Heirloom or Hybrid?

[Jared77]

I was referring to what we grow for cherry tomatoes. Trust me I have PLENTY of regular tomato plants. I had 57 tomato plants last year. 56 between sauce, and slicers, and 1 cherry a sweet 100.

 

[cwhit590]

57 tomato plants!?!?!

wow....and I grew 12 this year...and felt like that was a ton!

 

[Jared77]

We've got the space and we eat a lot of them raw in salad, sandwiches, chopped etc. We go through on average a pint of salsa a week. We also make and can our own tomato soup, and we also have quarts of canned tomatoes for things like sauce and chili to name a few.

 

[jhook1997]

OK after reading all this I'm concerned. I only bought heirloom seed this year. Nine varieties of tomato. If they are so hard to grow maybe I should plant some hybrids as a back up?????

 

[Ridgerunner]

Some years, some heirlooms do great for me. Some years, they don't. Some years, some hygrids do great for me. Some years, they don't.

Last year was a horrible year for tomatoes for me. Nothing did well. It was just too hot and dry, mainly hot. I watered. 4th of July and Big Mama hybrids produced some. Goliath hybrids did nothing. Box Car Willie and Park's Whopper open-pollinated produced a little. Black Krim and Mr. Stripey, open-pollinated that usually do OK here, produced nothing. Don't get to hung up on heritage and hybrid. It's the varieties that do well in your area and the growing season you happen to get that counts a lot more than whether they are hybrid or heirloom.

 

[ninnymary]

jhook, do you have room for a couple of early girls just in case?

Mary

 

[jhook1997]

jhook, do you have room for a couple of early girls just in case?

Mary

If everyone thinks it would be a good idea to add some hybrids, I will make room. Right now I have over 20 4'x4' raised beds.....what's one more!

 

[vfem]

Last year we had 28 regular tomatoes, slicers. paste and sauce tomatoes. We also had 4 cherry tomatoes. My FAVORITE cherry is the chocolate cherry. Its not the 'the best' fresh... but it is by FAR my favorite to sun dry. They dry quickly and keep their flavor very well getting even more sweet.

Another good cherry, very hardy, very large size for a cherry and excellent flavor with little cracking is "Esther's Yellow Cherry". YUM! They're my second pick for sun dried, they just take longer because of size and juiciness.

 

[catjac1975]

OK after reading all this I'm concerned. I only bought heirloom seed this year. Nine varieties of tomato. If they are so hard to grow maybe I should plant some hybrids as a back up?????

They are not hard to grow-just try some hybrids so should you have a disease problem you should still get a crop. I always reuse my tomato cages. I dip them in a bleach solution in case they are harboring any disease from the year before. Hybrids are great. Plant scientists have created new strains for a reason.

 

[barefootgardener]

Sungold. Absolutely yummy! Always loaded with fruit all season. Very healthy plants! A favorite to grow every year, and my grandson 's favorite also!