Tomatoes

Tomatoes

Growing your own tomatoes is EASY!

Homegrown tomatoes are one of the most rewarding crops you can grow, offering unbeatable flavor compared to store-bought varieties. With just a little preparation and care, you can enjoy a bountiful harvest all summer long. Follow these steps to choose, plant, and care for your tomato plants so they thrive in your garden.

What You’ll Need Optional
Fertilome Root Stimulator Wall O’Water Protectors
Save-a-Tree Plant Food Stakes or Cages T&C Soil Enhancer

Step 1: Select good varieties. (see below) Varieties with “days to harvest” of 60 to 75 days are best for our area. Early Girl is our most popular and dependable variety.

Step 2: Plant in a sunny area. If plants are tall and leggy, plant with the rootball horizontal. Roots will form along the buried stem for a more robust plant.

Step 3: Water in with Fertilome Root Stimulator solution (according to directions on bottle). Thereafter water with plain (non-softened) water when soil surface is dry.

Step 4: Protect from wind and frost with Wall o’ Water, hot cap, or other protection as necessary.

Step 5: Feed monthly with Save-a-Tree plant food. (1/2 cup per gallon of water)

Step 6: Support with stake or cage. Indeterminate varieties (see below) should be staked or caged for best results. Determinate varieties can be grown without support.

Step 7: Enjoy your harvest. Tomatoes out of the garden are SO much more flavorful than those purchased at the supermarket. Depending on the variety chosen and the use of plant protectors you should harvest your first fruit between mid-July and early September.

Tomato Varieties

Determinate- Bush type that doesn’t need support. Tend to ripen all at once.

Indeterminate– Vigorous, viny plants do best when staked or caged. Fruit continuously until frost.

Heirloom– An heirloom tomato is an “old-time” open-pollinated (non-hybrid) variety. (click here for more info)

VFNTA- Symbols for disease resistance- Verticillium wilt, Fusarium wilt, (a second F indicates resistance to more than one race), Nematodes, Tobacco mosaic virus, and Alternaria.

AAS- All-America Selections winner. Selected for outstanding performance.

Click below to learn about different varieties:

 

Variety Description
Oregon Spring
  • 60 days
  • Color: Red
  • Flavor:
  • Yield & Size: 5 oz.
  • Key features: Few Seeds, Tolerates cool nights better than most
  • Non-hybrid
Celebrity Hybrid
  • 70 days
  • Color:
  • Flavor:
  • Yield & Size: 8 oz. and refuses to crack!
  • Key features: VFFNTA, AAS Disease resistant, dependable
Patio Hybrid
  • 70 days
  • Color: Red
  • Flavor:
  • Yield & Size: 2″ large
  • Key features: Small compact plant, excellent for pots and containers
La Roma II Hybrid
  • 75 days
  • Color: Red
  • Flavor:
  • Yield & Size: 5 oz.
  • Key features: VFFNA
  • Uses: Popular for making tomato sauce or paste
Roma VF
  • 75 days
  • Color: Red
  • Flavor:
  • Yield & Size: 2 oz.
  • Key features:
  • Uses: Popular for making tomato sauce or paste

 

Variety Description
Early Girl Hybrid
  • 55 days
  • Color: Red
  • Flavor:
  • Yield & Size: 5 oz.
  • Key features: VFF; Early, reliable and prolific. Most popular by far.
  • Uses: Good for eating fresh, salsa, and more
Early Goliath Hybrid
  • 58 days
  • Color: Red
  • Flavor:
  • Yield & Size: 8oz.
  • Key features: VFFNT more disease resistant than early girl
  • Uses:
Champion Hybrid
  • 70 days
  • Color:
  • Flavor:
  • Yield & Size:
  • Key features: VFNT Bigger than early girl and earlier than better boy
  • Uses: Luscious Sandwich tomato
Super Fantastic Hybrid
  • 70 days
  • Color:
  • Flavor:
  • Yield & Size:
  • Key features: VF Favorite in east Idaho
  • Uses:
Lemon Boy Hybrid
  • 72 days
  • Color: Lemon yellow
  • Flavor: Unique
  • Yield & Size: 7 oz.
  • Key features:
  • Uses:
Big Beef Hybrid
  • 73 days
  • Color: Red
  • Flavor: Old-time flavor
  • Yield & Size: 2
  • Key features: VFFNTA; AAS
  • Uses:
Better Boy Hybrid
  • 75 days
  • Color:
  • Flavor:
  • Yield & Size: 14 oz.
  • Key features: VFN One of the best tasting hybrids
  • Uses:
Beefmaster Hybrid
  • 80 days
  • Color:
  • Flavor:
  • Yield & Size: 1-2 lb. large beefsteak
  • Key features: VFN
  • Uses:

