This is the second year I grew Goldie Tomato plants from seed and I plan to keep it on the list. Those who purchased the starter plants of these this year have all reported they are one of the best tasting golden heirlooms they’ve had and I couldn’t agree more.

Beautiful Heirlooms

These heirlooms have the most perfect golden yellow color with no blemishes on the skin and grew from baseball to oddly shaped almost grapefruit sizes (or perhaps a bit smaller than grapefruit sizes).

Size of the Goldies

I like using the terms of other fruits and veggies to explain the sizes of my tomatoes. They do not get as big at the Oxheart tomatoes which I have grown in years past however (which were up to 3 lbs and a soft pink color when ripe and up to grapefruit or larger than grapefruit sizes).

In my container plants at home, my Goldie tomato fruit grew to about baseball sizes but friends showed me pics of theirs’s which were much larger – and shaped like the typical heirloom odd shapes where the tops may be bumping or ridged, and odd looking.

In the photo above, with 3 Goldie tomatoes in a bowl at my house, this shows the size but they do grow bigger. The are sweet golden, melt in your mouth flavor and texture. These are the type we easily sliced, put a tiny bit of salt on, and ate with a fork right to our mouths from a plate! Not even on a sandwich! So yummy.

In this photo above, you see what I try to explain about the bumpy ridged look of some of the tomato fruit of the Goldie (typical of many heirlooms). I picked this set early because I was going away for the weekend so I didn’t want the chipmunks to get them. They ripened very easily on the kitchen counter and I took a few with me on vacation too to eat while away.

Perfect Firm Skins

One of the things about this tomato which impressed and impresses me is the fact the skins are perfect. They are fleshy inside but the skins remain smooth and firm. BTW, this is an indeterminate variety so they need staking, support, twine, whatever but the fruit hangs on tightly. The plants grow very tall, up to 6 feet, and I use twine to train them from my containers up to house light fixtures on my deck. They are considered a beefsteak fruit size, and will get soft to the touch somewhat if you allow them to ripen to a more orange color. However, if just placed on a counter, they seem to just retain a firm skin and never really bruised, etc.

Starting Seeds

I was a little worried when I saw a tad bit of brown on the bottom of the tomatoes in this photo above, but they did not get blossom end rot – thank God! The seeds are started indoors in my greenhouse about 6-8 weeks before our last frost date in CT and I then harden off the plants for my pick-ups by mid-May. If you think you will be interested next season, be sure to note my email and let me know to record your name. See below for more contact information.

Every season, I try to add new varieties to my tomato growing list. I cut back on the number of plants I grew this year, only because the cost of all supplies and such have gone up, so I thought, try to restrain myself. That is not always easy to do when starting seeds.

Pretty Color

These tomatoes are very pretty in color – and I like mixing colors when making an appetizer with tomatoes so this one definitely added to the artists’ palette of beautiful sunny colors. For example, slicing and laying them down on a pretty plate with purple toned Cherokee Purple tomatoes was just lovely and made your mouth drool just seeing the colors and textures.

My husband joked with a friend about how I coddle my tomato plants when growing from seed. What he means is I’m constantly inspecting them, checking at least twice daily for watering needs, and looking them over. Scouting for any problems is one of the most effective management techniques of anyone growing tomatoes from seed. It allows you to catch any potential problems before they get worse. It may seem easy but there is lots of time that goes into caring for the seedlings from seeding them to watching them grow. I make sure to give air circulation, water as needed, inspect, and admire – and I guess my husband calls that “coddling.” Whatever, it means, I can assure you that man LOVES my tomatoes and he usually asks now if he may eat one because sometimes he eats them all before I get a chance, so now we have “tasting sessions.” After tasting the Goldie tomatoes again this year, we both agree this one is a keeper to grow next season.

Cathy Testa
Located in the Broad Brook section of East Windsor, CT
containercathy at gmail.com
Plant Blogger, Very Small Tomato Grower, Container Garden Designer and Installer, Holiday Creations with Plants, Plant Enthusiast, and basically a “One Woman Owned Small Business.”

UP NEXT IN OCTOBER!

Next on the list will be making Succulent Topped Pumpkins in early October by order. Here’s a reminder of what those look like.

For more information on my tomatoes or other items, see www.WorkshopsCT.com too.