This year I ran a test on the best varieties of slicer tomatoes for the Houston vegetable garden. In the past I have had variable success with some recommended varieties, but they were planted in different areas of the garden so direct comparisons were difficult. Conditions such as available sunlight can change considerably over a small area in an urban garden. This year I planted 4 determinate varieties right together: Homestead, Merced, Celebrity and Floramerica. It was the best year I have ever had for tomatoes, probably because of the cool, relatively dry spring. I can’t say I found much to choose from among these varieties. All produced about 15 nice size tomatoes. All ripened all the way through and were delicious. I have trouble in other years with the top part of the tomato being white and pithy.
Merced was the first to turn pink, in early May. All were planted outside from large pots around March 1. Homestead and Celebrity followed about a week later and Floramerica was the latest. I pick when they first turn pink on the bottom and let them ripen inside. Unfortunately, the mockingbirds beat me to several, so I bought some netting at Southwest Fertilizer and solved that problem. For best quality you must let them fully ripen and not get impatient. Never refrigerate tomatoes unless they are becoming over ripe. All of the tomatoes were picked by June 1. As determines, they quit setting fruit in late April. My experience is that later setting tomatoes on indeterminate slicer varieties never turn out very good. Thus, in Houston, as opposed to New Jersey, determinates are the best bet.