Locally grown stuff bought locally is USUALLY the best due to the fact that veggies go down in quality the longer they sit after picking. If they're bred to ship, they aren't bred for flavor, they're bred for durability, not something that is necessarily a good thing in tomatoes, lol! But I know they grow some kick butt tomatoes in FL, just not necessarily the ones they send up north! We had a tomato disaster here in the NE last summer too, late blight destroyed almost the entire crop. I sure hope this year is better. I am salsa deprived at this point!! Just had some store bought last night--meh!

This has a ton of interesting info, I started to try to highlight some of the differences btw fresh and commercial markets, numbers etc. but stopped, it seemed very annoying. sorry

The United States is one of the world's leading producers of tomatoes, second only to China. Fresh and processed tomatoes account for more than $2 billion in annual farm cash receipts.

The U.S. fresh-and processing-tomato industries target different markets, which is not true in many other tomato-producing countries. Characteristics of the two industries in the United States are:

* Tomato varieties are bred specifically to serve the REQUIREMENTS OF EITHER FRESH OR PROCESSING MARKETS. Processing requires varieties that contain a higher percentage of soluble solids (averaging 5 percent to 9 percent) to efficiently make tomato paste, for example.
* Most tomatoes grown for processing are produced under contract between growers and processing firms. Fresh tomatoes are largely produced and sold on the open market.
* PROCESSING tomatoes, which ACCOUNTED FOR 89 PERCENT of all tomatoes produced in 2008, are machine-harvested while fresh-market tomatoes are hand-picked.
* Fresh-market tomato prices are higher and more variable than processing due to larger production costs and greater market uncertainty.

Fresh Tomato Industry

Commercial Acreage. Fresh-market tomatoes are produced in every State in the Nation, with commercial-scale production in about 20 States. National fresh-market tomato acreage has been trending lower over the past several decades. CLIFORNIA and FLORIDA each produce FRESH-market tomatoes on 30,000-40,000 acresalmost TWO-THIRDS OF TOTAL U.S. FRESH-tomato acreage (a share that has not changed much since the 1960s). Ohio, Virginia, Georgia, and Tennessee round out the top six in terms of area planted.

Production. U.S. fresh field-grown tomato production has trended higher over the past several decades with the most substantial growth occurring during the 1980s. As they have for decades, Florida and California annually account for two-thirds to three-fourths of all commercially produced fresh-market tomatoes in the United States. Including processing, Florida is the second-largest tomato-producing State; except for 2008, it has been tops in producing fresh-market tomatoes for decades. Florida's season, October to June, has the greatest production in April and May and again in November to January.
Three fresh market tomatoes

California is the leading producer of all tomatoes in the United States, accounting for 96 percent of U.S. processing tomato output and one-third of the fresh crop. Fresh-market tomatoes are produced across the State in each season except winter. California's share of national fresh-market output has remained between 25 and 37 percent since the 1980s. Other major fresh-market tomato-producing States (in order of importance) include Virginia, Georgia, Ohio, Tennessee, North Carolina, New Jersey, and Michigan.

Seasonality of Supply. Commercial fresh-market tomato shipments peak in the spring when Florida's volume is highest and California and various southeastern States begin to ship tomatoes. Commercial volume is smallest and prices are lowest in August to September due to the availability of local tomatoes. Fresh-market tomatoes are available year-round in the United States because imports supplement tomatoes grown in Florida and in scattered greenhouses in the winter. Florida's winter crop is largely shipped to markets in the East, while the bulk of Mexico's crop is shipped to western States.

Market Structure. Supermarkets carry many varieties of fresh tomatoes. In addition to displays of the standard field-grown round tomatoes, shoppers find plum (Roma) tomatoes, grape and cherry tomatoes, and an array of greenhouse and hydroponic tomatoes in most areas of the country. Some greenhouse/hydroponic tomatoes (which were initially imported from places like the Netherlands) are marketed "on vine" (in clusters) to convey the appearance of freshness to consumers.

Domestic producers have recognized opportunity in this market niche. As a result, new or expanded greenhouse/hydroponic operations in several States have begun production over the last several years. (Domestic hothouse vegetables, however, are not included in official USDA annual production estimates but allowances are made for them in ERS consumption statistics.)

