This is my tomato year end review for 2018:
What a year this was in the tomato garden in Nebraska. The weather played more of a role this year than any other year…ever. We started out hot and wet, then cool and wet, then very hot and dry, then hot with soaking rains, then cool and wet again.
All the rain meant splitting and cracking was a problem that needed to be watched every day. Because of the variable weather conditions, production was down from my sixteen year averages of 16 pounds of tomatoes per plant and 12 ounce average size per tomato. This year we harvested 395 pounds of fruit compared to the average of just over 500 lbs on 30 plants. The average sized tomato was in the 6-7 ounce range where normal for me has been in the 10-12 ounce range.
Top three producers, in pounds: Bear Creek, German Red Strawberry and Mavritanskie.
Top three producer, in number of tomatoes: Mavritanskie, Indian Dark Violet and Bear Creek.
Varietyies producing the largest single tomato: Winsall, Bear Creek and German Red Strawberry
Largest average size: Winsall, Purple Hillbilly and Bear Creek
With all the problems one excellent result was evident very early. This year's crop was the most outstanding ever (over the last twenty years of growing heirloom/OP tomatoes) for flavor. Not one variety grown was a spitter. Twenty-three of the thirty varieties grown were in the 8 to 10 out of ten rating for flavor.
9/10+ rated, in no special order: Clear Lake, Mavritanskie, Cherokee Purple Heart, Cherokee Chocolate, Purple Hillbilly, Cherokee Black, Indian Dark Violet, German Red Strawberry, Aker's West Virginia Black, Amazon Chocolate, Black Bear, Brandywine Black, Reinhard's Purple Heart, Chokoladne Chudo.
8/10 rated in no special order: Black Giant, Brad's Black Heart, Indische Fleisch, Vorlon, Big Zac, Herman's Yellow Heart, Winsall, Black from Tula, PPPXPP'C'.
This year we grew mostly blacks and hearts so maybe we were prejudiced as to flavor. Gardening is done for 2018 other than putting everything to bed. Then it is time to relax before the next round begins. I do plan to cut back the number of varieties from now on, so next year there will be fifteen plants. Old age is coming at a bad time
