tomatoes

Thursday, 9 May

Now on the farm table: Tomatoes, tomatillos, Swiss chard Perpetual’, Calendula resina, Zinnia ‘Benarys Giant’, Nasturtium ’Tip Top Alaska’, and Musa basjoo (Japanese hardy banana).

Unusually warm weather predicted this weekend. Be sure to protect your newly planted vegetables.

Wednesday, 8 May, I will put out more tomato and tomatillo plants from the greenhouse and some Musa basjoo (Japanese Hardy Banana) that I recently dug (maybe other plants also, not sure yet). After a cold and wet weekend I will be ready for some warm weather!

That Wednesday is also when I will start planting my own tomatoes and tomatillos.

Peppers are coming along, plus some Perpetual Swiss Chard. I just transplanted several varieties of eggplant. Basil has sprouted.

Below the growing tips is a list of the tomato varieties I am offering on my farm table in 2024.

Included are beefsteak type and salad slicers, paste and oxheart tomatoes, cherry and grape tomatoes of a variety of colors.

Some varieties this year are DWARF tomatoes, which generally grow 2.5 to 4 feet tall, well suited for smaller gardens and containers.

All of the dwarf tomatoes are open pollinated (EXCEPT ‘Little Napoli’).

(Descriptions and photos are from the seed company websites.)

Growing tomatoes

PLEASE NOTE: The plants on my farm table have NOT been hardened off. They are straight from the greenhouse.
You can do one of the following:
1. Expose them gradually to outdoor conditions over a week
-OR (as I do)-
2. Plant them immediately and give them protection from excess sun, wind, and rain for a week or two.

• Plant tomatoes deep. As much as 2/3 of the stem. They will grow additional roots all along the stem.

• At planting time, work in 1/2 to one cup of general purpose vegetable fertilizer, some bone meal and some compost at a minimum.
  (I also add blood meal, garden lime, worm castings, and some 20 year old pond muck from when I cleaned out my backyard goldfish pond. This year I am also going to add some mycorrhizae — soil-dwelling fungi which form a symbiotic relationship with the roots of plants, protecting them and encouraging their growth.)

• Tomato plants are heavy feeders. You will get more fruit if you feed the plants every few weeks, but not with a nitrogen heavy fertilizer (which encourages leaf growth over fruit). Some nitrogen is good, of course, just be sure the percentage of N in N-P-K on the bag is a smaller number.

• All tomato plants benefit from some support, even dwarf tomatoes, to keep fruit off of the ground. Larger indeterminate tomatoes require support. The big oxheart and beefsteak types need substantial support to keep the fruit heavy plants from falling over.

Below is the list of tomato varieties I am offering in 2024 on my farm table.
The first of the tomato plants will be out late morning on Saturday, 27 April.
The larger, indeterminate plants must leave the greenhouse as they are pushing on the lights and leaving no room for me to work in there.

Andy’s Forty

Slicing tomato - determinate - open pollinated.
DWARF - about 3 feet.

(75 days) Prolific and delicious. Plants are about 3 feet tall and just keep pumping them out all season long. Very disease resistant. Ours did not get early or late blight. Bi-color fruits are about 4-8 ounces. They bear in bunches of about 4-5 and begin to ripen about 75 days after transplant. (Renaissance Farms)

Big Beef

Beefsteak slicing tomato - indeterminate - F1 hybrid.
75 days. If you yearn for old-fashioned beefsteak tomato taste, size, and quality, this All-America winner is our hands-down favorite, combining delicious full flavor, heavy yields, wide adaptability and truly superior disease resistance. The huge globe-shaped fruits size up about 10-12 oz each, without the cracked tops or fibrous interiors of older beefsteak varieties. Best of all, these scrumptious giant slicers are heavy with sweet flesh and lots of juice — perfect for "BLT" sandwiches. (Renee’s Garden)

Brad’s Atomic Grape

Grape to plum-sized tomato - indeterminate - F1 hybrid.
Elongated, large cherries in clusters. Lavender and purple stripes, turning to technicolor olive-green, red, and brown/blue stripes when fully ripe. Really wild! Fruit holds well on the vine or off, making this amazing variety a good candidate for market growers. Olive green interior is blushed with red when dead-ripe. Crack-resistant fruit is extraordinarily sweet! Wispy foliage looks delicate but belies these plants’ rugged constitution and high productivity. This variety comes from the legendary tomato breeder Brad Gates. This release from Wild Boar Farms won best in show at the 2017 National Heirloom Expo! These range in size from a large grape to plum-sized. AMAZING! (Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds)

