Try growing heirloom tomatoes this year

Since they can’t open their gardens to the public this year, the Advertiser has invited local horticultural societies to write about what’s going on. For questions or to submit articles, email jshuttleworth@wellingtonadvertiser.com.

HILLSBURGH – With the 2020 gardening season upon us, some local nurseries are offering heirloom and open pollinated tomato plants to home gardeners. To get the most joy from your picks, try to find a good assortment.

1. Unless you are limited to container planting, limit the number of determinate plants you buy. “Bush” tomatoes sound neat, but tend to bear most of their fruit in a short time. Good varieties to look for are Canadian heirlooms Beaverlodge and Sophie’s Choice. Both of these produce early crops.

2. Curb your enthusiasm for “Beefsteaks.” These giants tend to have a long time to maturity. Read the label, and try to resist buying too many varieties with days to maturity exceeding 80. Many of these have wonderful reviews in gardening magazines, well deserved if your growing season is long enough.

3. Buy some cherry tomatoes. The variety available these days is mind boggling. Super sweets, super dwarfs, yellow, purple, orange, striped. Kids love them. Eat them warm off the vine all summer.

4. Explore the taste spectrum of full size tomatoes. The colour of the tomato is a guide. In general, the deeper the colour, the more intense the flavour. Yellow and orange tomatoes can be less acid, like Taxi, or carry a hint of citrus or tropical melon like the Russian Azoychka. Purple and brown tomatoes, like Black Krim or Purple Cherokee, have intense, rich, earthy flavours.

Stephanie Burke is a member of the Hillsburgh Garden Club, which meets at St. Andrews Church in Hillsburgh on the second Wednesday of most months. Contact sburke.ca@gmail.com for information about buying heirloom tomatoes.

Stephanie Burke

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