Ideas for a large, short-season, juicing, red tomato?

[HotPepperQueen]

I have never had good luck finding a high-yielding red tomato for juicing and slicing. I live on the zone 3/4 border and usually the tomatoes don't get very big or don't produce very many. Any ideas? I usually plant the last weekend in May and harvest through September.

 

[catjac1975]

I love bull's heart, pink cadillac, and the Steak types. I don't know how they do in your zone. I have tried many ways to get the earliest tomatoes without much more than an extra week early. I have grown giant plants in the greenhouse, where when I put them out there are already red tomatoes on them. Fun, but the tomatoes are not that great and then the plant seems stunted. Warming the soil with black plastic, a few weeks before putting out your plants may help as they love warm soil. I do this in order to get northern sweet potatoes to grow for me. I would look for a more local seed supplier that has strains meant for your zone.

 

[TheSeedObsesser]

Are you OK with a pink variety? Goose Creek might be a good one, although I think that the tomatoes are more of medium-sized. I think that it's fairly early. I haven't tried them for myself, so couldn't confirm.

 

[journey11]

@digitS' would know of something, I'm sure...

 

[baymule]

Homestead tomatoes did well for me last year. They didn't get very big, but they were in the back yard and were shaded half the day. But they did produce lots of tomatoes. I posted pics in the 2014 tomato picture thread. I think if I had them in a better place, I would have gotten bigger tomatoes.

http://www.theeasygarden.com/threads/tomato-pictures-2014.15554/

@so lucky started a thread last year on heritage tomatoes, @Carol Dee grew some bodacious Mortgage Lifters. Lots of people chimed in on this thread, posted pictures and reviews.

http://www.theeasygarden.com/threads/lets-talk-about-heirloom-tomatoes.15536/

 

[journey11]

@HotPepperQueen , what would be your maximum number of days to maturity?

 

[catjac1975]

@HotPepperQueen, You sent me some tomatoes seeds last year-I have to look up what they were. They were a smallish brilliantly red tomatoes. All were perfectly shaped, blemish free,and the most prolific tomato I ever grew. Thanks!

 

[Lavender2]

Last year was possibly my worst for tomatoes in 20 years, 2 months of rain made the season even shorter than normal. My best producers were Parks Whopper, Big Beef, and Early Girl, all hybrid indeterminates of course. I did get a fair harvest and a good bit of canning done.

For heirlooms/OP, have you tried many determinate types? Legend and Bush Beefsteak are on my list to try. In my slightly limited experience at growing some of the bigger heirlooms, it may also take a bigger season, nice big green fruit in Sept. makes ya want to cry.

I have mulched and not mulched, in my garden mulching with newspaper and leaves/grass clippings boosted size and yield.

 

[HotPepperQueen]

@HotPepperQueen , what would be your maximum number of days to maturity?

My maximum number of days would probably be 75.

 

[so lucky]

Like Lavender2, I had a horrible tomato season last year. But in the past, Big Beef and Celebrity have done well for me. Both are hybrids.
Someone on here was asking if they should leave their plant lights on 24/7 while growing tomato starts. I did last year, and blame some of my problems on that. Not sure if I have valid reasons for doing so...but I have to blame something. It surely couldn't have been "operator error."