Credit: Blind Tomato Taste Trials (El Paso Master Gardeners Facebook)
What if you had the time and space to test different tomato varieties to see which had produced the most tomatoes, grew well in our high desert climate and tasted delicious? The good news is that the field trial researchers of the El Paso County Master Gardeners have done that research and testing for you.
During the summer of 2018, the field trial researchers conducted a one season, two-location tomato field trial to determine which new bush type determinate tomato varieties, resistant to the Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl Virus, could be successfully grown in El Paso County, Texas. Seeds were planted in February, transplants were set into the ground in March, and by July they were able to grade and taste test the harvested tomato fruit in three categories: Full-Size Tomato, Grape Tomato and Best of the Tasting. The blind in-house taste tests were conducted with other Master Gardeners who judged them in the categories of Overall Like, Overall Taste and Texture.
You can learn the results of the tomato field trial evaluation by reading the study entitled 2018 Evaluation of New Determinate Tomato Varieties for Backyard Garden and Small-Scale Market Production in El Paso County, TX. In this academic report the descriptions of the test varieties are on pages 1-2 and the Overall Yield Tables are on page 4. The blind taste test results and our recommendations are on page 8.