Campari? Close Kin, at Least

 

Last winter I bought a pack of Campari tomatoes at Trader Joe's. Well, we'll be honest, I bought quite a few packs over the last year -- the outrageous heat of last summer killed all my garden plants, so Camparis from the store were the only tomato I was going to get. Fortunately, they taste really good.

Even though Campari tomatoes are a hybrid variety, I'd heard on the net that the store-bought tomatoes would produce seeds that are viable, and close enough in taste and behavior that growing one's own is a possibility. And so I saved some seeds and planted four of them this past spring. All four sprouted, and now are climbing up a trellis.

What I got grows in lovely clusters, and the plants are polite -- not jungly like the Sun Golds I used to plant. Some of the clusters are prodigious.

The plants get morning sun only, and are shaded for the rest of the day. There was no problem getting fruit to set this year, as our temperatures have been in 80s and low 90s, which is good for us. In this picture the sun was a little bright, but you can see how many little tomatoes are just waiting to join me for a salad. 

The nice thing about this trellis is that I can access the tomatoes from both sides without having to fight through the vines. Behind the trellised plants is a little wooden deck, which makes for a beautiful sitting spot from which to admire one's tomato pets.

I've already picked out which of the four vines I'll save seeds from for next year. Or maybe I'll try buying the hybrid seeds from a reputable store. Or both!

 

There are the four vines in Planter Box 10. I need to get out there and pick some of the tomatoes tomorrow morning, for a breakfast of cucumber and tomato cubes, tossed in garlic-infused extra virgin olive oil, with herbed feta cheese crumbles all over it.