Choosing Tomato Varieties

AlittleSalt · January 31, 2019

On the day before seed planting day... I've been thinking about it for a long while, but I'm still unsure of what tomatoes to plant. I keep telling myself that I need to grow tomatoes that my family likes, but as a tomato enthusiast, I want to grow so many more.

My family likes cherry tomatoes very much, and they grow well here. I am stubborn, but I finally get it. RKN and FW3 in the soil, learning container gardening, and you have to look back at what produced best through drought and record rainfall years recently. And then there is the factor of the wonderful seeds people from around the world have traded/sent to me.

Porter
Medovaya Kaplya
Japanese Pink Cherry
Maybe Sungold

upcountrygirl · January 31, 2019

Grow some your family likes, some you like, and even try 1 or more if you have room that you haven't before, Salt. Who knows, your family and you might discover some new favorites! I know since coming here to T'ville I've been introduced to so many new varieties i'll never be able to try everything but it sure is nice to fantasize during the cold winter days when the garden beds rest and the containers are put away.

MI Farmer · January 31, 2019

Yeah - what she said. And who knows? The next best tomato you and your family love may be lurking in one of those seed packets.

rxkeith · January 31, 2019

well, at least you know better than to ask people here for advice on what to grow.

you would get snowed with answers. see, you are a smart person.

keith

edweather · January 31, 2019

Big Beef is usually a crowd favorite. I also grow in containers, and they produce well and are disease resistant. Don't be afraid to prune some of the thick foliage, worked well for me last year, and the plants made it all the way through the summer, and in fact are still alive today.

Goodloe · January 31, 2019

Quote:

Originally Posted by edweather

Big Beef is usually a crowd favorite. I also grow in containers, and they produce well and are disease resistant. Don't be afraid to prune some of the thick foliage, worked well for me last year, and the plants made it all the way through the summer, and in fact are still alive today.

I'm with Ed! Big Beef! Yeah, yeah, yeah...it's a hybrid. But it's a pretty good tasting hybrid...produces pretty early...produces ALOT....produces big tomatoes...is pretty resistant to most everything...heck, you have to work at killing the thing! Big Beef. That's all I got to say.

Jonnyhat · January 31, 2019

I always have a few I grow every year, a few maybe I grew in years past that I want to retry and then a bunch I have been meaning to grow or never even heard of that I want to try just for the fun of it.

Country Breeze · January 31, 2019

I'm blessed with space, so I get to experiment a bit. I'll settle for a tomato that grows well for me, even though it doesn't taste like Carbon, Stump, or Sungold.

I always grow what I like and what my family likes and what grows well. Then I experiment with other varieties for a couple years to see if anyone likes them better.

I should keep better records on paper instead of in my head.

DonDuck · January 31, 2019

I think I've done all the heirloom, open pollinated growing I'm interested in growing. This year will be dedicated to the best hybrids I can grow for disease resistance, heat resistance, taste, and productivity. Until this past season, I also thought Big Beef was the best hybrid available until this past year when it was still great, but not as good as Heat Master. That's all I'm growing with the exception of KBX for a contrast. Six KBX, twenty Big Beef and twenty Heat Master should cover my needs.

AlittleSalt · February 1, 2019

Quote:

Originally Posted by rxkeith

well, at least you know better than to ask people here for advice on what to grow.

you would get snowed with answers. see, you are a smart person.

keith

lol Keith, I know what you mean. Smart on the other hand

There will be game day decisions on seeds to sow Friday February 1, and there are those varieties sold as transplants that somehow make it into our cart.

Worth1 · February 1, 2019

Y'all like smaller tomatoes why not Lime Green Salad..
Smallish plant puts out like gang busters and then croaks.
Great container plant.

February 1, 2019

Quote:

Originally Posted by Worth1

Y'all like smaller tomatoes why not Lime Green Salad..
Smallish plant puts out like gang busters and then croaks.
Great container plant.

Yes, LGS is a really good suggestion.
Taste-wise ... it has a ton of flavor but is not ‘sweet’. Folks at my annual tomato tasting really liked it. I grow it nearly every year.

cloz · February 1, 2019

I grow 2 Lime Green Salads in one 10 gallon container and 2 Utyonooks in another 10 gallon container. Both are heavy producers for small plants.

Cloz

GoDawgs · February 1, 2019

When the RKN thing reared it's ugly head in the garden and I had to move tomatoes to containers, it really cut down on how many tomatoes I could grow. So I kept the varieties that have done best for me in this part of Georgia and every year I try one or two new ones. That's a slow "research" pace but oh well.

It's the "What new somethings should I try this year?" that's the hard part. The Celebrity, Better Boy, Early Girl Bush and Juliet remain from the Old Guard. Last year I tried Homestead and Creole and am doing Homestead again this year while Creole makes way for others. It was a nice tomato but is temporarily going away to make room for new.

The new this year will be Stump of the World, Rio Grande paste and Bella Rosa for spring. Maybe two other kinds for fall. Guess I need a few more buckets!

