIPENS |
DESCRIPTION |
|
Brandywine |
|
78/Mid Season |
Fantastic flavor with a sweet, slightly spicy touch. Squat, lobed fruit are large - up to 7”. Best Stalked. |
|
Black Krim |
|
70-90/Late Season |
Large-size, violet-brown with purplish-red to almost black fruit. Excellent full flavor. |
|
Cherokee Green |
|
75/Mid Season |
Medium to large-size, mildly-sweet flacor, yellowish skin with green flesh. Best tasting and most flavorful. Good for slicing and great for sauce. |
|
Japanese Black Trifele |
|
80/Mid Season |
Medium-size, pear-shape burgundy fruit with excellent rich flavor. High yielding. |
|
Legend |
|
68/Early Season |
Medium to large red fruit. Sweet flavor. Disease-resistant |
|
San Marzano |
|
70/Early Season |
Bright red, large, sweet Roma-type. Very productive and high yielding. Great for tomato sauce and paste. |
|
Striped German |
|
75/Mid Season |
Large bicolor fruit. Sweet, juicy fruity flavor. Fresh eating and slicing. |
|
Valencia |
|
76/Mid Season |
Large 8-10 oz, beefsteak fruit. Bright orange color inside and out with few seeds. Sweet flavor. |
Quick Tips On Tomatoes
As the weather warms, it’s time to think about planting your tomatoes. Sometimes, they can be a little tricky, so here are a few tips for growing this juicy favorite.
When planting, make sure you don’t plant tomatoes in the same soil every year. In your garden rotate them annually. In containers, start with fresh soil every year. Additionally, add lime to your soil. Lime is a great source of calcium, and this helps prevent blossom end rot, which commonly shows up as browning at the base of the tomato. It’s also important to be careful how much you fertilize and water your tomatoes. If you water and fertilize too much, you might develop huge, healthy, leafy vines. However, you probably won’t develop as many fruits, and the fruit you have will not be as tasty. Don’t be afraid to be a little tough on your tomatoes; dramatically decrease watering beginning early July through summer’s end. This will encourage them to bear more fruit.