dependable tomato varieties for hot summers
Posted: Mon Jun 06, 2022 3:27 pm
So I've been asked if I want to help choose about 20 tomato varieties to grow for the master gardeners' spring fund raiser. (It's a big switch from my normal tomato-choosing mode: whittle down my list to a manageable number, say 40-60, mostly new-to-me varieties.)
At the community garden, the faves tend to be Early Girl F1, Juliet F1, and SunGold F1. None of those would be offered, I don't think, because they are so widely available everywhere else.
I'm assuming people buying tomato plants at this sale want to support the master gardeners (or are MGs) and are looking for
{1} maybe 4 varieties to grow in their backyard, OR
{2} a couple interesting but dependable varieties that no one else offers.
I'm biased toward flavor over production, but I am aware that many people just want to see a more or less regular crop of red orbs. But I'd love to tempt more people into trying varieties they haven't heard of, especially non-red tomatoes.
Summers here have most days over 90F (with heat waves for a few days over 100F), cooler nights in the 50s-60s.
Of course, I will ask around and figure out what varieties have done well consistently for others in the area, but I figure I can suggest maybe 3 or 4 wild cards that no one else has tried. Or at least add a couple new varieties into the mix each year. The seeds need to be available commercially.
So far, I have on my list
Polaris, which has done well for a couple years and did ok when other large tomatoes (including my old dependable, Pruden's Purple!!) produced nothing last year
Benevento F1, which I'm trying for the first time this year (I'll see how it does, but Fred says it did well for him last year in a not-quite-as-hot location)
Early Wonder Pink, a good-tasting determinate that did exceptionally well last year.
Other ideas?
At the community garden, the faves tend to be Early Girl F1, Juliet F1, and SunGold F1. None of those would be offered, I don't think, because they are so widely available everywhere else.
I'm assuming people buying tomato plants at this sale want to support the master gardeners (or are MGs) and are looking for
{1} maybe 4 varieties to grow in their backyard, OR
{2} a couple interesting but dependable varieties that no one else offers.
I'm biased toward flavor over production, but I am aware that many people just want to see a more or less regular crop of red orbs. But I'd love to tempt more people into trying varieties they haven't heard of, especially non-red tomatoes.
Summers here have most days over 90F (with heat waves for a few days over 100F), cooler nights in the 50s-60s.
Of course, I will ask around and figure out what varieties have done well consistently for others in the area, but I figure I can suggest maybe 3 or 4 wild cards that no one else has tried. Or at least add a couple new varieties into the mix each year. The seeds need to be available commercially.
So far, I have on my list
Polaris, which has done well for a couple years and did ok when other large tomatoes (including my old dependable, Pruden's Purple!!) produced nothing last year
Benevento F1, which I'm trying for the first time this year (I'll see how it does, but Fred says it did well for him last year in a not-quite-as-hot location)
Early Wonder Pink, a good-tasting determinate that did exceptionally well last year.
Other ideas?