Pacific Northwest Gardener: Fruit, Fruit, and More Fruit

By August 2nd most of the tomato plants have set fruit. I posted photos of Sun Gold and Jaune Flammée last year, so I'll just post photos of the new varieties I'm growing this year.

First, Isis Candy set fruit just two days after Sun Gold (39 days after transplant), but its trusses are much shorter than Sun Gold's. Though not quite as prolific as Sun Gold, it's the second most prolific (in terms of number of fruit) in my garden.

1" in diameter fruit on Isis Candy on August 2nd

Blush, a new cherry by Fred Hempel, has 2" long fruit called "julienne tomatoes". The fruit should have a tropical fruit flavor, similar to pineapple. I can't wait to taste it! Blush took about a week longer to set fruit than Sun Gold—42 days after transplant compared to 37 days for Sun Gold. The foliage on Blush is very wispy, and it's not quite as prolific, only currently producing about 1/3-1/2 as many fruit as Sun Gold.

Fruit and flowers on Blush tomato on August 2nd

1.5" long julienne tomatoes on Blush on August 2nd

Gogosha is an early large pink beefsteak with meaty, juicy fruit. In my garden Gogosha was one of the latest to set fruit, taking 46 days, and it's not as prolific as the black tomatoes. By August 2nd it only had the four tomatoes shown below.

The largest fruit on Gogosha is about 2" in diameter on August 2nd

Orange Russian 117 produces orange, heart-shaped fruit. In my garden Orange Russian 117 took 40 days to set fruit, and it's not very prolific. By August 2nd it only has these two 1" long fruit and five tiny (<5 mm long) fruit.

1" long fruit on Orange Russian 117 on August 2nd

Black and Red Boar, which produces silvery green and red striped tomatoes, was discovered by Brad Gates of Wild Boar Farms in Vacaville, California. In my garden Black and Red Boar took 42 days to set fruit, and many of the fruit have pointy tips (like the smallest one of the right) even though the fruit should be round.

The largest fruit on Black and Red Boar is about 1.5" in diameter on August 2nd

Cherokee Purple was my favorite large tomato that I grew last year. Cherokee Purple was one of the latest plants to set fruit in my garden, taking 45 days from transplant. With only 13 fruit on August 2nd, it's not quite as prolific as Indian Stripe, which had 20 fruit set.

The largest fruit on Cherokee Purple is 3" in diameter on August 2nd

Indian Stripe is a strain of Cherokee Purple that's more prolific but produces smaller fruit. I planted the Cherokee Purple and Indian Stripe next to each other in my garden, and by August 2nd Indian Stripe has produced about 50% more fruit than Cherokee Purple. However, the largest fruits on both plants are about 3" in diameter, so I don't currently note any difference in size.

The largest fruit on Indian Stripe is 3" in diameter on August 2nd

Lastly, Gary'O Sena produces large, black beefsteaks and matures faster than most red and pink beefsteaks. In my garden, Gary'O Sena was among the latest to set fruit, taking 46 days. By August 2nd it has the same number of fruit as Cherokee Purple, but they're smaller, the largest fruit being only about 2" in diameter. The tomatoes also have a more ruffled appearance.