Some estimates suggest that the U.S. fresh-tomato market is about evenly divided between food service and retail consumer sales. However, in terms of total consumption from all sources, about 70 percent is consumed at home with 30 percent consumed away from home, according to a mid-1990s USDA food intake survey (the most recent survey with this breakout).

Prices. Statistical analysis suggests that the retail price of field-grown tomatoes is linked directly to the shipping-point price. Changes in the U.S. shipping-point price for tomatoes change retail prices for that month and the next month. Retail tomato prices include marketing costs such as wages, transportation, containers, advertising, fuel and power, and rent.

On average, the shipping-point price for fresh field-grown tomatoes averages about one-fourth of the retail value. This share has declined during the past three decades, averaging 37 percent in the 1980s, 31 percent in the 1990s, and 28 percent the first decade of the 2000s. Shipping-point prices for field-grown tomatoes have frequently been under pressure since the mid-1990s, largely due to increased imports and competition with hothouse products.

Trade. International trade is an important component of the U.S. fresh-market tomato industry. Imports account for about one-third of U.S. tomato consumption, up from one-fifth in the early 1990s. The percentage of U.S. fresh-tomato supply that is exported has slipped to about 6 percent this decade after having been a relatively constant 7 percent since the 1980s.

Over the past decade, greenhouse/hydroponic products have made significant inroads into the U.S. fresh-tomato retail market. Imports from Canada's hothouse tomato industry peaked in 2005 but have weakened with rising competition from Mexico. Mexico has invested heavily in protected culture of vegetables, resulting in a larger share of the U.S. import market. Mexico now accounts for 71 percent of the U.S. import market for greenhouse tomatoes, while Canada's share has been reduced by half to 27 percent.

Florida and Mexico historically compete for the U.S. winter and early spring market. Imports from Mexico tend to peak in the winter when southern Florida is the predominant U.S. producer. Florida tomatoes then dominate the market during the spring as Mexican production seasonally declines. Mexico remains the primary source of U.S. tomato imports and has rebuilt market share lost earlier this decade by shifting more heavily into greenhouse/hydroponic products. Greenhouse tomatoes, in fact, have taken a greater share of the U.S. fresh-market tomato industry. About three-fourths of U.S. fresh tomato exports are shipped to Canada, with exports to Mexico a distant second. A small volume is also exported to JapanÂa market that was closed to U.S. shippers by phytosanitary restrictions (tobacco blue mold) from 1951 until 1997.

The U.S. Department of Commerce suspended an anti-dumping investigation involving fresh-market tomatoes from Mexico, by negotiated agreement, on November 1, 1996. The agreement set a minimum price (called the reference price) that covers the majority of fresh-market tomatoes imported from Mexico. The intent of the agreement is to ensure there is no undercutting or suppressing of fresh-market tomato prices in the United States. Fresh-market tomatoes cannot enter the United States at less than the established reference price. Subsequent amendments clarified and expanded original provisions. The tomato season is now split into two periodsÂeach with a separate reference price. California and Baja, Mexico are covered from July 1 to October 22 ($4.30 per 25-pound box), while Florida and Sinaloa, Mexico are covered from October 23 to June 30 with a higher floor price ($5.42 per 25-pound box). The latter floor price was put into effect upon review/renewal of the suspension agreement on January 22, 2008.

Per Capita Use. In terms of consumption, the tomato is the Nation's fourth most popular fresh-market vegetable behind potatoes, lettuce, and onions. Although stabilizing in the first decade of the 2000s, annual average fresh-market tomato consumption remains well above that of the previous decade. Over the past few decades, per capita use of tomatoes has been on the rise due to the enduring popularity of salads, salad bars, and bacon-lettuce-tomato (BLT) and submarine (sub) sandwiches. Perhaps of greater importance has been the introduction of improved tomato varieties, heightened consumer interest in a wider range of tomatoes (such as hothouse tomatoes, grape tomatoes, and specialty/heirloom varieties), a surge of new immigrants who eat vegetable-intensive diets, and expanding national emphasis on health and nutrition.
Processing Tomato Industry
Trailer of harvested processing tomatoes in the field with a tomato harvester in the background

Commercial Acreage. Over the past several decades, the processing-tomato industry has been moving westward. California accounts for about 94 percent of the area harvested for processing tomatoes in the United StatesÂup from 87 percent in 1990 and 79 percent in 1980. Texas, Utah, Illinois, Virginia, and Delaware once harvested thousands of acres, but today they have little or none.

