Early
Spokane and it's surrounding areas have a lovely climate. Unfortunately our growing season is short and can be shorter in some years than others. If you want a guaranteed supply of tomatoes, you can never go wrong with early varieties. The only dilemma is finding a variety that is early and actually tasty. We offer the ubiquitous Early Girl for those who like to stay in their comfort zone and for the more adventurous we have the likes of Stupice, Early Goliath, Siltez, Oregon Spring and Alaskan Fancy, to name a few. One of the new ones I'm anxious to try is the Ultimate Opener. It was developed by the breeder of Early Girl and is supposed to be very delicious and 33% bigger!
Patio
These are the tomatoes that are perfect for containers. Technically, all tomatoes can be grown in pots.These plants, however, are bred specifically for that purpose. If you live in an apartment or with limited backyard space you can still have fresh tomatoes. These plants are determinate, one of them is more of a novelty, it is so small it will amaze your neighbors and friends. There are also some cherry tomatoes that work well such as Tumbler, Tumbling Tom Red and Yellow.
Cherry
Our family loves cherry tomatoes. They are easy to grow, often being one of the first to ripen. Sungold is the hands down favorite although my son now claims he like the Isis Candy better. It is a delicious, sweet fruity tomato about the size of a ping pong ball. This year, we also have white, green, black, yellow, pink, red and red marbled colors. They make a colorful salad when mixed together.
Main Season
These are the workhorse of the garden. Most of them are red and medium to large, although we do have a large pink tomato which is a hybrid Brandywine with earlier ripening. We've included the beefsteak varieties here also. Beefsteaks are the neighborhood showstoppers. Because of our short season they are not always reliable but are always fun to try. Big Zac and Delicious are the largest we offer.
Paste & Plum
Do you like spaghetti sauce? How about home made tomato soup? Then these are the tomatoes for you. Meaty with fewer seeds make these perfect for the sauce pot. When I get tired of canning, I put our tomatoes straight into ziplock bags and freeze them just the way they are. When it comes time to use them, I run them under hot water for a few seconds and the skins just fall off. Try drying them. I am not a fan of Romas (the ones in the store are entirely tasteless) but even I have to admit, they aren't so bad when they come out of my garden. Even though paste tomatoes are known for their cooking potential, some of the ones we offer are good for eating out of hand. We like the Sausage, Amish Paste, and Polish Linguisa.
Heirloom
The heirlooms are wonderful. In order to qualify for the heirloom category, they must have been in cultivation for at least a hundred years. Many have fascinating stories behind them. For instance, the Mortgage Lifter was developed by a gentleman who raised them and paid off his house during the depression years. Amana Orange is from Amana, Iowa. Most heirlooms are long season tomatoes but are worth growing for their taste. All of the tomatoes we offer in this category are very good and come in a rainbow of colors.
Unusual
I was hard pressed to decide which category to put some of these tomatoes. Are they heirlooms, main season or unusual? I decided to put them here if they were an unusual color or shape. Pinks and purples,tomatoes that grow 20 feet tall (if happy) even ones that are shaped like bell peppers. Try them for fun.
I like to wow my friends with this plate of tomatoes at BBQ's. Slice different colored tomatoes, I used white, purple, red, orange and green.Sprinkle with feta cheese, thinly sliced red onions and italian dressing. Delicious.
This year, we had more tomatoes than we knew what to do with. My friends stopped coming around, even the cable man went away with a bag of them. The community center food bank received many donations from our surplus. Think about planting some to share with your neighbors and the Plant A Row Organization.
Here is a pdf of the tomato list, complete with color pictures that you can download and share with everyone you know.
It is recommended that you come and purchase from our greenhouse prior to the show to ensure adequate selection. Browse ur selections and make a list to bring. It will be first come, first serve. Last year we sold out of tomatoes rather quickly. Due to rising fuel and materials costs, the plants are $3.25 which includes tax.