Tomatoes for every size and season

Apr 19, 2012

by Paul Pospisil, Master Gardener Emeritus

Tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum, also, Lycopersicon lycopersicum) are gardeners' number one favourite vegetable to grow. And no wonder, with the juicy, bursting flavour of home-grown tomatoes fresh off the vine!

I grow 20 or more varieties, trying some new types each year, just for the wonderful range of colours, shapes, textures, tastes and sizes. There are over 5000 varieties to choose from and they come in all colours; white, yellow, green, striped, black, orange and pink as well as the popular red ones! Tomatoes are grouped or classified in various ways. You can get hybrids or heirlooms; determinate or indeterminate in growth habit; late, mid-season or early ripening; colours; for specific uses, such as slicing, salad or paste; recently, there are even GMO tomatoes; and the most common classification is by size category. The indeterminates need pruning and staking while the determinates just need a bit of support to keep the fruit off the ground. With our short summers, it’s worth looking at varieties that will let you enjoy your own tomatoes for as long as possible. These are some of my personal favourites:

Very Early Tomatoes - Without doubt, the heirloom, Stupice, from the Czech Republic, is the earliest and hardiest for our region. A 52-day tomato ripening as early as end June from plants set out in May, it produces a supply of small to medium size fruit till September. Use Kozy Koats or other frost protection to set out earlier.

Medium-size Tomatoes - Popular with home gardeners for their convenient size, there are hundreds of varieties in this group. My favourites are Bonny Best and the yellow Lemon Boy.

Heirloom Tomatoes - For old-time flavour, heirlooms like Brandywine, the giant Oxheart, Dufresne from Quebec and Czech Select are worth growing. A good selection of seed can be found at the annual “Seedy Saturday” organized by Canadian Organic Growers in Ottawa the first Saturday in March.

The Beefsteaks - There are dozens of varieties sold using “beefsteak” in their name. Huge tomatoes are desired by many more for their size than their taste. I grow several from this group every year. One, simply called Beefsteak, is an old garden standard producing bright red fruit about 62 days from transplant. White Beauty is an heirloom beefsteak with creamy white flesh inside and out. Must be eaten when ripe, as it doesn’t keep. Another heirloom, Brandywine, has been grown by the Amish since 1800. It produces beefsteak size fruit with pinkish-red flesh, ripening gradually over the season to give a steady supply. Has a true tomato flavour. For competitions at the fair, try one of the many hybrids like the T & T Monster that grows to about 2 lbs and holds a world record of 6 lbs!

Cherry Tomatoes - For a steady supply of eat-from-the garden-by-the-handful or for salads, the Grape tomato and its yellow partner, Ildi, are my choice for the sweetest cherry size tomato. Both need to be regularly tied up on a trellis or tripod, as they will grow 6-8 feet high. They continue to put out side branches with hundreds of fruit. For smaller plants or patio pots, the red Tiny Tim is an excellent choice.

Paste Tomatoes - often determinates and prolific producers of meaty fruit. I grow the 75-day Viva Italia, and the reliable, heavy yielding, 80-day Giant Roma. They have less juice and are sweeter so they are better for cooking and canning.

A Storage Tomato, Longkeeper - As the name suggests, when picked, unblemished fruit will store 12 weeks in your cold storage area. We regularly enjoy our own tomatoes until Christmas and one year, we ate the last one from the September harvest on January 17! Plant Longkeeper later than others and harvest as late as possible in September.

Tomatillos (Physalis ixocarpa) - These Mexican husk tomato are a close relative of tomatoes but hardier. They produce well in marginal soils and are not affected by tomato blight. Harvest when the husks turn brown and begin to open and reveal the tomatillos. They are green when ripe. Their tangy taste makes them a must for making “real” Mexican salsa.

Start your tomatoes from seed about 8 weeks ahead of transplanting. Plant seed in sterile planting mix and keep moist and very warm. Tomato seeds germinate quickly in less than a week. Once up, put them in a cooler spot in full sun so they don’t get leggy. Once the first true leaves appear, transplant them into individual pots and grow them cool with lots of light. I start my main tomatoes the 2nd week of April, the very early types around the end of March and the Longkeepers in May. Harden seedlings before setting out in the garden around Victoria Day. Stupice can go out around May 1st but provide frost protection. Once in the garden, feed, weed and water tomatoes regularly for a bountiful harvest. Prune the indeterminates for a better crop and larger size.

You’ll find the reward of tasting a juicy tomato fresh from the garden well worth the little extra work in your garden.