This year's tomato varieties.... red, black, yellow and orange, oh my!

There are only two of us in my household, my husband and myself. However, that doesn't stop me from growing several strains of tomatoes. I'm lucky enough to live near enough to the Fullerton Arboretum to attend their Annual Tomato and Pepper sale. I say lucky, but it's also a curse. This sale has well over one hundred different tomato strains available. I find it very difficult to choose which plant to buy. Each one tempts me.

Before the sale I do a quick search of some of the tomato strains. There is a list available prior to the sale. This year I tried be more logical in my approach. I looked for early, mid and late season plants. In the past, not having paid attention, I had all late season plants and the wait was almost unbearable. I picked a many plants that were said to be desirable for container gardens. However, I didn't let my use of containers deter me from selecting other varieties too. Lastly, I did google which tomato strains were the tastiest. Let's face it, that's the ultimate goal. I'd rather have one delicious tomato then a plentiful harvest of beautiful looking bland tasting ones. My only regret is I did not buy one in each of the colors available. If you thought red was the only color, you are surely mistaken. Tomatoes can be found in a variety of colors such as; green, white, black, purple, yellow, orange, striped and more!

Ok, on to this year's picks. (I'm happy to report I have tomatoes on each plant with the exception of the late season Aramana.) Each of the brief descriptions below are borrowed from various websites. 

Rutgers Tomato - Heirloom Mid Season (Red)

The legendary New Jersey tomato. Its flavor is unequaled. Deep rich red fruits are slightly flattened and medium size, weighing 6-8 oz. This is one of those classic tomatoes that has been used as a parent in the breeding of many other hybrids.

Black Prince Tomato - Heirloom Mid Season (Purple-Black)

From Irkutsk, Russia this is one of the most popular black tomatoes. The fruit produced are 2-inch (2-3 oz) deep garnet red tomatoes full of juice and fruity flavors. Perfect for patio gardens.

Black Sea Man Tomato - Heirloom Mid Season (Purple-Black)

Also from Russia, this tomato is loved for its wonderful color and succulent sweetness. It produces yields of 8 oz slightly plum shaped fruit. it's has brown-black skin with pink inside. This plant is bushy and also perfect for your patio. 

Bush Champion Tomato - Early Season (Red)

Huge and heavy bearing, this hybrid starts to produce early in the season. The solid meaty flesh with very few seeds and reach 1-2 pounds. It has an intense flavor that is perfect for burgers. 

Armana Orange Tomato - Heirloom Late Season (Orange)

Huge beefsteak produces beautiful light-orange, irregular shaped fruit that can grow to 2 pounds or more and average 5 inches in diameter. Excellent sweet, almost tropical fruit flavor. 

Clint Eastwood Rowdy Red Tomato - Mid Season (Red)

That's right, Clint Eastwood has his own tomato. This plant produces 2 inch 6-10 oz deep red round tomatoes with a subtle point on its end. The fruit has a robust bold flavor with a sweetness that is perfectly balanced with plenty of acidity.

Sweet Gold Tomato - Early Season (Yellow/Gold)

A standard size tomato that ripens to orange and have a very sweet succulent flavor. Fruits set in large clusters of a dozen or more and grow to 1/2 inch. This one is my only cherry tomato variety this year. I picked the first one today and it was deliciously sweet as promised. 

Carmello Tomato - Mid Season (Red)

From France, this strain is among the most productive tomatoes ever bred. The fruit is 10-12 oz slicing tomatoes. It is the number one market tomato in Europe because of its good sugar/acid balance and crack resistant skin. 

I heart tomatoes...

If you're like me, nothing tastes better than homegrown tomatoes. The ones in the market, even the ones marked "organic," never taste nearly as good. I feel there are two reasons for this: 1) Store tomatoes must be picked prior to full ripeness in order to make it to the shelf before rotting and 2) Things grown by you will always taste better. Maybe it's mental, but when you take the time to grown your own produce, it will just taste better.

For the last several years I've been growing tomatoes in containers. I find it to be fairly simple. I use Miracle Grow soil in 10-15 gallon pots. I add some tomato fertilizer to the soil towards the bottom of the pot and again in the middle. I've been using cheap tomato cages from Big Lots. (Today I saw they had much larger cages at Home Depot. I will try those next year, as my plants have already reached the top of the cheap cages.)

Tomatoes love sun, so try placing them in a spot that receives at least 6 hours of sunlight. The advantage to growing in containers is you place them anywhere. You can even use upside down containers and hang them from a balcony. I tried it one year and it worked just fine. (I just found it a little difficult to water because I'm short.)

I water my tomato plants almost daily. However, if you drench the soil at each watering, you can certainly water less frequently. I like to check out the plants on a daily basis, so that's why I water them a bit each day. Try to water your tomatoes in the morning and be careful not to get the leaves wet. Tomato foliage is prone to fungal diseases, keeping the leaves dry helps to avoid such issues.

Something new I'm doing this year is helping the flowers pollinate. I've read all sorts of posts on how to do this. Without getting technical, tomatoes are self-pollinating and do not require bees for pollination. All that's needed is wind or vibration for the pollen to drop within the flower. However, with a little help, you can produce a much larger yield! The idea is if you can lightly vibrate or tap the flowers, the motion will help insure the pollen drops. This can be especially handy if you're growing on a balcony where the wind is restricted. I've been flicking or tapping the flowers lightly from the back or top. I'm happy to report I have twice as many tomatoes this year. Some folks suggest using an electronic toothbrush to vibrate the stems or flowers. Just be careful not to damage the blossoms or your efforts will be for wasted.

I've done a lot of research on growing tomatoes in containers and there are some really wonderful sites out there. At some point I will share all of the links I've found. And if you have links to add, let me know and I'll post those too.

Next up, photos of this year's garden.