Monday, July 23, 2012

Oh Those Tomatoes...

      So far this year I have had some ups and downs with my tomatoes. Since I have had more time than normal this summer, I have spent more time studying the growth and development of my tomatoes.

      The run of the mill Better Boy hybrid tomatoes are available at any nursery or home improvement store. They are fast growing, fast fruiting, and a hearty plant overall. I have had at least a dozen good tomatoes so far. My wife made a great tomato sauce from them. No issues at all with this plant except that it grows really fast and some of the fruit tops have split.

      A new variety I am using is the Pink Brandywine. This is a Heritage variety and not a hybrid. It is the same plant grown in locations around the world for thousands of years. The fruit grows up to a pound and a half in weight. My plants have been loaded with tomatoes and take quite a bit longer than the hybrids. The real drawback has been no bug resistance. I have spent a lot of time bent over the plant pulling Cabbage Looper caterpillars off the leaves by hand (at least until the birds noticed them). However, the wife made a sauce from them that tastes INCREDIBLE. A far greater tomato flavor and I wholeheartedly endorse them.

      The real heat is now upon us here in the valley. Temperatures above 100F mean that most tomatoes stop producing much. The next month or two will not see much in the way of tomatoes. However, the Fall will bring an increase in production. Can't wait.