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Grow Tomatoes Review: Journal Entry – Early Tomatoes Were Hybrids in Pots

July 16th, 2009 | Author: Dot

DoT’s Thot: I love heirloom tomatoes and the vast majority of the crop planted in 2009 are heirloom plants with the fruit anxiously awaited, since we know that to eat the best tasting tomatoes, we have to grow our own. However, the plants that show up early in the home improvement and garden shops are often the hybrid tomatoes, rather than the heirlooms.

Early Tomatoes, 23 June 2009, Celebrity and Roma

Roma and Celebrity Tomatoes Sliced

This year, I also had the misfortune of being out of town during one of the best tomato plant sales at one of the colleges. I have not gotten the hang of growing tomatoes from seeds — so, currently I rely on the good gardeners who apply their talents to keeping the heirlooms viable. Fortunately, there are enough tomato nuts to support the efforts of several horticultural departments and we all benefit. Hence, being a tomato lover I planted some fair size hybrids in pots some time in late February.

June 23, 2009 — Two Early Hybrid Tomatoes: Celebrity and Roma — Hardy and Firm

Two early tomatoes that came ripe in the third week of June were Celebrity and La Roma. Both tomatoes are hybrids, showed a great deal of hardiness with smooth skins, unblemished, and very firm. Both are a sprightly red color.

While our favorite eating tomatoes are the heirlooms, these are not as easily found in the local garden shops early in the year. These two plants were bought in February and potted in those mega-pots sitting on our patio. Conical tomato cages and bamboo stakes prop up the branches. The hardiness of the plants is noticeable and appreciated.

We frequent the horticulture department sales at local colleges for the heirloom tomato seedlings and have to wait for the sales in March each year. Our main garden tomato seedling purchases are set in the ground en masse in March.

Picked ripe from the large patio pots, these were sweeter than the store-bought tomatoes and since these were the only two ripe tomatoes available on that day, they were simply cut into rounds and wedges and then made into a simple side salad.

Side Salad of Tomatoes and Onions

Tomato and Sweet Red Onion Salad

To serve with chilled slices of sweet red onion. cut little half moon slices of onion and soak for 10 to 15 minutes in some water and ice cubes. Serve the onions along side the tomatoes.

A little squeeze of lemon over the onions and salt and pepper sprinkled over all completed the simple salad side dish.

Better Than Sore-Bought, But Not As Interesting as Heirloom Tomatoes

Decidedly an improvement from store-bought, these tomatoes only whetted my appetite for the heirloom tomatoes to come.

Reading about heirlooom and hybrid plants, it may be a good idea to support the effort to protect the horticultural diversity of this planet. In addition, I find I love the taste of heirloom tomatoes best. I will, for the time-being, do so by buying the plants and seeds of heirlooms that others passionately preserve.

The shapes, colors, and characteristics of heirloom varieties are appealing in their range of differences. In fact, I kept thinking that the Old German heirloom tomato plan somehow reminded me of pumpking and squash vines. Just looking at those twiesting tomato branches made me think of Germany, the Black Forest, and fairy tales. I have to get some pictures and post those. Aloha, DoT

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