Tomato Production
Super Fantastic, Celebrity, and Arkansas traveler
varieties. Photo by Maggie Dwyer
Q: What is your favorite tomato variety for north Texas? — P.O., Dallas
A: My favorite is Super Fantastic but there are many good ones. You might want to take a look at the variety recommendations in my book Texas Organic Vegetable Gardening. But here is an overview of the ones that will give the best production, also some information on bed preparation for best results.
Note on D or I: Determinate tomatoes produce one crop at roughly the same time. Indeterminate produces fruit all growing season.
| HYBRIDS | size | type | days | HEIRLOOMS | size | type | days | |
| Celebrity | M | semi-D | 70 | Giant Belgium | L | I | 85 | |
| Super Fantastic | M | I | 70 | Cherokee Purple | L | I | 85 | |
| Big Boy | L | I | 78 | Green Zebra | M | D | 75 | |
| Better Boy | L | I | 72 | Risentraube | S | I | 80 | |
| Beef Steak | L | I | 85 | Wild Currant | S | I | 75 | |
| Supersonic | M | I | 80 | White Currant | S | I | 75 | |
| Piccolo | S | I | 78 | Yellow Pear | S | I | 78 | |
| Juliet | S | I | 60 | Violet Jasper | S | I | 80 | |
| Big Beef | L | I | 75 | Topaz | S | I | ? | |
| Giant German Strawberry | L | I | 85 |
In Soil Planting Bed Preparation. Into the existing soil mix the following:
- Compost 4”
- Expanded shale 1”
- Decomposed granite 1”
- Dry molasses
- Lava sand 80 lbs/1000 sq ft
- Zeolite 80 lbs/1000 sq ft
- Greensand 40 lbs/1000 sq ft
- Alfalfa meal at 20 lbs per 1000 sq ft.
Potting Soil for Containers
- 40% Composted dairy manure
- 25% Coconut coir
- 20% Fine ground native tree mulch
- 10% Expanded shale
- 5% Soft rock phosphate
End of the season tomato management
In the fall as the first frost approaches gardeners have to decide the disposition of their unripe tomatoes. Those who are experienced canners know that if a plant is hit by frost the fruit can’t be used for processing, whether ripened to use later or to make green tomato relish. The only choice for them is to pick while green.
If tomatoes are picked when green, features that will predict whether they ripen successfully or not include if they are close to mature size, if they aren’t completely rock-hard but are close to ripe texture, if a hint of the final color begins to show, and if a tomato were to be cut open, the seeds inside have the tell-tale “gel” surrounding them.