What tomatoes are you growing in 2024?

[macmex]

Hard to believe, but we're coming up on time to start some transplants. I hardly feel ready but will try to start a few Baker Family Heirloom and Heidi in the coming week. I might start more later but don't plan on doing other varieties this year. The plan for me, this year is to simplify. These are the two varieties that my wife and I feel the most attachment to. Baker Family Heirloom is dependable in our climate, which says a lot. It has fabulous flavor for fresh eating and cooks well.

Taste in tomatoes varies among those who like them. Some like them sweeter. Some like them more tart. I like the acid balance of old fashioned standards like Rutgers and Marglobe. That's what I find in Baker Family Heirloom. Perhaps the prettiest large tomato I ever grew was "Black" from Sandhill Preservation Center. 

This is "Black"

I loved the vigorous plants and the fruit was gorgeous, but it was really sweet, instead of having traditional "acid bite" which I so much enjoy. So, I grow Baker Family Heirloom. It's a good one.

The other tomato we will grow is Heidi. One might nickname Heidi as "the fill a bucket tomato." Not only is it uniquely resistant to our heat and drought, but it also produces large crops of medium size, smallish fruit. It's okay for eating. It's great for cooking and... the fruit stands well on the counter. I believe I had some of my last 2023 crop on the counter until Christmas!

That's probably it. I'll be happy to succeed with two varieties than flop with more.

How about you? What do you plan on growing?

[amyinowasso]

I may start more varieties, I have my favorites, but these are what I plan for MY garden. I always give away extra plants to friends.
Arkansas Traveler
Cherokee Carbon
Early Girl ind
Gary ‘O Sena
Grandma Suzy's Beefsteak
Indian Stripe
Jetsetter
Ramapo
Black Cherry
Large Red Cherry
Celebrity Plus F1 Tomato
I've never grown celebrity before and Heidi is not there because we don't plan to do any canning this year (I may regret that). I did however buy a new variety called purple zebra (hybrid) on impulse.

[rdback]

I haven't gotten to tomatoes yet. I'm still working on pepper varieties .

I'll have to get back to ya later.

[chrysanthemum]

I haven’t either, rdback, but I can’t say I’ve worked on peppers yet. I ought to be doing some planning, but I need to coordinate with my mom, and she’s not in gardening mode this early. It’s an adjustment for me as I did garden planning in January in Texas and started seeds either at the end of January or up through mid February. I’m feeling behind because of that, but the weather here is very different, and we don’t have room to keep lots of large transplants indoors, so we need to wait.

[macmex]

It's 23 f here, this morning. Hard to think of starting warm weather crops

[FrostyTurnip]

I’ve grown the “Black” and I love it.  I prefer the low acid types.  Ace 55 is my favorite low acid red. 

Sir Thor loves tomatoes so I’ll probably choose an indeterminate beef steak variety, maybe just one plant and a cherry type plant for him to snack on. 

[FrostyTurnip]

Now that he is an adult and makes some decisions, I asked Sir Thor if he preferred a low acid, high acid or medium acid tomato.  

“Yes.” 

[woodeye]

🤣

[macmex]

I have Heidi seeds "incubating," so to speak. I expect sprouts any day now. Started some Baker Family Heirloom (2021) seed on February 22. They were popping up by the 27th. Here's a photo of them yesterday (March 4)




My wife and I agreed to limit ourselves to these two, and try for a large enough crop to can. These are old friends. I've grown Baker Family Heirloom since the mid 90s.

[macmex]

Same plants on March 11. They're growing!




First Heidi came up yesterday.

[chrysanthemum]

Those are looking nice, Macmex. When do you usually aim to put tomatoes in the ground?

[macmex]

We'll see. I tend to be suspicous as to the passing of danger of frost. Yet, with tomatoes, it's not so hard to cover them if we have a brief cold snap. Perhaps I'll put them out around the first week of April, just have to keep an eye on the long range forecast.

I left both my Baker Family Heirloom and Roselle seedlings outdoors yesterday, when I went to work. We had a severe thunder storm with some hail and very high wind while I was away. I am pretty sure I lost a couple of tomato plants. They looked like some garden gnome had gone amongh them with a miniature weed whacker. Some were completely topped by having been whipped so hard against the lip of their tray.

[heavyhitterokra]

That's very frustrating to have bad things happen to your seedlings while you're gone to work. I've had that happen here before too.

[rdback]

Well, I finally got the tomato seeds in the dirt. Here's the list. Some of these varieties are new to me, some are for seed replenishment, and some are both, lol. As you can see, several of these are quite old (24 are pre-2020), so fingers crossed on germination.

Get Stuffed                              Tomato - Bi-Color          2024

Girl Girl’s Weird Thing                  Tomato - Bi-Color          2021
Old German                               Tomato - Bi-Color          2013
Pineapple                                Tomato - Bi-Color          2022

Brad's Black Heart                       Tomato - Black             2009
Huge Black                               Tomato - Black             2017

Matt's Wild Cherry                       Tomato - Cherry            2021
Sweet Aperitif                           Tomato - Cherry            2023
Virginia’s Yellow Tommy Toe              Tomato - Cherry            2013

Kellogg's Breakfast                      Tomato - Orange/Yellow     2010
Olga's Round Yellow Chicken              Tomato - Orange/Yellow     2020
Orange Beef Heart                        Tomato - Orange/Yellow     2010
Pinocchio                                Tomato - Orange/Yellow     2022
Sakharnyi Zheltyi                        Tomato - Orange/Yellow     2015
Tom's Yellow Wonder                      Tomato - Orange/Yellow     2015
Virginia Sweets                          Tomato - Orange/Yellow     2013
Yellow Oxheart                           Tomato - Orange/Yellow     2013

Marzano Fire                             Tomato - Paste             2020
Pomodoro Cuore Antico di Acqui Terme     Tomato - Paste             2022
Roma VF, Virginia Select                 Tomato - Paste             2013
Valley Paste                             Tomato - Paste             2024

Brimmer (Pink Brimmer)                   Tomato - Pink              2013
Kolb                                     Tomato - Pink              2016
Lee's Sweet                              Tomato - Pink              2014
Pink Berkeley Tie-Dye                    Tomato - Pink              2019
Portuguese Monster                       Tomato - Pink              2016

Big Beef F1 (R-23)                       Tomato - Red               2023
Big Beef F3 (R-22)                       Tomato - Red               2024
Delicious                                Tomato - Red               2008
Ernesto                                  Tomato - Red               2015
Homestead                                Tomato - Red               2014
Legend                                   Tomato - Red               2008
Prue                                     Tomato - Red               2020
Super Sioux                              Tomato - Red               2010
Super Sioux                              Tomato - Red               2015
Bacon Lettuce and This                   Tomato - Red?              2019

Ms Scarlet In The Kitchen With The Knife Tomato - Red?              2018

chrysanthemum , does your Mom have any favorites here in Virginia?

[macmex]

Wow! How many of each variety do you expect to put in the garden?