questions about tomato varieties

17 years ago

I live in Boyne City Michigan. This is in the northern part of Michigan near the upper peninsula. I realize that this year it's too late to plant tomatoes from seed. However this is for future reference, because I would like to plant tomatoes next year.

I ordered a seed catalog from Burpee to look for varieties of seeds I wanted. I then jotted these down and hope to find the varieties of seeds I want at a less expensive price. At the same time, I don't want to compensate quality by buying a seed packet that is at a cheaper price. Some of the prices for the seeds I was interested in for tomatoes were a bit pricey, which is why I'd like to try to find the seed varieties I want via the internet, but at a less expensive price.

Next year I would like to try growing tomatoes. I am basically looking for three different varieties of tomatoes. The first would be used for canning, to make homemade sauces and in soups; the 2nd variety would be diced up and blanched and for use in dishes diced up. The third would be used raw in salads, burgers, salsa, and sandwiches.

As far as what I'm looking for, there is only one specific variety I know for sure that I want to get for next year. It's called a paste tomato, and is said to be ideal for making sauces and soups and in canning. I know that

one variety of paste tomato is roma. Is plum similar to roma and is it considered a paste tomato too? Can it be used for canning, in soups, and to make sauces?

Regarding the other two varieties, I've no clue what specific variety to look for. I know that with all my varieties I would like them to be determinate

and a compact, bush variety.

The reason for this is because right now

I'm doing container gardening, so I need

compact varieties of whatever I grow.

I know there is another variety of tomato called indeterminate, which is basically a vining monstrosity that is a space hog. I would like to avoid this variety because as said I'm doing container gardening, so with any vegetable I grow I need compact varieties that are ideal to grow in small and limited space.

I could use help with two things basically. I would could use recommendations for what varieties of tomatoes are good

for using raw. I could also use recommendations for what

varieties of tomatoes are good to use diced up and cooked in dishes.

The variety of tomatoes I'm looking for with size are small-medium

for paste tomatoes. For the other two varieties which I plan to use raw

and diced up and cooked in dishes, I would like them to be medium-large in size.

I could use advice, recommendations, and thoughts regarding this please.

Any input regarding this I will very much appreciate.

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Comments (6)

Bets
17 years ago
Hello kawaiineko,

There are lots of threads on the forum where posters have asked for recommendations on paste, slicers, canners and fresh eating tomatoes. To find those threads all you have to do is go nearly to the bottom of the page where there is a search box and type favorite (type you are looking for) and you will get lots of results.

Here are a couple I found on paste tomatoes:

Rio Grande (a determinate) Paste Tomato Thread (Be sure to check Korney19Âs link to a previous thread on paste tomatoes, some great pics even if some of the photos are no longer available.)

Paste Tomato Thread

I also did a search for "favorite tomato" and got 240 threads for results. (See the link below.) Some of them list tomatoes that are good for multiple uses. I am not going to list any tomato varieties here as I see no need to reinvent the wheel.

Many plum type tomatoes can be considered paste, but some of them will have more juice than others.

There are several sources that you may want to use for reference as to which tomato is a determinate type (variety is a name) and those would be online seeds vendor sites (in no particular order, some carry both heirloom/open pollinated and hybrids, and some don't carry hybrids) such as Tomato Growers Supply, Totally Tomatoes, Tomato Fest, Tomato Pro, Laurel's Heirloom Tomato Plants, Sand Hill Preservation and many more that you can Google for.

Bets

Here is a link that might be useful: Favorite tomato search results
sautesmom Sacramento
17 years ago
Since you live in a difficult zone, frankly I think you would be better off discussing it with anyone at a farmer's market near you, your local ag extension, or a large local garden center. Very few on this board live in Zone 4, and our experiences and recommendations may not make it where you are.

Carla in Sac
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trudi_d
17 years ago
Is free cheap enough?

Print and fill the order form, mail it with a SASE with two first class stamps for the shipping and that's that.

Here is a link that might be useful: Your Choice Tomato SASE
digdirt2
17 years ago
Vesey's Seeds - a far northern seed supplier has some good recommendations for tomato varieties that work well in the far north. You might check them out (linked below). Since you want determinate varieties for container growing, Vesey's offers several.

The first would be used for canning, to make homemade sauces and in soups; the 2nd variety would be diced up and blanched and for use in dishes diced up. The third would be used raw in salads, burgers, salsa, and sandwiches.

Since you are new to growing tomatoes it might help you to know that any variety of tomato can be used to make sauce. It does not have to be a paste (roma-type) or a plum. Many of us will tell you that far better sauce is made by using a variety of types. Same goes for dicing or using fresh - any variety works fine - and non-roma/paste types have more flavor.

Also keep in mind that your short growing season will be your biggest problem and you can compensate somewhat for that by using wahat are called "early" varieites.

Hope this helps.

Dave

Here is a link that might be useful: Vesey's Seeds
compost_pete-grower
17 years ago
La Roma from tomato growers is an awesome tomato for cooking and grilling. I do not container garden but this variety is compact and dz resistant. This is not a good sandwich tomato if you want big slices. Opalka is a very sweet sauce tomato but it gets big and out of control even in a large cage. good luck
sue_ct
17 years ago
San Marzano tomatoes are mentioned by chefs on TV a lot as the type they usually purchase for making sauces. That might just be because they are available commercially, even canned, and are better than the other commercially available types. EVERYTHING is even better picked and used fresh from your own garden.

Sue