Have you done any reading over on the growing Tomatoes forum here? Most all of the questions you raise have many detailed discussions about them on that forum. The simple answer to your title question is there is no "best sized bed" as there are too many variables to consider - variety, type, type/size of support used, pruning or no pruning, planting dates, nutrient levels provided, sun exposure, season length, etc. all affect the plant spacing. But anyone can successfully grow tomatoes in just about any size or shape of bed or garden no matter if it is 2 feet wide or 100 feet wide. Even a hole in the ground can work. So your primary issue, given you live in an ideal tomato growing zone and season length and the info you have provided, would seem to be your limited sun exposure. Shape and size your bed to increase and maximize the sun exposure. "Ripe fruit sooner" is based on the variety used and the proper planting dates. And pruning - what you call removing the suckers - when sun exposure is already limited - usually only results in longer, lankier plants with less fruit. Dave

Floradade is a good one that produces even in hot weather but is only about 1/2 pound, as is Homestead, which is my main fresh slicing and "juicer" tomato for canning. Beefsteak is a 2 pounder but stops setting fruit (as most tomatoes do) in the hottest and most humid part of summer (here it is August), then starts up again when it cools some. So it would be a toss-up - smaller and tastier all summer, or larger but fewer. I particularly like the purple tomatoes for flavor - Eva's Purple Ball, Black Krim, Black from Tula, but overall, Brandywine's have the larger size you are looking for and a great taste. There is no reason why you can't just plant some seeds in the open ground now. I get a later harvest than those forced and babied under lights in late winter and transplanted when the soil has warmed, but they have stronger stems, IMO, and since the soil is warm already, they jump up a couple of days after sowing. Nancy

I've been competing for a few years now and my most consistent results have been coming from Big Zac seeds that were saved from previous competition winners. I have tried many different varieties over the years. Tomatoes which have produced over four pound tomatoes for me are: Big Zac Church BelMonte In 2008 I held the Ohio State Record with a 4.48 pound tomato which was grown off of the variety "Curch". In 2009 I broke that record with a 4.83 pound tomato which was grown off of the variety Big Zac which was a seed from the 5.58 Timm 08. Many competition Growers are now considering the 5.58 Timm one of the first "proven" tomato seeds, meaning that this seed has produced more record breaking fruit than any other known tomato seed. I believe the 5.58 Timm is an F4 Big Zac. My 2009 record was short lived as Nick Harp produced a tomato last year off of the same 5.58 Timm seed which weighed in at 7.18 pounds and is the fourth heaviest tomato ever recorded. I hold a contest each year for the heaviest tomato at www.perrysgreenhouse.com, your welcome to join in if you'd like. There are prizes awarded to the winners of the contest, this year our first prize includes a copy of the book Growing Giant Tomatoes by Dr. Marvin Meisner, 5 seeds from the 4th largest tomato ever grown in the world, "the 7.18 N. Harp" a $20 gift certificate to our Sponsor, and the prize list is growing. I've given away all of the competition seeds I have for the season but I am sure you will find someone there that is willing to share. Our community is focused mainly on producing record breaking vegetables with lots of information to help you achieve your personal best. Good Luck in your Endeavor!!! Duane

Thank you all for your great messages, and I apologize for my late responding. Now you get my super long response! I'm learning so much from you. I had no idea that Heirlooms are fragile or poor producers. I was "buying into" their presumed panache of "being better". My history trying to grow them would make a good SNL skit, or Keystone Cops story! I bought some Early Girl & Better Boy seeds, because we grew them as plants at the nursery I worked at in TX. I'll go ahead and list the Heirlooms I have, alas, no Cherokee Purple, but I do have Hillbilly. Abe Lincoln, Arkansas Traveler, Banana Legs, Best of All, Black From Tula, Black Krim, Black Prince, Blond Kopfchen, Bloody Butcher, Brandywine Black, Caspian Pink, Green Zebra, Dinner Plate, Dutchman, Ethel Watkin's Best, German Head, German Johnson, German Queen, German Red Strawberry, Giant Belgium, Granny Smith, Hawaiian Pineapple, Hillbilly, Holy Land, Homestead, Mayan Indian, Market Wonder, Mexico, Mtg Lifter-Radiator Charlie, Mr. Stripey, New Yorker, Peron, Pink Girl, Rosa de Berne, St. Pierre, Tommy Toe, Yellow Brandywine, Wins All. I also have some "Jellybean" grape tomato seeds, and probably various other newer varieties in my seed boxes. Being in that Catch 22 cycle of not having land prepared, not having much growing space, and not trusting future sales, and not having much greenhouse space, I'm in a self-limiting cycle. I do have a 20' x 40' space next to my driveway that I can (SLOWLY--I'm the only worker) turn into a vegie/flower garden, but it's not even started! My kids told me my knitting was wonderful so I should sell those items at our Mkt. I tried, but few takers, prices were moderate. Other vendors were making tons of money selling breads and/or granola. I've never made either, and didn't want to directly compete w/ them, so I tried making cookies to supplement the knitting. My cookies were wonderful, and I did fair on them, but also had a LOT of ppl say, "Ooooh, I'm on a diet/gluten free/celiac/diabetic/just ate...." etc, and lost sales that way. And yet, vendors w/ fully iced cakes at the next table sold out! Go figure! All in all, a discouraging learning experience last year, ergo, the current fear of growing/knitting/baking the "wrong" thing(s) again this year. I guess that's just part of the farmer/grower/vendor's life! Anyway, from the list of tomatoes above, which varieties do you think I should try? I also have a Squash variety, a cauliflower, and maybe a couple of bell peppers, a few green beans & lettuces. I've grown & harvested many of these vegies---for my work at a nursery. Have RARELY grown any vegies on my own, maybe a few tomato plants over the years. Thanks again, all of you.