My tomatoes taste different every year

zipcode · August 28, 2017

I think it has largely to do with fruitset. The more fruitset on the plant the taste goes down (or better said fruit mass vs leaf area). And we know same variety can set more or less well depending on this and that.
I agree with BigVanVader that cherry tomatoes will act more predictable, but they usually have a poor fruit/leaf area ratio, so they may be under the threshold. Or maybe you are just imagining they got the exact same fertilizer dosage. Nutrition is a very important factor in reaching the taste potential. I think people growing hydro have a much lower variation. Me, in mostly organic pots have some variation but mostly from month to month, and usually can reach same taste expected of the variety at some point or another during the year (usually at the first batches of fruit, when plants are at their healthiest, but sometimes also at the end of the season, when fruitset is poor).

August 28, 2017	#17
zipcode Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Romania/Germany , z 4-6 Posts: 1,582	I think it has largely to do with fruitset. The more fruitset on the plant the taste goes down (or better said fruit mass vs leaf area). And we know same variety can set more or less well depending on this and that. I agree with BigVanVader that cherry tomatoes will act more predictable, but they usually have a poor fruit/leaf area ratio, so they may be under the threshold. Or maybe you are just imagining they got the exact same fertilizer dosage. Nutrition is a very important factor in reaching the taste potential. I think people growing hydro have a much lower variation. Me, in mostly organic pots have some variation but mostly from month to month, and usually can reach same taste expected of the variety at some point or another during the year (usually at the first batches of fruit, when plants are at their healthiest, but sometimes also at the end of the season, when fruitset is poor).