TOMATOES
Tomatoes are by far our number one selling garden vegetable, and because everyone has a favourite, we grow over 30 varieties including Heirloom. The following list does not represent ALL of the varieties that we carry. Come in and see for yourself!
Over the years we have been asked many questions about how to grow tomatoes.
Below are the four most commonly asked:
Where do I plant my tomatoes?
Tomatoes like most vegetables require at least 6 to 8 hours of sun a day, but they also benefit from warm night temperatures to set, develope and ripen the fruit. These higher night temperatures can be achieved by planting next to buildings that shelter and retain the heat overnight. Tomatoes are also heavy feeders, it is therefore essential that you plant in good soil and fertilize either by incorporating manure or fertilizing with a water soluble tomato food.
How do I prune my tomatoes?
Pruning is essential to get the most out of staking or indeterminate varieties as these continue to set trusses of tomatoes as the plant grows taller. Pruning involves removing the 'suckers' that come out of the 'V' between each leaf and the main stem. If these 'suckers' are left on the plant they will take away nutrients from the trusses of tomatoes that develope off the main stem. By pruning these off you will force the main stem to grow taller, thus producing more fruit bearing clusters. For indeterminate cherry varieties you can let two of the bottom suckers grow and develope into main stems and then prune all suckers off these three main stems.
On bush or determinate varieties this 'sucker' removal is unnecessary. The only pruning recommended is to remove some of the shoots or leaves if the plant has become overloaded with foliage.
It is also beneficial to prune off a few of the last or smallest tomatoes on each of the trusses of tomatoes. This helps the remaining tomatoes to develope and ripen more quickly. If you like the large beefsteak varieties this can help to shorten ripening time.
What does the maturity date really mean?
The maturity date listed on labels or seed packages refers to the time from transplanting in the garden to the first ripe tomato. Now obviously there are many variables involved (temperature, sun, soil, etc) and thus these dates should be used for comparison purposes only. One of the factors to bear in mind is the size of the transplanted tomato. We sell tomatoes in many different sizes from 6 packs to 12 " patio pots. Our 1 gallon pot size often have the first flower truss already developed when sold and this shortens the maturity date considerably. For example we have often harvested our first ripe tomatoes off an Early Girl transplanted form a 1 gallon pot by early July.
Which are the best tomatoes?
Obviously this is a loaded question, but over the years and all the varieties we have grown, a few have emerged as our perennial favorites.
Staking Cherry - Juliet and Sweet 100
Container Cherry - Topsy Tom
Hybrid Staking - Early Girl and Big Beef
Hybrid Bush - Celebrity
Roma - Mamma Mia
Container Slicer - Patio
However, just in case you disagree and have your own favorites we grow a wide variety of other tomatoes!!
Over the years we have been asked many questions about how to grow tomatoes.
Below are the four most commonly asked:
Where do I plant my tomatoes?
Tomatoes like most vegetables require at least 6 to 8 hours of sun a day, but they also benefit from warm night temperatures to set, develope and ripen the fruit. These higher night temperatures can be achieved by planting next to buildings that shelter and retain the heat overnight. Tomatoes are also heavy feeders, it is therefore essential that you plant in good soil and fertilize either by incorporating manure or fertilizing with a water soluble tomato food.
How do I prune my tomatoes?
Pruning is essential to get the most out of staking or indeterminate varieties as these continue to set trusses of tomatoes as the plant grows taller. Pruning involves removing the 'suckers' that come out of the 'V' between each leaf and the main stem. If these 'suckers' are left on the plant they will take away nutrients from the trusses of tomatoes that develope off the main stem. By pruning these off you will force the main stem to grow taller, thus producing more fruit bearing clusters. For indeterminate cherry varieties you can let two of the bottom suckers grow and develope into main stems and then prune all suckers off these three main stems.
On bush or determinate varieties this 'sucker' removal is unnecessary. The only pruning recommended is to remove some of the shoots or leaves if the plant has become overloaded with foliage.
It is also beneficial to prune off a few of the last or smallest tomatoes on each of the trusses of tomatoes. This helps the remaining tomatoes to develope and ripen more quickly. If you like the large beefsteak varieties this can help to shorten ripening time.
What does the maturity date really mean?
The maturity date listed on labels or seed packages refers to the time from transplanting in the garden to the first ripe tomato. Now obviously there are many variables involved (temperature, sun, soil, etc) and thus these dates should be used for comparison purposes only. One of the factors to bear in mind is the size of the transplanted tomato. We sell tomatoes in many different sizes from 6 packs to 12 " patio pots. Our 1 gallon pot size often have the first flower truss already developed when sold and this shortens the maturity date considerably. For example we have often harvested our first ripe tomatoes off an Early Girl transplanted form a 1 gallon pot by early July.
