If I Could Only Grow 3 Tomatoes These Would Be The Ones I Would Grow
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- Опубліковано 13 тра 2024
- You might be surprised by my list, but if I could only grow 3 different tomatoes, these would be the 3 I would grow. I've grown dozens and dozens of different tomatoes over the years. Over that time, my life has changed, and so has my list of favorite tomatoes to grow.
When I choose which tomato to grow, I mainly consider 4 things.
1. Taste
2. Productivity
3. Ease of care
4. How well they set fruit in warm to hot weather.
I also take a other things into consideration, but those are the 4 main things. Before you go, let us know what 3 tomatoes you would choose if you could only grow 3 types. Thanks for watching!
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I garden in zone 6b, in the state Kansas. I would love to hear from you, so feel free to comment, make suggestions, ask a question, give tips, tell about your garden, or even offer constructive criticism.
Thanks for watching!
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Black Beauty, Ananias Noir, Old German...and Paul Robeson 😉
Thanks for sharing some of your favorites with us. Nice list!
Good Morning Jim - You are absolutely right - growing tomatoes is not just about the taste. Your list of criteria is spot on as just because the taste is great, if it does not produce and is difficult to grow time to find a new variety. I grew some dwarf last year but have not found the perfect one yet for my area. Thanks for your favorites and hope to try them in my area. Take care...
Good morning Sue. Glad you see it too. If it is poor in one factor it's sometimes enough for me to pass on. Hope you can find a dwarf that can work for you in your area. I'm trying a couple of new ones this year. Good luck when the new growing season starts.
Sungold is a favourite. I like Indigo Rose and Green Zebra. This year I'm experimenting with the long keeper type, 42 day and Costoluto. Thanks so much for this video.
You're welcome! Thanks for sharing some of your favorites with us!
Black beauty, midnight snack, ponderosa pink.
Runner-up sweet 100 and roma
Sounds like a great list. Thanks for sharing it!
Whew, glad Sungold made it to the list 😂
You and me both :)
Happy to see Boronia here.
I understand. It's a good one.
@@MidwestGardener Worrisomely, My Boronia this year looks super tall & in-line with big Heirlooms. Rest of the Dwarf types - clearly Dwarf. Got the seed from Victory who are super reputable so IDK what's up. Keeping it and watching it of course but did restart a couple more seeds. VERY late.
Good morning! Thank you for sharing your favorites. My top 3 are Purple Reign, Paul Robeson, and Dad's Sunset. It's hard to narrow it down to just 3. Pineapple has been a favorite of mine for so long, I really like how productive Roma VF is, and then there's Rosella Cherry that was disease resistant and kept putting on fruit until fall. There are just so many good tomatoes...
Good morning! Thanks for sharing your top 3 with us. I plan to grow Purple Reign this year. I hope we have a good year for it. I agree....there are so many good ones out there.
Thanks for the tips on the dwarf varieties. Your traditional favorites are pretty much the same as mine. 🍅👍
You're welcome! Hope you have a great growing year! Can't wait.
@@MidwestGardener Thanks!
A few great types. Offhand I would say for mine is 1. Dwarf Purple Heart - 2. Black Beauty - 3. Sart Roloise. Those are just now though and are prone to changing every 10 minutes. Tough to choose so close to 'go' time. Great video. Thanks for the share!
That looks like a pretty good list to me. I know what you mean about your list changing. I'm growing a couple of new varieties this year, so I always wonder if one of them will make the cut to be a regular. Good luck with this year!
Dwarf Purple Heart was a big surprise for me last year. Amazing flavor. Bonus points for being insanely pretty.
Just like you I've switched to growing dwarf tomatos
I completely understand why.
All very good…. Hard to pick just three! Will keep these tips in mind when setting up this spring. Thanks for sharing
I agree, it is hard to pick three. Spring will be here before we know it.
