Tomatoes for eating and canning

[Meowmie]

I've been experimenting and have yet to hit the just right tomato for my needs. I would like to be able to grow just one variety of tomato since I will be harvesting the seeds, but want tomatoes that are good for eating AND canning (large crop ready at same time).

Organic is a must, prefer an heirloom variety. Does anyone have any suggestions for me? What is your favorite?

 

[Chuck]

I've been experimenting and have yet to hit the just right tomato for my needs. I would like to be able to grow just one variety of tomato since I will be harvesting the seeds, but want tomatoes that are good for eating AND canning (large crop ready at same time).

Organic is a must, prefer an heirloom variety. Does anyone have any suggestions for me? What is your favorite?

You shouldn't have a problem with the eating and canning requirements but the crop ready at the same time requirement will be more of a problem. I personally do not know of any heirloom or open pollinated tomato that ripens more or less at the same time. I know many varieties that will fit your needs but they are all hybrids and most likely will not come true from their seeds

 

[marlingardener]

We plant Celebrities, which are semi-determinate, and give a spring/early summer crop, and if trimmed back and kept watered, give a fall crop. We plant a lot of tomatoes so we'll have a good amount of tomatoes at canning time. I think the only way to get "a large crop ready at the same time" is to plant a lot of tomatoes.
Celebrities are also good eating tomatoes, with the acidic bite that is lacking in so many of the newer varieties. I think it is an heirloom variety, but I'm not sure.

 

[Chuck]

We plant Celebrities, which are semi-determinate, and give a spring/early summer crop, and if trimmed back and kept watered, give a fall crop. We plant a lot of tomatoes so we'll have a good amount of tomatoes at canning time. I think the only way to get "a large crop ready at the same time" is to plant a lot of tomatoes.
Celebrities are also good eating tomatoes, with the acidic bite that is lacking in so many of the newer varieties. I think it is an heirloom variety, but I'm not sure.

I always plant a few celebrities too. Excellent eating tomatoes, fair canners but they are a hybrid and the seeds do not come true. I have tried numerous times with no success. I think after a few more generations they will. The only two large determinate heirlooms that are excellent canners and eaters are called Heinz and Rutgers. They are great down here in hot Texas but up north in Wisconsin I haven't a clue. Be worth a try though

 

[Meowmie]

Thanks for the information Marling and Chuck. My friend grows tomatoes specifically for canning and her tomatoes ALL mature within a few days of each other. But they are a hybrid, designed for canning, and saving the seeds would not work.

I think I will go with either Heinz or Rutgers. I'm sure either will grow here if I start them inside, which I always have to do except for cherry tomatoes.

Do you know which of these two is better for eating?

 

[DancingLady]

My friends have always grown a number of different varieties and they both can and eat all of them. I think the heirloom ones taste the best both canned and eaten raw. I don't know what kind of heirloom though, I thought heirloom was heirloom. My other favorite is called Black Prince. It is incredibly juicy and wonderful.

 

[Chuck]

Thanks for the information Marling and Chuck. My friend grows tomatoes specifically for canning and her tomatoes ALL mature within a few days of each other. But they are a hybrid, designed for canning, and saving the seeds would not work.

I think I will go with either Heinz or Rutgers. I'm sure either will grow here if I start them inside, which I always have to do except for cherry tomatoes.

Do you know which of these two is better for eating?

Personally I like the Rutgers better. They are an old heirloom first developed for canning. They are fairly large at about 6 oz, have good cover and ripen within about 2 weeks. They are a mid-season crop here

 

[headfullofbees]

Gill's all-purpose sounds more like what you want; it is heirloom, organic and semi-determinate, is good for eating and canning, and, being semi-determinate, will give most of its crop up in a concentrated fashion.

 

[Chuck]

Gill's all-purpose sounds more like what you want; it is heirloom, organic and semi-determinate, is good for eating and canning, and, being semi-determinate, will give most of its crop up in a concentrated fashion.

