best tomatoes

[boatfixer]

We can a bunch every year and like to get it all done with. They are also easy to take care of. I've thought throwing another variety, something that will produce sooner but similar in taste yet easy to grow.

Did I say I'm a simple man

[Nainoa]

Yeah that's one of the exhausting things about growing 20-24 San Marzano plants... 90% of every plant I harvest is canned for the winter to spare me the horror of eating grocery store tomatoes for as long as I can.

But San Marzano is an indeterminate... Giant plants 6-8 feet tall, so I constantly have to re-stake and truss them. And by late August I'm exhausted from doing a canning batch every 2-3 days!

[Get'n Jiggy]

Anyone had any experience with Park Seeds Whopper Hybrid?

[itchmesir]

Pink Ladies.. we planted these last year and they were absolutely amazing.. big.. meaty.. delicious.. can't wait to grow more this coming season

[flipper]

Mortgage Lifters are my favorite. We also like the Japenese Black Trifele and the Carbon, and the Amana Orange, and the Black Krim and.........

[Nainoa]

I keep telling myself that I'm going to grow some Mortgage lifter, but then I never do.

[KEN W]

I tried my first heirloom tomatoes last year.....Black Krim and Carbon.Loved the taste.

This year I am planting both again along with Pruden's Purple,Pineapple,Amana Orange,and Gold Medal.

Plus paste tomatoes.....Black Plum and San Marzano.

Grape tomatoe.....Lidi.

Then my regulars....Lemon Boy,Taxi,Legend,Saucey,and Beaverlodge.

Can't wait to get started.

[flipper]

My first tomatoes are emerging now.

[Nainoa]

Wow, that's a little early!

I usually start my first tomatoes around March 7th-14th... And when it comes to planting time they are usually between 14 and 20 inches tall (Depending on type)

planting this early you're going to have to do some serious potting up... And might even need to stake them in the pot before transplanting.

[flipper]

Yes, its more work repotting them a few times but it does extend my season by a few weeks.

[Nainoa]

See the only times I've had a lot of love from my harvest by going super early on tomatoes has been during really warm early springs. Since soil temps below 60 degrees cause them to force flower and then under 60 degrees they tend to drop the flowers rather than set fruit.

I've had a lot of times where going too early gave me fruit 10% sooner, but cost me 25% production on the plant.

But I suppose if you're pre-warming the soil with hot boxes and we don't have a rogue cold snap after you plant them, then the gamble pays off huge!

[dairyman]

I've been buying our tomatoe seeds from a company down in Florida --they have a lot of really early season varieties that have done well for us up here in the DL area. They have both determinate and indeterminate varieties

[flipper]

My warming of the soil is simple but a but unsightly. I use old tires and put a section of an aluminum storm window over them held down my a tarp strap. All stuff I pick up at the local landfill. It warms the soil nicely.

[otterman91105]

Can't think of the name but my family's fav is a plant like a sweet 100 but they are yellow. They are great.

[Nainoa]

In general yellow tomatoes have less acidity and more sugar... So that makes them great for eating out of hand, but a pain to store etc...

I've got a yellow cross of a glacier tomato that I'm calling "Pony Boy" which is a nice small yellow salad slicer.

[Nainoa]

My warming of the soil is simple but a but unsightly. I use old tires and put a section of an aluminum storm window over them held down my a tarp strap. All stuff I pick up at the local landfill. It warms the soil nicely.

Yeah it seems like the best gardeners are always the best scavengers!

I built an entire greenhouse for free from a guy who was trying to get ride of some old windows. The price was that I had to remove them so he could install his new ones. The funny thing was that he didn't know how to remove them or install the new ones... So I basically left him with a house full of gaping holes and a roll of duct tape!

[KEN W]

My updated list of tomatoes.

Repeats

Lemon Boy

Saucey

Beaver Lodge Plum

Taxi

Black Krim

Carbon

Legend

New trials

Kellogg's Breakfast

Amana

Black Plum

San Marzano

Gold Medal

Pruden's Purple

Winsall

[luckycrank]

is there any place locally to buy black krim seed ?

[Nainoa]

Not that I'm aware of... But of course I save my own seeds year after year after year... I do know of one nursery that sells "Black King" heirloom tomatoes... Which is just smooth skinned variety of Black Krim.

But other than buying them on line through a place like tomatofest, the only place I'm aware of the seeds existing is in my seed archive etc...

[larryz]

You can order seed online from Burpee or Gurneys I know.

[luckycrank]

I was trying to eliminate shipping for a single packet of seeds.

I found a place that offered a free seed of there choice so I ordered the krims and they sent me some free eva purple ball seeds at no charge was like 5.25 for two seed packets and shipping cheaper than burpee or gurneys

[dairyman]

I order mine out of tomato growers in Florida----have a nice selection of short season ones to choose from