Paul Robeson & Cherokee Purple are always my top 2, but I find that every year my #3 ends up being a different variety. 2023 #3 would have to be a tie between Amana Orange & Mortgage Lifter. They just kept pushing out big tomatoes all season for us. 2022 #3 was pineapple, 2021 It was Pink Brandywine, 2020 it was Delicious. I'm eager to try rosella purple again in 2024. My plants ended up being more sickly than other varieties when it was time to transplant, and I didn't set them up for success in 2023. This time I am determined to set them up well so I can see how they do. It will assume I need to baby them all season because the pests & diseases here really hammered them last year.
I like your list. Thanks for sharing it! You can't go too wrong with any of those #3s either. Hope Rosella Purple works out for you this year. Good luck!
Thanks for sharing.
You're welcome! Thanks for watching!
Haha! Darren and I were laughing at "some of my get up and go, got up and went" 😂
Hmm. Top 3. That's so tough. Ugh. It's hard because I feel like I need to grow some again just to see how they do year after year. I'm still trying so many so here's mine so far:
3. Jet Star
2. Paul Robeson
1. Aunt Ruby's German Green
I bet that will change. Haha!
Yep, it did get up and go :) Love seeing Jet Star on your list. One of Grandpa's favorites. Good luck with this year! Planting time will be here before we know it.
Celebrity has been a tried and true of mine for years (zone 5) Best in disease resistance, a good producer, and I can grow it in tomato grow bags. Taste however, I am still looking. SunGold is an absolute, but for now will say Cherokee Purple. I have many more to try thanks to you.Thanks for your videos!
You're welcome! I've heard some pretty good things about Celebrity. Cherokee Purple is definitely a good one. Thanks for watching!
You are so right about tomatoes that result in low production. It is so disappointing to wait all year for some tomatoes only to have six tomatoes on one plant. Supermarkets sell the same old tomato varieties. It is at Farmers Markets where I have found some unusual heirlooms. This year I am trying Costoluto Genevieve and Jersey Devil.
Drop back by and let us know how those work out for you.
OK. @@MidwestGardener
I'm in Northern BC Canada, so tomatoes are a little challenging. Last year, I grew 6 varieties and got my seeds back from all of them, but it wasn't very easy. I'm hoping for less work, more productivity this year. My best strains last year were Sweet 100, Amish Paste, Roma, and Old German.
Yes, some areas can be pretty rough on tomatoes. We occasionally have tough years here too. We usually don't have 2 or 3 in a row though, so it's tolerable because we love them so much. Thanks for sharing your list with us! Hope you have a great growing year!
@@MidwestGardener Thanks, you too, I will be following along! Sungolds seem to be a favourite of many people here, so if I see some good seeds I'll give them a shot up here.
Are you able to grow at all outdoors, or is it primarily in a greenhouse or indoors? If outdoors, I would expect early cold-tolerant varieties like Glacier and Sub Arctic Plenty would be useful to you. They are both medium-sized tomatoes, bigger than cherry or plum and similar to Campari in size.
@@davidniemi6553 Thanks for the info, I'll look for those ones. I can grow outside with proper timing and technique. But looking into a greenhouse or other way to extend the season and add heat.
Thank you for this. My favs last year were 2 of the Dwarf Tomato Projects varieties Adelaide Festival and Picos Pride ( a variegated leaf variety) and one of your choices, the Sun Gold.
You're welcome! Thanks for sharing your favorites with us. Glad you like Picos Pride. I tried growing that one once, but didn't have good luck with it.
I love the 3 tomatoes that are your choice. Mom loves Mexican Midget and my 2 are Tiny Tim and Tumbling Tom Red / Yellow. My slicer would have to be Bonnie Best and Boxcar Willie.
Thanks for sharing your favorites with us. There are a lot of good ones out there to try. I've grown Boxcar Willie. That's a good one too.
Jim- I have a small garden, so all of my tomatoes are determinate. Ty as always fir your expertise- Gardener Steve zone 6 b
I understand why you would make that choice, Steve. We all have to adjust to our individual gardening situations. Thanks for watching!
