Not only do they taste great, but they look good too! Tomatoes are a garden favourite around the world and for good reason. The flavour of a fresh homegrown tomato is like the ultimate taste of summer. However you use them, from salad to soup, pico de gallo to pasta al pomodoro, you just can’t beat tomatoes. Plus they’re pretty easy to grow.
There are countless different kinds of tomatoes you can grow, and every year we like to add a few new varieties to our selection. Here are a few of our new favourites for 2020.
Red Racer
Red Racer is an award-winning cocktail tomato with flavour 10x its size! This compact determinate variety is perfect for small spaces like patios and planter boxes. These are a fast grower and may start producing fruit up to a week earlier than other comparable varieties. Red Racer’s only need 57 days to reach full maturity from transplanting!
What they lack in size they make up for in flavour, with the perfect balance of sweet and tart. These blemish-free tomatoes are perfect for Caprese salad, stuffed tomato appetizers, or bruschetta. With each plant producing up to 6 dozen fruits, they’re also an excellent option for canning or sauces.
Rapunzel
Rapunzel tomatoes are aptly named for their cascading trusses”“up to a meter long”“ loaded with up to 40 beautiful cherry tomatoes! Rapunzel does great in a greenhouse, but they’ll also do well on the patio or in an upside-down hanging planter. This indeterminate tomato can get quite tall and will need staking for support. They are strikingly beautiful as well as delicious and sweet. A consistent performer, Rapunzel will produce all summer long.
These are a sweet and juicy cherry tomato and are so delicious straight off the vine. They’re also perfect for salads, grilling on kebabs, or feature a full truss as the centrepiece on the ultimate summery charcuterie spread.
Kitchen Minis
Thes might be one of the most unique tomatoes we’ve seen yet. Finally, someone has developed a tomato for every apartment dweller who is yearning to grow things, even if they have to garden indoors. Possibly the most compact tomato plant ever, Kitchen Minis generally don’t get more than about a foot tall! Designed to be a year-round producer that you can keep in a windowsill or on the kitchen counter, this determinate plant may produce up to 150 1-inch tomatoes in a year, weighing about 8-10 grams each.
While these are the ultimate apartment option, like any other tomato, they’ll do best with lots of sunshine, 6-8 hours a day if possible. Because they like the heat and can stand a smaller pot than most tomatoes, they may be prone to drying out faster. Check the soil every other day, and water if it starts to feel dry. In order to keep it producing well, apply fertilizers every other week.
They may be little, but Kitchen Mini tomatoes are chock full of sweet tomato flavour. These tiny tomatoes are an excellent snack at any time of the year, but they’re also delicious grilled or roasted with garlic and fresh basil.
Tomato Care – Similar to Teenager Care!
The main thing to keep in mind with tomatoes is that they’re thirsty, hungry, and addicted to that summer sun, kind of like teenagers. A location with lots of sunshine will give make sure your tomatoes have plenty of flavour. But, this also means they need to be watered frequently, especially in pots. They will likely need to be watered every day or two, and in the heat of summer probably every day. They also grow fast and produce a lot of fruit per plant, so they use up a ton of nutrients as well. Applying fertilizer weekly will help them produce as much tasty fruit as possible.
Check out our GrowStore to get your hands on these new varieties ASAP. Tomatoes have been flying out the door around here this year, so don’t miss your chance to try these out!