Production. California has long been the primary source of processed-tomato products in the United States. By itself, California leads the world in the production of processing tomatoes. Harvest of the California processing-tomato crop is most active August to September. About 96 percent of U.S. processing tomatoes are grown and processed in California, with Indiana, Ohio, and Michigan accounting for most of the remaining production.

Market Structure. Growers contract with processors to process red-ripe tomatoes. Although many firms manufacture pulp-based products, such as stewed and diced tomatoes, most initial processing is by firms that manufacture tomato paste, a raw ingredient. Paste is manufactured and packed in bulk containers large bags set into boxes and barrelsÂand stored for use up to 18 months later. This raw ingredient is distributed under contract or sold to remanufacturing firms that add water, spices, etc. to make retail and foodservice packs of soups, sauces, catsup, and paste.

In the past, many firms made paste and also remanufactured this paste into other products. The industry appears to be polarizing, with several firms specializing in the manufacture of bulk industrial paste and others specializing in the remanufacture of industrial paste into consumer products. Several California firms are also producing various dried and dehydrated tomato products, such as whole dried tomatoes and tomato powder.

Trade. Exports are becoming an important component of the U.S. processing-tomato industry. During the early 1990s, the United States became a net exporter of processed tomato products and has remained so. About 8 percent of processed-tomato product supply has been exported from 2000-08, up from 5 percent during the 1990s and 1 percent during the 1980s. Top U.S. export markets include Canada (which takes about half of all volume), Mexico, Japan, South Korea, and Italy. Generally, tomato sauces account for the largest share of exports, followed by paste, catsup, and canned whole products.

About 6 percent of the tomato products consumed by Americans today are imported. During the 1990s, imports averaged about 4 percent of consumption, down from 7 percent during the 1980s. In most years, Canada has been the largest exporter to the United States, accounting for more than 40 percent of imported processed-tomato productsÂmostly catsup. Other important sources of tomato products are Italy, Mexico, China, and Israel. In years with short crops, tomato paste can account for a significant share of import volume. However, sauces and catsup are usually the top tomato-product imports.

Per Capita Use. Americans consume three-fourths of their tomatoes in processed form. U.S. consumption of processed tomatoes began a steady climb that accelerated in the late 1980s with the rising popularity of pizza, pasta, and salsa. ERS estimates suggest the largest processed use of tomatoes is in sauces (35 percent), followed by paste (18 percent), canned whole tomato products (17 percent), and catsup and juice (each about 15 percent). ERS estimates suggest that about one-third of all processed-tomato products are purchased away from home at various foodservice outlets (pizza parlors, for example).

I suppose I should have known I would get my keister kicked with that statement, and I will say it was a gross exaggeration. Not all FL tomatoes are bad, but the ones we get up here are rock hard and flavorless. And I never said that everything grown here in Michigan is better. Although anything homegrown is pretty darn good, usually.

I don't buy too many tomatoes in the winter. The best ones we get here are actually grown in Canada in greenhouses (Compari).

Sorry if I ruffled any feathers. I don't like to hear of anyone who's livlihood depends on agriculture to have their crops wiped out regardless whether I personally would be a customer or not.

Duane

Being a horticulture weenie I find that fascinating Mary! But as a foodie, I won't touch even a "fresh" tomato in the store any other months but late July-Sept. The so called "fresh" market still means tomatoes shipped long distances and that means that the quality is just not there for me. Not so sure about the canned stuff, because I'm sure that is a different market too, growing tomatoes for Heinz or DelMonte or whatever.

BTW, (and off topic), I would like to add how much I HATE BING and the evil green links!

Thanks for that info, Mary. Good info to know.