Celbrity, Galahad , determinate . And Washington Cherry -another determinate
@@stephenmoberg8807 Nice! I've heard good things about Celebrity.
Celebrate was prolific as hell
Where do you buy your number one’s seeds? I’m trying more dwarf and determinate varieties this year after an absolutely horrible gardening year in 2023. It was so cold and rainy all my warm weather plants struggled. Best year I’ve ever had for cucumbers though!
I got the seeds for that one from Victory Seeds. They have a huge selection of dwarf tomatoes. Hope you have better weather this year. Our rough years are usually from too much heat. I'm looking forward to some ripe tomatoes, and cucumbers too. Good luck!
I feel like I still haven't found a favorite tomato. I have best success with cherry and grape varieties. I grow Barry's Crazy Cherry for productivity, and I enjoy Rosella more than Black Cherry because it's sweeter. I also will always grow some sort of paste tomato, and was really impressed with my San Marzanos last season. Still looking for a really good red cherry.
I can identify with your search. I've found some really good ones, but I'm still searching. Thanks for sharing some of your favorites with us.
Hello, I can only grow tomatoes that are resistant to TYLCV, so my 3 staples would be Hossinator, Tycoon and Purple Zebra. The Hossinator and Tycoon are both determinant with large fruit, but the Hossinator plant gets bigger than the Tycoon and the Purple Zebra is indeterminant with small 2 to 3 oz fruit. Out of these three, the savory Purple Zebra taste the best.
Interesting list! Thanks for sharing it with us!
I am trying to grow a couple of 3ft Tycoon tomato indoors under a Spider Farmer SF2000 grow light. This is my first time growing something to fruit under a grow light. I am having fun with it.
@@mangofever4681 Nice! Good luck!
I would love to try the rosella purple tomatoes. Where do you purchase the seeds?
It's definitely worth a try. I got my seeds from Victory Seeds.
Green Giant, Indian Stripe and Captain Lucky for slicing....Sugary for snacking and salads.
Thanks for sharing your favorites with us. Those are 3 that I haven't tried yet.
#1Orange jubilee #2sunsugar cherry tomato #3 Cherokee purple
Thanks for sharing your top three!
I like Giant Belgium Pink, Amish Paste, Big Beef and Classic Beefsteak, also grape cherry tomato
Sounds like a good list to me. Thanks for sharing it!
You turned me onto sun gold wich is now a staple. The other 2 would be blue beauty and tie dye. If you haven't grown blue beauty, I would definitely recommend it. It's probably my all-time favorite.
Thanks for the tip on Blue Beauty. So many to try, and so little room and time. Wish I had a couple of acres :)
I always grow Romas because they are dependable and I like to can them. Black Krim is my absolute favorite for taste. I don’t have a third must have. Many black cherry. They are very yummy and stand up heat pretty well.
Sounds like a pretty good list to me! Thanks for sharing it!
If I could grow only three tomato varieties , Purple Cherokee would
definitely be one of them ! They just taste , too good , I know a lot of
gardeners really struggle with P. Ch. but I have had such good luck
them . There are some tricks to growing them , first do not try to grow them in the heat of the summer , second do not over water or
over fertilize them especially nitrogen , use a well balanced fertilizer ,
N. P. & K , when they start to set fruit , stay at or below a 10 10 10
fertilizer , do not leave out the micronutrients , zinc , iron , calcium ,
use an electric toothbrush to pollinate the blooms , it can double the
yield ! If you can put them in a greenhouse or a sunny window inside for the
winter , do it , they put on huge tomatoes , after they have lived a full
year , prune diligently , they are not an especially tall plant to begin with , however , do not let them became huge bushy plants , pick off
the suckers , keep them to no more than 5 production branches , keep the bottom foot clear , with no leaves or branches .
Save the seeds , this is gospel truth , fellow gardeners , they get better & better with every season ! Enjoy people , the Cherokee Purple , is a God Send ! They will when picked ripe , will settle
my stomach !