That probably would be a good variety for Wisconsin. I have never heard of it but I just ordered a packet of seeds from Territorial Seeds. I will see how it works in heat and sunshine. Who knows, it might be the tomato holy grail I have been looking for

 

[Meowmie]

That probably would be a good variety for Wisconsin. I have never heard of it but I just ordered a packet of seeds from Territorial Seeds. I will see how it works in heat and sunshine. Who knows, it might be the tomato holy grail I have been looking for

You are looking for that holy grail tomato too? Funny thing is, once I find it, if I find it, I'll have to start over in 3 years because we are making a drastic move. Bye Bye Wisconsin winters and short summers!

 

[jade870]

I personally find when a growing tomatoes it in the garden adding a little miracle Gro works wonders. All my tomatoes this year have been 100% juicy and full. We did not have to use a whole lot of insect propeller for some reason they share it wasn't a bad. The majority of the tomatoes that we grew this year were canned. We had a over 600 tomatoes that were grown in our garden, canning the tomatoes I thought it was the best option to preserve them.

 

[headfullofbees]

I personally find when a growing tomatoes it in the garden adding a little miracle Gro works wonders. All my tomatoes this year have been 100% juicy and full. We did not have to use a whole lot of insect propeller for some reason they share it wasn't a bad. The majority of the tomatoes that we grew this year were canned. We had a over 600 tomatoes that were grown in our garden, canning the tomatoes I thought it was the best option to preserve them.

Chuck's gonna get ya!!

 

[Chuck]

I personally find when a growing tomatoes it in the garden adding a little miracle Gro works wonders. All my tomatoes this year have been 100% juicy and full. We did not have to use a whole lot of insect propeller for some reason they share it wasn't a bad. The majority of the tomatoes that we grew this year were canned. We had a over 600 tomatoes that were grown in our garden, canning the tomatoes I thought it was the best option to preserve them.

MiracleGro works wonders? What will be a wonder is if after using this chemical concoction for a few years your soil will be able to grow anything at all. MG is the absolute best in its innate ability to build up all kinds of salts in your soil. Using MG is also a terrific means of eradicating all of those micro-organisms such as mycorrhizae fungi.

Compare your soil to a bowl of your breakfast cereal. Would you pour anti-freeze or milk on your Post Toasties? It is the same principle for your soil. Feeding it something natural or something out of a test tube, thought up by some geek type chemical engineer living in the bowels of Monsanto

IMHO

 

[Little1]

I've been experimenting and have yet to hit the just right tomato for my needs. I would like to be able to grow just one variety of tomato since I will be harvesting the seeds, but want tomatoes that are good for eating AND canning (large crop ready at same time).

Organic is a must, prefer an heirloom variety. Does anyone have any suggestions for me? What is your favorite?

I love heirloom tomatoes as well, I have had a couple of varieties that the taste is just so goodI haven't been able to go back to the grocery store variety because they taste like nothing to me! I would suggest going to any heirloom seed company online and growing a test garden to see which one works best for you. You can raise them organically and keep the seeds to have your own organic variety if need be but I think you should be able to find both heirloom and organic. I had a crop one summer and got the varieties mixed up and lost the name of the one that was the best I've ever eaten, make sure you don't do that! Please update us on what you find out.

 

[headfullofbees]

MiracleGro works wonders? What will be a wonder is if after using this chemical concoction for a few years your soil will be able to grow anything at all. MG is the absolute best in its innate ability to build up all kinds of salts in your soil. Using MG is also a terrific means of eradicating all of those micro-organisms such as mycorrhizae fungi.

Compare your soil to a bowl of your breakfast cereal. Would you pour anti-freeze or milk on your Post Toasties? It is the same principle for your soil. Feeding it something natural or something out of a test tube, thought up by some geek type chemical engineer living in the bowels of Monsanto

IMHO

Beautiful, really beautiful.