Duane, I cannot grow tomatoes. As beachlily has already noted, they are not salt-tolerant. My entire property is salt encrusted (probably including me). Nor do they thrive in coastal areas with a constant marine layer. Tomatoes enjoy bright sunshine something I just can't provide. For instance, in my garden hostas, columbines, digitalis (foxglove), and primroses are all full sun plants. They rot in a couple months in more than a couple hours of dappled shade conditions.

So, I'm very grateful for the states of California, Florida, & Texas. Yes, we do have a tomato season but supply is less than demand. Tomatoes are grown in New England inland but last year's blight hit our area hard. I remember making a post about it...squash & pumpkin crops were also pretty much ruined. We had a Jack 'o Lantern shortage last Halloween.

We receive our winter tomatoes from Florida & while not nearly as good as our local late summer crop they are certainly not as horrible as you describe. It, like so many other items, depends on where you shop. If I go to Whole Foods the tomatoes are very good. If I go to my local A&P Grocery - they are terrible. You get what you are willing to pay for. Florida grows great tomatoes. Some of the produce I put up every year is grown in Florida.

/tricia

We don't get too many "Florida tomatoes" here....seems most winter tomatoes are grown south of the border.
The point is that tomatoes grown to withstand the rigors of shipping are tasteless cardboard things. They have developed special cultivars that are "firm" and won't bruise easily in shipping and that will stand being picked under ripe and turn red before they get really ripe. And what they have bred is that tastless pinkish thing they sell for tomatoes in the winter.
Linda C

I will honesty say that the only tomatoes I will buy in the store are the Campari or th grape tomotoes. The rest of them are refered to as "factory" toms.

Cathy, I bet you can get good ones near you right now. But if they pick and ship north, forget it.

I looked at my kitchen calendar today and saw that this was the day I have marked to plant my seeds I saved from last years "Homely Homer" variety. Now I know Spring is on the way.

I love tomaotoes but not the ones that get shipped here from anywhere south. Tasteless, mealy and way to pricey.

I can
t grow my own ans my yared is sun challenged but I buy bushels and bushels full from the local farmers market and can them so I have a full years supply of summer.

Our next door neighbors are from the Detroit area. About 3 years ago, the man excitedly came to the door with one medium cucumber and 2 small ears of corn. A former neighbor (in Michigan) had sent these to our neighbors, who wanted to share so we could enjoy great vegetables. Well, we each had a slice of the cucumber and that baby had a distinct taste of mud. Kid you not! Didn't even bother with the undergrown corn. Called and thanked him for his generosity. I guess everyone thinks their region yields the best veggies! Guess I'll have to settle for broccoli, et al, and stay picky about the tomatoes.

In January temperatures in Miami were down in the 30's--that's what happened to the tomatoes and eggplant.

You people say that tomatoes won't grow in sand or where there was ocean at one time. south Jersey is a huge tomato growing center....and the soil there is pretty much like beach sand, but there are acres and acres of tomatoes growing, with the red plastic between the rows and all.
And there is an area in Iowa near the Mississippi called fruitville that also grows lots and lots of tomatoes with very sandy soil....notw hite beach sand like in New Jersey but very sandy none the less.
But they also grow like crazy in my lovely rich black Iowa loam!
Linda C

You can't judge all Michigan produce by a cuke and 2 small undersized ears of corn. That is worse than my proclamation that FL tomatoes suck! Okay, I didn't say that. But I thought I would really do good a few years back and ordered some 'gourmet' Florida tomatoes to be delivered in the winter here in Michigan. I bought them from a small farm in FL...paid something like $30 but 6 tomatoes...I know crazy, right? ..but I love my tomatoes and the website promised delicious farm grown FL tomatoes...so I took the bait. They arrived and were no better than the plastic tasting crap that I could buy in the grocery store for $0.99 a pound! What a ripoff!

Now, Florida has a lot of great things..don't get me wrong..but I still have not had a FL tomato that has blown me away....and I have shopped in FL farm markets when visiting my out-laws.

Michigan 'maters...Jersey 'maters...California 'maters...Mexican 'maters...Greenhouse 'maters....all have been better tasting than FL 'maters in my book. Now give me some seafood....some shrimp...fish....whatever and I will love it. Keep those tasteless rocks to yourself!

