TOMATOES
CULTURE: After the danger of frost is past, transplant outdoors into well worked garden soil. Work 1/4 cup of our blended organic fertilizer into the soil around each plant. If you have acid soils or have been bothered by blossom end rot, a handful of bone meal should also be added to each plant. Space determinate varieties 18-24 inches apart and indeterminate varieties 20-30 inches apart. Allow 36 inches between rows. If your plants have become leggy, plant them deeper; the stems will actually sprout roots. Water very lightly at first, allowing the stems to adapt.
Determinate varieties typically spread laterally and therefore do not need staking. Tomatoes on determinate plants also tend to ripen together, a good choice for gardeners who grow for market or love to can. Indeterminate varieties grow vertically until the bitter end and need to be staked or trellised for best production. They will produce fruits until frost, always leaving you some green tomatoes at the end of the season.
PLANTING: Plant the stem!! Yes bury the stem to within 6”, or so from the tip. Dig a trench 3”-4” from surface and lay the plant into it. Cover it over, leaving the tip sticking out of the ground. This will cause the plant to root like heck and you’ll have a better plant.
Open Pollinated Heirloom vs Hybrid Plants-
We use offer both Heirloom and Hybrid plants- We find that whereas we love heirloom taste- the durability of Hybrid plants is sometimes worth the effort to find as these have been bred to produce well and to stay healthy
-Red Brandywine Heirloom - #GHT-1. 10-16 oz. Fruits. Indeterminate. Oversized beauty is considered by many to be the finest of all tomatoes. Thin-skinned variety produces better in cooler weather. Indeterminate, Mostly potato-leafed vine but also sometimes also has regular serrated (normal) leaves. Great for salads and Markets. Plant Spacing: 3’ Full Sun. 78 days.
-Early Girl- Hybrid - #GHT-2. Bears early in the season and continues to produce throughout the season. One of the earliest slicing varieties.- Big, meaty & bright red, slightly flattened fruits averaging 4-6 ounces, blemish resistant & extremely desirable for flavor- 57 days.
-First Lady II -Hybrid - #GHT-3. Great for the Foothills! It’s early, flavorful, and what great production! First Lady II puts it all together, including very superior disease resistance If you have a wet or otherwise problematic soil conditions due to soil of shading conditions. Soft and juicy.. Moderate to Full sun- Moderate water. 62 days.
-Cherokee Purple - Heirloom - #GHT-4. Similar to red-fruited Cherokee, but much darker- with a purple cast. Good flavor, fairly stingy on yield. Mod Sun. Mod Water. Indeterminate. Late-Season- Heirloom from Tennessee cultivated by Native American Cherokee tribe. Produces loads of dusky rose to purple colored, 12 oz. -1 lb., beefsteak tomatoes with deep red colors to the interior flesh and dark shoulders. 80 days.
-Yellow Brandywine - Heirloom - #GHT-5
A golden-yellow version of Brand-wine. 6 inch, flattened fruit and have a rich full flavor that is very uncharacteristic of yellow varieties. One of the best-tasting yellow tomatoes. Indeter. Mod Water, Full Sun. 78 days.
-Zapotec Marvel Striped - Heirloom - #GHT-6
Marvel Striped rare Heirloom 12-16 oz. tomato from the Zapotec people of southern Mexico. Bicolored red and gold fruit, which are gorgeous when sliced on a plate. Great taste but a bit tender to bring to market Strong vines produce scads of large, sweet and juicy fruit. Heat & drought resistant! partial sun, Mod. Water. 75 days.
-Big Beef Beefsteak - Heirloom - #GHT-7
Big meaty thick walled red tomato, the "go-to" tomato for burgers (veggie-of course) Produces thick and juicy 7-9 oz fruit. A favorite Slicer with a real tomato flavor. Produces late in the season, somewhat prolific producer. Hearty and not prone to cracking- Determinate. Moderate Water, Full Sun. 70 days.
-Striped German - Heirloom - #GHT-8
80 days, Heirloom. Indeterminate. Smooth refreshing gourmet flavor and texture Solid fruits provide highest yields when summers are long. Origins which trace to a German family living in West Virginia. - Mod. Water, Full Sun.