Thanks for the tips on how things have worked for you!
Great video! Can you save seeds from dwarf tomatoes? Thank you!
Yes, you can. You're welcome!
❤️
Thanks!
Last Summer a woodchuck found a way to my Spring garden and ate off the tops of a few of my freshly-planted tomatoes. So I bough a few seedlings from a local nursery, among them some of the varieties that I would normally not consider. The surprising discovery of the season was a tomato called "Purple Boy." It looked and tasted like Cherokee Purple, but produced a ton more tomatoes in heat, and was more disease resistant. I looked it up online, and turns out it is a new hybrid variety, getting all raving positive reviews from people who also love Cherokee Purple, but are not satisfied with CP production rates. This year I will be planting a lot more of Purple Boy. Still fortifying my garden fences to keep off the woodchucks in the meantime.
Thanks for the tip on Purple Boy. That sounds like a very good one. Hope you can keep that woodchuck out.
I need to try more of the off the beaten path tomatoes. My top three right now are Sunsugar, Cherokee Purple and Wapsi River Peach. Sure is hard to choose, though. This year I had a mystery tomato come up that was cherry size, with beefsteak ridges and flavor. That one was a keeper!
Yep, it's hard to choose just three. As long as you grow the ones you like, that's the main thing. I always try a new one or two in hopes that I'll find my perfect tomato.
My favorite is sungold and black from tula.
Thanks for sharing those. I've never grown black from tula.
Its my favorite dark one. Also it taste even better Pan-fried whit eggs on a sandwich it got a smokey taste. @@MidwestGardener
My top three reflect kitchen utility mostly.
1. Amish paste for canning. I like to make ragu, ziti, gnocchi, and other sauces during cold Minnesota winters. So far, Amish paste has been the most productive, hardy, and tasty canning tomato
2. Brandywine pink. This is for Pasta Alla Checca, which I make for myself wife and I almost every day in the summer when the beefsteaks come in reliably. Nothing tastes better.
3. Sungold for the reasons mentioned in the video. We don’t really snack on cherry tomatoes, but I have 3 different pasta sauces to make for lunch when waiting for beefsteaks to come in, and I can the sungold too. They make excellent canned sauces
Thanks for sharing your top 3 and how you use them. Makes me was some homegrown tomatoes!
1. Russian Purple
2. Cherokee Purple
3. Malinowy Smaczek
Thanks for sharing your top 3!
There are so many tomatoes varieties to grow that I'm going to note down which are worth growing and which I can live without.
Very true. It's hard to make a limited list sometimes.
This is a tough choice. For now, my three tomatoes would be Better Boy, Early Girl and Sun Gold. The first two for canning and fresh eating and the Sun Gold to eat for snacks and salads. Take care - Larry.
Nothing wrong with that list, Larry. My dad used to grow Better Boy a lot, and had good luck with it. I'm looking forward to getting that first ripe on this year. Good luck with the new season.
Agree on your standards. Agree on Sungold. The Midwest covers a fairly large area. In what state are you located? I'm in central Minnesota, and sometimes our summers can be cooler, so I like my Early Girls. Our daughter insists on one Green Zebra as well, though it's not my personal favorite. We tried Mortgage Lifter last year and were impressed. I eat a LOT of tomatoes each summer, so quantity is important to me. I'm trialing 5 new varieties this summer.
We are in Kansas. Some summers can be really hot here. It's not unusual to get a few 100 degree days in June. You are right, the Midwest does cover a wide area. It's always great to hear from folks all over the country. It's interesting to see how things work out in other areas. Good luck this summer!
Yes. I've gardened in 3 different states and have found that a favorite in one state is not my favorite in another. I believe it is like terroir in winemaking. Climate and soil composition is important. Wishing you a successful gardening season as well.
@@amybergman8325 I think you are right about climate and soil composition.
