Best tomato varieties for Georgia

[The Longhunter]

Nosing around the great WWW, found this article by the good folks at the U of Ga. (Amazing what you find yourself doing on a snow day) Granted the study was only for commercial purposes, but I found the information on total yields informative. I'm reading into the yield totals that the high performing varieties have superior disease resistance.

Also, the chart breaks down yield by size, which is interesting.

http://aurora.auburn.edu/repo/bitstream/handle/11200/44118/fall11rb25.pdf#nameddest=page17

I try to grow some heirlooms, and looking at this chart, I'm think I'm going to change my variety choices.

I've had good luck with Celebrity, which has done well for me.

I've also had good luck with Bella Rosa, which UGA is using in its tests for disease resistance. For some reason it's not included in this study. Bella Rosa was developed in Texas, so does well in the summers in Georgia.

I mention these because you basically have to start them from seed, although I have occasionally found Celebrity.

(Note that this is only one article in a whole series, you might find the other articles interesting also).

 

[shakey gizzard]

Celeberty and BHN 602 have done good for me in the past. I tried BHN 642 last year, however the wet season wreaked havoc on ALL my tomaters!

 

[doomtrpr_z71]

Celebrity has always been great for me and easily found as transplants especially since ABAC has an annual plant sale. BHN 642 has great disease resistance but it has issues with blossom end rot if your pH is off.

 

[shakey gizzard]

Discounting large year entirely, as it was a horrible growing season due to excessive rain........the two best slicing tomato varieties I've dealt with in the 3 years prior are black krim and black prince.

They offer the best old-time tomato taste and texture. Spaced well and ground watered to avoid fungal disease.......they produced till heat prevent pollination. Then set fruit again in the fall and made until frost stopped the show.

Got pro's and cons of each? I got space for 1

 

[The Longhunter]

Got pro's and cons of each? I got space for 1

I've done Black Krim, just ordered more seed. It's an incredibly good tasting tomato. Like most of the heirlooms, it doesn't produce as much as modern hybrids, but produces enough. Like most of the black tomatoes I've grown, you have to eat it right now when it ripens (I all my tomatoes off the vine) because they don't keep well once they are ripe. Eating fresh ripened tomatoes has never really be a hardship for me,

I've also done Cherokee Purple. I like it because its an acclimated variety, and does't seem to have a lot of disease problems. Makes a nice big tomato, also has doesn't keep well when it's ripe.

 

[Johnny Reb]

I have tried just about everything out there and Celebrity have always done the best for me. I am in Northeast GA - Hall county area.

 

[shakey gizzard]

I've done Black Krim, just ordered more seed. It's an incredibly good tasting tomato. Like most of the heirlooms, it doesn't produce as much as modern hybrids, but produces enough. Like most of the black tomatoes I've grown, you have to eat it right now when it ripens (I all my tomatoes off the vine) because they don't keep well once they are ripe. Eating fresh ripened tomatoes has never really be a hardship for me,

I've also done Cherokee Purple. I like it because its an acclimated variety, and does't seem to have a lot of disease problems. Makes a nice big tomato, also has doesn't keep well when it's ripe.

Yep! I did the CP a few years ago and only yielded a few off each plant but they were all huge. I'll give the black Krim a go.

 

[The AmBASSaDEER]

Grew Better Boys, Rutgers and San Marzanos last year. The Better Boys did the best, grew over my 7ft trellis and half way back down. Rutgers did pretty good and the San Marzanos were a bust. All started from seeds.