Tomato Varieties

[snowangel]

Sometime in the next week or two, I'll be meeting a friend at the Brewery Creek Garden Center to do some shopping for our gardens -- perennials, herbs, and for me, tomatoes.

A quick perusal of their list of tomato varieties is leaving my head spinning.

I will have five plants, and these will be for eating fresh, not for "putting up."

Anyone have any favorites among the ones listed?

[Toliver]

I can't recommend specific names but would suggest you consider how you'd like to use the tomatoes you harvest since you're not canning them.

Will you need a large beefsteak-type tomato which would be good for sandwiches (BLT's, etc) and burgers?

What about a cherry or grape tomato for salads? I can't recommend Currant tomatoes since I don't think they offer enough "bang for the buck", so to speak.

How about a plum tomato for cooking (and for drying/freezing...which I don't really consider canning)?

And then go redundant with the leftover two plants...or experiment with something you've never tasted...a Cherokee Purple, etc.

I hope you get good growing weather this year as I seem to recall a summer of too-cold weather in your area.

[roger desmond]

Sometime in the next week or two, I'll be meeting a friend at the Brewery Creek Garden Center to do some shopping for our gardens -- perennials, herbs, and for me, tomatoes.

A quick perusal of their list of tomato varieties is leaving my head spinning.

I will have five plants, and these will be for eating fresh, not for "putting up."

Anyone have any favorites among the ones listed?

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I grow Black Krims every year-astounding flavor, brownish-black distinctive skin. Awesome!

[snowangel]

I hope you get good growing weather this year as I seem to recall a summer of too-cold weather in your area.

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I'm hoping for better growing weather this year, too, and I'm going to use the wall o water's for the first bit, and plant them in tires this year, as well, which should help especially at night.

I think I'm going to print out a list of what they have, and choose some for general eating (sandwiches), something for freezing (which I do consider "putting up") and a cherry for lunches when I'm weeding in the garden!

Any favorites for salsa anyone?

[annecros]

Sungold is a great little cherry tomato for me and my tastes. I find the Sweet 100s and the Santa Sweets almost to sweet for me, I like a tomato to have some acid in the flavor profile. Prolific bearer, but does tend to crack.

Cherokee Purple right off the vine is probably the best flavored tom I have ever put in my mouth. A little salt and I can eat two or three out of hand. Another thin skinned one, that doesn't "keep" like some other varieties, but they taste so good they don't last long around here anyway. BLT and hamburger heaven - you really should grow at least one black or purple.

I've heard lots of enthusiasm for Big Rainbow from others for a nice striped variety. I have no experience growing it (yet) though. My striped variety is Mr. Stripey and it does well for me in my climate, but I've heard complaints from others further north that it doesn't produce well for them. Very pretty tom.

A lot of people love Brandywines for flavor - but I've never had much luck with them. I think this is also a case of my climate. They fungus up almost from the time they emerge down here.

Arkansas Traveler has a reputation for setting fruit in the heat - and is very tasty. I've eaten some that others have grown but haven't put them in down here.

Kellogg's Breakfast is my personal favorite for orange. Meaty and realiable.

Opalka is great for sauces and paste but also doubles as a salad tomato.

I've never grown the white's or green's. The flavors of these varieties generally don't appeal to me, but your milage may vary.

There are so many exciting varieties on that list - many on my list to grow in the future, but right now I am all stocked up on tomato plants. Have fun with it, and let us know what you decide.

Edit to add: I do salsa every year in the little 8z jars. Perfect size to consume with a bag of chips. It usually ends up being all of the above when I make a batch, whatever is ripe, and mixing the colors makes for a very pretty salsa. Other than that, I make sure there are a bunch of the meaty paste toms in there (like Opalka) because I seed and remove the gel from them for salsa.

Voted out of my garden: Park's Whopper. Others like it, but to me it is nothing special taste wise and takes up too much room vs. production.

