If you haven't picked out your tomato plants yet, here's a guide to what happened here in our tomato garden in Sacramento last year. But the 2010 tomato year may not be the best barometer for choosing your 2011 tomato plants.
Was there a summer in 2010? You wouldn't think so, judging by the erratic to poor quality of the homegrown tomatoes last year here in many parts of California's Central Valley. The 2009 Tomato Report Card hinted that "all bets were off" for 2010, due to the unseasonably cool weather through May (plus rain at the end of the month). And sure enough, it stayed abnormally cool through June and July.
Average daily maximum high temperatures last spring and summer for Sacramento, compared to the historic average for those months (in parentheses):
April 2010: 66 (73)
May 2010: 75 (81)
June 2010: 87 (88)
July 2010: 91 (93)
August 2010: 92 (92)
Sept. 2010: 88 (88)
No wonder the tomatoes didn't go full-tilt boogie into production until August and September! So, keep in mind the wacky weather of 2010 as you peruse last year's Tomato Report Card here at the Farmer Fred Radio Ranch:
Lemon Boy A Excellent. long production cycle, good flavor
Dr. Wyche A Best heirloom of 2010
First Prize B+ Good producer early on. Everything the Celebrity should have been.
Sweet Gold B+ - Dependable yellow cherry tomato
Early Wonder B Did better than Early Girl; larger, too.
Beefmaster B- Erratic production but good size
Big Beef B- Dependable slicer.
*Poti Cuote Bue-1 C+ produced early, nothing to write home about.
*Pomodoro Canestrino C+ Juicy but went bad quick
*Poti Cuote Bue-2 C less productive than PCB-1. Subject to cracking.
Viva Italia C Sunburn, solar yellowing, produced late.
Djena Lee’s Golden Girl C Disappointing, with little production.
*Pomodoro Canestrino Red Pear ‘Claudia’ C- Firmer, but gets blossom end rot easily.
Bloody Butcher C- Not as productive as 2009
Early Girl C- Didn't produce until August. Tiny.
Marianna’s Peace D Little production but tasty. Went bad quick.
Celebrity F - I swear, it was NOT a Celebrity. Ping Pong Ball size. Gangly vine, little production. 2010 was the third year in a row of disappointment for this All America Winner. Before then, it was one of the best.
* Yes, these are weird names. My daughter vacationed in Italy in 2009, staying with a family in central Italy, who gave her these seeds, wrapped in aluminum foil. Their names were probably lost in the translation. This much I know: "pomodoro" means "tomato" in Italian. "Canestrino"is a plum variety of tomato. "Poti Cuote Bui" is probably Petit Coeur de Boeuf.
A link to previous years in our garden.
Was there a summer in 2010? You wouldn't think so, judging by the erratic to poor quality of the homegrown tomatoes last year here in many parts of California's Central Valley. The 2009 Tomato Report Card hinted that "all bets were off" for 2010, due to the unseasonably cool weather through May (plus rain at the end of the month). And sure enough, it stayed abnormally cool through June and July.
Average daily maximum high temperatures last spring and summer for Sacramento, compared to the historic average for those months (in parentheses):
April 2010: 66 (73)
May 2010: 75 (81)
June 2010: 87 (88)
July 2010: 91 (93)
August 2010: 92 (92)
Sept. 2010: 88 (88)
No wonder the tomatoes didn't go full-tilt boogie into production until August and September! So, keep in mind the wacky weather of 2010 as you peruse last year's Tomato Report Card here at the Farmer Fred Radio Ranch:Lemon Boy A Excellent. long production cycle, good flavor
 |
| Dr. Wyche |
Dr. Wyche A Best heirloom of 2010
First Prize B+ Good producer early on. Everything the Celebrity should have been.
Sweet Gold B+ - Dependable yellow cherry tomato
Early Wonder B Did better than Early Girl; larger, too.
 |
| Beefmaster |
Big Beef B- Dependable slicer.
*Poti Cuote Bue-1 C+ produced early, nothing to write home about.
 |
| Cracking on Poti-2 |
*Pomodoro Canestrino C+ Juicy but went bad quick
*Poti Cuote Bue-2 C less productive than PCB-1. Subject to cracking.
 |
| Solar Yellowing on Viva Italia |
Viva Italia C Sunburn, solar yellowing, produced late.
Djena Lee’s Golden Girl C Disappointing, with little production.
 |
| Blossom End Rot |
*Pomodoro Canestrino Red Pear ‘Claudia’ C- Firmer, but gets blossom end rot easily.
Bloody Butcher C- Not as productive as 2009
Early Girl C- Didn't produce until August. Tiny.
 |
| Where's Marianna? |
Celebrity F - I swear, it was NOT a Celebrity. Ping Pong Ball size. Gangly vine, little production. 2010 was the third year in a row of disappointment for this All America Winner. Before then, it was one of the best.
* Yes, these are weird names. My daughter vacationed in Italy in 2009, staying with a family in central Italy, who gave her these seeds, wrapped in aluminum foil. Their names were probably lost in the translation. This much I know: "pomodoro" means "tomato" in Italian. "Canestrino"is a plum variety of tomato. "Poti Cuote Bui" is probably Petit Coeur de Boeuf.
A link to previous years in our garden.
