Choosing the Right Tomato Plants

Selecting Tomatoes牋 As far as tomato variety goes, your choices are endless.?Your local nursery will stock tomato transplants that suit your climate.?Choose dark green stocky plants with no blooms and no holes in the leaves.?The ideal plant should be as wide as it is tall.?Avoid the tall spindly plants.?They are available in a myriad of sizes, shapes and colors.?The key to a爐riumphant爐omato garden is choosing the right type of plant.

Determinate (bush) vs. Indeterminate (vine)牋 Determinate tomato plants are compressed and short.?They are bred for this diminutive size and to ripen their fruits in a set amount of time, usually six weeks or less.?Most determinates do not require support, but some plants called?vigorous determinates, may need assistance keeping themselves爁rom爈ying on the爂arden soil.?Dwarfs,爃owever, need no support and are爌erfect for growing in containers.?Miniatures are tiny plants with short stems and dime-size fruits that are usually爂rown爁or decoration rather than consumption.?In contrast, indeterminate tomatoes continue to grow until they are halted by frost.?They do require support, and will produce爀arlier and greater爁ruit yields than determinates.?Some say better flavor as well.?As long as the conditions are favorable, indeterminate plants will remain productive.

Resistance牋燭omatoes are susceptible to爍uite an assortment of diseases.?Included are:燽acterial spot, botrytis fruit rot, bacterial canker, bacterial wilt, fusariumçˆ"ilt, mosaic, septoria leaf spot, curly top, tobacco mosaic, and early and late blights.牋Choosing disease-resistant plants is vital since many of these燿iseases cannot be treated.?This is especially true in hot regions where humidity is high,çˆ"hich provides the perfect environment for many爋f these infections.牋牋牋牋牋?strong>牋牋牋牋?/p>

Disease resistance is summarized with the following abbreviations:牋 A,?/strong>alternaria (early) blight; ?strong>As,?/strong>alternaria爏tem canker;?F,爁usarium wilt, race 1;牋F2,?fusarium wilt race 2;?L,爂ray leaf spot;牋N, nematodes;?T, tobacco mosaic virus;?V, verticilliumçˆ"ilt.牋?/p>

Listed below are some of the best tomatoes and their resistance:

Beefsteak-?/strong>?Indeterminate;爋pen-pollinated red beefsteak with meaty, faintly ribbed 1-pound fruits.

Better Boy-牋?/strong>Indeterminate;爎ed hybrid燽earing large crops of 12-ounce fruits with fine flavor; good leaf cover; (VFNAs)

Big Beef-牋 Indeterminate; hybrid red beef-steak with good-flavored, meaty 10-ounce fruits; exceptional disease resistance; All-America Selections Winner; (VFF2AsLNT)

Brandywine-牋 Indeterminate; dark pink heirloomçˆ"ith rough 10-ounce fruits; no disease resistance; potato-leaf foliage;爐hought by many to be爐he best-tasting tomato燼vailable.

Caro Rich-牋?/strong>Determinate: orange with high vitamin A content, low-acid, 5-ounce fruits; thrives in cooler climates.

Celebrity-牋?/strong>Vigorous determinate;爎ed hybridçˆ"ith爃eavy yields of 7-ounce爁ruits, outstanding disease resistance; All-America Selections Winner; (VFF2AsNLT).

Early Girl-牋 Indeterminate;爎ed hybridçˆ"ith high yields of rich-flavored 4-ounce fruits; early fruit production; garden favorite; (V).

Jetstar-牋 Indeterminate;爎ed hybridçˆ"ith high yields of firm, meaty, low-acid 8 ounce fruits; does best when爏taked and pruned.

Marglobe-牋 Vigorous燿eterminate; red with sweet 6-ounce fruits; susceptible to cracking; (F).

Rutgers-牋Determinate; red bearing high yields of 8-ounce fruits with mild flavor; widely adapted favorite; (F). 牋牋牋牋?/p>