Oh, oh, and plant some basil as a companion to your tomatoes. I started this about three years ago because I was told the aromatic qualities of the basil would improve the tom's flavor, and it has! Plus, the basil is right there when you want to make a caprese salad or some sauce.

[Gabriel Lewis]

So many eh? I'm try to decide on some to get too. I'd second the recommendation for Black Krim; they are amazing. I'd also highly recommend green zebra, they are interesting as they are green even qhen fully ripe but still have a very "tomatoey" flavor.

I didn't read through all of them, but they seem to have some plum/italian/roma tomato types. They are optimum for salsa imo as they don't have a lot of water. They also preserve well. "La roma" is one near the bottom of the list. It is unfortunate they have become something of an afterthought; good tomatoes are especially hard to find, but I have found good roma's to be near impossible.

[annecros]

I've got a Roma going strong now. Some of the seed places have quit carrying them altogether because they are determinates that seem to be falling out of favor with home gardeners. It's kind of fun for me though to have a hundred or so little Romas ripe all at once for a big paste or sauce session. I counted 45 fruit set yesterday, and Roma is showing no signs of slowing down with a lot of bloom on top. San Marzano is of course quite the rage, and this is my first year with it. My plant is about 8 inches tall and needs to be set out. Opalka is out and should start coming in about three weeks behind Roma.

I've wanted to try Black Krim because I keep hearing great things about it - but I only keep between 10 and 20 plants (at various stages) going at a time. Maybe I can find somebody that will trade some seed with me and I can get it going for my Fall bed. I got a late start this year because we moved last Fall and didn't want to start anything I couldn't finish!

Gabriel: Your climate is probably a lot closer to snowangel's than mine. What have you had success with in the past?

[snowangel]

Anne, can you recommend a tomatoe for salsa (fresh and canned; two -- or more -- varieties can apply).

Oh, and this place has a PDF download for their pepper selection. All 24 pages. We're not going to talk about the acres of perennials. I told my husband (the wage earner) that Tuesday "could be a big day."

[Gabriel Lewis]

Anne: I'm a gardening newbie, and so probably not the best person to ask. I had hoped to get a spot in the community garden this year, only to find out that there is a 5 year waiting list. My recommendations were based on the ones I like, not that I know how to grow. Your tomato collection sounds glorious, I am hoping I may have some luck with potted tomatoes this year. I am determined to get atleast a few glorious tomatoes; planning on scouring harder; trips to extended farms, tracking down hard to find vendors etc.

That said, black krim, purple cherokee, green zebra, brandywine, are all grown and sold here (though mostly not grown very well). Also, there is another egullet, identifiler, who lives in montreal and has reported growing krims, cherokees, and zebras for years with success.

Peppers is the other major thing I want to grow. I haven't even looked into that yet.

[annecros]

Anne, can you recommend a tomatoe for salsa (fresh and canned; two -- or more -- varieties can apply).

Oh, and this place has a PDF download for their pepper selection.  All 24 pages.  We're not going to talk about the acres of perennials.  I told my husband (the wage earner) that Tuesday "could be a big day."

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It would have to be Opalka. "Amish Paste" makes a larger tom, but with those meaty walls you want that hold up to the salsa.

As long as you have about two thirds paste tomatoes, for me it makes for a better salsa to fill in with either canners (like "Heinz 1439" or even one of the "Rutgers" strains) or good slicers. It gives the salsa a little juice. I also sometimes add some tomato juice ("Kellogg's Breakfast" makes great tomato juice) or paste, depending upon what sort of consistency I want in the finished salsa.

