This text is part of the special book Plaisirs
Essential, round, generous and irresistibly red, the tomato takes center stage in gardens. Due to the many varieties offered, your heart hesitates? Opt for those that you will want to cook for all dishes. Make way for the queen of the garden!
The best tomato: yours!
Choose your varieties of tomatoes according to your tastes and your culinary habits: cherry tomatoes for salads, juicy and sweet for preserves, generous ones for sandwiches, etc.
Also be consistent with the space available in the garden. There are cultivars that are very effective in window boxes and intense varieties, both in yield and size, for large gardens.
The period and the abundance of the production are also selection criteria. You will certainly prefer plants that offer tomatoes throughout the summer, over a long period.
If I were a tomato, I would opt for a gardener…
Organized
The ideal tomato garden is in full sun, sheltered from the wind. Choose well-drained soil with plenty of manure or compost. Remove the lower leaves that touch the ground and space your plants at least 50 to 60 cm apart for good air circulation. Regular cutting of tomato plants can restrict certain varieties, especially indeterminate cultivars, which must also be staked. Plant the stake in the ground before the plant to avoid injuring the roots.
Patient
Too early = too fresh: that’s the adage of any good gardener! In most regions of Quebec, you will have to wait until the end of May to plant your tomato plants in the vegetable garden.
Also take the time to put on gloves before removing diseased flowers and sterilize your secateurs between cuts.
Finally, pick your tomatoes when they are fully ripe, so that they are tastier.
Considerate and constant
To promote the appearance of secondary roots, bury half of the stem underground when planting. Change places every year to avoid certain diseases.
Water regularly (the soil, not the foliage!). Be careful though: too generous a supply of water can cause the fruit to crack.
Tomatoes for all vegetable gardens
This summer, multiply the possibilities with a few tomatoes with complementary characteristics.
The little — So practical, they can be eaten as they are, without cutting or artifice, often directly in the garden. Cherry tomatoes are children’s favourites. They are ideal for salads or as a garnish for pizzas.
The taste of yellow or orange tomatoes differs quite clearly from that of red ones, you need them in the garden. Very sweet and a little fruity, Sun Gold is very productive in small round tomatoes with an orange color. Resistant to diseases and with indeterminate growth, it can become intense; the plant is extremely productive. These tomatoes freeze well and give an excellent result when dried. If you have a growing space on your patio, this is the strain for you.
Cocktails — Easy to stuff, these tomatoes are used in particular to make several recipes that are perfect for an aperitif. Mountain Magic is excellent in taste and harvested singly or in beautiful dark red clusters. Tolerant to cracking and with a semi-determinate habit, it is also very decorative.
The averages — Versatile, they have a lot of charm and are essential in the vegetable garden as well as in the kitchen. Their harvest generally continues over a fairly good period. Resistant and tasty, the Celebrity remains a safe bet and one of the most popular on the market. Its determined plant also allows it to be grown on the balcony.
the enormous — Efficient and tasty, well balanced between acidity and sweetness, Big Beef is one of the choices of experienced gardeners. Indeterminate plants are vigorous and very productive, and show great resistance to several diseases. It’s the tomato of choice for sauces, juice and… the one-slice sandwich.
Italian — The Italian-type tomato must be generous and tasty. The San Marzano offers large, fleshy and uniform fruits, and its plant is very vigorous. It is a classic for sauces, preserves and soups, but also for salads, which is not the case with all Italian tomatoes.
To find a professional who will help you make a choice for your plants and addresses of horticultural merchants throughout Quebec, click here.