-Black Krim- Russian Heirloom - #GHT-9
Bold Smokey flavor with good texture w/ unusual appearance. Deep Brown-Red 8-16 oz tomatoes w/brown /green shoulders that get darker with more heat and sunlight- High Yielding- 80 days.
-Black from Tula- Russian Heirloom -#GHT-10
A robust Russian heirloom and the largest of the dramatic blacks, with dark, greenish-black shoulders on dark, brownish-red, slightly flattened fruits that grow to 3 to 5” in diameter. Full flavored, chocolate-brown flesh with green gel is rich and satisfying. Performs well in dry conditions. Indeterminate. 80-85 days.
Amish Paste Heirloom Plum type #GHT-11
Large Sauce Tomato slightly irregular plum to strawberry shaped fruits avg. 8-12 oz. with excellent flavor. Meaty tomatoes are good in salad or for processing. Indeterminate - 85 days
-Valencia -Heirloom - #GHT-12Heirloom from Maine. Medium (under one pound). Brilliant carrot orange 6 oz. fruits are very meaty with few seeds and very fruity. Very hearty, full plants that produces well. Indeterminate. Full Sun. 69-80 days.
-Pineapple - Heirloom - #GHT-13
Huge meaty tomatoes are safer held in 2 hands rather than 1. Beautiful 1lb red & yellow streaked tomatoes. A must for great salads- Good transportable, Farmers Market variety, Great old-fashioned, full bodied tomato flavor. Indeterminate. Moderate Sun. Mod. of water. 80 days, indeterminate.
-Costuluto Genovese #GHT-14
This fluted, old Italian favorite that has been around since the early 19th century. Fruit are rather flattened and quite attractive with their deep ribbing. This variety is a standard in Italy for both fresh eating and preserving; known for its intensely flavorful, deep red flesh. This variety has also became very popular with chefs in this country. Indeterminate. 75 days.
-French Carmello #GHT-15
Rare, Indeterminate. Outstanding main-season French hybrid yields abundant, juicy, 6-8 oz Medium-Large tomatoes with rich, sweet flavor. Disease- resistant, hard to find in stores due to their thin skin- 70-75 days.
-Roma Paste Tomato- #GH-16
Roma Paste Tomato - 1-2 oz. An early-maturing paste tomato for short-season bioregions like ours. Ideal for canning and Italian sauces. Determinate. (70-75 days) Plant Spacing: 18-24” Days to Maturity: 85 Full Sun. Moderate Water.-Yellow Pear Tomato- #GH-17
-Heirloom. Grown since the late 1800s, popular for mild flavored, pear-shaped fruits. Low in acid, it has a sweet lingering flavor in salads or pickled. Clusters of 1-2 in. very productive Indeterminate. 75 days, Full Sun. Moderate Water
-Sun Gold Cherry - Hybrid - #GHT-18
Cherry -65 days. Indeterminate. Tropical flavor from bright apricot-orange round globes are 1 1/4 inches across on long, 10-20 fruit, grape-like trusses. Disease resistant. Kids eat right off the vine- Sprawling plant so make plenty ot room! Moderate Water. Full Sun.
Supersweet 100 Cherry - Hybrid - #GHT-19
Indeterminate. Bite-size sweetness! Extremely productive, too. The 1-inch fruits are higher in Vitamin C than most other tomatoes. Great plant to let the kids pick and eat right off the vine! Produces up to 100 fruits on each stem, hence its name. 65 days, full sun.
-Mexican Tomatillo - #GH-20
-65 Days. Mexican variety averaging 2 inches, savory flavor, preferred variety for many Mexican dishes, including salsa and chili verde. Try it in spaghetti sauce! Heavy yielding. Green to Yellow- Fully ripe fruit will fall from the plant. Full sun, water.
-Purple Tomatillo - #GH-21
Tomatillo -70 days. Unusual deep purple makes an ideal salsa with its sweet tart flavor. The plant has striking purple veins in the leaves. When husks are removed, the skin becomes uniformly purple. Think of the possibilities! O.P.