Duane

Duane you forgot Ontario 'maters. Best damn tomatoes in the world and not that far from you. The Leamington/Chatham Kent and Essex townships) area not far from Windsor.

Tomato capital of the world....the glove is down......

LOL - The people on the Tomato Growing forum would shake their heads at this thread! And most would agree with Duane. Any tomato that's been grown to be shipped isn't going to be worth the money you pay for it. But they'd also tell you that not all home grown tomatoes are good either. There are varieties out there that just aren't good and there are growing conditions that can turn the best tomatoes into bad ones. And I too hope the blight from last year leaves us alone this summer!!

It depends on what you grew up eating and what you like. I still think central NC tomatoes taste better than any I've had anywhere else. Not bashing the tomatoes in Kentucky, bcause they were good, but, to me, they were too sweet. I missed that acidic tang under the sweet like the tomatoes I grew up eating from our garden. Some people love sweet tomatoes, the sweeter, the better for them. In CA's Central Valley, I never did find a decent tomaot except the ones we grew ourselves (after heavily ammeding the dirt), yet it wasn't because they were shipped in; any day of the week during the summer there were double trailer loads going out of the valley to canneries. We won't even talk about Nevada tomatoes. But someone from KY, CA or NV would probably taste the tangy-sweet NC tomato I loved so much and hate it.

I think there are more variables in the taste of tomatoes than anything else...but I'm sure I would get an argument from others on their favorite fruits/veggies too. But taste is such an individual thing. Not only where it is grown, but what type of soil, amendments, the weather, the type of tomato, individual taste buds, etc. etc. etc.

This thread has veered off course. The cold weather in Florida has wiped out 70 percent of the crop. Period.

However, I do love my homegrown tomatoes. The best tasting 'maters I ever ate were grown by a co-worker of mines' italian father! I have never duplicated the tasted of the those tomatoes as hard as I have tried. I think I sat and ate 15 lbs at one time at work! He used turkey manure is all I was told.

Got some chicken/rabbit manure coming this year! Hope it helps! Can't wait for those dripping, juicy homegrown tomatoes!

Duane

Linda, it's not the sand. I'm a block from the beach and the garden is covered with salt spray most mornings. Also, my well water is contaminated with sea salt. Too much sodium for any self-respecting tomato. I think that was what Tricia was saying, too.

Just had to settle for fresh stuff winter veggies roasted ala Canarybird. Good food!

My supply of sun dried tomatoes will last me another 6 months.

:-)

dcarch

I have a supply of roasted tomatoes in the freezer that should last me another 6 months too. Roasting can even make Florida tomatoes tast good.

I just have to throw in a vote for tomatoes from East Tennessee...not every variety, but we do have some good ones.
But honestly, do you think the best of tomatoes would taste the same on a "mater sandwich in the winter as it does in the summer? I don't.

jude

OK, I'll toss my hat in here. I think the best tomatoes are the ones that are eaten where ever they are grown. If you're in Michigan, the best tomatoes are grown in Michigan because they are fresh, they are local, they are picked at the peak of ripeness.

Ditto if you are in Ontario or Iowa or Florida.

I don't eat tomatoes out of season, I've gone so far as to pick them out of salads and off sandwiches because the tomatoes we get here in Michigan in the winter are awful. I'd rather eat the styrofoam they are packed on usually.

Now a nice, fresh tomato in July in the Midwest? That's heaven and August only gets better. I don't know what the season is in Florida or Texas or California but I'm absolutely certain that the ones grown next door are far better than the ones picked before they are ripe and shipped thousands of miles.

As for the tomato forum, I had to leave there. Until I checked them out, I didn't realize that I was a complete moron and that the only reason I've been successful at growning tomatoes in Michigan for 40 years or so is plain dumb luck. I left quickly, before my tomatoes realized how stupid I was and quit growing for me!

Annie

bean there,
I am a native Kentuckian living in North Carolina. :) You're exactly right, I remember those good Kentucky tomatoes (and there's probably a lot of nostalgia thrown in), but I am also crazy about my wonderful NC tomatoes. I garden in sand, but have heavily amended my vegetable garden and get great veggies.

