Taming the Touchy Tomato
Here’s how to increase your odds of growing healthy crop of delicious goodness.
There’s nothing like the flavor of a just-picked ripe and juicy tomato still warm from the sun. Which may explain why so many of us willingly coddle this sometimes-capricious backyard crop.
It’s not too late to get your tomatoes in the ground. My best advice is to purchase starts raised by local growers that know which varieties reliably produce well in relatively cool Pacific Northwest gardens.
Short season varieties are your best (tomato) friend. Smaller fruits ripen more quickly than larger ones, which means cherry tomatoes and palm-sized salad tomatoes that ripen in 55 to 70 days are always a safe bet. Then, if you’re feeling lucky, gamble on a hefty beefsteak— ‘Brandywine’ (85 days) is the gold standard. But be prepared for fewer fruits.
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