Which are the best tomatoes?
Obviously this is a loaded question, but over the years and all the varieties we have grown, a few have emerged as our perennial favorites.
Staking Cherry - Juliet and Sweet 100
Container Cherry - Topsy Tom
Hybrid Staking - Early Girl and Big Beef
Hybrid Bush - Celebrity
Roma - Mamma Mia
Container Slicer - Patio
However, just in case you disagree and have your own favorites we grow a wide variety of other tomatoes!!
Staking Cherry Tomatoes - best grown in the garden
Container Cherry Tomatoes - excellent for pots or container gardening
Hybrid Staking Slicers - these indeterminate (staking) tomatoes should be staked as they will outgrow a typlcal 36" tomato cage.
Hybrid Bush Slicers - these bushy plants give you a good crop of tomatoes without the need for staking, cages will do
Heritage Bush - bush varieties that we have been selling for over 50 years. These are oldies but goodies
- Juliet - lots of sweet small roma shaped tomatoes on a vigorous plant
- Sweet 100 (60 days) - popular cherry tomato that hang in long clusters
- Sweet Millions (60 days) - improved Sweet 100, more crack resistant
- Sweet Gold - sweet golden yellow cherry tomatoes on tall plant
- Indigo Rose (75 -80 days) large cherry-type tomatoes which turns a deep purple, almost black color due to plant pigments called anthocyanins. (think blueberries!)
Container Cherry Tomatoes - excellent for pots or container gardening
- Tumbler - earliest, most prolific producer on a dwarf bushy plant
- Topsy Tom - excellent red cherry on a more controlled compact plant
- Tumbling Tom Yellow - yellow cherry tomato on a compact trailing plant
- Tiny Tim - old favorite variety with a much more upright growth than than any or the above
Hybrid Staking Slicers - these indeterminate (staking) tomatoes should be staked as they will outgrow a typlcal 36" tomato cage.
- Early Girl (57 days) - great reliable producer of medium uniform slicers
- Champion (62 days) - large meaty tomatoes on disease resistant plants
- Fantastic (65 days) - heavy yields of medium size
- Lemon Boy (72 days) - medium yellow slicer with a mild flavour
- Big Beef (72 days) - extra large beefsteak tomato with great taste and productivity
Hybrid Bush Slicers - these bushy plants give you a good crop of tomatoes without the need for staking, cages will do
- Ultra Girl (62 days) - shorter version of Early Girl with slightly larger tomatoes
- Burpee Homeslice (63 days) - early medium sized fruit on small 24" plants that produce all summer. Can also be grown in containers.
- Primo Red (65 days) - early maturity with a large tomato
- Celebrity (70 days) - extra large beefsteak tomato
- Mountain Merit (75 days) - a medium-large, 8-10 oz., red slicer with an excellent disease package to keep it healthy in the field. If you like Celebrity you'll love Mountain Merit.
Heritage Bush - bush varieties that we have been selling for over 50 years. These are oldies but goodies
- Subarctic (48 days) - this plant produces small to medium sized tomatoes. As it's name implies ripe tomatoes are guaranteed in our northern climates.
- Manitoba (58 days) - developed at the Ag Canada research station in Morden, Manitoba in 1956 for the Candian prairies it has remained a favorite of gardeners for all these years. Produces medium sized tomatoes on bushy vigorous plants.
- Bush Beefsteak (62 days) - another variety developed for northern gardens years ago. It is the biggest beefsteak tomato of the early season open pollinated bush varieties
- Oxheart (80days) - heart shaped extra large fruit. Fruit matures pinkish red with a mild, sweet flavour
- Black Krim (69 days) - novelty variety with medium sized fruit that matures deep red (almost a shiny black)
- Green Zebra(75 days) - medium sized fruit that matures yellow with dark green vertical stripes with a unique tangy taste
- German Johnson (75 days) - this is the ganddaddy of all heirloom varieties originally imported by the Mennonite settlers. Extremely large 1.5 to 2 pound tomatoes with an unusual boat shape and that old tomato taste.
- Oxheart Red ( 80 days) - heritage variety from the 1920’s. Huge fruit are 10-12 oz, Heart shaped and pinkish-red. Very meaty with a mild, sweet flavor.
- Mamma Mia (60 days) - early prolific producer of dark red medium sized Romas
- Health Kick (72 days) - this variety gets it name because the bright red medium sized Roma tomatoes have 50% more of the antioxidant lycopene than other tomatoes. Another Burpee variety.
- Supremo (70 days) - Compact plant yields many uniform, elongated, extra-large fruit that are firm and red.
- Mega Bite (60 days) - medium sized fruit on strong sturdy stemed plants
- Patio (70 days) - just as the name implies this is a favorite for pots and bears medium sized fruit all summer