Tomatoes
April 20th, 2006
By Sharon Hull

Oh, how we are all longing for tomato-planting weather! America's favorite veggie (well, yes, I know it is technically a fruit) loves warm soil and temperatures, and most decidedly NOT this cold wet spring we are having. Plants set out before the soil warms usually grow poorly, and they are susceptible to various fungal diseases as their leaves and stems stay constantly wet. Gardeners go to many lengths to stymie the unfavorable weather, including covering plants at night and on cloudy or wet days, but it is difficult to raise the temperature of the soil to the liking of these heat-loving plants.

However, the plants are filling the shelves at the garden centers and those who long for the taste of a homegrown tomato have faith that our rainy season will soon be over. All gardeners know the few tried-and-true kinds that perform consistently in our coastal climate, such as Early Girl, but if you haven't looked carefully at what has become available in the last few years, you might want to check out some of the following kinds. All listed here are adapted to cool summer areas like ours, and are produced by local growers. Many originated in Russia and northern Europe where the summers are extremely short and cool; others were developed specifically for Western coastal areas. Days listed are from planting out, to first harvest.

Dona - French hybrid with rich flavor, meaty and juicy. Vigorous plants with good disease resistance. 65 days
Big Beef - F1 hybrid beefsteak type. 10-12 oz fruits, exceptional yield and disease resistance. 1994 AAS winner. 73 days
Cherokee Purple - heirloom with short vines, good for containers. Pinkish purple fruit with green shoulders. Rich sweet flavor. 72 days
Early Cascade - F1 hybrid bearing 4-6 oz fruit in clusters. Productive, excellent flavor. 62 days
Galina's - golden cherry heirloom from Siberia. Sweet flavor, 75 days. Fruit borne on long dense trusses.
Moskvich - Russian heirloom with 6 oz. fruit. Very flavorful. 60 days
Nepal - hybrid from the Himalaya Mountains with 10-12 oz. fruit. Beefsteak type, very meaty and flavorful. 78 days
Oregon Spring - F1 hybrid developed at Oregon State U. for cool summer regions. Large juicy flavorful fruit, nearly seedless. Compact determinate plants suitable for containers. 58 days
San Francisco Fog - F1 hybrid with 3-4 oz. fruit. 70 days
Stupice - hybrid from Czechoslovakia with 1-2 oz. sweet fruit borne in clusters. Good flavor, heavy yields, 52 days
Siletz - early tomato developed at Oregon State U. 8-12 oz. fruits with good flavor, 52 days. Small determinate plants suitable for container culture.
Valencia - heirloom from Maine with rich orange fruit of 8-10 oz. 76 days

One additional note for local vegetable gardeners: sweet peppers, like tomatoes, aren't usually at their best in coastal climates. One exception, produced by local organic grower Upstarts, is Lipstick, described as a sweet pepper with thick juicy walls, and shiny smooth tapered form. Fruits are 4" long, ripening to rich red in 78 days, ready to pick green in 53 days. The grower says the yield will be dependable even in cool summer areas.

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