2010 Tomato Review:
Overall it was a very tough year for tomatoes here. There was many weeks of drought and my beds were made with Mel’s Mix (Square Foot Gardening “recipe“). The peat was IMPOSSIBLE to keep moist throughout the season. It only compounded the problems with the drought. With that said, here are how the varieties faired:
Cherokee Green- Had two plants. One churned out tons of large cherry-sized tomatoes of average flavor (given crossed seed). The other produced delicious green tomatoes with a lovely yellow blush when ripe. Production wasn’t as great as last season, but due to its great flavor, it will be back.
Cherokee Purple- I may be one of the few that doesn’t care for the flavor of purple and black tomatoes. Maybe this wasn’t the best year for CP, but will not be back.
Aker’s West Virginia - I don’t think I’ve ever had a tomato get hit so badly by disease. A huge disappointment that never produced a decent, uncracked tomato.
Kellogg’s Breakfast- An excellent tomato in the first half of the season. Disease resistance, taste, texture, color, production…everything was perfect. They were also blemish-free. As the dry season really hit, the tomatoes kept coming but were a fraction of the size. These were a huge hit with the family. These will absolutely be back next season!
Sun Gold Hybrid- Wonderful, sweet flavor. Huge producer. Amazing cherry tomato. These will be back next season in numbers. Cracks after heavy rains. My two-year old couldn’t get enough of these tasty treats. I’ve never been a huge fan of cherry tomatoes, but I couldn’t resist grabbing a handful each time I walked by these guys. Fantastic tomato. Do I need to tell you that they will be back next season?
Hillbilly- Beautiful coloring, very large tomatoes. Flavor was too mild. Will not be back. Trying Lucky Cross or Virginia Sweets instead.
Pineapple- Didn’t get any decent tomatoes from this plant. Lots of cracking. Didn’t get a fair try due to the drought and poor position in the garden. Still won’t be back next season.
Box Car Willie- Good production of nice-sized tomatoes. Produced almost as well as the hybrids. Although it is a good tomato, it may not make the shortened list next season.
Jet Star Hybrid- Great production and disease resistance. Good flavor. May be back next season.
Celebrity Hybrid- Great production and disease resistance. Good flavor. May be back next season.
Better Boy Hybrid- Heavy production and good disease resistance. Okay flavor. Won’t be back.
Brandywine- Late season, large tomato, potato-leafed. Cracking after heavy rains. Didn’t get a lot of tomatoes due to late ripening dates and drought. Most likely won‘t be back next season.
Amish Paste- Blossom end rot, low production, wispy foliage, shorter plant. Won’t be back. I’ll try another paste tomato next season.
Isis Candy- large cherry tomato, very productive, attractive star pattern on bottom. Pretty coloring but bland flavor. No competition for Sun Gold. Will not be back next season.
Gold Nugget- small, golden cherry tomatoes, volunteered from last season. Okay flavor and great production. Doesn’t hold a candle to Sun Gold. Won’t be back
This is a nice review of tomatoes. I had a hard time with blossom end rot on all of our tomatoes this year.
ReplyDeleteI'm located in Zone 8a. I like your review of the tomatoes. I, too, had Brandywines this year, but they won't be back next year. I'm looking for a good sauce tomato for canning. I tried Romas last year and the year before, but they were poor producers. I'm looking for flavor, amount of and length of production and disease resistance. Any suggestions?
ReplyDeleteI have been using a combination of tomatoes for my sauce. Whatever is ripe at the time. I've grown Opalka and Amish Paste for sauce, but production wasn't great. The Opalkas were grown during a really wet year, so I didn't give them a fair chance. They've had great reviews by others in good years though. I wish I could be of more help, but I'm still searching for a great sauce tomato myself.
ReplyDeleteKim
Thanks for the info! It helps!
ReplyDelete