My favorite tomato would be one that grows well, produces well and isn't affected by diseases and the heat here in Florida. Having said that, I've yet to find the perfect tomato. The everglades tomato produces well, but is a cherry tomato. I did really like the Hungarian heart tomato, it produced some good tomatoes. They were very meaty like a Roma only better. Then the black trim was good also. Thanks for sharing your top three favorite tomatoes. It's just about time to start our spring seeds. Take care and have a great week.🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅
Finding one that works in your area is the hard part sometimes. One problem we have is that it gets hot quickly after our last frost. There isn't a whole lot of time for them to set fruit before it gets hot. That Hungarian heart sounds interesting. Have a great week down in that warmer weather!
@@MidwestGardener 80 degrees for a few days then back to a low in the 40s. I thought I lived in Florida lol
@@shirleyk623 40s is more our speed.
I think it will make a nice video for you to recommend 3 tomato varieties for complete beginners and you can make different recommendations depending on weather.
Great suggestion. I will have to give it some thought. There are lots of different directions to go.
Brandybear (Beefsteak) Red Cherrybear (Cherry), and Pink Pearbear (Pear). I have a few more really promising dwarfs, ind., and determinates in the works. Surprised you didn't have a red or pink in your top 3.
That's a lot of bears :) All your crosses I assume. Are any of those available to the public yet? Glad to hear you are working on some dwarfs. It's really hard to pick a top 3. I had to think about it for a long time. Good luck with the new growing season!
@@MidwestGardener The "bear" suffix is not related to the animal, but to "bear fruit" that comes as part of the genetic capability of parthenocarpy. In cultivars, it carries the "bear" suffix and in genetics, it's actually called "Pat-b". Pat-b is my only tomato work. Simply stated, it means no need to be pollinated. Pat-b has been tested extensively. We hope to make some significant moves on it late Spring. It's exciting and frustrating.
@@C3Voyage I understand the exciting and frustrating part. Hope all of your projects work just the way you want them to. I'll have to keep my eye out for those projects of yours this year.
@@MidwestGardener One way or another, things will progress to satisfaction for me this year (good or bad). I've been partnered over 2 years now.
Right now our favorites are Sungold and Nebraska Wedding. Poor production last year, though, on Nebraska Wedding and we simply have not had Sungold for three years! 😞
Thanks for sharing your favorites. I haven't heard of Nebraska Wedding. I always like hearing of ones I haven't tried. Good luck with the upcoming season!
@@MidwestGardener Think Yellow tomato type flavor with a Roma - esque type meat… almost. 🥹
I cant do it! I cant pick just three! But I can narrow it down to a few. Sun Gold, Chocolate Cherry, Brads atomic grape, Orange Oxhart, Black Vernisage. Like you, cherries are not my favorite but those first three are definitely the best tasting tomatoes over all in addition to being prolific and easy care so I will keep growing them. Im also going to keep growing cherokee purple and Paul Robeson because even though they dont produce a lot, they are the very best tasting tomatoes on the planet.
Thanks for sharing your favorites with us! I understand, it's extremely difficult to pick just 3.
A cherry tomato variety in your top 3 list - didn’t see that coming! Personally, I love “meaty” tomatoes; so, in general, not a fan of cherry tomatoes. I liked how you rationalised your choices though - taste/flavour isn’t the only determinant, productivity matters and there should be some kind of balance between those. How about peppers? Do you have a top 3? Enjoy the weekend, mate. Blessings 🙏
As I try new varieties, that list can always change. I'm not a huge fan of cherry tomatoes either, but we love the Sungold in salads and for snacking. Thanks for the idea on top 3 pepper varieties to grow! I haven't given that much thought, but I think I will. Have a great weekend!
I have so little room and we don't use a ton of tomatoes except for snacking so I typically only grow one black cherry tomato in a raised bed. This year, however, I will grow my black cherry and a variety that I do not know the name of.
