Deciding what tomatoes to grow in Salt Lake City

Growing tomatoes in Salt Lake City. What works well? What tastes good? Hybrid or heirloom? So many questions, so many thousands to choose from. I went with a few hybrids and a few heirlooms this year. My goal is to decide what is worth planting again next year and what will be banished from the garden forever.  I only have three 4' x 8' garden boxes, so space is very limited. Most of the heirlooms were grown from seed from tomatoes that I purchased at the Salt Lake City farmer's market. It's easy to save seeds - just google it. Below are pictures of tomatoes next to a marble so you can get an idea of size. Also listed is the date they when first picked, where I got the seed, and the thumbs up or down.

Pineapple - heirloom

First picked August 8

Grown from seeds I saved from last year.

This is the largest tomato from our garden so far. It is huge, it's beautiful, and it has great, sweet flavor. The orange/yellow tomato is brushed with green on top and red on the bottom. The red marbles up into the flesh for a beautiful sandwich slice. I'll plant this again next year.

Japanese Trifele - heirloom

First picked July 27th

Purchased a seedling from Wasatch Gardens

I was really excited about this tomato and it hasn't been a disappointment. The plant has a ton of fruit. The coloring and flavor are similar to the Purple Cherokee, but the shape is different. The flavor great and it makes a beautiful sauce.

Purple Cherokee - heirloom

First picked July 29th

Grown from seeds saved from a tomato I bought at the farmer's market.

This is the tomato that started this all for me. It's absolutely gorgeous with a violet red  and green shouldered skin and a deep violet red flesh. The flavor is rich with just the right mix of sweet and tang. This will always be in my garden.

Big Zebra - heirloom

First pick July 29th

Grown from seeds saved from a tomato I bought at the farmer's market.

I wasn't impressed with the flavor, it seemed a little bland. My wife thought it was great though, and insisted that I grow these again next year.

Beefsteak - hybrid

First pick July 29th

Grown from seeds purchased at Smith's grocery store.

 Good all-around tomato. I planted this in hopes of getting a lot of tomatoes, but it hasn't really been that productive. The flavor is good, but nothing spectacular. I will replace it with something else a little more interesting next year.

Orange Icicle - Heirloom

First picked August 4

Grown from seed purchased from rareseeds.com

This tomato surprised me with its pastel orange color. It has a light, sweet fruity flavor. The plant has produced a good amount and is indeterminate.  I can't wait to get enough of these to make some sauce. It will be in my garden next year.

 Black Zebra - heirloom

First Picked July 27

Planted from saved seed.

This is one of the most beautiful tomatoes in the garden. It is a rich red/purple covered with deep green. The flavor isn't bad, but it's not spectacular. The plant has produced a lot of fruit. I haven't yet decided if this will be in the garden next year.

Zapotek - heirloom

First picked July 29

Planted from saved seed

I love this tomato. The ribs make it so different than what people are used to and it's always a hit at family parties.  It looks incredible when it is sliced up too. The flavor is solid. The one downside is the plant hasn't produced a lot of fruit. This year's zapoteks are also about half the size of what I grew last year, and I'm not sure why.

Viva Italia Roma - hybrid

First picked July 29th

Planted from seed I bought at Smith's

Romas have less juice and seed than round tomatoes, which makes this a great tomato for making sauce.  The plant is determinate, so it  only grows about three feet high and most of the tomatoes ripen at the same time. The plant produces a lot of fruit. As much as I like heirlooms, this is a staple in my garden because of the number of tomatoes.

Roman Candle or Yellow Roma - heirloom

First picked July 27th

Planted from saved seed.

This is a gorgeous tomato that make beautiful sauce. My wife says it tastes good, but I say it lacks flavor. For that reason, it won't be a part of the garden next year.

Hamson DX 52-12  - hybrid

First picked July 23rd

Planted from seed

This tomato was developed by a gentleman named Hamson specifically for growing in Utah. Some people love it and can't say enough good about it. I am underwhelmed. The flavor is light and sweet, without any tang. Pretty much all of the tomatoes on the vine have cracked, and it hasn't produced what I expected. Maybe my expectations were too high. My brother-in-law, who lives in an area with sandy soil (I have clay soil), is one who raves about them. They won't be in my garden next year.

Jaune Flamme - heirloom

First picked July 19
Grown from seed I saved from a tomato I bought at the farmer's market last year.

This should be a standard for any garden. The orange tomatoes are sweet and tangy and perfect for eating raw. The plant produces a lot and all of the fruit are a similar small/medium globe. I will be planting this next year and every year after that.

Red Currant Tomato - heirloom

First picked July 17
Grown from seed I saved from last year.

I plant this tomato away from all of the others and surrounded by a five foot cage. The plant gets huge, and is covered with these tiny little tomatoes that are really sweet if you let them ripen long enough (it's tempting to eat them as soon as they turn red, but I would recommend waiting a couple of more days).  These are great for tacos or salads. I'll be planting a different variety of currant tomato next year just to try something different.

Black Cherry - heirloom

First picked July 17th
Grown from seed I saved from last year.

This is my favorite tomato to pick and put directly into my mouth. When completely ripe, the flavor is rich and sweet. They are a beautiful purple color and a little bit larger than the other cherry tomatoes I have grown. This is another one that will always be a part of my garden.

