Boston indoor/container/outdoor suggestions

Pouletic · October 23, 2010

Greetings everyone. I ended up here while researching tomatoes and am happy to find so many experienced opinions to read.

I grew up helping in a garden that included tomatoes, and tried to grow some on my own for a couple years back in 2005, but that's the limit of my experience. The 2005 experiment ended poorly, with some local "wildlife" chewing up most of the fruits before they were ripe. I even built a cage around the plants the second year, which helped, but still lost many fruit.

I'd like to try again, and am going to try some in containers on a deck to foil the villians, and also, starting now, in a sunny window with supplemental lighting for winter fruit. The goal is to find a few varieties that are good, reliable producers in the New England climate and represent a good spectrum of tomato timing (early/late), use, taste and texture. I've just become aware of OP/heirloom tomatoes and would like to stick with them as much as possible. Besides some different reds and cherries, the only variety i'm familiar with is the yellow pear, a favorite of mine from grandma's.

I'd appreciate suggestions on what varieties would comprise the described collection! I'm not afraid to experiment, but have limited space.

Here are candidate container cultivars i collected from my online reading that sound like they could do well here:
Silvery Fir Tree
Citron Compact
New Big Dwarf
Anmore Dewdrop
Lime Green Salad

These are others to round out the collection somewhat that will need to go in the garden plot:
Brandywine OTV
Cherokee Purple
Yellow Pear

It seems i'm missing a good cooking tomato but my experience is too limited to know what else i'm missing. Would you please help me out?

lowlylowlycook · October 23, 2010

If you check out the container forum, you'll see that anything can be grown in a container. In particular, people have lots of success growing indetermanite tomato varieties in self watering containers, aka, EarthTainers.

cleo88 · October 25, 2010

I'm an evangelist for New Big Dwarf. I am halfway between Boston and Providence and it did fine despite getting a late start in my garden (long story). It's about 3 feet tall, so easy in a container but of course needs a sturdy stake.

If you look for a thread entitled "New Big Dwarf - I'm a fan", that's me. And a bunch of other people chiming in.

I'm drying NBD seeds as we speak if you want some - PM me if interested.

If my garden got full sun all day all year, I would grow any variety, even something that is marked "Late" DTM. Just get them in the ground by May 15 and watch them like a hawk for two weeks with shopping bags ready in case it frosts.

Pouletic · October 26, 2010

Thanks for the suggestions lowly and cleo. As i have continued looking through heirloom catalogs, my list of "possibles" keeps getting bigger, with a few "sure things" in it--such as New Big Dwarf.

Considering i do have potential garden space, i would think that if a cultivar requires a container larger than fits in a window (for pre/post season) or is portable, there's not much point. Pragmatically speaking, just because i could use a container doesn't mean i should. I'll check out the self watering containers. I have a bunch of 5 gallon buckets already, so they will probably be the basis of any container growing.

I guess what i need first is some kind of guide to the spectrum of tomato flavors, to then select based on a cross section of that. I want to experience the different types and be able to share them with my friends who have even less experience than i do with anything but plain ol' supermarket cardboard. Has there been any kind of formalization of tomato flavor categories? Maybe someone can point me to a relevant discussion...

Edit: seems my original thread title isn't really a good match for that direction of conversation. Maybe i should find a more appropriate thread and then revisit this with the final list for comments.

barkeater · October 26, 2010

Red Robin is a great little tomato for your windowsill in the winter.

Compact early ones that taste good for a container on the porch not mentioned is Sophie's Choice, and a little bigger plant, Early Wonder (pink).

OneoftheEarls · October 26, 2010

Red Robin, Lucky Leprechaun and Pearly Pink do fine in northern MI so they would do as well as Boston...

October 23, 2010	#1
Pouletic Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Boston Posts: 13	Boston indoor/container/outdoor suggestions Greetings everyone. I ended up here while researching tomatoes and am happy to find so many experienced opinions to read. I grew up helping in a garden that included tomatoes, and tried to grow some on my own for a couple years back in 2005, but that's the limit of my experience. The 2005 experiment ended poorly, with some local "wildlife" chewing up most of the fruits before they were ripe. I even built a cage around the plants the second year, which helped, but still lost many fruit. I'd like to try again, and am going to try some in containers on a deck to foil the villians, and also, starting now, in a sunny window with supplemental lighting for winter fruit. The goal is to find a few varieties that are good, reliable producers in the New England climate and represent a good spectrum of tomato timing (early/late), use, taste and texture. I've just become aware of OP/heirloom tomatoes and would like to stick with them as much as possible. Besides some different reds and cherries, the only variety i'm familiar with is the yellow pear, a favorite of mine from grandma's. I'd appreciate suggestions on what varieties would comprise the described collection! I'm not afraid to experiment, but have limited space. Here are candidate container cultivars i collected from my online reading that sound like they could do well here: Silvery Fir Tree Citron Compact New Big Dwarf Anmore Dewdrop Lime Green Salad These are others to round out the collection somewhat that will need to go in the garden plot: Brandywine OTV Cherokee Purple Yellow Pear It seems i'm missing a good cooking tomato but my experience is too limited to know what else i'm missing. Would you please help me out?

October 23, 2010	#2
lowlylowlycook Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2010 Location: So. Illinois (6a) Posts: 147	If you check out the container forum, you'll see that anything can be grown in a container. In particular, people have lots of success growing indetermanite tomato varieties in self watering containers, aka, EarthTainers.

October 25, 2010	#3
cleo88 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Sharon, MA Zone 6 Posts: 225	I'm an evangelist for New Big Dwarf. I am halfway between Boston and Providence and it did fine despite getting a late start in my garden (long story). It's about 3 feet tall, so easy in a container but of course needs a sturdy stake. If you look for a thread entitled "New Big Dwarf - I'm a fan", that's me. And a bunch of other people chiming in. I'm drying NBD seeds as we speak if you want some - PM me if interested. If my garden got full sun all day all year, I would grow any variety, even something that is marked "Late" DTM. Just get them in the ground by May 15 and watch them like a hawk for two weeks with shopping bags ready in case it frosts.

October 26, 2010	#4
Pouletic Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Boston Posts: 13	Thanks for the suggestions lowly and cleo. As i have continued looking through heirloom catalogs, my list of "possibles" keeps getting bigger, with a few "sure things" in it--such as New Big Dwarf. Considering i do have potential garden space, i would think that if a cultivar requires a container larger than fits in a window (for pre/post season) or is portable, there's not much point. Pragmatically speaking, just because i could use a container doesn't mean i should. I'll check out the self watering containers. I have a bunch of 5 gallon buckets already, so they will probably be the basis of any container growing. I guess what i need first is some kind of guide to the spectrum of tomato flavors, to then select based on a cross section of that. I want to experience the different types and be able to share them with my friends who have even less experience than i do with anything but plain ol' supermarket cardboard. Has there been any kind of formalization of tomato flavor categories? Maybe someone can point me to a relevant discussion... Edit: seems my original thread title isn't really a good match for that direction of conversation. Maybe i should find a more appropriate thread and then revisit this with the final list for comments.

October 26, 2010	#5
barkeater Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: NE Kingdom, VT - Zone 3b Posts: 1,439	Red Robin is a great little tomato for your windowsill in the winter. Compact early ones that taste good for a container on the porch not mentioned is Sophie's Choice, and a little bigger plant, Early Wonder (pink).

October 26, 2010	#6
OneoftheEarls Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Up North Posts: 660	Red Robin, Lucky Leprechaun and Pearly Pink do fine in northern MI so they would do as well as Boston...