Congratulations on your new garden! When you say "brand" I believe you mean "variety" or (proper term) "cultivar." There are literally 1000's of varieties of tomato, and we don't know what is available at your local nurseries. Maybe you could make a list of what they have and solicit opinions about those specific varieties. Otherwise, people are going to be suggesting all kinds of things that may or may not be relevant to you (not that we won't do that anyway :)

Well the only "brand" of plants available around here is Bonnie's Plants as they are the biggest plant grower/supplier in the south. Otherwise you have to buy your plants from a local grower who sells at the farmer's market or one of the few local nurseries who grow their own.

So when it comes to plant brands there are few choices.

Varieties of tomato plants is also somewhat limited as the growers usually only grow the common varieties or what was a big seller the previous year or years. So any unusual varieties or heirloom varieties will be hard to find as plants. That's why so many now grow from seed.

Around here you can almost always find Beefsteak, Juliet, Sweet Million Cherry, Bradley, Better Boy, Big Boy, Celebrity, Early Girl, Patio, Lemon Boy, Arkansas Travelers, maybe Jet Star, Rutgers, a few Brandywine, and a few selected others.

Of those, the only ones I would be personally interested in growing are the AR Travelers, Brandywine, Rutgers, and Jet Star.

But many others seem to like Early Girl, Celebrity and Better Boy because they sure sell alot of those plants.

Dave

Ha..well I kind of meant both actually.."brand" and "variety". I do see a lot of the "Bonnie" brand around, but my instinct it telling me not to buy those simply because they are at WalMart and Lowe's seeing they are suited for the "mass market". My instinct also tells me that local growers would be better because they are local, and I do like to support my locals when I can.

Beefsteak and Big Boy seem the same to me..which is why I never know which is "better" as far as taste and texture. I would be using them primarily for caprese, green salads, and the like; not for sauces or preserving, seeing if I get too many (how hopeful am I!) I would give them to neighbors and family.. I may do one Early Girl plant just so I have a steady flow of 'maters, and not one big influx later in the season.

There is nothing wrong with Bonnie's Plants. For thousands of folks they are the only source available and grow them. They are a reputable producer. And there is nothing inherently wrong with buy plants from the big box stores either. For many they are the only source available.

The problem is just that the variety selection is very limited and very blah to average tomatoes vs. the hundreds of really great tomato varieties one can grow if you grow from seed.

Honestly, if you restrict yourself to using only store-bought plants you are only scratching the surface of the real world of tomatoes. ;) So explore some of the local growers and consider trying some different varieties.

Dave

Most "brands" are ok and those from local growers are fine, too. The key to buying good plants from big box stores like Walmart is to know when the shipment is coming in and be there the same day. That way they don't have a chance to be neglected, dried out, allowed to get too cold, etc. There are tomatoes available here now that stay either outside or in unheated parts of the stores. The nights are still too cold and greenhouse raised tomatoes that have been exposed to low temperatures never do as well as those that are protected from the cold.

I raise some from seed but mine got too cold this year since my little portable greenhouse is unheated and the heat mat under the flat didn't keep them warm enough. So this year I'll buy mine but I'll follow the advice above and be sure what I buy has been treated well.

Sandy

Here's a link to a nice site for seeds or seedlings

Here is a link that might be useful: heirloom tomato plants

Here's another great site for mail-order, ready-to-plant tomatoes, and some fantastic, flavorful varieties. I have not ordered from this company, but inquiries indicate that Mark has fantastic customer services due to his response--both phone and email!!

Good luck, and if you HAVE to go with the locally-purchased stuff, I would recommend the same as dakster. I have also seen a "Bonnie Best" or "Bonnie Bonnie" tomato in the Bonnie markets, and this one did nicely for me--smaller fruits, but very flavorful, especially in caprese salad!

Here is a link that might be useful: heirloom tomatoes in single, 6- or 12-packs

I would honestly buy anything that looked good will be fine for you local greenhouses sure are fun because they can tell you a lot about how to grow
I have bought very nice plants at wallmart there is nothing inherintly wrong with them if they look bad they probly are

Thank you fro all your advice and patience with a "newbie", it is much appreciated!

Happy Gardening!

PS Here is a picture of my newly minted patch! :)

Here is a link that might be useful: Virgin Garden!