That's funny, Annie. I'm getting ready to go looking for a few tomato plants to set out, looks like our danger of frost has to be over, it's done nothing but rain, not a lot but spring has to be here. The best tomatoes are the ones that ripen on the vine, heirloom of course. Most market tomatoes are picked grass green and gassed to give them color as they arrive in the store. I just purchased a few tomatoes for 1.29 a pound and they were sooo tasty. Southern part of our state sends us veggies and fruits out of season but, of course, usually very pricey.

PF, Whew, I know there are Kentuckians on the forum, so I was trying to be careful not to slight them. :) (There is NOTHING like KY-grown limestone lettuce, though. Delish!)

You garden in sand???? You must be east of Rocky Mount. Where I grew up was clay so red it looked like a sweet potato casserole. (Teresa, did you just nod?) My mother's whole being was a green thumb, which she got from her mother. The only thing I remember either of them not being able to grow was basil. It would bolt almost immediately for them.

Guess I'll stock up on canned tomatoes next time they are on sale. No doubt the price will go up now.

Anyone want to talk about strawberries? That should get a rise!

The Plant City, FL, Strawberry Festival runs from Mar. 4-14. Of course, the strawberries were frozen in January, too, but now they are almost as good as they should be. Juicy, red all the way through. I'm having some on my shredded wheat this a.m.

It is hard to beat locally grown tomatoes, especially home grown. I love tomatoes, and refuse to go all winter without just because what is available isn't as good as summer tomatoes. My favourite breakfast is toast with thinnly sliced tomatoes sprinkled with salt and pepper.

I've found that if I buy "field" tomatoes, rather than "hot house" tomatoes and leave them on the counter, they do ripen up and taste very good. As good as a summer fresh vine picked tomato? Of course not. But the next best thing.

Ann

Annie, you're funny! You're not dumb, you're just a natural as in beanthere's green thumb mother. Some people growing things just comes natural to and others have to really work at it.

I'm sorry to hear about the Florida crops too, even though I'm sure I don't eat the tomatoes it probably will have an affect on the rest of the crops too.

The snow has just started to melt here in the Thumb of Michigan (E of Saginaw and N of Detroit).

I have two Sungold's going in pots already. They will be porch tomatoes. I really like the yellow tomato flavor and can't say I've ever seen them in the store anywhere. More Sungold's will go in the garden... probably start them late next month as they can't go outside until the end of May. Roma's, Early Girl, and Delicious tomatoes to add variety... probably some Rutgers if the seed from last year is still good. Annie was very right about Rutgers being a nice tomato... they ain't store bought pretty but they produce and taste fresh.

I can't see stores ever having tomatoes I like best. The best ones to my taste have to ripen until they are going soft and ready to rot. The aroma is so strong you can taste them as they go into the cooking pot... sweet tangy tomato perfection. When I run out of garden tomatoes I'll buy Red Gold. The whole tomatoes are okay ($3.35/6.6 lb can) but the juice they make is the closest thing to garden fresh I've ever found.

Don't eat any garden veggies from Michigan. They really taste bad and you won't like them one bit. Just bag them up and leave them on my porch. What I won't eat my little long-eared fertilizer factory will. Secret to really giant super steroid like tomato growth is bunny sht.

: )
lyra

Mary ya gotta forgive us northerners for hijacking your thread. Blame it on cabin fever!!

S'ok, I claim Michigan even though don't live there now. I do NOT have a green thumb but when I lived in Battle Creek I had a garden I strived mightily in. I grew some pretty good tomatoes but it was hard. Rutgers was the best variety for me in terms of consistent production. Oddly I had a really hard time with cucumbers. Grew tons and tons of great basil. REALLY BIG SIGH

Beachlily, RE: Strawberries: I just got home 5 minutes ago I got home; I should have gotten home an hour ago but the traffic was backed up from the Strawberry Festival exit on I-4 for 12 miles!! Then I made the mistake of getting off I-4 to buy a flat of strawberries.

