Tomato newbie planning for next year

[onlylobster]

I just ate the first tomato I've ever grown (not including pre-planted patio tomatoes) and I just about fell over by how good it was. I have two plants a sun sugar hybrid that has plenty of tomatoes in the process of ripening and a cherokee heirloom that has developed nicely but the fruits are still green.

I never expected to have such good luck with tomatoes since I'm growing them in a northwestern exposure but they get a lot of sun. Now I'm wondering what to plant next year. I will definitely do the sun sugars again but what are some other varieties that are delicious for just slicing and eating?

Also should I avoid planting tomatoes in the same plot next year? Should I be planning to make a new bed for them? If so what is a good vegetable for rotating with the tomatoes?

[dtizme]

the cherokee heirloom your talking about is cherokee purple. I grew 1 of them last year and there very tasty. Got 2 of them this year. They won't look like your typical tomato. For best taste, pick when slightly underripe, shoulders will still be green. Can get mushy if left to ripen too long. I've picked them underripe and just let them sit by a window for a fews days. Lots of other good options. Odds are if you can find transplants of them @ local nursery then they will grow good in your area. That's how I discovered cherokee purple. As for alternating I've used the same plot for several years and always had good results with tomatos. All I do is add some bagged compost to it each year. I'm sure others will have their opinions but that seems to work for me. I'm about 10 hours north of you btw. Best of luck to you this year and next

[rainbowgardener]

The reason for rotating where you put them is to avoid disease. If your tomatoes don't have any disease, it probably doesn't matter. I grow tomatoes in the same spots year after year, because my sunny spots are very limited.

[sweetiepie]

I plant sort of in this rotation, bean family then, corn, then potatoes or tomatoes. But I have thrown in some of this rotation at times too https://bonnieplants.com/2014/11/crop-ro ... made-easy/.

[ElizabethB]

Hi Only,

Warm welcome to the Forum.

My Brother gave me a start of Green Zebra. I love it and grow it every year.

If you want to grow from seed check out www.johnnyseeds.com.

They do not sell GMOs. They have a great selection of heirloom tomato seeds.

In south Louisiana nightshades are very subject to soil born virus. Crop rotation is a must. I practice SFG so rotation takes lots of fore thought and planning.

You can check out your Extension Office web site for region specific crop rotation recommendations.

Good luck

[imafan26]

Sun sugar is a good one. The other cherry that was very good was sungold although it was prone to cracking when it was ripe. Brandywine was the best tomato with old fashioned tomato taste. It does not have a lot of disease resistance and the fruit is delicate so it does not keep well, but well worth growing for flavor.

I plant tomatoes in containers so I do change the soil every year and either steam sterilize the soil from the containers or use it elsewhere it the yard and start with new soil. I grow tomatoes almost continuously but I did have a year when the tomatoes just did not want to grow and I grew beans, snow peas and jicama instead. If I get a disease that may cause problems with the next crop, I change the soil and I rotate to beans, peas, or jicama. I did try watermelon (sugar baby)one time.

[PaulF]

Your varieties are a good way to start. With Cherokee Purple you are one heirloom/OP variety down and a few thousand to go. Welcome to the tomato growing club.

If you are like many of us, you may not have enough space to rotate. If you can't rotate areas, be sure to do a good sanitation job at the end of the year. Remove all old vegetation and get it away from the garden. Most disease affecting tomatoes is soil borne so keep any possible disease carrying plant stuff out of the area. Research a mulching program and disinfect any cages with bleach solution before using next year. Good luck and have fun.

[Peter1142]

I also recommend Johnny's they are great. I also recommend growing from seed too, if you are willing to invest the time and effort.

Also in my zone 6 winter, none of the tomato diseases I had last year made it through the winter, so rotation wasn't necessary. Most backyard gardeners don't have space to rotate (nor the time to constantly sterilize equipment) and they still do fine typically. You can buy disease resistant varieties for many chronic disease issues.

Honestly it seems hard to find a terrible tomato variety... I suggest sticking with disease resistant hybrids for now.

[onlylobster]

Thank you everyone for your answers. Each one has been extremely helpful! Since I didn't have any issues with disease this year (so far!) I think I will plant tomatoes in the same spot again next year because it will probably take me that long to figure out how I want to expand my gardening area but the article about rotation got me thinking that I probably will want to rotate as best I can within a few years. The recommendation for checking my extension for local crop rotations is such a good idea and is one I wouldn't have thought of on my own. I think rotation seems like an easier way to get nutrients into the soil. I'm still so clueless about fertilizers so I play it very safe for fear of over-fertilizing. I'd really like another tool in the box to keep my soil fertile.

dtizme- thanks for the good tip about ripening the Cherokee purples!

[quote]With Cherokee Purple you are one heirloom/OP variety down and a few thousand to go./quote]
So if I have 25 years left in my back and knees for gardening how many varieties would I need to plant every year to have done them all? Seriously- I've always had a fear of growing heirlooms but I buy them at Farmer's markets with every chance I get because they are just so wonderful. I do want to keep playing with growing new ones. If they fail hopefully I'll have a hybrid going that will provide some fruit.

A few of you have mentioned sterilizing or end of season cleaning. I'll admit I haven't gotten to that point in my learning. How do I bleach a tomato cage? Can I mix a solution of bleach and water and spray the cage or does it need more soaking?

[quote]If I get a disease that may cause problems with the next crop, I change the soil and I rotate to beans, peas, or jicama/quote]
This raises another newbie question- what is involved in changing the soil when you are working in situ. My beds aren't raised. Does that make it impractical?

I'm enticed by the green zebra and brandywines that were suggested. I remember having brandywines when I was a child and they were a treat and the green zebra is unique. I definitely want to try these!

[imafan26]

If your tomatoes are not diseased it does not matter. The thing is to nip problems early and don't wait too long to pull diseased plants, they will only spread the disease in the meantime. Rotating to another family that is not susceptible to the same diseases help when there is a problem. If you have time you can solarize the soil if you need to.

You can get a soil test usually from the local extension and if you want to grow organic ask for organic recommendations. Otherwise, recommendations will be for synthetic fertilizers. You cannot really go wrong adding a multi sourced good compost to the garden. The master gardeners will help you interpret the results and you can ask for advice specific to your area.

[onlylobster]

How do I solarize the soil? Is that when you let the plot go fallow? Or should I remove all plant matter and let the field rest without any vegetation?

[digitS']

I have grown Sun Sugar and Sungold head to head every year for 10 years or more. I think it may take me another 10 years to decide which I prefer .

I don't grow Cherokee Purple but have a stabilized cross between Cherokee Purple and Brandywine: Gary O Sena. It does fine in my garden. I have Cherokee ancestors and worry about what they would think about me trying to grow Cherokee Purple and having it fail ...

I have thought that some tomatoes were beautiful and I should grow them. Jaune Flammé - are those pretty things the color of apricots or persimmons? Tigerella, with it's red and yellow stripes was around for several seasons. For one reason or another, I moved on.

Some varieties will be more suitable for your taste and your garden. We can't all live in the Brandywine Valley. If we did, there wouldn't be room to grow any tomatoes!

Steve

[lexusnexus]

I also grow Cherokee Purple and it was the first main crop tomato to ripen. They have a wonderful flavor. Congrats. Sounds like you have an idea of how to grow them.