Brandy Fred

Beefsteak type slicing tomato - determinate - open pollinated.
DWARF - about 4 feet.
(80 days) Rugose leafed variety. Tree type plants grow to about 4 feet tall and produce big crops of 10-16 ounce fruits that ripen about 80 days after transplant. This variety is proof that large sized fruits do grow on dwarf plants. Stake well! One taste and you will experience the richness of a true old fashioned tomato. It’s on the sweet side and well balanced. This is a perfect sandwich tomato. (Renaissance Farms)

Caro Rich

Beefsteak style slicer - determinate - open pollinated.
DWARF tomato - 36 to 48 inches.
The plant produces heavy yields of large 8 to 12 oz orange-yellow beefsteak tomatoes. They are sweet and flavorful. Perfect for salads and garnishes. They have ten times as much beta carotene as most other tomatoes! Low acidity variety. Crack resistant. An heirloom variety was developed in 1973 by E.C Tigchelaar and M.L.Tomes at Purdue University in 1973. (Siskiyou Seeds)

Cherokee Purple

Slicing tomato - indeterminate - open pollinated.
80 to 90 days. Produces 8-12 oz fruits that are a combination of red, green and purplish brown. It is a highly flavorful heirloom slicer that regularly places at or near the top of taste tests. Medium vigorous vines benefit from trellising, which also helps to ensure that fruit quality is enhanced.  Unusual variety with full flavor.

Famously rich flavor and texture make this a colorful favorite among heirloom enthusiasts. Medium-large, flattened globe, 8-12 oz. fruits. Color is dusky pink with dark shoulders. Multilocular interior ranges from purple to brown to green. Relatively short vines.(Siskiyou Seeds)

Crovarese

Small grape tomato - indeterminate - open pollinated.
70 days. Solanum lycopersicum. Open Pollinated. This early maturing plant produces high yields of ½ to ¾ oz red grape tomatoes. They are very sweet and tangy. It has soft skin which is great for those who don't like thick skin on tomatoes. Perfect for salads and snacks. Also can be canned whole. Grow in clusters. Drought tolerant. An excellent choice for home gardens. A variety from Italy. (Seed source unknown.)

Cuore di Bue

Sauce/paste tomato - indeterminate - open pollinated.

This curious and striking tomato is guaranteed to turn heads as well as satisfy appetites. Its name is simply Italian for oxheart, although this selection (Rivera) is an exotic twist on the oxheart tomato type. These big tomatoes have a bottom-heavy shape reminiscent of a pouch with a gathered top. They measure 3 1/2 inches wide by 4  inches long and weigh in at just under 1/2 pound each. Cuore di Bue is one of the tastiest saucing types with dense flesh and lustrous, orangey-red skin. (Territorial Seed)

Cuore di Bue is also great for slicing and eating fresh!

Cuore di Bue plants need good support. A couple of years ago here at WILLS FARM, my plant toppled from the weight of the fruit. Many of the fruit I harvested were twice as large as the average for this variety — over one pound and some almost 2 pounds! Delicious tomatoes. Great for roasting for marinara sauce. Photo of the green fruit is from my own garden.

Firebird Sweet

Slicing tomato - determinate - open pollinated.
DWARF tomato - 4 feet or less.
Very limited quantity.

(75 days) 4-10 ounce bi-color fruits are sweet, juicy, full flavored and satisfying. Let them ripen well and you will be highly rewarded. Dwarf Firebird Sweet vines are not more than 4 feet (usually shorter). Ours made it to about 3.5 feet tall by the end of the season. Clusters of 5 tomatoes begin to ripen after 75 days. (Renaissance Farms)

Juliet

Grape tomato - indeterminate - F1 hybrid.
Great flavor, fresh or cooked. A larger sister variety of Santa, Juliet is one of the most disease resistant in our trials. Deep red, shiny fruits avg. 2–2 1/4" x 1 3/8–1 1/2", weighing 1 1/2–2 oz. Typically 12–18 fruits per cluster. Delicious, rich tomato flavor for salads, great salsa, and fresh pasta sauce. Good crack resistance, vine storage, and shelf life. Intermediate resistance to early blight and late blight. AAS winner. (Johnny’s Selected Seeds)

I always grow ‘Juliet’ because it reliably produces heavy crops that never crack and keep very well after harvest in a single layer on trays. Especially good for salsas, sauces and drying, as it is not a juicy tomato.

