Tomatoes like to be planted in rich soil with a PH of 6 to 6.8 or slightly on the acidic side. Neutral is 7.
Tomatoes prefer regular feeding once the fruit sets, but too much too early in the season will grow a large plant with fewer tomatoes.
Calcium is very important to tomatoes to prevent blossom end rot. Perhaps magnesium is more important, as it needs to be present to allow the tomato to take up the calcium. Magnesium sulphate or Epsom Salts in the soil helps. I use an alfalfa tea which has epsom salts added. I alternate between the alfalfa tea and an organic tomato fertilizer during the fruiting season.
A list of tomatoes available this year:
- Big Beef – indeterminate, beefsteak type, 10-12 oz, red fruit
- Biltmore – determinate, medium, 8-10 oz, reddish purple fruit
- Black Cherry – indeterminate, cherry, 1-2 oz, black, purple fruit
- Black Krim – indeterminate, beefsteak type, 8 -10 oz, reddish purple
- Brandywine – indeterminate, beefsteak, 9-16 oz, Pink fruit
- Celebrity – determinate, medium, 8 oz, red
- Cherry Falls – determinate/trailing, cherry, 1 oz, red fruit
- Chocolate Stripe – indeterminate, beefsteak, 3-4 in, mahogany stripe
- Early Girl – indeterminate, medium, 4-6 oz, red
- Early Girl Bush – determinate, medium, 4-6 oz, red
- Flamme – indeterminate, medium, 3-4 oz, orange or persimmon
- Gold Nugget, determinate, cherry, 1 oz, deep yellow
- Healthkick Roma, determinate, roma, 4-8 oz, red
- Heirloom Genuwine, beefsteak, 12 – 15 oz, pink, cross between Brandywine and Big Dwarf
- Heirloom Perfect Flame, medium, 3-4 oz, red, cross between Juane Flamme and Peron
- Juliet, indeterminate, cherry, 1-2 oz, red fruit
- Lemon Boy, indeterminate, medium, 8 oz, yellow
- Moneymaker, indeterminate, medium, 7-8 oz, red
- Oregon spring, determinate, medium, 5 oz, red
- Patio, determinate, cherry, 2 oz plus, red
- Red Grape, indeterminate, cherry, .75 oz, red
- Roma, determinate, roma, 3-4 oz, red
- Super Fantastic, medium, 10 oz, red
- Sweet 100, indeterminate, cherry, 1 oz, red
- Taxi, determinate, medium, 4-6 oz, yellow
- Tumbler, determinate/trailing, cherry, 1oz, red
I have grown most of these with the exception of a couple of new ones such as the heirloom crosses. My preference is the ones with the most acid. My grand kids love any and all of the cherry varieties.
Happy Gardening!