I planted some tomato plants a couple of weeks ago, but I have no idea when I will start getting tomatoes, but if it only takes 60 days, then I should get some mid-April. I wish I could grow them from seed, but FSR I'm not very lucky with tomato seeds (or chili seeds, for that matter). The best tomatoes I grew were called Dona - maybe I will try those from seed, since I haven't seen the plants here recently. They generally sell out at the nurseries very quickly. They were by far the sweetest tomatoes I've ever had.

Lars

There are no better tomatoes than the right variety of homegrown tomato grown right here in my area. Others may be just as good, but no better. And it does greatly depend on the variety and growing conditions.

Every single tomato that comes to our chain grocery stores here is horrible. I don't see how anyone can eat them at all. If you were to close your eyes you wouldn't even know it was supposed to be a tomato. I'm sure Duane is experiencing this same thing. Most of those are from Florida. That said, Florida has delicious tomatoes, our stores just won't buy those. When spring arrives there are a few people here who will go down to Florida and South Alabama and bring back tomatoes that are far better than what is in the chains. They sell them on the side of the road and various other small shops.

Jeez Mustangs and Lars, rub it in!!

I have some early tomatoes (Silvery Fir Tree) under lights in the basement. If we get a decent spring they will go out to the greenhouse in a few weeks and if I'm lucky I will have homegrown tomatoes by the 3rd week in April! I don't fool around when it comes to homegrown 'maters!

Duane

I hope to plant my tomato seeds this week. Hopefully, I'll have enough stocky green plants to set out in pots on my deck in early June. The grocery store tomatoes we get here in summer are barely better than those in the winter, as all are trucked from the other end of the continent. We seldom get more than 90 frost free days per summer, so I depend on varieties that ripen in 55-70 days or so, and still pick many green ones to ripen in baskets on my DR table.

I have about 6 varieties to plant, all open pollinated and/or organic. Short season varieties seldom grow very big - no beefsteaks for us.

Last frost here in VA is normally April 15 so nothing in the ground until then. There is nothing better then a fresh tomato homegrown - love them! Strawberries won't be fresh here until May and I can't wait. I'm like Peppi and will buy the Campari and grape during the off season - I really don't find those bad at all. Nothing will EVER beat a homegrown tomato but I'm not only going to eat them just 3 months out of the year.

Okay - I am one of those people that has been very VERY lucky and, like Annie, seem to get some nice tomatoes each year despite doing everything wrong. Along with that luck, I just buy a few plants whenever I see some school kid selling them at a yard sale or flea market, so I've never been particularly careful about the variety I've chosen. A friend turned me on to this nursery and I will be headed up next month to buy some plants, and I am looking for suggestions. Please take a look and see if there are any MUST HAVES, otherwise I will be wandering around and jsut grab whatever looks good.

Thnaks in advance!

Alexa

Alexa,
Either of the Costalutos will please your palate, but avoid the Delicious--poor production and what you get you won't want to eat!

Tricia,

I think our summer cottage gardens on the coastline in Guilford might be the exception to the salt rule. My cousin grows everything under the sun (even celery, which was a first for me to see). He grows several varieties of tomatoes and beds them with salt hay grown locally by the beach. His cottage is overlooking the Sound. Maybe the difference is that we're on the sound vs. the ocean?
jo

Could be Jo, we're pretty much directly across from the Race. Our prevailing winds come off the water so a lot has to do with site orientation. Also, we're on a small penninsula so we get the spray from 3 sides. On the map link below we're on the little penninsula that looks like a nasty gesture (lol) right in the middle of the harbor. We also get coastal flooding so our soil's loaded with sodium some years.

Hydrangeas do extremely well here though as do azaleas, rhoddies, lilies, and all of those other beachy plants. Today's supposed to be near 60 degrees. We're going to be gardening...my hellebores are blooming so it's time to get started.

BTW, I can't even get a tomato that doesn't rot with container gardening. Too salty & the ever present marine layer blocking the sun.

/tricia

Has anyone tried the topsy turvy tomato planter?

Tomatoes in Michigan take FOREVER... you get to enjoy them all at once at the end of August!

