The Great Tomato Race

By Valerie Curtiss

Seed catalogs, all shapes and sizes, have been filling my mailbox all winter.  Seed catalogs are beautifully illustrated, working encyclopedias of plant species and their culture.  Some even include recipes.  Through the diversity of seed catalogs you can take a magic carpet ride to a world of plants from the comfort of your living room.

     Why should you mail order seeds and plants that can be bought locally?  If you can be satisfied with run-of-the-mill, generic plants, grown for the lowest common denominators of ease of growing in the widest varieties of weather and terrain, then don't bother.  But, for the thrill of growing something special, or something new and exciting, like "Catalina" potatoes from seed, or "Perfume Trees" or rare bulbs, then mail order fills the bill.  You can try tomatoes from exotic lands, searching for that one tomato that tastes like Grandpa used to grow, or grow fruit trees that will produce fruit in our difficult maritime clime.

     I love to grow tomatoes, but was told "you can't grow tomatoes here, too cold, too wet, not enough sunshine."  Ready for the challenge, I grew 12 varieties of tomato last summer, all started from seed.  They ranged from "Determinate" (growing to predetermined height and producing all their fruit at one time) to "Indeterminate" (growing like wildfire, and producing new flowers and tomatoes all season until frost, or in our case RAIN).  Some were potato-leaved; some open pollinated (rare/endangered species whose seed is saved and shared), some heirloom, and some hybrids.  From the foggy San Francisco Bay Area we tried the highly touted "earliest, most flavorful" "Stupice" which we were picking by July 1.  These are delicious but small, almost cherry-like.  From the deep South, we tried "Spanish Hybrid Sun."  Nice tasting but thick skinned (for the hot Southern sun).  The most challenging was "Brandywine."  The "tomato of tomatoes," with a taste all other tomatoes are compared to.  This heirloom is extremely difficult to grow here, being a 90-100 days tomato.  I managed to produce three, and the taste was out of this world!  From the Steppes of Russia to the Siberian Altai mountains, we tried "Sasha's Pride", in taste almost identical to Stupice but coming on later;  "Siberia," smuggled to the US in the 1975; and the best of the Russians, "Fireworks" a prolific determinate endangered species, with hundreds of flowers and beautiful heart shaped, clear fleshed, superbly tangy tasting tomatoes.  We tried Southern Night, a mealy maroon skinned variety not worth repeating; promotional Freebies, "Early Experimental Hybrids" that weren't early, and Sweet Million, a prolific cherry tomato. 

     At Summer's end, we taste tested.  Sliced tomatoes, all shapes, colors and sizes, fresh picked, dressed with Basil, and served on a platter with salt.  From this magical gardening mystery tour, which was the winner?  From right here in Oregon..."Siletz," a 70-75 day tomato produced by Jim Baggett of Oregon State University (Nichols Garden Nursery).  It was one of the earliest, most delectable of the "Beefsteak" variety producing up to 1 pound fruits.  The runner up, the Russian "Fireworks"  (Seed Savers Exchange), then "Sasha's Pride" tying with "Stupice." 

     It's not too late to grow your own tomatoes from seed.  Start the seeds in "Jiffy Pellets," and when they have sprouted, place on a sunny window-sill, brightly lit porch, or under a shop light.  You don't need special bulbs in your shop light, just new ones.  You must keep the light within 2-3" of the top of the leaves, and don't forget to turn the lights off at night as plants like to sleep too.  After about 3 weeks, you can transplant the pellets into 4" pots, still keeping them under the lights.  When the plants reach 4-6" high, they are ready to begin "hardening off."   Take your plants outdoors in the daytime to a shady, sheltered area, and bring them back in at night, forcing the tomatoes to become sturdier and hardier, ready for transplanting into the ground by late May or early June.

     In this climate we need to provide all the sunshine and shelter possible.  I use "Wall O' Waters."  These plastic cones of joined tubes are filled with water providing a steady microclimate, keeping roots warm in the Spring and cool in Summer.   With these, you can set out your plants 3-4 weeks earlier than recommended.  One week before transplant, feed you plants dilute (50/50) Fish Emulsion to lessen transplant shock.  Sprinkle dry, crushed eggshells around the growing tomato plants to provide nutrients rich in calcium (tomatoes love calcium) as well as to deter slugs who don't like crawling around in eggshell powder.  When the ground is warm, pop your tomato plants into the center of the Wall O' Waters, sit back, and start counting the days until you pick your first sun ripened, succulent scarlet globe, a tasty treat to be popped into your mouth as is, or sliced between chunks of home made bread and mayo.

     Where will this year's great tomato race take us?  From Belgium, "Belgium Giants;" from England, "Marmande,", then an unnamed Australian; and back to Russia for "Fireworks," "Siberia,"  "Sasha's Altai," and "Sasha's Pride,", adding "Aurora," "Otraolny," and "Urbikany," and just for fun we are growing a "spoon" tomato (redcurrant tomato) which is not a true tomato but produces tiny redcurrant size fruits for salads.   Want to travel along?  Then dig out those seed catalogs and get sowing. 

SOURCES OF SHORT SEASON, EARLY TOMATOES

Nichols Garden Nursery - 1190 North Pacific Highway, Albany OR 97321.

Totally Tomatoes -P.O. Box 1626, Augusta GA 30903-1626

Tomato Grower's Supply -P.O. Box 2237, Ft. Myers, FL 33902

Seeds Trust High Altitude Gardens - PO Box 1048, Hailey ID 83333-1048

Abundant Life Seed Foundation PO Box 772 Port Townsend WA Seed Savers Exchange, 3076 North Winn Road, Decorah IA 52101

November/December 1999