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Spring 2020 ▶ TOMATOES continued
throughout generations. They typically have unusual colors and different flavors but may not be very productive or as disease and pest resistant. Open pollinated tomatoes are the same as heirlooms, they just haven’t been around long enough to be considered as such. Open pollinated varieties include many of our old field tomato varieties. Hybrids are the result of two inbred tomato lines crossing. These typically have better production and disease and pest resistances, but the seed can be expensive and you can’t save it. There are good varieties of these kinds that can be grown here in the Texas Hill Country. If you’re looking for general purpose or tomatoes to slice and put on a sandwich, try heirlooms and/or open pollinated varieties such as “Cherokee Purple,” “Black Krim” or “Abe Lincoln.” Hybrids include “Celebrity,” “Big Beef,” “Valley Girl” and “Valley Cat.” If looking for smaller tomatoes, such as grapes, cherries or pear shaped, try hybrids such as “Juliet,” “Sweet 100” or “Sun Gold.” Heirlooms to try include “Yellow Pear” or “Vernissage Black.” Cherry tomatoes are less likely to quit producing when the weather gets too hot.
make sure it has many holes in the bottom to promote drainage. If you’ve grown tomatoes before, don’t plant them in the same spot as you did last year, or where you planted your potatoes, peppers or eggplants. These plants are all related and can increase disease pressure for your tomatoes. The deer are hungry and they like eating your tomatoes. If you’re planting your tomatoes into a garden, you will need to have deerproof fencing around it. The deer may not be afraid to come up onto your porch. If you’ve had problems with them getting that close before, try using chicken wire to protect your containers. It being the Texas Hill Country, don’t forget to have a water source nearby. Step Two: Pick the Right Kind There are more tomato varieties than one can imagine. To narrow it down, figure out if you want a determinate or indeterminate tomato. Determinate tomato plants are shorter and produce within a set time period. Indeterminate tomatoes grow tall and produce a few tomatoes continually. To narrow your variety selection further, determine if you would like to grow an heirloom, open pollinated, or hybrid tomato. Heirlooms are special tomato varieties that have been saved
Step Three: Treat it Right
Planting The risk of frost gradually decreases as April approaches. You can plant earlier than April, and indeed, it’s commendable to do so because you’ll want your tomatoes to produce all they can
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