This years tomato varities, Amish Paste/Yellow Pear/Roma, any tips?

JodieDownUnder
JodieDownUnder Posts: 1,483 admin
edited October 2020 in Cooking

Here in Australia we are starting to warm up into spring. About a month ago I found a new heirloom seed supplier and had to make some choices. Last years tomato crop was disappointing but I realised that I'd planted all determinate varities, got all the tomatoes at the same time and then nothing. I'd never heard of the term determinate and indeterminate until TGN. (Always learning) So this year decided on 3 seed varieties and one self sown. Roma because they are dependable and tough and productive (determinate) and Amish Paste and Yellow Pear (indeterminate) which I've not grown before. Seeds have germinated. I have a self seeding cherry tomato which is abundant, sweet and tough and some of those are well on their way. Any thoughts and tips?

Comments

  • Grounded
    Grounded Posts: 153 ✭✭✭

    The Grow Network has a 51 page book, "Growing Tomatoes Made Easy". The book goes over so many issues that you might have with tomatoes and how to deal with them. I'm sure that there are others out there with other thoughts/tips, but the book might be a good place to start.

  • marjstratton
    marjstratton Posts: 1,132 ✭✭✭✭

    I live in NW Washington state. I picked up a couple of tomato starts from a local grocery. I had heard great recommendations for San Marzano paste tomatoes. I have been disappointed with them. I had blossom end rot on most of them. I cut off the rotted ends, and have nice tasting tomatoes, but it was a hassle. And, in spite of them being and indeterminate, I got very low yield. I also got chocolate cherry tomatoes. No blossom end rot, but just as the tomatoes would ripen, they would split. Really didn't do anything different this year with my tomatoes, but last year I had none of these problems. Might have been our summer, which was late, wet and cool.

  • Monek Marie
    Monek Marie Posts: 3,539 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I have been looking for the book. "Growing tomatoes Made easy" that @Grounded mentioned above. I can not find it. Its part of tehr Grow Network.

    I love tomatoes but a good crop around here depends on the season. I have decided to grow them in a greenhouse or in a bed that I can cover.

    Tomatoes want a 55 degree nioght and if we have a so so summer we can have too many 55 degree nights which slow down tomatoes and peppers. We also have a short season here compared too many places.

  • John
    John Posts: 163 ✭✭✭

    I've grown them before and the best results came from planting them in an area where they likely won't pollinate with each other. All are quite tasty and can be fairly abundant per plant-keep them well supported and I believe you will be happy with them. I often share the yellow pear variety with a friend and he shares his potatoes with me. :)

  • Monek Marie
    Monek Marie Posts: 3,539 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @marjstratton Cherry tomatoes split when there is a big difference in water. It causes a spurt in growth which splits the tomato.

    They have varieties that do not split (crack) or you can cover the plant if its raining too much. If you only have a few cherry tomatoes grow them in pots.

    Blossom end rot: https://www.homestead-acres.com/blossom-end-rot-on-tomatoes/

  • lewis.mary.e
    lewis.mary.e Posts: 225 ✭✭✭

    Regarding the yellow pear variety - we grow these every year. They are delicious! Our summer was hot last year and we had yellow pear tomatoes the size of large roma tomatoes. Could not believe how big they grew.

  • Monek Marie
    Monek Marie Posts: 3,539 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited February 2021

    @lewis.mary.e I love yellow pear. I had two plants that looked dead from a garden center so I tossed them in my burn pile. I did not burn that summer and was surprised when I went over there and saw two yellow pear plants that were 20 foot long and covered with fruit!

    Awesome variety

  • silvertipgrizz
    silvertipgrizz Posts: 1,990 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited February 2021

    @jodienancarrow The yellow pear are supposed to be real good. I'm planting some of those those season as well. My favorite cherry tomato, prolific, indeterminate and luscious in taste...also self seeded year before last and therefor was my first ripe maters/black cherry, nice smoky flavor that everyone I have shared with loves it.

    I'm planting a variety of diff colors, flavor pallet, most of which will also be indeterminate..my fav to grow because they keep putting on new tomato's.. I will also grow a few determinate, but only varieties I like enough to mess with determinate plants. And I do like that many of them have a good disease resistant package in their strains..Early girl is one of my fav and I have a new one I got last year that i"m going to try this year.

    Could you clarify what you mean by thoughts and tips?

    One thing I can tell you is of most importance is this...non hybrid tomatoes are true to seed. So the ones you like the best, even the hybrid that are not true to seed...you can clone. I especially like the ability to clone for 2 reasons: in zone 7 I like to put in early summer starts in hopes of keeping my harvest numbers up due to 'tomato slow down' during the very hot summer months...when they quit setting fruit until it cools back down. By cloning, early enough I have plants that will pick up the slack by adding to my harvest and I also get another 'one bunch' of the determinate strain/s. All you have to do to clone is pinch off a healthy 'sucker', about 6 inches long, root it in water then pot it until you are ready to plant out. That way with the determinate you won't have to buy more seeds for that species...if you keep some young plants in the house over winter.

    What is the company you found your indeterminate seeds at? I'm still looking for more 'black elephant' seeds as Baker Creek doesn't sell them anymore..as well as 'Odessy squash'..

    I forgot to mention that the 'black cherry' keep producing no matter how hot it is day or night which is another reason I always make room for it.

  • Monek Marie
    Monek Marie Posts: 3,539 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited February 2021

    I also clone or pinch tomato plants.

    And if you want to play with hybrids you can breed you own seed in a few years. Just keep saving seed from the fruit that is closest to what you like. It takes time and some space so it has to be a variety that you really want to make your own.

    The most valuable thing about saving seed is you really acclimate it to your own growing season and even your soil. By noting which plant had fruit earliest and saving seed from them or what plant survived a frost better you can save seeds from them and have a hardier plant in future years. Its really a lot of fun. Oh no, a garden geek!~

  • silvertipgrizz
    silvertipgrizz Posts: 1,990 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @Denise Grant a Geek... yepper, me too lol