I was given several from my physical therapy office who received them from another patient and they didn't know what variety they were. They are about the size of a large Roma but more round instead of elongated, deep dark red with dark purple shoulders, and the flesh was very dark reddish-orangish. The skin was firm and it was quite meaty with relatively few seeds. The flavor was so incredible! It was sweet, low acidity, and as I recall, almost a floral/fruity taste. It was unlike any tomato I have tasted before!
Because I have so limited space, this is likely all I will grow. At the end of the season, I will harvest any remaining green tomatoes and make jam. Someday, I will have a freeze dryer so I can truly save my bounty.
Sounds like you got lucky with that one from your physical therapy office. Sounds like a keeper to me.
I needed Boronia to be on this list 😂😂. I'm still stuck on this tomatoe. Great video, im still waiting on Audible to pick you up and have you read Anything 😂.
Boronia
Black Krim
Orange amana would be my top 3. I do love Sungold. Im growing 2 this yr.
Glad you like Boronia too. Great minds think alike :) I've thought about starting a channel that would be me reading....not sure on that yet. That looks like a pretty good list you have there. Can't wait to get started.
@MidwestGardener if you do start a Chanel reading Id definitely be a subscriber 🩷.
@@ShakiraYah Thanks.
I would subscribe also!
For dwarf:texwine, black trifele and black seaman, for taste: hunt's delicious, gold Medal, German pink, Hazel Mae
Thanks for sharing some of your favorites!
Difficult to say but if we're taking everything into account I'd say you need to measure it by several different purposes: 1- fresh (salad), 2- cooking, 3- all-purpose.
So... as per my specifications I'd choose: Rose de Berne for fresh eating, Pomodoro Cuore Antico di Acqui Terme for cooking (or any type of San Marzano like Redorta), and maybe Sainte Lucie as an allrounder but now that I've made the list and I'm realising everything I'm giving up (like Sungold) it doesn't feel like I've made very good choices.
I really don't know.
I understand. It's really tough to settle on just 3. I would hate to have to do it for real. There are just so many great ones to pick from.
I'm growing Rose de Berne for the first time this year. Looking forward to trying them!
I consider healthy, fully ripe tomatoes to be delicious, so I am fairly concerned about productivity and reliability. While I'm theoretically in one zone warmer than Jim (7b in the New Reckoning), I'm in a forest so cold tolerance, short growing season, and tolerance to disease caused by wet conditions are a lot more important to productivity here than heat tolerance.
My long-term #1 is a mystery indeterminate I now call Super Slicer, descended from a seed 5 years ago that was supposed to be a ghost pepper. It is open pollinated since that time but has unusually good cold and disease tolerance producing great medium to large tomatoes until a really hard frost (
Thanks for sharing your current favorites with us. I'm sure others with similar growing conditions to yours will appreciate it even more than I do. Yes, that favorites list can change from year to year. I try to always try a new one to me, just in case that perfect one is out there. Good luck this season!
I am still working on trying to determine which tomatoes will work in my region. We have more rain than Seattle does. Most tomatoes can handle some rain but we have 24 hour rains with sometimes 6 days of rain straight, sometimes 7. So I can grow tomatoes for months and transition them outside where they are growing until it’s time to plant them and then after weeks of rain and intense heat they die. So I have lost about half of my tomatoes for the past four years so I’m still searching.
Wow! If you get more rain than Seattle, that is a whole bunch of rain. Sounds like pretty rough weather to grow tomatoes in. Maybe worse than our intense heat some years. Good luck with your search for the right tomato!
You can cover the ground around your tomatoes loosely with that black, roll-out weed barrier and then fold it up once the rain has passed.
siletz tomato great cool weather developed at Oregon State... Dwarf Pink Passion Developed by members of the Dwarf Tomato Project as a selection out of the "Nosey family" from a cross between Roza Vetrov and Anna Banana Russian made by Patrina Nuske Small).
Thanks for the info!
YOU'RE VERY WELCOME @@MidwestGardener