It has been a real challenge growing tomatoes this summer in Vancouver, as we had an unseasonably cold Spring, and an unusually cloudy July. Now that it's the end of August, I am finally seeing some colour on my tomato plants.
Of course, I love heirloom tomatoes, but I like to grow a mix, along with high-yielding hybrids. The tomato above was tagged as a Sun Cherry seedling at the VanDusen Garden Plant Sale but the size begs to differ!
See the mystery tomato compared to my Sweet Million cherry tomatoes? Speaking of Sweet Million, it is one of those varieties owned by the large seed conglomerate but the yield is amazing. There are endless clusters of sweet little cherry tomatoes everywhere I look.
My mouth waters at the prospect of eating my Black Krim heirloom tomatoes though. They are still green now, but I can't wait for them to ripen! The dark tomato flesh is so smoky and delicious, it tastes perfect with a bit of salt and pepper eaten fresh from the garden.
I'm so glad that the tomatoes are finally taking shape! I just hope the weather holds up so I don't end up with a bunch of green tomatoes on my hands. =)
Linking up a little late to the Tuesday Garden Party at An Oregon Cottage!
They look fantastic! Please share your Vancouver Tomato Growing Tips ...mine were/are pathetic. I need to try something different next year!
ReplyDeleteThanks Sandra! Honestly my plants are looking much weaker than last year. The only thing I did right was stake them early and often. Other than that, I gave them a sunny spot in the garden and made sure to water every couple of days (usually).
ReplyDeleteDo yours have water damage or some specific issue, or are they just smaller and slower than usual?
Nice tomatoes! My are .....sickly looking :(
ReplyDeleteMine are sickly too. Lots of wilt & rot. I pulled one out completely. I think part of the problem was that while I was away I had a friend watering the garden and they just sprayed the heck out of everything. And usually at night, so they stayed wet a long time. (not to mention our dreary summer overall) I also experimented with the topsy turvy tomato hangers, but again you cant avoid getting them wet. And one plant was over 6ft tall and out of control..it grew faster than I could stake or tie it up. Some parts just toppled over from their own weight.
ReplyDeleteSo funny...when we parked in the nice elderly Asian man's back yard when we went to the PNE this week, and I couldn't help but notice that HIS tomatoes looked fantastic. I wanted to ask him what his secret was but there was a bit of a language barrier. :)
I think I'm going to try starting them from seed next year. westcoastseeds.com has a good selection of heirloom varieties.
Hmm. Yes, the night time watering and splashing on the leaves is a definite tomato-killer. I think it can handle that late in the season but before it fruits, if its leaves start to deteriorate, I don't think the plant is too eager to set fruits.
ReplyDeleteI just went to an heirloom tomato tasting at Phoenix Perennials last saturday and out of maybe 15 tomatoes, the sun cherries and black krim were among my top 3 picks!
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