Principe Borghese

First Pick July 18th

Seedling purchased from Wasatch gardens.

The flavor of this little guy isn't that great when eaten fresh. It's a bit bland and a bit sour. These tomatoes are known for how good they are when dried. There are a lot of them on the plant. I'll try drying them and then decide if they will be in the garden next year.

Early Girl - hybrid

Bought the seeds at Smith's.

First picked July 17

Good flavor and all around tomato. Arrived early as promised by its name. It will be a part of next year's garden. This one became the summer's first caprese sandwich.

 Sweet 100 - hybrid

First picked July 3

Seeds came from Smith's

Great little tomato that produces early. Very sweet and perfect for salad or munching. Next year I will be replacing these with an heirloom variety cherry tomato just to try something new.

 

Black Plum - heirloom

Purchase seedling from the Wasatch Garden plant sale

First pick July 7

Delicious little tomato with a bit of sweet and a bit of tang. Lots of fruit growing on the vine. It will be part of next year's garden.

Red Plum - heirloom

Gift from a friend

First pick July 7

A little bit too tart for my liking, without much flavor. There is a ton of fruit on the vine, so I hope I grow to like it. Won't be a part of the garden in the future.

Sweet Basil

 One of our favorite summer treats is a caprese sandwich. A nice soft bun, a slice of tomato, fresh mozzarella, and sweet basil. There are some important things to know about growing basil. First of all, it needs to be watered daily, as do most herbs. Second, pruning it makes it grow bigger.  Third, leave those big leaves on the bottom of the plant. Pick the smaller ones closer to the top. If you see a flower starting to form (picture below), pinch it off to keep the plant growing.

Here's a link to a blog that has excellent tips on taking care of your herbs. It will also tell you how to prune your basil:
http://skinnygourmet.blogspot.com/2008/05/ten-mistakes-new-herb-gardeners-make.html

Blackberries

First ripe blackberry: June 27.

This plant has grown really well without a lot of attention. Growing blackberries in Utah is easy.

My mom grew up in the pacific northwest and we have been up there many times. We are always amazed that blackberries are, for the most part, considered weeds and many of the berries just go to waste. Last summer we were given a small start by a friend. We planted it in the southwest corner of the yard, next to a fence and the garage. It grew a bit and the snow came. This spring we found out why it's a weed. It went crazy, producing a ton of vines and growing about ten feet tall. A couple of weeks ago I chopped it back, being careful to avoid vines with fruit and vines in general (they have big thorns). It looks like we are going to get a large crop of berries, and the plant is relatively contained in a raised bed, so we don't mind its aggressive behavior for now.

Blackberries turn dark before they are completely ripe and don't ripen off the vine, so be patient and wait until the berry comes off with a gentle pull. Also, it's best to pick the berries in the early morning. They become soft and more prone to bruising in the heat of the day.

 

Snow peas

We love snow peas. They are great fresh or in a stir fry and our two-year old loves to pick and eat them. Every day for the last few weeks we have gone on a "pea hunt" with her. 
stuck about a dozen four-foot bamboo sticks into the soil around the pea plants to provide support for upward growth. The plants grab onto the sicks and fill out the space nicely. Though the sticks aren't required for the plants to grow, it allows them more air and sun, and it looks nice too. We planted these after the last frost, around the end of April. Peas do well in cooler whether and we will plant again at the end of summer for a fall harvest.

Rhubarb

We planted this "Victoria" variety rhubarb in the spring last year when it was about four inches tall. With rhubarb you are supposed to wait at least a year (sometimes two, depending on who you talk to) until harvesting. This plant has done really well and we couldn't wait, so we have already harvested about 15 stalks. My wife used them to make some incredible strawberry rhubarb jam and rhubarb syrup. The recipes will follow shortly.

The rhubarb is planted against a fence on the west side of our yard in well draining soil and probably gets about 8 hours of sun a day. Note: do not eat the leaves, they are poisonous. Also, when the brain like flower begins to form, cut it off with a knife at the base of its stalk.

Garden Greens

Spinach, lettuce, and arugula. We learned from a friend to plant the seeds in late fall while you can still work the ground and they will start to grow in the early spring. We did two varieties of lettuce.  A mesclun mix gave us a lot of color and a wide range of flavor, and a buttercrunch was tender and continued to produce when we trimmed leaves off the outside. The arugula was great while the weather stayed cool, but became increasingly sharp as it got warmer. Continually trimming our greens seemed to keep them from getting nasty and "bolting," which is when they begin to grow tall and produce seed.

The greens do best in our herb box, which has well draining soil and organic fertilizer. The box gets about six hours of sun each day. 

Strawberries

Strawberries. We harvested our first handful on May 22. We planted the seedlings last year and waited patiently. To our pleasant surprise, the plants sent out runners and multiplied. I can't remember the variety, but we purchased them at Millcreek Gardens. In a taste test vs. berries we bought at Winco, these babies took the blue ribbon and the ones from the store didn't even get an honorable mention.

The plants seem to be hardy and are doing well in soil that wasn't amended or tilled.

The Garden

Here it goes. Time to share with the world our own garden experience. We've got three 4' x 8' garden boxes and plants wherever else they will fit in the yard. We are amateurs. We are rookies. We hope to be gardeners.

What follows will be an online journal of sorts describing our shortcomings and successes in the back yard.