I have a basic recipe for canned salsa that I follow that I got from a relative that I tweak that is really good. I will post in RecipeGullet and come back and add a link. I usually put it up in small batches over the season, then put it in everyone's care package at Christmas. If I have any extra (almost never) when the new tomatoes come in, my oldest brother buys anything that I have leftover. <sucker>

Gabriel: It sounds like you are in tune with what is going on around you and know a good tomato when you eat one! You should be able to grow at least the cherries and maybe a couple of the smaller, stockier paste tomatoes in containers. Just put them in the biggest container you can find from the get go! I try to limit the number of cherry tomato varieties in my garden because they produce so prolifically, end up with cherry variety volunteers all over the yard from wildlife, and they simply would take over the world if allowed. I grow toms because I can in this climate, but I envy you guys with your stone fruits - root vegetables - and asparagus growing abilities. Just won't work for me. Peppers are much easier in containers, and as long as you have some sunlight going they generally overwinter indoors pretty OK. My hubby is the pepperhead in the household.

Edit to add: Salsa for Canning recipe here

[Lori in PA]

Susan, do not miss the chance to eat Cherokee Purples! Such flavor! I grow those, Sungold cherry, Aunt Ruby's German Green, and this year am trying a Brownberry cherry and a white cherry -- can't remember name off hand. I'm growing a basic all-rounder called Champion, recced by the Mennonite man I buy my plants from.

[jpeters]

Wow, that's quite a list! No wonder you're having trouble narrowing it down. Last summer I had my first garden in Wisconsin and here's what we grew and liked:

-Pink brandywine: this one's my favorite. It's a big slicer, meaty and tasty.

-Orange amana: Another big tomato, this one orange (as the name suggests). This one was fine, another heavy producer, but this year we're going to try Kellogg's Breakfast.

-Yellow lillian: these were another hit. This was a heavy producer, with small tomatoes. Not as small as cherry tomatoes, maybe 3-4 oz. Perfect for cutting up for pasta salad.

-Bloody butcher: similar to yellow lillian, but red. These were also a nice compromise between cherry tomatoes (which are too much work for me) and the big beefsteak ones.

We also had a mortgage lifter and a black brandywine. The only one that I didn't like was the black brandy. It had pear-shaped fruit, and the top never seemed to ripen.

Hope this helps a bit. Good luck!

[JSD]

I start my tomatoes from seed. I haven't planted them yet, but will in the next couple of weeks. We have room for about 20-25 plants, and in the fall I cook and freeze a lot. One that we love is Lemon Boy. I cook them separately, and then we have fresh tomato soup in the winter, that's yellow! The tomatoes are really beautiful. I also love Brandywine (I think I have about 4 or 5 different kinds). We've tried many different types in the past, and I don't like ruffled ones (too hard to peel) and found it hard to tell when the green ones were ripe. I would suggest one early type. Even if they're not the best, they're better than the store.

[annecros]

Wow, that's quite a list!  No wonder you're having trouble narrowing it down.  Last summer I had my first garden in Wisconsin and here's what we grew and liked:

-Pink brandywine: this one's my favorite.  It's a big slicer, meaty and tasty. 

-Orange amana: Another big tomato, this one orange (as the name suggests).  This one was fine, another heavy producer, but this year we're going to try Kellogg's Breakfast.

-Yellow lillian: these were another hit.  This was a heavy producer, with small tomatoes.  Not as small as cherry tomatoes, maybe 3-4 oz.  Perfect for cutting up for pasta salad. 

-Bloody butcher:  similar to yellow lillian, but red.  These were also a nice compromise between cherry tomatoes (which are too much work for me) and the big beefsteak ones.

We also had a mortgage lifter and a black brandywine.  The only one that I didn't like was the black brandy.  It had pear-shaped fruit, and the top never seemed to ripen.

Hope this helps a bit.  Good luck!

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First post! Welcome to the dark side!

That is quite a list, and nice to see some of those toms sold as plants. Many home gardeners don't have the space to plant out 10 or 20 of one variety. We don't have the seed starting issue down here (I start them in 18z Solo cups on the back patio), but I am not sure if I would go to the trouble to start seeds if I was up north. It is so much work, and a recipe for heartbreak.

I've been wanting a Bloody Butcher for a while now. I guess its time to bump it up to the top of the list for Fall. One, I love the name. Two, I've heard it is a great little tom from a lot of people who know toms.

