[nookle]

So I was just wondering if anyone could tell me which specific type of tomatoes are tasty. I grew some last summer, and they grew very well, lots of fruit, but they really weren't very good. I was quite disappointed. They tasted more like the tomatoes you get this time of year. poo poo.

Any suggestions will help!

 

[jeezycreezy]

http://www.taunton.com/finegardening/pages/g00125.asp

 

[meatless]

I grew a kind called "celebrity"... I bought the seedlings at an organic farmer's market... and we thought they were great. Much better than whatever it was we had the year before.

 

[rabid_child]

My faves last year were my Cosmonaut Volkovs... but I think that was mostly because of the name. We had bad weather for tomatoes last year (very cool and little sun and wet), but those I got were yummy.

 

[Ludi]

Many people think the "heirloom" varieties of tomatoes taste the best. I think "Brandywine" is supposed to be one of the tastiest. I haven't grown it, though. As with other fine foods, tastes in tomatoes vary by individual.

Here's a link to a list of "favorite" tomatoes: http://www.cottageliving.com/cottage...043298,00.html

Here's another "best tasting heirloom" list: http://www.taunton.com/finegardening/pages/g00125.asp

 

[Tom]

I vaguely remember hearing that the earlier varieties of tomato tend to be a bit less tasty than longer-season types, but I might be wrong... especially considering that people have different tastes. I love a tangy, juicy fruit, but some prefer low-acid or meatier varieties.

 

[meatless]

is your avatar a first glimpse at your until-now elusive photo, Tom?

 

[Tom]

Uh... yep. It's kind of shadowy, though. I was going to put something in my signature to that effect, but I forgot.

 

[meatless]

hi tom!

 

[nookle]

Thank you guys... this is all quite helpful - as to the preference question, I like juicy, tangy, acidic tomatoes. The kind that make the edges of your lips burn when you eat them. mmmm. That was the main problem with the ones I grew last summer. They had NO acidity. Blah.

 

[Ludi]

Ah, then you want to make sure you grow a kind which is described as "high acid" or "tangy" or words to that effect!

 

[Tom]

Quote:

Originally Posted by meatless

hi tom!

Hi! I almost never like pictures of myself and that's largely why I balked on using one for my av. We can't all be as photogenic as your cat.

I had a tomato plant volunteer in my garden plot last year... I guess a seed had dropped and germinated by itself. Tomato plants have been hard for me to start from seed lately. The first 2 or 3 years I tried it I did okay, but since then, I haven't been able to start them.

Has anyone had any luck taking cuttings from their favorite tomato plants of the season and keeping them over the winter? It sounds like a wierd way to garden, but if someone doesn't need too many tomato plants, it might be the easier way to do it. I tried to do that at the end of the summer 2 years ago; they evidently rooted, but spider mites were on them and they died before November of that year.

 

[Ludi]

Tom, as you know tomatoes are perennial in their native environment, so it should be possible to take cuttings and root them or even dig up a plant and keep in a (big) pot, though it might be difficult to provide enough light and heat to keep it happy. But in warm climates, or a greenhouse, I think they can live for several years.

 

[queenarmadillo]

This is probably a very wierd question (or possibly unanswerable) but does anyone know what the tomatoes they use on pizzas in italy are? I think they're quite sweet, and more oval than round (like plum tomatoes, except I dont think thats it (although could be wrong)).

 

[Ludi]

They are called "roma" tomatoes, and are a dry, or paste, kind of tomato. I grow a variety called Principe Borghese which has done very well for us in spite of rather poor soil and not very good care.

 

[Veggie Friendly]

I love Roma tomatoes and Juliets. They are both really sweet.

 

[Dirty Martini]

Apparently San Marzano tomatoes are the best.

http://images.google.com/images?hl=e...-8&sa=N&tab=wi

 

[queenarmadillo]

Brilliant. As soon as I get a garden (or patio) (please please let it be this summer) Im going to put in some Roma and San Marzanos and see which I like best (and if SMs will grown in the UK).

 

[Vegan Joe]

Garden prep is important, to have good taste, your soil must be fertile and balanced, and fertilizing during the growing season is just as important to good taste.

 

[soilman]

Actually, too much "fertility" can be detrimental to tomato flavor.

I would get a catalog or visit the web site of Territorial Seed Company and get their variety which is an improvement over Sweet 100. Sweet 100 is very prolific, sweet, and tasty, cultivar of cherry tomatoes, which are the easiest to grow successfully. Territorial's improved variety (I can't remember the name but the description says it is an improved Sweet 100) isn't susceptible to the frequent and easy splitting that Sweet 100 is susceptible to. While splitting does not occur if the tomatoes are not over-watered, mild over-watering does not otherwise harm tomatoes; it increases internal pressure, giving cherry tomatoes more of that "explode in your mouth" thing that most people love about them, but does not decrease sweetness much, if at all. However it increases splitting. Also excessive rain, at the right time, could cause splitting, so a non-splitting variety is a really good idea. As far as I know Territorial is an exclusive distributor of the non-splitting Sweet 100's.

These did very well in my Long Island NY soil with tons of compost in it. There is a possibility that they may not be so happy, and do so well, in your soil.

Here is is, sweet million. That's the one that did well for me. I've tried about 10 different varieties and only sweet 100 and sweet million did exceptionally well for me, in my soil and climate. All the bigger tomatoes turned out blah. Territorial's web page no longer provides the descriptive info I provided above, about Sweet Million being a non-cracking Sweet 100. But I remember that is what they used to say, and indeed, in my trials, they tasted better than Sweet 100, and Sweet 100 cracked very frequently, and Sweet Million hardly cracked at all.

The page says "available only as a plant" but I know I bought seeds when I bought them several years ago. I don't think i'd want to be bothered with the problems of shipping plants all over the place. Germinating tomato seeds in orange juice cartons is not difficult. I don't recall if they need a warmer or not (some seeds like melon seeds won't germinate in 70 degree indoor temperatures, I can't remember if tomato seed had this problem to deal with, or not - look it up.)