It is the beginning of the tomato season and you will get a little overwhelmed with all the different types of tomatoes. Here are some descriptions of the different categories most tomatoes fall into that you will see at Orchard Nursery. At last count, there were around 75-90 different varieties of tomatoes.

Beefsteak:
Large and fleshy tomatoes that have 6-inch diameters. Small pulp cavities make them ideal slicing tomatoes. Rich deep tomato flavor with pronounced sweetness.

Cherry:
Almost spherical with tender, thin skin. Varies from large grape to ping-pong ball size. Juicy with tiny seeds. Rich, sweet flavor profile. Colors can be orange, red, yellow, and white.

Common:
Medium-sized with brightly colored skin and flesh. Generally attached to the vine. Sweet tomato flavor. Medium sized pulp cavities and seeds.

Grape:
Elongated, bantam-sized, usually less than one inch in length. Grown in clusters like grapes. Red, shiny skin. Juicy with concentrated sweetness.

Green:
Unripe tomatoes, generally medium to large varieties. Tart and mildly acidic, these tomatoes require cooking. Most often they are dredged in cornmeal and pan-fried.

Heirloom:
Can have odd shapes, some deeply fluted. Intriguing colors, some variegated in two or more colors. Rich, sweet homegrown tomato taste with relatively low acidity and abundant juice. There are many different interpretations of what an heirloom tomato is, but most authorities agree that heirlooms, by definition, must be open-pollinated. They may also be open-pollinated varieties that were bred and stabilized using classic breeding practices. It is currently generally agreed that no genetically modified organisms can be considered heirloom cultivars.

Roma, Plum:
Elongated shape with meaty, thick flesh and few seeds. Generally red, but yellow varieties exist. Less acidity and sweetness. Great for sauces and drying.

Teardrop, Pear:
Small, teardrop-shaped, usually under 1 inch long. Juicy texture of cherry tomato but milder flavor profile. Colors can be orange, red, and yellow.

With so many to choose from, you can enjoy using them raw out of the hand or in a salad, or sandwiches. Or cook: sauté, roast, simmer, or boil. Have fun and good eating!

Resources used for the group descriptions: Melissa's Great Book of Produce, Everything You Need to Know About Fresh Fruits and Vegetables, by Cathy Thomas

Tomatoes need sun, warm weather and uniform deep moisture. Feed once to get plants started, then once a month after fruit set. Provide stakes or cages to support vines.

In many descriptions of tomatoes you will see the words 'indeterminate and 'determinate'. This is what they mean: determinate types are bushier, need little or no staking, and tend to set their flowers, then develop all the fruit at about the same time. Many commercial varieties are of this type for efficient harvesting. Indeterminate types are more vine-like and need training, either stake, trellis or cage. Blooms and fruit are continually produced throughout the growing season. Many favorites of the backyard farmer are of this type.

The original Molechaser® is a humane and environmentally friendly way of minimizing damage to your gardens and lawn caused by moles, voles, shrews, gophers and other destructive ground rodents. Approved by consumer groups and tested by a US certified laboratory, the Molechaser is a proven problem solver. This ingenious device produces a penetrating underground sonic pulse of 300Hz, covering up to 9,000 square ft. (1/5th of an acre). Pets won’t be affected but rodents find the noise irritating and move to quieter surroundings. Constructed from a single billet of aluminum, the unit's discreet green-colored control head is watertight and can be buried flush with the lawn so that it doesn’t detract from the appearance of your lawn or garden. A patented cylinder allows convenient battery change with out removing the unit from the soil. A lifetime warranty guarantees lifetime performance.

It is always nice to hear feedback from our customers, particularly when something works well for you. The responses we have heard from those who have used the Molechaser® have been very positive, especially when compared with the previous sonic devices we have carried.

Hunks of spit? Soapy foam? Not exactly. It’s sudsy foam from the spittlebug. These little guys, the immobile nymphs of the spittlebug, are buried in their own foam. The adult is a brown oval insect that hops and flies from plant to plant and does not produce the foam that the nymph makes.

Yes, the nymphs are sucking at your plant, but the damage is minimal at worst. If you don’t like the "spit" look all over your plants, just hose it off. That’s all you have to do to clean up after the spittlebug!