[v. gautam]

Susan,

Taking into account your growing season, which should allow for rapidly cooling nights early in September that create off-tastes in tomatoes, here is what i would suggest, based on my personal experience in a relatively short season, cool night zone.

If you are growing just a few plants, you need to be concerned about yield as well, to make your effort worthwhile. I have put certain varieties into dyads, sugesting rough parity, with the slightly favored of the two first. Stupice is a personal favorite, but there are 4 strains out there, and if the grower cannot be sure, choose Matina, or Kimberly, should that be available. These will be your golf-ball size early tomatoes, good for slicing, salsa, anything. The other early pair will be the cherries Sungold and Sweet Baby Girl, orange and red respectively.

Otherwise, please do not pay too much attention to the 'dates' appended to the blurbs.

other points: support/cages: these are quite vigorous; $1 cages will not do. One expensive but exceptionally convenient and worthwhile solution is the Texas Tomato Cage, 24 inch size, with extender, $200/6 units, postpaid [see website]. Will last decades. Cost of 1 fancy restaurant meal for 2. Worth it?

Trim the plants when they reach the top of the cage, or 5.5 feet in August, to promote ripening.

Consider joining the website Tomatoville; fun place for people who love to grow tomatoes.

1.Cherokee Purple- A most beautiful heirloom tomato, these deep mahogany purple fruits have an outstanding sweet and delicious flavor. Has thinner skin and a softer flesh which makes this variety so special. Eat them as fast as they ripen. Indeterminate. 78 days.

2.Matina- This variety produces lots of 2-4oz. red paste type tomatoes. An early producing variety that produces throughout the season. This potato-leaf variety is good for salads, sandwiches, and fresh eating. Indeterminate. 60 days.

Stupice- This heirloom is from Czechoslovakia. This extremely early and cold-tolerant tomato bears lots of 2-3 oz. flavorful tomatoes. This variety is a favorite in the Northern states for its earliness. Indeterminate. 52 days.

KIMBERLY, ifyou can find it

3.Big Beef VFFNTA- 1994 ALL-AMERICA SELECTIONS WINNER. One of the choicest red hybrids for home and market gardeners. Expect large yields of up to 1 lb. tomatoes with real tomato flavor. It has great disease resistance, earlier harvest, and the ability to produce large fruit all season long. Very very nice! Indeterminate. 73 days.

4.Tomande VFFNT- Beautiful ribbed tomatoes average 6 to 7 oz & are sweet & delicious. Heavy-yielding plants are fairly compact. While their scalloped shape may be old-world in appearance, Tomande is a modern variety with full disease resistance & great production. Indeterminate. 74 days.

5.Anna Russian- This heirloom variety has been grown in Oregon for generation and is said to have come from a Russian immigrant. Large 1 lb. pinkish-red heart shaped tomatoes are sure to steal your heart! Wonderful flavor, this is one of the largest and juiciest oxheart tomatoes! Indeterminate. 70 days.

6.Aunt Ginny's Purple- This German heirloom produces 1lb. Deep pink-Mahogany tomatoes that are crack resistant and contain a rich complex flavor that some compare to 'Brandywine'. Indeterminate. 85 days.

Pruden's Purple- 1lb. dark pinkish-purple tomatoes are similar to 'Brandywine' but ripen earlier. This potato-leafed variety produces lots of delicious tomatoes. Indeterminate. 75 days.

7.Costoluto Florentino- This Italian heirloom from near Tuscany, Italy produces baskets of bright red tomatoes with fantastic tomato flavor. Tomatoes grow 8 oz. more with only a slightly fluted shape. These tomatoes are high in sugar and acid, making an outstanding complex flavor that is wonderful when eating fresh or into sauces. Indeterminate. 80 days.

8.Eva Purple Ball- Expect large yields of juicy round fruit that is pink, NOT purple. This is an heirloom variety from Germany that is delicious for salads, snacking, and other uses. Indeterminate. 70 days.

Amish Paste- This Amish heirloom variety has the oblong-oxheart shape. Produces 8 oz. paste-typed tomatoes that are solid with a good rich flavor. Indeterminate. 85 days.

