Starting from seed is, of course, more trouble than picking up whatever seedlings are on sale at the local garden center, but I’ll discuss the advantages of growing your own from scratch in my next column. ![]() To obtain seeds of tomatoes adapted to cool climates, I recommend Tomato Growers Supply Company of Fort Myers, Florida ( ). I don’t want to nurture my tomato seedlings indoors for eight weeks and then have them killed by a late frost. An average is just that, an average, and what happens in any particular year is likely to be different. For along with an earlier arrival of spring, climate change has brought erratic, unpredictable weather. Where does the inaccuracy of the frost date map leave me? I am torn between being bold and planting earlier than it recommends, and playing it safe and getting a delayed, lesser harvest. I’ve also had adequate results with some of the tomatoes developed for cool climates by James Baggett at Oregon State University such as ‘Siletz’, which bears bigger fruits, though of lesser quality than ‘Stupice.’ This year, I’ll also be trying another Oregon State tomato, ‘Legend,’ which is supposed to be resistant to late blight, a fungal disease that is particularly troublesome in my cool, usually moist, plot. You can grow cherry tomatoes from seed, or purchase seedlings from a nursery later in the spring. “For the town of Montague, I hope it means people have access to the best tomatoes in the world.Over the years, I’ve tried a number of different varieties recommended for cool climates, and have found I get the best results with a Czech heirloom tomato, ‘Stupice.’ This bears relatively small two-inch fruits, but their flavor is good and ‘Stupice’ bears abundantly in my garden. “Something delicious will come of it,” Voiland said. Voiland said that for the town of Montague, such exploration means “a well-rounded diet for the community.” For Red Fire Farm, this is motivation enough to keep up the effort. It was a challenge growing tomatoes this year.” “In July, we had a lot of green,” Voiland said. Tidy Treats This is one of the best cherry tomatoes for containers The plants are super vigorous but grow to a manageable four-feet tall. Voiland said that despite the great success of the farm’s cherry tomatoes at the contest, farming conditions were peculiar and difficult this year. “I think it’s an affirmation of our continuous exploration for different varieties.” The tomato seedlings were watered with 2 L of Yamazaki’s nutrient solution (pH 5.9, EC 1.1 dS·m-1, N:P:K 20.3:18.2:24.9) in the con-tainer once a week. “It’s a constant effort to find the best fruits and foods,” Voiland said, pleased that her farm’s experimentation was rewarded. Voiland said that the same excellent balance of “sweetness and tang” helped it beat out other farms. The variety that won second place, the Starlor, is oval in shape and yellow in color. Transplant seedlings when they reach about 2-3cm tall into 5cm pots filled with moist multi-purpose compost. ![]() When your seeds have germinated, remove the cling film (or take them out of the propagator) and keep the compost damp. “Aside from the balance of sweetness and tang, it has more layers,” Voiland said. Stand on a warm, bright windowsill or in a propagator. Set the line at the soil surface, and water until 6 to 8 inches of soil is soaked. Drip irrigation is best for cherry tomatoes. For those blessed with a summer that peaks around 90 degrees, water cherry tomatoes a few times a week. Voiland said that the Chocolate Cherry’s combination of flavor and richness secured the victory. Water in the morning daily in hotter areas. The variety that won first place - the Chocolate Cherry - is dark brown and red in color. Ive watched many tutorials and read many articles, so I have a fair knowledge about the subject. “These that we had in the contest this year happen to be the trial variety.” It is my first time planting anything from seeds, and certainly my first time with cherry tomatoes. “Every year, we try varieties of tomatoes to find out which varieties taste the best,” Voiland said. It’s this acknowledgement of the vast world of tomatoes that prompted the farmers to forgo a battle-tested winning formula for the competition. “And there’s so many more varieties than that,” Voiland said. Red Fire Farm co-owner Sarah Voiland said the farm, which she runs alongside her husband Ryan, grows “over 100” varieties of tomato. Adding to a years-long history of frequently placing top three in all categories, the fruits of the farm’s labor were both of the “cherry tomato” variety this year. ![]() ![]() The entries spanned across four categories: Slicing, cherry, heirloom and heaviest. The 36th annual competition, held Aug. 24 in Boston Public Market’s plaza to raise awareness for local agriculture, brought in 77 entries from 15 farms across Massachusetts. MONTAGUE - Montague’s Red Fire Farm took home both first and second place in the 2021 Massachusetts Tomato Contest’s “cherry” category.
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