tomato recap 2019
The tomatoes were pretty solid this year. Solid enough that I've unfortunately let way too many rot and then pulled myself together enough to can more than the amount that spoiled.
Overall, feel pretty good about this year's selection. I'm not sure that I love them as much as the 2018 batch but a strong showing none the less. There was always something to make a good salad with and that is half the battle.
BEEFSTEAK
PINK BERKELEY TIE DYE // I have nothing to say about this one - in part because it was the worst producer out of the whole bunch. But I did like the one tomato that I got.... yes ONE.
Mr. Stripey // Super productive plant. The size is a true beefsteak. I lost more to bugs than I'd like. I didn't do a great job trimming the plant back and as a result there was more space for the bugs to hide and snack.
Big Rainbow (2018) // This variety was far more successful this year than in 2018. I believe I only got 1 good tomato last year... and this year I'm shaping up for at least more than that. It is the absolute most beautiful slicer. The colors are incredible.
SLICER
Tasmanian Chocolate // Overall a disappointment. Nothing special to write home about. I had one in my first tomato salad of the season and I can't remember anything about it. I might have picked it a tiny bit early. The colors on a ripe tomato are rather dull and muted so it is not even a pretty tomato to have in the garden. Can't recommend this to anyone.
SLICER
Tasmanian Chocolate // Overall a disappointment. Nothing special to write home about. I had one in my first tomato salad of the season and I can't remember anything about it. I might have picked it a tiny bit early. The colors on a ripe tomato are rather dull and muted so it is not even a pretty tomato to have in the garden. Can't recommend this to anyone.
Fourth Of July (2018 graduate) // all-star tomato. I'll forever put this in my garden. Despite being one of the first varieties to ripen, it has wonderful flavor. The size is perfect and it works great as a small slicer.
CHERRY
Tomatoberry // beautiful bright red cherry sized tomatoes. They ripen on strands like other cherry varieties. The fruit is also quite strong and resists bursting or damage when it falls from the plant.
CHERRY
Tomatoberry // beautiful bright red cherry sized tomatoes. They ripen on strands like other cherry varieties. The fruit is also quite strong and resists bursting or damage when it falls from the plant.
Red Currant // Okay, the red currant is filed under: want to do again for sure but need to figure out how to manage it. The little fruits are the absolute best. Anyone who has tried one in the garden agrees, but it just is a bit sprawler of a plant. I don't think caging it is the answer either. Like maybe this is one of those plants that you hang upside down? I'm going to really have to think about this one - but anyone with kids or grandkids should plant this variety. It is amazing.
PEAR
Chocolate Pear // Sweet lord this plant was productive. The flavors are great for such a small fruit. Would absolutely recommend.
Black Truffle (2016, 2017, 2018) // I didn't love the black truffle this year as much as in prior years. I do believe this is an all-star variety for most, I just might be tiring of it. The fruit was just as productive as in prior years but ripened a bit differently. It was as though the whole tomato was never fully ripe. Maybe that doesn't make sense but it feels like the most accurate description.
PLUM
Blush // The blush was the first tomato to ripen this year! I won't plant this one again but it was an all-star and has contributed to many many jars of homemade sauce. The fruit stays in good shape for quite some time. I used it often in salads as well. It's a perfectly fine tomato, just not worthy of a repeat showing in my garden.
Tangerine Mama // I primarily used these in my canning sauce. They didn't have that soft, ripe texture that you generally want in some tomatoes. I feel like they would be great as a slow roasted tomato because of the size and shape. This might sound obvious, but wait until the color is a deeper tangerine. The deeper the color the better the flavor.
So what makes the cut for next year's garden? Hard to say. I love growing so many different varieties of tomatoes. It is really fun for me - but it might be too many tomatoes to reasonably care for. Instead of planting 12, I might try to scale back to 8. That seems very reasonable.
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