What are your favorite tomato plants for our dry heat conditions? Pepper varieties?
maryannnewcomer
| Posted in Mountain West Gardening on
For the last few years, I’ve kept an “informal” list of the best-performing tomato and pepper varieties. I would love to hear what works for you and what you recommend to friends.
Replies
Striped German, Ramapo, Amish Gold Slicer and Sungold cherry are my go-to tomatoes. I plant several others each year but those are the workhorses. I’m on the north end of the Denver metro.
Hi there! Where did you find Ramapo? Our Sungolds are still doing their thing...and so pretty with that rich yellow color and all the leaves turning, too! Early Girl was our workhorse this year. I will find the Ramapo and Amish Gold slicer for next year. Thank you for writing.
Did you have forest/range fires this year? Best to you, Mary Ann
I grow them from seed. Here's an interesting article on Ramapo: https://sebsnjaesnews.rutgers.edu/2018/03/whats-in-season-from-the-garden-state-jersey-tomato-throwback-ramapo-tomato-50-years-as-a-home-gardeners-favorite/
The listing has them as semi-determinate but I have found them to be completely indeterminate. I've heard that they were the model for the artwork on the front of Heinz Ketchup but can't find the source at the moment. The pic is of some from my garden.
We were so blessed by a wet spring and early summer and we haven't had the fires this year that we've had in recent past. Thankfully!
Thank you, TammyJo! Great background "digging" on the Ramapo tomato. Now you have sent ME on the search for the seeds.
The first and best tomatoes at our local Farmers' Market have been "Celebrity" grown at 6800' in SW Colorado. Several other varieties like Cherokee come along later in summer with more taste, but Celebrity is a constant mid-size available all summer.
I always grow at least one 'Celebrity.' And always at least 2 Sun Gold. Last year I had good luck with 'Carbon ----' (Carbon something/can't find the tag). I'll go look in the morning for the names of the ones I picked up this year.