Lemon Boy Plus

Slicing tomato - indeterminate - F1 hybrid.
A delicious yellow tomato. An updated version of the classic Lemon Boy tomato with added disease resistant and sweet, tangy flavor — a marked improvement over typical yellow tomatoes. The flattened-round, 7 to 8 ounce beefsteak fruits are consistent in size, shape, and quality. A high-yielding variety with good firmness. Can be harvested bright lemon-yellow to deeper golden-yellow when fruit exhibits light checking and a subtle blush at the blossom scar. Harvest a bit underripe if you prefer a more acidic flavor profile. (Johnny’s Selected Seeds)

Little Napoli

Sauce or salad tomato - determinate - F1 hybrid
DWARF - about 2 feet.

60-65 days. A Roma style tomato that is comfortable growing in a container. The exceptionally compact, determinate plants produce heavy flushes of fruit, perfect for cooking up into rich sauce, soup, or catsup. The bright crimson, oval tomatoes are meaty and dense with a rich, tangy flavor. These dual-use tomatoes are also ideal in salads. Overall plant size is 12 to 24 inches tall, stretching 24 to 36 inches wide. They will need some support to keep the fruit off of the ground. (Territorial Seed)

Here at WILLS FARM, Little Napoli has become a favorite. The plants produce fruit early, are delicious, and the plants need only minimal support and management. (Little Napoli was the first to ripen in 2020’s garden, even before cherry tomato Sungold.) As long as I can get seed, I will be planting it.

Moldovan Green

Slicing tomato - indeterminate - open pollinated.
80 days. This is a large heirloom type with 8-12-ounce fruits that are a flattened globe and picked when green with a golden glow under the skin. Flesh is an intriguing lime green with darker translucent green around the seed cavity.  Their flavor is out-of-this-world pleasantly sweet and rich with no acidity and perfect texture.  They surprisingly became our FAVORITE! fresh eating tomato. Vines are prolific and hardy. Try them, you’ll see. Check carefully for ripened fruit, as it is not as obvious with tomatoes bred to be green at maturity. (Siskiyou Seeds)

Mr. Snow

Slicing tomato - determinate - open pollinated.
DWARF tomato - 4 feet.
(85 days) Sweet, juicy, fruity, has great texture and appeal. Beautiful canary yellow fruits can reach 10 ounces. I have grown these in 5 gallon buckets and also on the farm in the ground. All plants performed excellently. we usually harvest our first ripened ones about 85 days after transplant and continue harvesting for extended periods. Rugose leaf plants can grow as tall as 4 feet but they are a tree type and are not sprawling so they can easily be grown 2 feet apart in rows. (Renaissance Farms)

Oxheart #1 and Oxheart #2

Two different oxheart type tomatoes.
Assumed to be indeterminate and open pollinated.
I do not know the source of these seeds, but the plants will be labelled individually because the seeds are obviously from two different varieties.

“As the name suggests, ‘Oxheart’ tomatoes in general are reminiscent of bull’s hearts, both in shape and size. They can weigh 2 or more lbs. and usually are very meaty tomatoes with few seeds. While some of the fruits are heart-shaped and smooth, others display deep ribs and are more pouch-shaped.” They are not always red; there are yellow, pink and “black” oxhearts also. I don’t know what these seeds will produce. The harvest will be a surprise to us all!

“Very often, ‘Oxheart’ tomato plants look rather sickly. Their leaves tend to be twisted and droop. But don’t worry, this is totally normal. ‘Oxheart’ fruit, once ripe, turns soft quickly, so be sure to eat or process the fruit soon after harvesting it.”
(Info. source: Plantura magazine website)

New Big

Beefsteak style slicing tomato - determinate - open pollinated.
DWARF tomato - 3.5 feet
Very limited quantity.

(85 days) Rugose leaf plants produce big, pink slicers that can reach one pound and are as tasty as they come. Great variety if you are gardening in smaller spaces and want bigger yields. Plants are hardy, prolific and produce excellently.  Tallest plants were about 3.5 feet. We harvested our first ripened fruits about 85 days after transplant. Sweet, juicy and well balanced. Stake early and well. (Renaissance Farms)

