Any west coast (US) people have recommendations of tomatoes that do well for them?....z

[Zoigal]

[trud]

1. when I lived near San Francisco

just about any tomato did well, and I tried many, My favs turned out to be Stupice, Brandywine, and Dona. The last is no longer available, alas. It was a hybrid from one European grower who retired or something and didn't hand it off. Any Dona seeds sold now are seeds that certainly will not breed true, as they must come from the hybrid fruits.

[Zoigal]

2. i've had luck with Stupice here in LA area, but not so much

with Brandywine. Going to plant in much larger containers
this year and mix the soil a bit differently. Have been on the look out
for Stupice starts but they all get sold out quickly, so they must do well
for others as well. Thanks for sharing your info.....z

[trud]

3. stupice

The last 2-3 years I've bought Stupice and other tomato seedlings over the web from www.naturalgardening.com

[trud]

5. Brandywine is a

huge plant and a huge tomato. I did grow it successfully, but in very large containers whose exact size I've forgotten.

[LiberalEsto]

9. If you really want a mess, plant Brandywines with roses

I tried this one year because I'd read that roses and tomatoes make good companion plants.
It was definitely great for the tomatoes, which grew like mad and almost smothered the rosebushes. There were lots of tomatoes, but it was very tricky to pick them because of the rose thorns.
Some of the unpicked tomatoes eventually fell to the ground, and the next year I was pulling up little tomato seedlings all over the rose bed.

[Gormy Cuss]

4. In the SF Bay Area, what matters is how far from the coast you are.

On the coast with the fog and cool temperatures some varieties do well, many do poorly. There's actually one with "fog" in its name for example.

Once you get a little bit inland where heat and sunshine reign there is absolutely no limitation on tomato varieties. I'm in the valley interior and everything seems to do well.


eta for the OP: Ace is supposed to be a good coastal tomato too, and Early Girls should be okay too.

[OnionPatch]

6. Gold Medal is reliable for me.

They're big, beefsteak-sized slicers, red and yellow streaked. I live in the "Inland Empire" and they've come through for me every time I've planted them. Even when other types didn't make it.

[Zoigal]

7. Thanks for your suggestions, folks...will try some of the varieties that

you've recommended.....z

[Retrograde]

8. Location, location, location

The west coast is a big place and there are a lot of different climate zones. Even in a relatively small section like the Bay Area you can have wild variations from microclimate to microclimate.

My current location (downtown Palo Alto) is often just at the end of the summer fog belt, and tomatoes can be marginal. I had a co-worker in San Jose, less than 30 miles away, who swore by Lemon Boy; I swore at them. I have better luck with smaller varieties since they don't require as much sun. Two miles away,closer to the Bay, it's a very different environment and they can grow more varieties. The East Bay is even warmer and sunnier. Trial and error is one way to find out, as well as asking immediate neighbors who grow tomatoes.

When we do have a good year, my favorites are Rutgers and Abraham Lincoln for general use, and Principe Borghese for drying. I've also had good luck with tomatillos, which are another thing altogether.