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Growing Tomatoes

Advice on Best Tomato Flavor for a Small Garden

alameda/zone 8/East Texas

13 years ago

I am in east Texas and want to raise a few tomato plants - want to grow the larger ones [not cherry] and would like some advice on which ones have the best flavor. I tried Brandywine, barely got any tomatoes and have heard this one is a low producer. I just got the Totally Tomatoes catalog and would like to order seeds. Thanks for any advice!

Judith

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Comments (10)

lesmatzek209
13 years ago
one tomato that really tasted good to me was sophies choies
nice size 4 to 6 oz.,and early they do very well in pots
good luck.

les
miesenbacher
13 years ago
Check out Gleckler's seed at the link below. They will be updating their site any day now with many new varieties. A lot of the unique varieties they sell were donated to them from growers at another website. Ami

Here is a link that might be useful: Glecklers
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A 20 inch pot will grow almost anything you can grow in the yard (including some trees). Go NO LESS than 15" (5 gallons or 20 quarts) for any kind of tomato or bell pepper unless it's Cherry or Paste tomatoes (which typically require only 4 to 5 quarts of soil). The best place I've found to get them so far is at Cottage Farms Direct. Since containers do tend to dry out more than the ground does, I would highly reccomend a plastic tin of Hydrogel (such as Terra-Sorb) to mix into the container soil. As for the type of tomatoes, that would depend on what she likes. My personal opinion would be for heirloom varieties, but if she's not into seed saving you can go with a nice hybred. With a 20 inch container, you have room for companion planting too. For tomatoes, I would reccomend a mix-and-match of: For improved flavor of the ripe tomato: Basil (also repels flies and mosquitoes) Parsley Oregeno Chives (Also repels Aphids and Japaneese Beetles) For Pest Control: Dill - attracts White Flies away from your plants Nasturtium - repels aphids, cabbage worms, colorado beetles, wooly aphids, squash bugs and white flies Lemon Balm (AKA Bee Balm)- Attracts Bees and other pollinators Good Companions (though not sure why) Carrots Green Onions (actually any onion will do but green onions stay smaller) Asparagus Cucumber Marigold Bad Companions: Cabbage Family (including Brocoli, Cauliflower and Brussles Sprouts) Corn Fennel Irish Potato (though potatoes and tomatoes are in the same family, they spend all their time reminiscing and not putting out tomatoes) Jerusalem Artichokes (herbicidal - but attracts lady bugs) Best Wishes and Happy Holidays :) Amino-X
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Just got discussed over in the tomato forum. Here is a link that might be useful: Best mulch for tomatoes
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Since many of my other favorites have been discussed above, I will name a few others that have been excellent for me. Crnkovic Yugoslavian - very good and very assertive flavor, medium production, but does take the heat better than most. This variety sets the occasional JUMBO fruit. I've grown 3 and 4 pounders without even trying. Cuostralee - A pretty decent large red tomato though it is a bit more on the balanced side flavorwise. Andrew Raharts Jumbo Red - This one has outstandingly good flavor but does not stand up to nematodes or high heat very well. Daniels - This is a large pink potato leaf variety that is at least as good as and sometimes better than Brandywine. It is consistently productive and relatively tolerant to disease in my Alabama garden. I would rate the flavor as balanced with a bit of a leaning toward the intense side. The best part is that it is productive even in locations where Brandywine is not. Omar's Lebanese - Jumbo fruit and moderate production of good flavored tomatoes. This one is not as intense as some of the others but it is consistently in the good to very good category. Zogola - Another large red tomato that Carolyn can comment further about. This one distinctly changes flavor as a result of temperature. I've picked them after several 90+ days and they were excellent. When the temp goes below 85, they are not quite as good. Note that this variety is not noticeably heat tolerant in terms of production, it just changes flavor more than most as the temp rises. I like Galina for a pretty good flavored yellow/gold cherry tomato. Besser is a good red cherry and Riesentraube is a rather unique small nippled tomato with intense flavor. Fusion
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My tomato plants get huge, and I barely ever water them. One inch per week or so in rain means I do not water them. And they taste very good. I read about planting basil and carrots around tomatoes, basil for taste and carrots cause tomatoes supposedly suck the nutrients out of them. Could be an old tale, but I can see how it was started... tomatoes stun carrot growth, so the opposite must be true ;). Anyway, I got a couple basil plants near my tomatoes and craploads of carrots covering the ground below :P Thankfully my dog appears to be half rabbit or something... loves them carrots. Google companion planting... not something I would swear by, just a case of "if it doesn't hurt, try it incase it helps :P" Carrot seeds are like $.80 per packet.
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digit
13 years ago
Appreciation of tomato flavor is subjective, of course, but I think you could use another idea or 2.

I see in the Gleckler catalog that they introduced Thessaloniki in 1958. This is one of my best to grow (a long way from east Texas). It seems to stand up to hot weather real well and lasts a long time after harvest -- I've still got one in a kitchen basket that was harvested green, 2 months ago! (I think I'll turn it into cream of tomato soup, today. ;o)

My grandmother was from east Texas and she grew a tomato that was probably from Porter & Sons Seed Company of east Texas. The seed came to me about 20 years ago and is probably "Porter." Willhite Seed Company has that seed along with Porter Improved and a number of others that may do well for you in your part of the world.

Porter may be a little small for what you are thinking of. It is a saladette. Grandmother's tomato is a real favorite of my wife, however.

Steve
natal
13 years ago
Cherokee Purple is one of the best tasting tomatoes I grow next to Sun Gold.
eaglesgarden
13 years ago
I second Cherokee Purple...
qaguy
13 years ago
I'll third Cherokee Purple and throw in Lemon Boy
and Kellogg's Breakfast.
natal
13 years ago
I was disappointed in Lemon Boy. Great production, but not much flavor.
fusion_power
13 years ago
For your area of East Texas, you have many choices in better flavored tomatoes. The problem will be getting them planted at the right time to make a crop. Here are a few that will work for your area.

Box Car Willie
Gregori's Altai
Heidi - this one is a paste in case you want some sauce
Tropic
Kellogg's Breakfast - if you want to try an orange
J.D.'s Special C-Tex
Eva Purple Ball

Depending on where you are in East Texas, you may need to put plants in the ground as early as February 15th. That means starting seed about Jan 1st to get seedlings large enough to make it on their own.

DarJones
jan-shaffer_hotmail_com
13 years ago
I live in Dallas and have not grown anything but flowers. I have purchased the Topsy Turvy tomato basket but have learned that I am very late to plant (May 7). Against advice I have purchased Improved Porters and my baskets are hanging on my fence in full sun. Am I waisting my time?
nordfyr315
12 years ago
Kumato. Acquire fruit at store, extract seeds, wipe off gel with paper towel. Delicious fruits on vigorous and VERY productive plants.

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