The picture above shows three German Johnsons, a potato-leafed, beefsteak, open-pollinated (OP) variety, often referred to as an Heirloom. Known for producing large "slicing"-type fruit, German Johnson was first created in this part of the country and does well in the humidity of the Piedmont. While it has no hybridized resistance to the diseases that plague tomatoes, I still take a chance on German Johnson every year because it is so readily available around here at planting time. Bonnie Plants says the following about them:
- Fruit size: 12 to 24 oz, averaging 1 pound
- Matures: 76 days
- Plant Size: 4 to 6 feet
- Plant Type: Indeterminate
"For quality that has stood the test of time, the heirloom called German Johnson stands tall—literally. These big, pink-red tomatoes are borne on robust plants that can fill a tomato cage and drape back down again. Give them at least 3 feet between plants and then pick the flavorful sandwich-sized slicers as they ripen. The number of tomatoes may be less than other varieties, but the ones you bring to the table will be worthy of their space in the garden. In our Alabama test garden, where conditions are ideal and the season is long, we harvested an average of 40 fruits per plant. We recommend both hybrid and heirloom tomatoes for your garden because hybrids are generally more productive and disease resistant. German Johnson calls North Carolina home, so it is suited to life in humidity and is fairly disease resistant for an heirloom. This one is a favorite at farmers' markets in the Carolinas in the summer when the local crops come in."
They are right on the money about the fruit sizes. The tomato on the scale in the picture above weighed in at 15 ounces, while the one on the right was a light-weight at 12 ounces. The one on the left was so large, I had to cut it and weigh it in three sections...totaling 22 ounces! Of course, one of the issues with these big ol' beefsteaks is how much meat you lose to the dimpling, ribbing, and irregular growth patterns, as you can see on shoulders of the tomato on the left...which yielded about 12 ounces of usable fruit. You can see below a shot of the center portion...the rich, ripe, juicy center portion. One slice per sandwich...and get your napkins ready, folks!
I am also harvesting a mountain of Sun Golds, a super-sweet, orange-colored, cherry-type tomato that is new to my garden this year. Can't eat them all...can't give them away fast enough! My other cherry or salad varieties (Lemon Boy and Juliet) have worlds of green tomatoes on the 3 plants of each type that I started from seed. Probably another week or two before they start to ripen. Better dust off my Pasta Salad recipe, eh?
Another new one for my garden is Big Daddy, a hybrid from Burpee. They are starting to ripen...and they are beautiful and delicious. Plus, they are holding up nicely against the blight that is taking out the German Johnsons. Here's what Burpee has to say about Big Daddy (which had me at the name, don't you know?!):
Big Daddy Tomato, Hybrid
Bred from the all-time great Big Boy with improved disease resistance.
Burpee Exclusive
Hear ye! Hear ye! Revolution in the tomato patch! An all-around game-changer, Big Daddy's a breakthrough for taste, size, disease-resistance and yield. Bred from the all-time great Big Boy, Big Daddy produces a mighty, delicious harvest of ruby red round meaty fruits, 15 whopping ounces apiece over a long harvest season. Fusarium and verticillium resistant. Indeterminate.
Fruit Weight: 15 ounces
Days to Maturity: 78 days
Height: 60 inches
Speaking of "resistance," I have been fairly diligent about trimming up the bottom stems and leaves on all varieties, since our visit last year to EPCOT's behind-the-scenes garden tour, where we learned how that practice can help keep diseases and pests at bay. I have also used neem oil (biological pesticide and fungicide control), insecticide soap (mites, etc.), and spinosad in the form of Captain Jack's Dead Bug Brew (to control tomato worms and caterpillars). (Yes, I do try to grow organically...or at least as earth- and people-friendly as possible.) Next on the docket is Serenade, another organic pest controller, which (unlike neem oil) can be used in higher temperatures with no foliage damage and at any time of the day as it isn't supposed to be harmful to bees, therefore you aren't limited to early morning or late evening for treatment times.
Worst problems this year in the tomato crop? So far, it's been squirrel damage (see below). The rascals take one bite out of an almost-ready-to-pick ripe tomato...and usually leave it hanging on the plant for me to find, like you see. Grrrrrrrrrrrr. Way beyond irritating. It means I have to be diligent in harvesting just before they are ripe...and most attractive to the critters. It also means I can rarely just take a notion to eat a vine-ripened tomato from the garden...I have to wait until they finish up on my kitchen counter. Sigh.
After that...it has to be blight, both early and late, occurring almost simultaneously in this record-setting wet year. At this point, it's a waiting game. Waiting to see if any of the control measures will stave off the diseases 'til after harvest.
OK...back to the tomato round up. Still waiting in the wings, putting on green fruit but none ready to eat yet, are the three grafted heirlooms (Brandywine Pink, Brandywine Red, and Mortgage Lifter), as well as the other two varieties I seeded (Jet Star and Roma). The grafted heirlooms, which are considered long season beefsteaks, are showing signs of blight damage on the leaves, but the other two have quite healthy-looking plants. I have found blossom-end rot on only two varieties this year: Brandywine Red and Roma. Not on the all the fruit on either, mind you...just on random stems. Odd, isn't it?
While I ponder the cause and solution (for next year's crop), I do believe I've made myself hungry. I sliced up an Early Girl, which was right here in a container on the deck (ripe and ready...no squirrel damage!) and picked some of the last of my Red Sails lettuce (at least until the Fall garden). Fresh bread...you know the kind that sticks to the roof of your mouth. Add mayo, salt, and freshly ground pepper. Did I forget anything?
Oh yeah! Got bacon?!
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*Tennessee tomatoes — Actually, it is Tomato Time in Tennessee...Ripley, Tennessee, that is. "Ripley tomatoes" are known throughout the state for their flavor, etc. No, that's not a variety of tomato...that's where they are from: grown in the rich Mississippi River soil in and around Ripley, Tennessee. They have just celebrated the 30th Tomato Festival in Lauderdale County.
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