Don’s pick -- tomatoes!

                             Don’s pick     

I was asked, “if you could plant just five tomatoes, which would they be?”

What is this, purgatory?!? Well, that’s a tough choice, but here are five I wouldn’t be without. Ok, with a couple of alternates.

Early Girl -- reliable yield early and late in the season, great flavor, good disease resistance.

Champion or Better Boy -- high yield, large fruit, great flavor, good disease resistance.

Costoluto Genovese (shown at right) – beautiful fluted fruit, very meaty, wonderful rich flavor, great for cooking.

Juliet or SunGold – very high-yielding small-fruited types. Juliet is my preference, but Sungold is the most popular cherry tomato of all time.

Pineapple – golden yellow fruit with red striations, very sweet, very large fruit. Makes a beautiful salsa.

Can I please plant some more types?

How about….

Abraham Lincoln

Ace

Better Boy

Giant Belgium

Lemon Boy

Mortgage Lifter

San Marzano

Sweet 100

Whopper

Oh, I’m sure I could come up with another dozen….

In sum: plant some reliable hybrids, some heirlooms that are known to do well in our area, and try something new every year. You may discover a new family favorite! Now is the time to plant tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, and all your favorite summer vegetables.