Cherries:

9.Sun Gold- WOW, WOW, WOW! These truly are a taste treat! Bright orange cherry sized tomatoes are sugary, tangy, fruity; they sound great and they ARE great! People were excited to find that we have this variety available. Even though we up-production each year, we continue to sell out. Indeterminate. 60 days.

10.Sweet Baby Girl- A more manageable-sized plant, this has extra flavorful dark red tomatoes that grow on long clusters. Disease-resistant and compact plant make this a winner! Indeterminate. 65 days.

http://www.bcfarm.com/index.php?id=tomatoes

gautam

P.S. One other staking solution would be to find someone to help you drive 8 feet metal fence posts two feet into the ground. Hang on them, a foot off the soil, 5 feet x 10 feet pre-cut sheets of reinforced cement concrete 6'' x 6'' mesh galvanized wire,so that you have a wire support for approximately 6 feet of vine. Thereis a reason for that 2 feet grounding: the plants must be spaced at least 2.5 if not 3 feet apart, and can be slipped into the mesh and tied loosely.

They will form a heavy wall of foliage, a 'sail' effect especially pronouned during rough weather. For this reason, please do not listen to people who sagely speak of Florida weave etc. Unless there are Metal guy wires supporting such a weave, these very vigorous plants will cause a lot of heartache and mess.

A simpler solution is to use ONE 5' x 10 ' RCC mesh wire [heavy duty] per plant, centering the plant and driving the 5 foot axix into the ground. The 10 feet length forms a slope, to be supported by one or more metal fence posts. The angle can be varied: we need not maximize solar gain, a moderate slope of 50-60 will eliminate the need for tying the vine. it will grow and support itself well. Two caveats: these structures are heavy and can fall and severely injure small children. Thus, the next cavat, whoever is staking the sloped wire sheet needs to attend to the structural requirements of the task and not skimp on metal posts nor fail to drive them deep.

This method is much more space and labor intensive than the Texas Tomato Cage, and the price per sheet of wire will be around $15, [15x5], plus the cost of metal fence posts, albeit shorter ones.

Edited April 30, 2007 by v. gautam (log)

[FistFullaRoux]

You may want to try a low-acid variety. Another shade in the flavor profile of sauces and such.

[annecros]

You may want to try a low-acid variety. Another shade in the flavor profile of sauces and such.

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You are so right. I love what happens when I toss in a bit of this or that into a sauce. She is going six, so one supersweet wouldn't ruin the lot to say the least. It would add interest as you suggest. Less onion and pepper to sweeten the pot.

I think the big thing for flavor is making sure there are a lot of micronutrients (magnesium, etc.) available to the plant as it is setting fruit. It is the micros vs. macros that make for great taste.

[annecros]

P.S. One other staking solution would be to find someone to help you drive 8 feet metal fence posts two feet into the ground. Hang on them, a foot off the soil, 5 feet x  10 feet pre-cut sheets of reinforced cement concrete 6'' x 6'' mesh galvanized wire,so that you have a wire support for approximately 6 feet  of vine. Thereis a reason for that 2 feet grounding: the plants must be spaced at least 2.5 if not 3 feet apart, and can be slipped into the mesh and tied loosely.

They will form a heavy wall of foliage, a 'sail' effect especially pronouned during rough weather. For this reason, please do not listen to people who sagely speak of Florida weave etc. Unless there are Metal guy wires supporting such a weave, these very vigorous plants will cause a lot of heartache and mess.

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Hehe, I use the Florida weave extensively. But you are 100% correct in that it will produce a sail effect. It does help with fungal concerns here, which is probably why its called a Florida weave. That and harvesting concerns. Privacy fencing helps a bit to minimize that effect, but it is there and no mistake about it. Of course, when we get bad weather, it is usually on a hurricane scale. Nothing half way. Tomato pickles REAL quick when something like that is looming.