Good luck choosing your new 'maters!

wildcat62 · February 1, 2019

I thought I had finalized a grow list for this year but have a few new ones coming via the good people here at T-ville. So I'm still deciding. I thought I would cut back this time but you know how that goes.

January 31, 2019	#1
AlittleSalt BANNED FOR LIFE Join Date: May 2014 Posts: 13,333	Choosing Tomato Varieties On the day before seed planting day... I've been thinking about it for a long while, but I'm still unsure of what tomatoes to plant. I keep telling myself that I need to grow tomatoes that my family likes, but as a tomato enthusiast, I want to grow so many more. My family likes cherry tomatoes very much, and they grow well here. I am stubborn, but I finally get it. RKN and FW3 in the soil, learning container gardening, and you have to look back at what produced best through drought and record rainfall years recently. And then there is the factor of the wonderful seeds people from around the world have traded/sent to me. Porter Medovaya Kaplya Japanese Pink Cherry Maybe Sungold

January 31, 2019	#5
edweather Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Southeast GA, USDA 9a, HZ9, Sunset Z28 Posts: 392	Big Beef is usually a crowd favorite. I also grow in containers, and they produce well and are disease resistant. Don't be afraid to prune some of the thick foliage, worked well for me last year, and the plants made it all the way through the summer, and in fact are still alive today. __________________ You'll be surprised what you'll never have to do, if you put it off long enough.

February 1, 2019	#15
wildcat62 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2014 Location: Zone 6 Northern Kentucky Posts: 1,094	I thought I had finalized a grow list for this year but have a few new ones coming via the good people here at T-ville. So I'm still deciding. I thought I would cut back this time but you know how that goes. __________________ Mark

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January 31, 2019	#2
upcountrygirl Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2015 Location: south carolina Posts: 562	Grow some your family likes, some you like, and even try 1 or more if you have room that you haven't before, Salt. Who knows, your family and you might discover some new favorites! I know since coming here to T'ville I've been introduced to so many new varieties i'll never be able to try everything but it sure is nice to fantasize during the cold winter days when the garden beds rest and the containers are put away.

January 31, 2019	#3
MI Farmer Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2018 Location: Zone 4b/5a Posts: 54	Yeah - what she said. And who knows? The next best tomato you and your family love may be lurking in one of those seed packets.

January 31, 2019	#4
rxkeith Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Back in da U.P. Posts: 1,839	well, at least you know better than to ask people here for advice on what to grow. you would get snowed with answers. see, you are a smart person. keith

January 31, 2019	#7
Jonnyhat Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2015 Location: Downingtown, PA Posts: 337	I always have a few I grow every year, a few maybe I grew in years past that I want to retry and then a bunch I have been meaning to grow or never even heard of that I want to try just for the fun of it.

January 31, 2019	#8
Country Breeze Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2017 Location: On The Mason Dixon Posts: 93	I'm blessed with space, so I get to experiment a bit. I'll settle for a tomato that grows well for me, even though it doesn't taste like Carbon, Stump, or Sungold. I always grow what I like and what my family likes and what grows well. Then I experiment with other varieties for a couple years to see if anyone likes them better. I should keep better records on paper instead of in my head.

January 31, 2019	#9
DonDuck Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2017 Location: Corinth, texas Posts: 1,784	I think I've done all the heirloom, open pollinated growing I'm interested in growing. This year will be dedicated to the best hybrids I can grow for disease resistance, heat resistance, taste, and productivity. Until this past season, I also thought Big Beef was the best hybrid available until this past year when it was still great, but not as good as Heat Master. That's all I'm growing with the exception of KBX for a contrast. Six KBX, twenty Big Beef and twenty Heat Master should cover my needs.

February 1, 2019	#11
Worth1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Den of Drunken Fools Posts: 38,539	Y'all like smaller tomatoes why not Lime Green Salad.. Smallish plant puts out like gang busters and then croaks. Great container plant.

February 1, 2019	#13
cloz Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Southern Connecticut Posts: 435	I grow 2 Lime Green Salads in one 10 gallon container and 2 Utyonooks in another 10 gallon container. Both are heavy producers for small plants. Cloz

February 1, 2019	#14
GoDawgs Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2018 Location: Augusta area, Georgia, 8a/7b Posts: 1,685	When the RKN thing reared it's ugly head in the garden and I had to move tomatoes to containers, it really cut down on how many tomatoes I could grow. So I kept the varieties that have done best for me in this part of Georgia and every year I try one or two new ones. That's a slow "research" pace but oh well. It's the "What new somethings should I try this year?" that's the hard part. The Celebrity, Better Boy, Early Girl Bush and Juliet remain from the Old Guard. Last year I tried Homestead and Creole and am doing Homestead again this year while Creole makes way for others. It was a nice tomato but is temporarily going away to make room for new. The new this year will be Stump of the World, Rio Grande paste and Bella Rosa for spring. Maybe two other kinds for fall. Guess I need a few more buckets! Good luck choosing your new 'maters!