Would love to get some
 |
| The Fourth of July Tomato is URI Cooperative Extension’s Plant of the Year, producing delicious vine-ripened tomatoes as early as Independence Day. (Stock Photo / URI Cooperative Extension) |
Although Independence Day is fast approaching, the University of Rhode Island Cooperative Extension program says there’s still time to get plants in the ground and growing for later summer cook-outs and gatherings. URI Extension is putting a spotlight on tomatoes this year, highlighting the Fourth of July Tomato as a solid choice for new gardeners looking to impress at annual summer celebrations.
URI Master Gardeners say it takes about seven weeks to
produce this easy-growing variety for your plate. While it’s too late to start
from seed, starter plants can now be found at local garden centers or farm
stands for purchase.
According to Program Administrator Kate Hardesty, URI Cooperative Extension’s annual Plant of the Year is chosen each year based on good trial performance and reviews. The University’s Extension program has been picking a winning plant for many years, often choosing plants that inspire beginning gardeners. Staff say they bounce back and forth between vegetables and pollinator-supporting flowers. Last year, the plant of the year was Penstemon hirsutus (or hairy beardtongue), a purple perennial native to eastern North America.
Hardesty said that the Fourth of July Tomato, this year’s
Plant of the Year, grows to 55 inches tall and is an early-maturing slicer
tomato. It’s great for fresh eating and is an indeterminate variety, meaning it
will continue to grow and produce, with proper maintenance, until the fall
frost. The Fourth of July requires full sun and can be transplanted after the
last frost in the spring. Its good flavor only improves as the season warms up.
Tomato types
The Fourth of July is one of many beginner-friendly tomatoes
URI’s Cooperative Extension recommends.
“Looking for disease-resistant varieties is a smart decision
for beginning gardeners,” URI Cooperative Extension Coordinator Sejal Lanterman
said. “Sungold Tomatoes are also a good choice — they’re a prolific orange
cherry tomato variety that is also indeterminate, so you can get tomatoes
through the summer and into fall. They are so prolific that gardeners will
likely need to harvest them almost daily during peak season.”
 |
| The best part about a homegrown tomato is getting to eat one. (URI Photo / Sejal Lanterman) |
While most tomatoes can be grown either in the ground or in containers, indeterminate tomatoes, like Fourth of July, are generally best grown in the ground because they continue growing and producing until frost, which can mean large plants. Determinate tomatoes are usually better suited for containers since they tend to stay smaller and produce most of their tomatoes over a shorter period of time, Lanterman said.
Lanterman says that tomatoes should be planted once
temperatures (including nighttime) stay consistently at 50°F and above, which
in Rhode Island is typically around June 1, according to the Rhode
Island planting calendar.
She added that most tomatoes benefit from staking — keeping
the plants up and off the ground. If gardeners plan to use tomato cages,
fencing, or stakes, the best practice is to put them in place before or at the
time of planting, so roots are not accidentally damaged later in the season.
Of course, the best part about a homegrown tomato is getting
to eat one. Lanterman enjoys hers right out of the garden, after washing: “You
can’t beat the taste of a summer tomato that hasn’t traveled long distances,”
she said. “I love sliced tomato over sourdough with a few cracks of salt and
pepper, a medium-boiled egg, and herbs like parsley or basil.”
If you find yourself with an overflow of tomatoes, she
recommends roasting them in the oven with herbs, then freezing for later use.
You can also get more food safety tips at the Cooperative Extension website.
URI Cooperative Extension delivers science-based educational
programs and services to help people in every corner of the Ocean State. The
University’s Master Gardeners are leading library workshops across the state
this summer on everything from flower pressing to vegetable gardening; see
offerings at the Extension
website. URI Cooperative Extension also offers online
resources for beginning gardeners, with guidance on everything from siting
and soil to year-round care, and will open registrations for its Horticulture
Certificate and Food
Recovery for Rhode Island programs later this summer.
For further advice on planting tomatoes or any kind of
plant, or to consult with a URI Master Gardener, contact the URI Gardening and
Environmental Hotline at 401-874-4836 or gardener@uri.edu. To get on the
email list for program announcements, email coopext@uri.edu or call (401)
874-2900.
