UC Master Gardener Program Contra Costa County ccmg.ucanr.edu April 2016

Shopping Guide to Varieties at the 2016 Great Tomato Plant Sale Find the right tomato(es) for your needs.

TOMATOES BY CLIMATE TYPE Most “patio/compact tomatoes” will grow well in either a warm or cooler microclimate. The same is also true for most cherry tomatoes. The following list provides some general climate guidance for beefsteaks, paste tomatoes and slicers.

WARM CLIMATE VARIETIES

Full-Size/Standard—Beefsteak Amana Orange Kellogg’s Breakfast Ananas Noire Chianti Rose Marvel Stripe Aunt Ruby’s German Green Chocolate Stripe Copper River Paul Robeson (Antioch sale only) Black from Tula Giant Syrian Pomodoro Canestrino di Lucca Hawaiian Pineapple Red Boxcar Willie Hillbilly (Antioch sale only) Russian Black Brandywine Pink

Full-Size/Standard—Paste Costuloto Genovese (Antioch Margherita San Marzano Gigante sale only) Pompeii San Marzano Regular La Roma III Rocky Tiren

Full-Size/Standard—Slicers/Saladette Eva Purple Ball Mandarin Cross Black Ethiopian Siletz Black Prince Italian Heirloom Vorlon Bloody Butcher

Most cherry varieties; most patio/compact varieties.

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UC Master Gardener Program Contra Costa County ccmg.ucanr.edu 2016 Great Tomato Plant Sale—Shopping Guide April 2016

COOLER CLIMATE VARIETIES

Full-Size/Standard—Beefsteak Caspian Pink (*) Persimmon Skyway (*) Copper River Russian Black

Full-Size/Standard—Paste La Roma III Pompeii Rocky

Full-Size/Standard—Slicers/Saladette Azoychka Green Zebra Stupice Bloody Butcher Legend Valencia Eva Purple Ball Momotaro Vorlon

(*) Caspian Pink and Skyway are compact varieties that perform especially well in western Contra Costa County. Most cherry varieties and most other patio/compact varieties will also perform well.

EARLY-BEARING TOMATOES Most cherry or small slicer tomatoes will bear relatively early. Also consider: Caspian Pink (beefsteak) Chianti Rose (beefsteak) Persimmon (beefsteak) Russian Black (beefsteak) Stupice (slicer) Valencia (slicer)

These varieties also perform well in cool-foggy climates.

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UC Master Gardener Program Contra Costa County ccmg.ucanr.edu 2016 Great Tomato Plant Sale—Shopping Guide April 2016

PATIO-FRIENDLY TOMATOES We’re offering a wide variety of tomatoes for patios and pots. These varieties are either determinate (short, 2-3') or semi-determinate (about 4-5'), and are easier to manage for containers. However, caging or staking is still usually recommended. Note that full-size tomatoes can also be successfully grown in containers; they simply require taller cages or trellising.

Here are some great performers for patios: Caspian Pink (beefsteak, indeterminate) Black Sea Man (classic, semi-determinate) Lizzan0 (cherry, semi-determinate) Monica (paste, determinate)

TOMATOES BY COLOR

Green Orange Aunt Ruby’s German Green (beefsteak) Amana Orange (beefsteak) Green Zebra (classic) Kellogg’s Breakfast (beefsteak) Persimmon (beefsteak) Black Sungold Hybrid (cherry) Black Cherry (cherry) Black Ethiopian (slicer) Yellow/Gold Black from Tula (beefsteak) Husk Cherry Goldie (a tomatillo) Black Krim (beefsteak) Isis Candy (cherry) Black Sea Man (slicer) Sun Sugar (cherry) Cherokee Purple (classic beefsteak) Sweet Gold FT Hybrid (cherry) Paul Robeson (beefsteak) Yellow Pear (cherry) Russian Black (beefsteak) Bi-color Classic Reds Ananas Noire (beefsteak) Bloody Butcher (slicer) Big Rainbow (beefsteak) Box Car Willie (beefsteak) Chocolate Stripe (beefsteak) Italian Heirloom (beefsteak) Copper River (beefsteak) Momotaro (slicer) Hawaiian Pineapple (beefsteak) Stupice (slicer) Marvel Stripe (beefsteak)

Other Reds Consider paste tomatoes, such as Margherita, Italian Roma Bush, San Marzano or Tiren for salads and salsas, not just for cooking. They have a sweet, intense flavor and won't make your salad or salsa too drippy with juice.

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UC Master Gardener Program Contra Costa County ccmg.ucanr.edu 2016 Great Tomato Plant Sale—Shopping Guide April 2016

GREAT TOMATO PLANT SALE FAQS: Q. Why aren’t you offering my favorite variety this year? A. We’ve added twenty-four varieties this year. Unfortunately, we have a limited amount of space, time, and volunteers, so we simply can’t grow everything, much as we would like to. Our focus is on growing excellent varieties that grow well in Contra Costa and aren’t widely available. We are currently testing new heirloom varieties in Our Garden to assess whether they will perform well here in Contra Costa’s climate. The few that make the grade will be at the Great Tomato Plant Sale for you to buy next year.

Other questions? Need advice on good tomato cultivation practices?  Contact our Help Desk (UC Master Gardener Program of Contra Costa) at (925) 646-6586, or  Visit our website at www.ccmg.ucdavis.edu.

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