Stir Fryi, the trick to getting tomatoes in Michigan spread out is going with varieties that DTM is from 55-90 days. I usually will have garden tomatoes from mid-July until September...sometimes October. If you grow from seed you have more variety and it isn't hard to do, especially with just a few plants. Let me know if you want to try....I have somewhere in the neighborhood of 10,000 tomato seeds...and that is just a good estimate.

Anytime I have an opinion there is usually somebody who wants to say the opposite, but I'm gonna say my piece anyway: The topsy turvy tomato planter is a gimmick and a waste of money. All that I have seen dry out faster than anything...gravity draws water 'down'..not into the soil...but 'out' of the soil..on to the ground! Once summer hits forgettaboutit!~

Duane

duane, I absolutely agree with you about the upside down tomato planter, for what it's worth.

Alexa, I plant Rutgers because I want a lot of tomatoes at once for canning. They are "determinate" variety tomatoes and so tend to have smaller bushier plants and set fruit which ripens all within about a 2 or 3 week period and I never bother to cage or stake them. I also like Bonny Best, which does well here, but they are indeterminates and require more staking. Tomatoes need an early start here in zone 5, I'm quite a ways north of Duane, so plants are started in about March or April and even then some don't have time to mature and ripen so I have my "favorite" varieties that can handle my weather.

I add a couple of heirlooms for "eating", but they tend to be varieties which bear a few now and a few later.

A few of my favorite heirlooms are Taxi, a yellow tomato, Mortgage Lifter, a pink late season tomato, (sometimes too late), SunGold or SunSugar, a small orange cherry tomato with kind of a sweet citrus or pineapple flavor, Zebra and Aunt Ruby's German Green just because they add a nice color to the mixed plate but they are hard to tell when they are ripe. I also like Cherokee Black or Purple, but they don't seem to bear well, I get just a couple and it's probably not worth the work or space for me.

I'm happy to only eat fresh tomatoes when they are in season, although I tend to stretch that season for as long as I can, and the rest of the year I eat canned. I don't eat many canned ones either, I'll have about a pint of salsa a year, a couple of batches of chili and that's about it. As everyone pretty much knows I don't eat pizza or spaghetti with red sauce, etc., so I'm not a huge tomato consumer.

I'm not one of those people who LOVE tomatoes, so I'm picky, I want only fresh and local and I'll do without the rest of the time without too much angst.

Annie

I don't eat tomatoes unless they're from my garden. I can't say I don't eat tomato products, but I can't even remember the last time I bought actual tomatoes. I don't care where they come from, they're orangey/red balls of boring. Even in season I don't like them from the store. Nothing compares to home grown (unless you have access to a local farm to buy in-season) and I don't care where "home" is, it's always best!

Lisa

Oh, and before I get busted, I know that Sungold/Sunsugar is not an heirloom, it's a relatively new hybrid, I just stuck it in as a "favorite" because it is.

Annie

I agree with the topsy turvy tomato planter comments. I read a lot of reviews, not that I was going to buy one, just curious. I do like earth boxes for growing my tomatoes as I am limited on where I can plant them in order to get maximum sun.

The real bonus for me is that Beau will eat tomatoes now that he contributes to the growing and harvesting. Same with basil, he loves to pick some and eat it when he is playing in the yard. Of course it got me in trouble when it picked basil and ate it at the Disney World gardens--DD freaked that I had taught him to indiscriminately eat plants.

Annie, I wasn't going to say a word, I promise. But the thought popped in my head! :-)
D=

Alexa,
FWIW, our MUST HAVES (and we grow our own not too far north from you) that are available from your link are:

Beefsteaks:
Aker's West Virginia (DH's absolute favorite) and Marianna's Peace

Paste/Plums:
Opalka (my favorite paste), Jersey Devil and Polish Linguisa (these last two have some spectacular years and some real bombs - depends on the weather)

All-Purpose Eating/Sauce/Canning/Salsa:
Rutgers, Ramapo and Sioux

Cherry Tomato:
#1 Favorite - Black Cherry

German Queen - Yum!

My favorites; Green Zebra and Great White and bufullo mozzarella.

dcarch

Last Season's

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