Did you know there are different types of tomatoes?
Determinate
Determinate are bush varieties. They are meant to grow more compact. Once their flowers form at the tips of the vines they stop growing. This means their fruit sets all at once, fairly quickly. Your plant is then done for the season. Some determinate varieties are: Beefsteak, Rutgers, Early Girl & Roma.
Indeterminate
Indeterminate these are vining varieties. They have vines that can grow 6-20′. And they will keep growing and producing until frost. Indeterminate tomatoes should be pruned occasionally to prevent their energy going into vine growth. Pinch out suckers to prevent growth and encourage more tomatoes.. Be sure and give your tomatoes good support at the time of planting.
heirloom
The definition of “Heirloom” Tomatoes is subject to debate. There is general agreement that Heirloom Tomatoes are older varieties that have been passed down generations in the seed trade or within families. The seeds generally do not differ from the parent plant. They are generally considered less commercialized and not genetically modified. And some argue Heirlooms just taste better.
Kennedy’s brings in an array of Heirloom Tomatoes every spring, some typical heirloom tomatoes varieties may include:
- Black Krim
- Boxcar Willy
- Brandywine
- Cherokee Purple
- Mortgage Lifter
- Mr Stripey
- Old German
- San Marzano
organic vs non-organic
Kennedy’s carries Standard (non-organic) tomatoes and USDA Certified Organic tomatoes. The difference is our organic growers use organic seed, soil, & fertilizers, etc. and they have gone through a process to get their operations to be certified organic. Most organic varieties have tags with organic labels and extensive information about each variety. Non-organic vegetable plants typically are not grown using pesticides, but typically these growers do not claim to use certified organic soils and fertilizers. At Kennedy’s we separate the organic and non-organic vegetable varieties onto different benches and have them all laid out alphabetically for your convenience.
Feed your tomatoes at planting time, once the fruit sets and then again every 2 weeks after. Fertilizers we recommend are Espoma Tomato!, Fox Farm Grow Big or Fox Farm Happy Frog.
CANNING:
San Marzano
Group/Class:
Heirloom-Indeterminate
Description:
A perfect sauce variety that produces long, blocky red fruit with small seed cavities; high yielding, perfect for large containers and gardens; well balanced flavor, ideal for sauces and pastes but also for roasting, salads and canning
Better Boy
Group/Class:
Indeterminate
Description:
Known for high yields of fruit, Better Boy produces beautiful juicy scarlet red tomatoes, weighing almost 1 pound each; known as a slicer, its perfect for sandwiches, salads, canning and sauces; leaves and roots are toxic; requires staking.
Roma
Group/Class:
Plum-Determinate
Description:
A well loved heirloom variety that is compact enough for patio containers and small gardens; produces beautiful red, oval fruit with meaty interiors and few seeds; ideal for canning, sauces, juice, soups and dehydrating; does not require staking
SNACKING:
Sungold
Group/Class:
Cherry/Grape-Indeterminate
Description:
This variety produces an ample amount of small snack sized golden orange fruit; firm and super-sweet flavor; great for salads, roasting and fresh eating; performs wonderfully in large containers and vegetable gardens; caging or staking is required.
Sweet 100
Group/Class:
Cherry/Grape-Indeterminate
Description:
This variety produces an ample amount of small snack sized red fruit; firm with a well balanced flavor; perfect for containers or garden; great for salads, roasting and juice; disease resistant; caging or staking is required.
Sun Sugar
Group/Class:
Cherry/Grape-Indeterminate
Description:
Early maturing and high yielding, Sunsugar produces clusters of golden orange cherry tomatoes; juicy, and very sweet making them perfect for snacking and salads; crack and disease resistant; staking is required; great in large containers and gardens.
SLICING
Jet Star
Group/Class:
Slicer-Indeterminate
Description:
A high yielding, early variety that produces large, globe shaped red fruit; low acidic with a pleasant flavor, perfect for slicing, sandwiches, salads and even canning; crack and disease resistant; staking or caging is required.
Park’s Whopper
Group/Class:
Slicer-Indeterminate
Description:
High yields all season long, Park’s Whopper produces big, juicy red fruit; succulent tomato flavor is great for slicing on salads, sandwiches and burgers; staking is required; disease and crack resistant
Brandywine
Group/Class:
Beefsteak-Indeterminate
Description:
A beautiful heirloom variety perfect for any sunny garden; vigorous vines produce high yields of large, thin skinned, pinkish-red beefsteak tomatoes; sweet, juicy and firm, perfect for sandwiches, salads and slicing
Some of the tomatoes we carry are:
Beefsteak
Yellow Pearl
Sweet 100
Sweet 1000000
Rutgers
Mortgage Lifter
Heirloom
Hawaiian Pineapple
Heirloom Japanese Black Trifele
Heirloom Eva Purple Ball
Brandywine
Big Boy
Sun Sugar
San Marzano
Juliet
Jet Star
Cherokee Purple
Black Cherry
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