Noah Stripes

Slicing tomato - determinate - open pollinated.
DWARF tomato - 3.5 feet.
Very limited quantity.
(85 days) Bi-colored 4 to 10 ounce, smooth skinned, oblate shaped fruit that are purple with distinct green colored striping and a deep crimson interior. An excellent slicing tomato, they possess a rich, lovely flavor that is well balanced between sweet and tart. This tomato reminds me of Girl Girl’s Weird Thing tomato but on a dwarf plant.
Tree-like plants no taller than 3.5 feet, rugose leaves, very productive. Definitely one of the hardiest varieties that we grew in 2021.  These will do well in larger containers of perhaps 4-5 gallons and with regular feeding and watering. Will have to be staked because of heavy production. Nice little slicer that’s definitely worth growing! (Renaissance Farms)

Parfait

Slicing tomato - determinate - open pollinated.
DWARF - about 3 feet.
(80 days) I love growing dwarf tomatoes because they always surprise me. After growing them for quite a few years, I still can’t get over how much they can produce and how large some of the tomatoes can be. Dwarf Parfait tomato is a beautiful and larger variety that, when ripened, is green on the outside and yellow on the inside. This combination makes for an interesting contrast that will turn any head! Three foot tall plants produce 6-12 ounce fruits that have a deep, rich taste.  Texture is superb and aroma is very inviting. Our plants displayed excellent disease resistance, making these even more attractive to me. Parfait is a later variety but your wait won’t be in vain. Perfect for sandwiches, slicing, garnish and more! Dwarf varieties are perfect for smaller gardens! Recommended! (Renaissance Farms)

Pomodoro Squisito

Sauce/paste tomato - indeterminate - F1 hybrid.
72 days. This new San Marzano hybrid produces heaps of luscious fruit for all your cooking needs. (I think sauce tomatoes are also good for slicing — delicious and not so watery as slicing tomatoes). Vigorous, indeterminate plants set heavy clusters of 6 to 8, elongated deep red fruit with thick meat, a minimal seed cavity and well-developed flavor. Resistance to blossom end rot. (Territorial Seed)

Purple

Unknown type - I am assuming indeterminate and open pollinated.
The word Purple is the only identifier on this tomato variety’s seed packet. Maybe something like Cherokee Purple? Don’t know. Seed from a friend of a friend. Unknown source. It’s a gamble. What do you have to lose? The plant is free.

Purple Bumble Bee

Cherry tomato - indeterminate - open pollinated.
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. Small cherry sized fruits. Indeterminate.  (Johnny’s Selected Seeds)

Strawberry Fields

Slicing tomato - indeterminate - F1 hybrid.
New! Improved late blight-resistant pink slicer. Reminiscent of the best pink heirlooms, but thoughtfully bred for healthier plants, fewer defects, and higher marketable yields. Wonderfully balanced flavor—sweet and acidic with a juicy texture. Compared to Damsel, more tolerant to blossom end rot and less shoulder cracking. Fruits avg. 7–10 oz.  Resistant to late Blight and nematodes. (Johnny’s Selected Seeds)

Sungold

Cherry tomato - indeterminate - F1 hybrid
Sungold’s fruity tropical flavor has been a favorite for years. The bright apricot-orange round globes are 1 1/4 inches across and are borne on long, 10 to 15 fruit, grape-like trusses. The vigorous indeterminate vines produce equally well in the field and the early spring greenhouse. (Territorial Seed)

Sweet Satsuma

Large cherry - determinate - open pollinated.
DWARF - 2.5 feet.
Very limited quantity.
(75 days) Bright yellow/orange when fully ripened. Compact plants are about 2.5 feet tall and produce plenty of fruits. Will start ripening about 75 days after transplant and continue until season’s end. Awesome aroma! Good for container gardening and small garden spaces. A really nice little treasure! (Renaissance Farms)

Tatura

Slicing tomato - determinate - open pollinated.
DWARF - about 3 feet.
(70-75 days) Prolific dwarf variety about 3 feet tall. A great selection for container growing, Tatura can outperform anything in the garden as far as productivity. Fruits are balanced, medium-mild, and delicious. I really like this tomato. Vines will ripen their fruits about 70 to 75 days after transplant, and sometimes earlier. Need to be staked. (Renaissance Farms)

Waratah

Slicing tomato - determinate - open pollinated.
DWARF - 3.5 feet.
Very limited quantity.
(70 days) An outstanding variety that grows on very compact, tree-like plants. plants produce a nice amount of fruits and produce all season long. Fruits are very balanced and slightly sweeter than tart. This is a great selection for sandwiches, fresh salsa, cooking and eating right off of the vines. Plants also do not exceed 3.5 feet and are not wide spreading! Perfect for container growing, small gardens and growing indoors under lights!. (Renaissance Farms)