It is really good that snowangel is hearing from people who have short season concerns. Completely different animal than what I deal with.

Stupice is on my list, and has been for a while. I am invariably disappointed with early season toms - but I have a year round season. A good tasting one that would ripen quick would be welcome to its square footage in my garden.

[snowangel]

Anne, the short season here is of real concern. I won't plant before Memorial Day, and once late August rolls around, who knows what will happen? By then, the days are shorter and the nights are cooler, so we do heavy pruning so what has a chance can ripen. In fact, come August 1, I start pinching off new blossoms because they won't do squat, and just rob the plant.

What do other's do for cages? I hate staking and tellising, because during the really active growing time, I'm often gone to our cabin for over a week at a time. At our former house, we had this heavy stuff, that was like the Texas cages. It came on a roll, and was wonderful for the tomato plants, but I can't seem to find any anywhere, and naturally, it was one of the things than went when we moved. Maybe Texas cages should be on my birthday or anniversary present list?

[annecros]

Anne, the short season here is of real concern.  I won't plant before Memorial Day, and once late August rolls around, who knows what will happen?  By then, the days are shorter and the nights are cooler, so we do heavy pruning so what has a chance can ripen.  In fact, come August 1, I start pinching off new blossoms because they won't do squat, and just rob the plant.

What do other's do for cages?  I hate staking and tellising, because during the really active growing time, I'm often gone to our cabin for over a week at a time.  At our former house, we had this heavy stuff, that was like the Texas cages.  It came on a roll, and was wonderful for the tomato plants, but I can't seem to find any anywhere, and naturally, it was one of the things than went when we moved.  Maybe Texas cages should be on my birthday or anniversary present list?

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Oh wow, if I were in your position, short season and all, I would probably be doing all the things you are doing. It is funny to hear about the pruning though, because we don't prune after the plant is a foot tall. The photosynthesis and the shade make for a tastier tom, because they don't get sunburned and the plant is working hard to bring in those nutrients. Different, and interesting. Of course, my mother managed to grow things that she should have never been able to (Lady Slippers in Southwest Georgia, amazing lady).

I do Florida Weave, but as I said, I am in Florida. Kind of a all or nothing situation with the weather here sometimes. Just remember whatever you do, that a tomato vine is not really a vine at all, and prefers to sprawl on the ground. Nasty, and not what I allow my toms to do, but it is what they want to do and have a tendency to do. It is also a tropical plant. I second to the suggestion that you peruse the tomatoville web site. The only one in the same league would be the tomato forum on Gardenweb. A lot of good people with good advice.

Please let me know what you settle on! The suspense is killing me!

Tomato cages are no problem on a list, in my opinion. I had rose plants on my Christmas list, and canning jars on my birthday list. A garden swing is on my Mother's Day list, and wonderful hubby is wrangling and organizing that one, so I think I am going to get it!

Heh, we should be asking for diamonds and pearls, but I would rather have a decent tomato cage.

The tomato spirals have been kind of popular lately. As far as watering is concerned, just cut the bottom off a big soda bottle, take the cap off, put it in the ground next to your tom, and fill it with water. Will water as needed, and will be good for a few days.

[dockhl]

What do other's do for cages?  I hate staking and tellising, because during the really active growing time, I'm often gone to our cabin for over a week at a time.  At our former house, we had this heavy stuff, that was like the Texas cages.  It came on a roll, and was wonderful for the tomato plants, but I can't seem to find any anywhere, and naturally, it was one of the things than went when we moved.  Maybe Texas cages should be on my birthday or anniversary present list?

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I've used the Gardner's supply tomato cages

and love them. What I like most is that they are collapsible to store in the garage! (And very study. Also stackable if you have a biggun) Also the self-watering planters for when you are away.

K

[snowangel]

Please let me know what you settle on! The suspense is killing me!

Tomato cages are no problem on a list, in my opinion. I had rose plants on my Christmas list, and canning jars on my birthday list. A garden swing is on my Mother's Day list, and wonderful hubby is wrangling and organizing that one, so I think I am going to get it!

