We are coming into tomato season, and we have had some beautiful weather lately on the Lower Mainland following a mild and wet spring. As people start thinking about their tomatoes, if you have not already done so, today we are going to talk about choosing earlier versus later varieties and some recommendations from us.

When some of us buy tomato plants, we buy whatever the garden store has in stock that looks healthy. And that is totally fine. However, some of us are very fussy about our tomatoes and look at many different tomato characteristics including whether they fruit earlier or later. Other characteristics might include taste, colour, size, shape, aroma, and whether they are determinate or indeterminate. Let’s talk about that last characteristic first.

Determinate vs Indeterminate

The vast majority of tomato varieties can be divided into two types: determinate and indeterminate. There are a few varieties that do not fit neatly into one category, so we will disregard those for a minute.

So, before you look at when the plants will yield, look at which type you want. Determinate plants are smaller, usually do not need to be staked, and fruit all at one time. This is an important consideration if someone wants to do preserving or canning, and would prefer all the fruit to be ready at one time. A determinate variety can also be grown in a 5-gallon pot.

Indeterminate tomato varieties have larger plants, will need staking (unless you will let them lie down), and will flower and fruit over and over until the summer is over. These are the key differences.

Yield Time

When the plants yield fruit is important to many people who have a short growing season. However, if you prolong your season with the use of a greenhouse or starting plants inside the house, then this may not be so important to you.

Nevertheless, here, below are some good varieties to try just based on yielding relatively early, but not taking into consideration any other characteristics:

Determinate

• Sub Arctic
• Bush Early Girl
• Celebrity
• Bush Beefsteak
• Manitoba
• Northern Exposure
• Orange Pixie
• Polar Star

Indeterminate

• Sungold (cherry)
• Black Cherry (cherry)
• Stupice
• Moskvich
• Better Boy
• Northern Lights
• Anna Russian
• Peche Jaune

This is just a few suggestions. There are roughly 10,000 tomato varieties in the world. Have fun with your tomatoes. We will not list late fruiting suggestions because most people in our area want tomatoes that fruit early.

Art Knapp has 15 locations across British Columbia and is well known as the go-to garden centre for everything garden-related. Art Knapp, himself, began the business in the 1940's, and now, 80 years later, you can find more than he ever dreamed of in our stores. Come and see us on King George Boulevard in Surrey. 

If you have any questions about this article or want to talk to us about gardening, just give us a call at (604) 596-9201.