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Issue Date: March 20, 2005
The hottest trends in tomatoes
Anyone with a sunny spot can raise luscious gourmet specimens. Here's why you should try it.
By Fran Sorin
If you're startled when you dine at a chic restaurant and it costs $10 for an appetizer of sliced organic tomatoes sprinkled with salt, or when you spot tomatoes selling for $4.99 a pound at your natural food store, well, welcome to the wild and wacky world of tomatoes in 2005.
The red and yellow classics are wonderful. But why not grow something more exotic?
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Given tomatoes' explosive prices, the poor quality of the typical supermarket tomato and the ease of growing them yourself, consider finding a sunny place in your yard or on your windowsill to raise a selection of these gourmet fruits.
The key to successful tomato growing is to make sure the soil temperature is warmed up to about 55 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit before you plant. No tomatoes should be planted outdoors until all danger of frost in your area has passed. But even in Alaska, where the last frost can come as late as June and the first frost sometime in August, you can raise varieties that mature in 60 days. Some people swear that planting in raised beds or using red plastic mulch heats up the soil more quickly and helps the tomatoes reach maturity faster.
Conventional wisdom says to rotate tomato crops each year so nutrients are not depleted from the soil, but I don't rotate my tomatoes, and they're always luscious. I believe it's because I add organic matter to my soil twice a year to keep it rich and fertile.
More than 4,000 varieties of tomatoes are in circulation, ranging from the tiny grape tomato to the Giant Belgium from Ohio, which is known to grow as large as 5 pounds. And tomatoes now include yellow, black, pink, purple, dark brown, white, green, striped and bicolored varieties in teardrop, oblong, fluted and ruffled shapes.
All tomatoes need a sunny location with warm temperatures, ample water and well-drained soil. You can choose any type of container, as long as it drains well. I have seen tomatoes interspersed among flowers and herbs as well as other vegetables. I've also seen tomatoes cleverly arranged in unusual containers, and in vignettes with other containers.
When the plant is still young, I use stakes or a trellis to alleviate some of the weight. I've discovered that using these supports also increases the yield of its fruit. When I plant tomato seedlings outdoors, I leave as much as 4 or 5 feet between plants so they can grow wildly in width as well as height. Good air circulation is important for healthy tomatoes.
Tomatoes come in three categories based on how quickly plants mature: early season, midseason and late season. I stick with the mid- and late-season tomatoes, but a friend swears by early-season tomatoes. He enjoys adding fresh tomatoes to his late-spring salads. (You still need to hold off planting early-season tomatoes until after your last frost, but they grow more quickly than other varieties in the shorter, cooler days of spring.)
I like nothing more than to take a fresh tomato from the garden, add mozzarella cheese, olive oil and fresh oregano, and sit down with a glass of wine on my terrace as dusk settles in. I feel like I'm in a villa in Tuscany being served a luxurious appetizer. It is truly one of life's greatest and simplest pleasures.
In summer, Fran Sorin often can be found snacking on cherry tomatoes right off the vine in her suburban Philadelphia garden. For more information and advice, visit her Web site, fransorin.com.
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Fran's favorite tomatoes
Slicing tomatoes
Type: Orange Queen
Why you should plant it: A golden tomato with low acidity and few seeds. Juicy and delicious. Thrives in colder climates.
Growing time: 80-90 days from seed to first fruit
Type: Brandywine
Why you should plant it: Some believe this large heirloom tomato epitomizes how a great tomato should taste. It is a thin-skinned variety and produces more abundantly in cooler weather.
Growing time: 75-90 days from seed to first fruit
Type: Zapotec Pleated
Why you should plant it: One of the most unusual and delicious tomatoes I've ever grown. It has pink to deep red "pleated" fruits that are rich and earthy in flavor.
Growing time: 85-95 days from seed to first fruit
Type: Red Rocket
Why you should plant it: A bushy, compact plant that explodes with fruit early in the season. A great-tasting tomato with few blemishes.
Growing time: 60 days from seed to first fruit
Cherry tomatoes
Type: Yellow Pear
Why you should plant it: Pear-shaped, miniature yellow tomatoes that are incredibly sweet. At maturity, it's a tall plant that will continue to produce abundantly throughout the season.
Growing time: 78 days from seed to first fruit
Type: Sun Sugar FT Hybrid
Why you should plant it: Fruity, sweet orange tomatoes that grow in long clusters on strong plants. Although thin-skinned, they don't crack open.
Growing time: 62 days from seed to first fruit
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4 NEW VARIETIES FOR 2005
-- Black Pear. This tomato is said to have an excellent, rich taste and should look beautiful cut up in salads (80 days from seed to fruit).
-- Orange Russian 117. This heart-shaped tomato with smooth, golden flesh is said to be fruity and sweet, with few seeds (85 days).
-- Big Zebra. Medium to large fruits with a mild, sweet flavor. Noteworthy for its red- and green-striped exterior and green-and-pink interior (85 days).
-- Copia. This large variety subtly combines delicate golden and red stripes. It's touted to be juicy, flavorful and sweet (85 days).
These tomatoes are available at tomatogrowers.com.
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