 

Variety Description
Black Krim
  • 80 Days
  • Color: Dark red-purple.
  • Flavor: Rich, sweet, and juicy with a smooth texture.
  • Yield & Size: High yields of up to 12oz beefsteak fruit.
  • Uses: Fresh eating, roasting, sauce, drying, preserving.
  • Type: Indeterminate.
Green Zebra
  • 75 days
  • Color: Chartreuse with deep lime green stripes and bright green flesh.
  • Flavor: Rich, sweet flavor with just a bit of acidity and juicy texture.
  • Yield & Size: Excellent yield of 3oz round fruit.
  • Uses: Fresh eating, salsa, cooking, preserving.
  • Type: Indeterminate
Cherokee Purple
  • ?? days
  • Color:
  • Flavor:
  • Yield & Size:
  • Key features:
  • Uses:
Brandywine
  • 80 Days
  • Color: Pink
  • Flavor: Very rich, distinctively spicy with a firm texture.
  • Yield & Size: Medium yields of 8-16oz fruit.
  • Uses: Fresh eating, salsa, cooking, preserving.
  • Type: Indeterminate

 

Variety Description
Sun Sugar
  • 62 days
  • Color: Yellow
  • Flavor: Consistently wins consumer taste tests,
  • Yield & Size: Cherry sized
  • Key features: Indeterminate hybrid, heavy producer, needs staking
Sweet 100
  • 65 days
  • Color: Red
  • Flavor: Sweet
  • Yield & Size: Cherry sized
  • Key features: VFN Indeterminate hybrid, heavy producer, needs staking

Content from old page format below I left it here in case you wanted to reference it.

Variety Days to Harvest Description
Determinate
Oregon Spring 60 5 oz. red oval fruit. Few Seeds. Tolerates cool nights better than most. Non- hybrid.
Celebrity Hybrid 70 VFFNTA AAS    8 oz. fruit that refuse to crack! Disease resistant. Dependable. Very popular.
Patio Hybrid 70 Large yields of 2″ round red tomatoes. Very small compact plant. Excellent for pots, containers, and small gardens.
La Roma II Hybrid 75 VFFNA 5 oz. red cylindrical fruit. Italian paste tomato. Very popular for making tomato sauce or paste.
Roma VF 75 VF    2 oz. red cylindrical fruit. Very meaty. Italian paste tomato. Very popular for making tomato sauce or paste. Open pollinated.
Indeterminate
Early Girl Hybrid 55 VFF 4 to 8 oz. red fruit. Early, reliable and prolific. Our most popular tomato by far. Good for fresh eating, salsa, and more.
Early Goliath Hybrid 58 VFFNT Flavorful 8 oz. red globes. Larger, more disease resistant than Early Girl.
Champion Hybrid 70 VFNT Luscious sandwich tomato. Bigger than Early Girl and earlier than Better Boy.
Super Fantastic Hybrid 70 VF Dependable large, flavorful fruit. A favorite in east Idaho for many years.
Lemon Boy Hybrid 72 7 oz. lemon yellow fruit. Wonderful, unique color and flavor.
Big Beef Hybrid 73 VFFNTA AAS. Beautiful, smooth, 12 oz. red globes with real old-time flavor. A newer variety that is already very popular.
Better Boy Hybrid 75 VFN Large, round 14 oz. slicers. One of the best tasting tomato hybrids. Been around for many, many years and is still very popular.
Beefmaster Hybrid 80 VFN  Very large beefsteak tomato with 1 to 2 lb. fruit.
Heirloom
Black Krim 75 3-4″ purple/black fruit with green shoulders. Fantastic, intense, slightly salty taste.
Green Zebra 78 2″ round dark green fruit with yellow stripes. More tart than regular tomatoes. Intense flavor.
Cherokee Purple 80 Huge 16 oz. dusky red fruit with green shoulders. Dense, juicy texture and unique flavor.
Brandywine 85 Unique potato-like leaves. Large 12 oz. pink/red beefsteak fruit. Around since 1880.
Cherry
SunSugar 62 Super sweet, yellow, cherry size tomato. Consistently wins consumer taste tests. Very heavy producer. Indeterminate hybrid, needs staking.
Sweet 100 65 VFN Sweet, red, cherry size tomato. Heavy producer. Indeterminate hybrid, needs staking.