Heh, we should be asking for diamonds and pearls, but I would rather have a decent tomato cage.

The tomato spirals have been kind of popular lately. As far as watering is concerned, just cut the bottom off a big soda bottle, take the cap off, put it in the ground next to your tom, and fill it with water. Will water as needed, and will be good for a few days.

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Anne, I shop tomorrow, and will let you know what I get, and report on progress throughout the season.

Eh, diamonds and pearls; foo. What I really want for the big birthday I have coming up is a new lawnmower!

[snowangel]

Brewery Creek Garden Center is beyond awesome. Specialty is tomatoes and peppers and herbs, but they have all the rest of the stuff (annual and perennial flowers, shrubs, etc.), but that wasn't our focus.

To top it off, the owner (grandson of the guy who started the place; a true family business) works the tomatoe, pepper and herb area heavily, and really, really knows his stuff.

So, after talking with him, I opted for a sungold, druzba, big beef, marmande, cherokee purple and sioux. This should give me as long a growing season and as much variety as possible.

But, then the herbs. Eat your hearts out folks. When was the last time you saw, at a nursery, two kinds of Thai Basil (Holy Basil is on the owner's "to grow" list for next year), culantro, Vietnamese basil and purple perilla. That doesn't count the other zillion kinds of basil, and the other obscure stuff.

It was a wonderful day, with close friends, great plants, a beautiful day, and a picnic of terrific salami, baguette and brie on a blanket on the nursery's grounds.

Until we hit later May, the plants will spend their days on the deck, in the sun, and evenings right inside the deck door, so the tomato plants stay warm at night!

[annecros]

Brewery Creek Garden Center is beyond awesome.  Specialty is tomatoes and peppers and herbs, but they have all the rest of the stuff (annual and perennial flowers, shrubs, etc.), but that wasn't our focus.

To top it off, the owner (grandson of the guy who started the place; a true family business) works the tomatoe, pepper and herb area heavily, and really, really knows his stuff.

So, after talking with him, I opted for a sungold, druzba, big beef, marmande, cherokee purple and sioux.  This should give me as long a growing season and as much variety as possible.

But, then the herbs.  Eat your hearts out folks.  When was the last time you saw, at a nursery, two kinds of Thai Basil (Holy Basil is on the owner's "to grow" list for next year), culantro, Vietnamese basil and purple perilla.  That doesn't count the other zillion kinds of basil, and the other obscure stuff.

It was a wonderful day, with close friends, great plants, a beautiful day, and a picnic of terrific salami, baguette and brie on a blanket on the nursery's grounds.

Until we hit later May, the plants will spend their days on the deck, in the sun, and evenings right inside the deck door, so the tomato plants stay warm at night!

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OH so cool. I love it when you can buy from somebody that know's what they are selling. Pleased to see Sungold an Cherokee Purple. Nothing wrong with either, but you never know what a plant will do in a climate different from the one you are familiar with and have grown in.

Now, having said that, I really want to hear about Sioux. It is sort of obscure, but there are positive rumblings around and about. I am not familiar with Marmande. Do tell.

Herbs! Much fun. I can grow a gazillin varieties of basil, but not one dill makes it. Have to buy, and guess what kind of pickles I like?

Glad you had a good day.

[snowangel]

The Man (owner of the nursery) said that Sioux is his favorite, and given what we talked about, I'm hot to try it.

Oh, and the best thing is that although their web site says that they are sold out of several items, they are only sold out for mail order. They always hold back quite a bit for those of us who actually show up at their place (and buy more than just the six pack).

But, I found no Bloody Butcher, which is listed as sold out. When I asked about it, he sheepishly admitted that he forgot to plant them this year, and has been receiving (from in-store customers) almost 2 dozen requests a day. As he said "I think I'll plant Bloody Butcher first next year."

Edited to add: Anne, dill. Plant a seed and have it germinate here, and you've got dill for life because it thrives and self seeds so well.