There is something about the smell of a fresh garden tomato that immediately transports me back in time to when I spent my hot summer afternoons in the garden with my father. I can clearly remember plucking the ripe vegetable, or fruit if you would like to get scientific, and inhaling deeply, my nose pressed to the red skin. For me, nothing says summer gardening like a fresh tomato.
The difference between a store bought and fresh garden tomato is astonishing. No wonder once the temperatures rise, folks run to the nursery to grab up as many plants as they can fit on their property. With so many varieties though, how do you know what to get?
“Most of them are indeterminate,” said sales person and vegetable specialist at Young’s Nursery Lorraine Deniston. Indeterminate tomatoes fruit continuously and grow to have long branches and need to be staked up. Deniston suggests using tomato cages in the beginning, but said that using regular garden stakes and twist-ties is the best way to keep these plants upright.
Determinate tomatoes are more bush-like and do not need any type of additional materials to hold them in place. These plants produce fruit once and then are finished.
Labels on tomato plants usually state which type they are.
Once you decide whether you want staked up or bushy tomatoes, you can then move on to decide which variety of tomato you would prefer. There are the basics: cherry, plum, beefsteak.
I can recall heading down to the local garden shop with my dad and those three varieties were just about as exotic as you could get then. Now, there are funky names on tomato plant labels such as Mr. Stripey and Early Girl.
“I love all tomatoes,” admitted Deniston “but the heirlooms are prettier and more interesting. They make for a lovely presentation.”
Heirlooms are a completely different type of tomato, compared to say a cherry variety. But they make for fantastic colorful additions to salads since they can come in purples and pinks, be striped, and are usually irregularly shaped.
Knowing what you want to use your tomatoes for and going from there is the best way to pick which variety to plant. Do you entertain a lot and want a flashy striped tomato to add to a platter? Or do you dream about summer afternoons relaxing on the hammock, sandwich in hand that is topped with a fresh slice of tomato heaven? Either way, tomatoes are nature’s summer gift that shouldn’t be missed.
The difference between a store bought and fresh garden tomato is astonishing. No wonder once the temperatures rise, folks run to the nursery to grab up as many plants as they can fit on their property. With so many varieties though, how do you know what to get?
“Most of them are indeterminate,” said sales person and vegetable specialist at Young’s Nursery Lorraine Deniston. Indeterminate tomatoes fruit continuously and grow to have long branches and need to be staked up. Deniston suggests using tomato cages in the beginning, but said that using regular garden stakes and twist-ties is the best way to keep these plants upright.
Determinate tomatoes are more bush-like and do not need any type of additional materials to hold them in place. These plants produce fruit once and then are finished.
Labels on tomato plants usually state which type they are.
Once you decide whether you want staked up or bushy tomatoes, you can then move on to decide which variety of tomato you would prefer. There are the basics: cherry, plum, beefsteak.
I can recall heading down to the local garden shop with my dad and those three varieties were just about as exotic as you could get then. Now, there are funky names on tomato plant labels such as Mr. Stripey and Early Girl.
“I love all tomatoes,” admitted Deniston “but the heirlooms are prettier and more interesting. They make for a lovely presentation.”
Knowing what you want to use your tomatoes for and going from there is the best way to pick which variety to plant. Do you entertain a lot and want a flashy striped tomato to add to a platter? Or do you dream about summer afternoons relaxing on the hammock, sandwich in hand that is topped with a fresh slice of tomato heaven? Either way, tomatoes are nature’s summer gift that shouldn’t be missed.
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