The spring and summer seasons are here in North Texas, and with them comes a boom at local farmers markets and homegrown gardens. People crawl out of their homes where they have been hiding from the cold dark days of winter in search of outdoor experiences and fresh, locally grown produce. Among the favorites is the famed tomato.
Tomatoes are loved by everyone, both to eat and to grow. If you go to the farmers market, you will probably buy a tomato or have a moment where you notice how gorgeous all those shiny red and pink fruits are. If you are a gardener, you are probably growing tomatoes, trying to grow tomatoes, or thinking about how wonderful it would be to grow tomatoes. There is something fantastic about tomatoes that grabs our attention more than any other vegetable.
Unfortunately for our tomato-loving culture, these plants can be challenging to grow in our Texas summers. For many, growing tomatoes begins in late March with a productive late spring, followed by an unproductive summer and desperation to keep the plants alive in the dry heat.
Like all vegetable crops, not all tomatoes are created equal. Several varieties are better adapted to our dry, hot summers, meaning they will produce later in the summer and stay alive long enough to produce a fall crop once the temperatures cool off. Here are three go-to tomato varieties that will not let you down.
Sun Gold
If you are looking for an easy tomato plant that produces tons of fruit quickly, cherry tomatoes are the go-to. My favorite of the cherry tomatoes is the Sun Gold variety. These suckers take on the heat like champs. They produce deep into summer, sometimes through the summer until fall, which can be uncommon for Texas. Within a few weeks, you will begin to see clusters of green tomatoes replacing blossoms, and before you know it, you will have sweet orange fruit that eat like candy. Sun Golds are one of the quickest producing and the first to ripen up.
Sun Golds are very prolific, growing tall and wide. Trellising and pruning are a must. The most significant issue you will have is a tomato plant that rages and takes over a large area. This can make it challenging to keep under control. Honestly, if your greatest challenge is too much fruit and too much plant growth, you have a good problem.
Super Sweet 100
Another great cherry tomato that is known for its disease resistance. As the name suggests, this tomato is super sweet and high in vitamin C. When ripe, the fruits come in large clusters and put on a deep red color. Tomatoes are great for snacking, salads, and juices. You can expect this plant to produce through the summer until the first frost sometime in November. Like the sun gold, ensure ample space for them to grow and an excellent trellising method. These plants grow tall and vine out. For best results, prune heavily when they first put on blossoms and do continual prunings to increase airflow.
Celebrity Tomato
Now for the large tomatoes! Small, cute tomatoes are great, but deep down, everyone wants to grow the most beautiful, juicy, fat tomato possible—one that barely fits in your hand, is great for Instagram photos, and can make enough slices for several sandwiches. A great variety that meets all those expectations is the Celebrity.
The Celebrity tomato is a fast producer. It will keep giving as long as the temperatures don't get too hot. Just like cherries, the Celebrity grows in clusters, but these clusters are filled with tomatoes that are not just a few grams in weight. These bad boys can reach between half a pound and a full pound each.
If you enjoy lots of fried green tomatoes, celebrities are wonderful. They produce fast and grow to size quickly. Ripening, however, can take a while, but that wait is worth it. We recommend picking them right before they fully ripen to avoid splitting and pests. Keep an eye on caterpillars!
Expect a lot of fruit till the end of June and a late harvest in the fall before the first frost.
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