In article ,
Mark wrote:
Here in the Pacific Northwest we had a terrible year for tomatoes. This
next year we'll be trying again but will be a little more seletive in what
we grow.
Does anybody know of a good variety for canning that grows 'somewhat
easily' in the Pacific Northwest? This year I will be growing them covered
longer - I'm thinking our wet Spring had a lot to do with the dismal
results of 2005.
ANY suggestions, advice, etc. will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.

Mark Thompson


I second what others have said -- you need to grow short-season plants. Take
a look in the Territorial catalog, for example. Another good source (for
seeds) is the Tomato Growers Supply Co. While they're in Florida, they stock
a wide variety of short-season varieties.

About the longest-season tomato I regularly grow is Champion. Last year my
Champ plants almost didn't mature in time. They're big and flavorful, though.
For canning, they really cut down on prep work compared to the mostly small
fruit from faster producers. Personally I find Early Girl bland, but everyone's
taste buds are different. There's no substitute for doing your own taste-test.

Of course, different seek companies will quote completely different timespans
before harvesting. Beware!

Good luck!

-frank
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