Harvesting ripe tomatoes is a chore in Boundary County. Success depends on choosing a variety that tolerates our late frosts in the Spring, cold night temperatures in the summer and early fall frosts. The following table lists some of my favorite varieties.
Name ................Days to Maturity ........Size
of Fruit .....................Type of plant .........Open Pollinated...........
Hybrid
Early Goliath.................58.........................8
oz .............................Indeterminate..................................................X
Early Girl......................57 ........................4-6
oz.......................... Indeterminate..................................................X
Early Cascade...............50........................
4 oz...............................Indeterminate..................................................X
Siberia...........................48.........................3-4
oz...........................Determinate.....................X
Silitz..............................70 ........................16
oz.............................Determinate.....................X
Oregon Pride.................70-75...................
24 oz.............................Determinate...................................................X
Gold Nugget..................60 .........................1
inch cherry.................Determinate....................X
Koralik..........................61..........................1
inch cherry.................Determinate....................X
Willamette.....................75.........................
4-6oz............................Indeterminate..................X
Fourth of July................49..........................4
oz................................Indeterminate.................................................X
Saucy............................75..........................Roma
type......................Determinate.....................X
Most tomatoes
are set back when chilled. They should not be placed outside until the
danger of frost is gone and air temperatures have warmed. For a jump start
purchase plants in May, re-pot plants growing in market packs or 4” pots
to gallon containers and place in a sunny window. If plants are a bit leggy,
bury the stems. Roots will form along the stems. To encourage short sturdy
stems, keep plants on the dry side but do not allow them to wilt. My tomatoes
will go to the garden on June 7th-floating row covers prevent sun scorch
as well as wind burn and hold heat around the plants at night.
A
layer of black plastic mulch helps to catch heat during the day. When moving
plants to the garden be sure to remove buds and flowers. Clip off the lowest
set of leaves and set plants deep in the soil. Roots will form along the
stem.
Determinate tomatoes are short and bushy, the
fruit mature all at one time. Space these plants 18-24” apart, in rows
thirty six inches apart. Choose determinate tomatoes for container growing.
Indeterminate
tomatoes continue to grow and set fruit until frost-the plants become tall
and require staking. Space these tomatoes thirty inches apart. Indeterminate
tomato varieties require support. To make reusable tomato cages, purchase
(at the local farm store) a roll of six foot high, galvanized wide meshed
fencing wire. Be sure your hand fits through the mesh so tomatoes can be
picked. Cut in five foot sections and roll to form cylinders. Place cylinder
over the tomato plant and drive a few stakes, around the bottom of cylinder.
Attach the cylinder to the stakes with twine or wire. This is the same
set up I use to protect newly planted trees from deer. These wire cylinders
can easily be removed in the fall and reused next spring.
Shorter growing, determinate varieties may lay
flat on well mulched ground or supported with tomato cages sold at garden
centers.
Be sure and
mulch to keep weeds down, conserve moisture and keep fruit clean.. Layers
of newspaper covered with straw work well. A layer of black plastic is
another possibility. Tomatoes do not like too much water! Evenly moist,
well drained is the best-this is why mulch is important.
To hasten
ripening, Sylvia Thompson, in her book, The Kitchen Garden, recommends
removing the growing tips of indeterminate varieties. In mid-August, clip
back the tip of the growing shoot to just above two side leaves above the
first flowers. For determinate varieties, in August, clip off half the
flowers. In the beginning of September, remove all flowers and newly set
fruits and cut down on watering. Withholding water (water stress) encourages
early ripening of peppers and tomatoes. It works like magic.
Many of
the tomatoes grown at Holly Gardens are open pollinated. Unlike hybrid
tomatoes, open pollinated varieties will come true from seed saved in the
fall. Just be sure to separate varieties in the garden.