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| Cherokee Purple, with the green shoulders, one of our favorites. Photo from Betsy Martens. |
Now's the time to decide what tomatoes you want to eat next year, what seeds you want to start for 2014. I have space for 12 plants, so I need to be selective. I grow Yellow Marble, Green Zebra and Cherokee Purple every year. This year I tried Tula Black and was pleasantly surprised – robust flavor and meaty texture. Black Cherry, on the other hand, was a disappointment – too large for one bite, too small to cut easily in two, so-so texture, underwhelming flavor.
I won't remember that in six months. If you are growing more than three or four varieties, you may have the same problem. So keep records. Nothing ridiculously detailed. Just a list of names with a 1-to-5 star rating should do it. If you want to get all fancy-shmancy, add a place for comments and photos, too. In January, when you're surfing the seed sites, whip out the list. You'll know the varieties you want to try next summer. Moreover, you'll recall how great those tomatoes tasted.
And, if you have a moment, send me the names of the varieties you loved, with your comments. If you have photos send them, too. If it's okay with you, I'll post them and give you credit.
Hey, it's Saturday, get off your digital device and go tend your plants!
1 comment:
What a nice surprise, Bob! Thanks for posting my photo *and* for the credit. But about tomatoes: i had five really heavy Cherokee Purples drop prematurely when their weight broke the stem they were hanging from. I've been nursing them along for the last two or three weeks. They were hard and green but smooth, having lost their baby fuzz. I've been keeping them in a brown paper bag, taking them out occasionally to sit in the bright sun. They are finally red, but nowhere near ripe, and I doubt that their flavor will equal that of the vine-ripened specimens. I'll let you know if I'm pleasantly surprised by how good they are.
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