Vegetable Review: Tomatoes

2006 was not a good year for tomatoes in my garden. I had very high hopes going into the season: I had started my own seed for the first time; I had room for 14 plants; and, I was trying a new self-watering container. Unfortunately, because a mid-season heatwave delayed flower set for two weeks in July, and because a rain killed off the container plants in August, I didn't get the harvest I was hoping for. Here's the recap.

Tomatoes, 2006
Pond Ice Out: Wednesday, April 5
Planted: Sunday, May 21
First Harvest: July 18

May 21                May 29              July 16         August 7

Varieties Planted

• Fourth of July (Burpee): Planted one plant in the raised bed. This was the first tomato harvested. Very small (2" diameter) but pretty good for such an early tomato. About an average yielder with short vines. Good for such an early yielder, but will probably not plant again - I'll keep looking.
• Moskvich (Johnny's): Planted two in the raised bed. An early variety, not as small as Fourth of July. Not particularly high yielding. Not bad, not great. Will keep looking for a better early tomato.
• Tomande (Burpee): Planted two in the raised bed. This was meant to be my maincrop tomato. Yields were average. The tomatoes were very, very good - an heirloom taste. I would plant these again.
• Brandy Boy (Burpee): One planted in the ground, one planted in a self-watering container. The plant in the container grew really fast, set fruit early, but had a terrible problem with blossom end rot. This was the only plant in the garden with BER. The plant in the ground did not set much fruit, and fruited about 2 weeks later than the one in the container. This tomato had the best flavor of anything else I planted, but I felt I had really inconsistent results. I'll keep searching for that full-flavored, end-of-the-season, perfect tomato.
• Green Zebra (Johnny's):  Planted one in a container. Just as these were about to be ripe, we had a big thunderstorm while I was out of town. The tomatoes in the containers all died from over watering. I lamented this here. I will be planting Green Zebra again - I really want to try it.
• Principe Borghese (purchased from Seed Savers in 2006 but no longer available there. Available from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds for 2007): This is a variety meant for drying. I had one plant in a self-watering container. Before the rain disaster, I was able to harvest lots of tomatoes for drying. I've been using them this winter, and they are divine. I'll grow one or two in 2007.
• Yellow Pear Cherry (Burpee): Two were planted in the raised bed. As usual, they were great. However, yields were down this year. I think a 2-week heatwave in July stopped flower set, so we had a lull in the harvest in mid- to late-August. Will plant again, always - my favorite cherry.
• Sweet Baby Girl Cherry (Burpee): Planted one in a self-watering container, and it died with the others when it got too much water. This was destined to be my new red cherry tomato - sweet taste, high yields, early fruit - until I learned from Fedco that Monsanto had purchased Seminis, who was the developer and grower of Sweet Baby Girl seeds. Because Fedco will not support genetically modified crops, and so will not buy from Monsanto, they will not sell this seed anymore. (Read about Fedco's position here.) And, because I also do not agree with GMO seed, I will also not (knowingly) buy from Monsanto. So, I'm looking for a substitute for 2007.

Growing Methods

• Raised bed with window screen fence  Tomatoes planted in the raised beds flowered and fruited about 2 weeks later than those planted in the containers.
• Self-Watering Containers  I think this is a good idea, but it needs some tweaking. The plants were ready much earlier, and the most I had to water was every 3-4 days. However, there is a fatal flaw. The containers I bought - from Gardener's Supply - have a covered tube through which you pour water. I think they had changed this from the year before where there was just a hole in the side of the container. The covered tube eliminated mosquitoes (nowhere to get in to lay eggs) but does not allow any excess water to flow out of the container. Instead, any excess water pushes up the soil and plants so that they are essentially floating in a bog. As I discovered, tomatoes (and peppers) left in a bog for 18 hours will die. So, what I think I need to do is to drill a small drainage hole right at the top of the water line. I will put up with mosquitoes to ensure the tomatoes survive.
• Support  I've been thinking about new support systems for this year. I've posted about different ideas here and here. I'll keep working on this.
• Next Year  There will be three repeats in 2007: Yellow Pear (I've grown these every year except one), Green Zebra and Principe Borghese. Everything else will be new for 2007.
• Fertilization  I just added compost in the spring. I actually bought organic tomato fertilizer last year and forgot to use it, so I'll use it this year. I'll also look into myccorhizal fungi, a trick learned from Teaming with Microbes.
• Insect Pests  None (fingers crossed).
• Other Pests  No rabbits this year because I had the fences up at planting time.
• Diseases  No.
  

Overall Impressions

2006 was pretty much a bust. We had some tomatoes, but not the abundance that I had hoped for. I'll try the self-watering containers again to see if I can perfect the system.
I'll also be trying a bunch of new varieties this year in the elusive search for the perfect tomato.

Comments

[Sissy]

What is your opinion of the heirlooms, overall? I grew the heirloom yellow pear and got about four of them in a nine month growing season! That mortgage lifter never lifter anything for me and some of the Brandywines are just squatters!! Maybe the Northern Zones have better luck???
Let me know if you find a source for the myccorhizal!!

[Tracy]

Sissy: I enjoy growing heirlooms, however I really only started last year. Until then, I always purchased plants from the garden center, most of which were hybrids. Last year I started all my plants from seed, so I branched out. I grew both heirlooms and hybrids last year, and I would say that my success or failure was more due to each individual variety, not whether they were heirlooms or not. For me, 2006 had it's own problems, though which had nothing to with heirloom or hybrid - just water and temperature.

As for the yellow pears, I'm really surprised that you haven't had luck with them. I've grown them for about 8-9 years, and I can depend on them for lots of fruit. The ones I'm growing are the little cherry size, though, not full-size.

On the mycchorhizal fungi, I've seen it in a couple of catalogs - Johnny's and Territorial.

[Ali]

Thanks for the recap! I MUST put in a plug for Gardener's Delight red cherry tomatoes, and Sungold yellow cherry tomatoes, I love them both, they are prolific and delicious. Even though Sun Gold, according to Fedco, are from a company that does dabble in genetic engineering, I'm a junkie and can't give up on them. They are fabulous!

This year I'm odering: Orange Banana, Amish Paste, & Green Zebra from Fedco, and Pineapple, Sun Gold, & Gardener's Delight from Pine Tree Garden Seeds. Still under consideration: Cosmonaut Volkov, Black Krim, and Garden Peach. And I'm of course open to suggestions!

[Tracy]

Ali: I was planning on trying Sun Gold this year, but I didn't know about the GMO connection . . . . Hmmmm. Your choices look wonderful!