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For some of us, our love of tomatoes almost borders on a religion. It’s consuming, it’s exciting, and it’s part of what makes an Arkansas summer bearable.

As far as I’m concerned, the typical supermarket tomato is inedible and is, I’m sorry to say, the reason so many people think all tomatoes taste the same. For those who purchase tomatoes from a mass retailer, this statement might ring true, but that’s only because they carry a flavorless variety, picked green, ripened in a truck, refrigerated, and bred for mass production. The exciting truth is that tomatoes do have flavor and each tomato is unique. I’m not referring to ketchup or spaghetti sauce but the simple, basic, garden tomato. With salt, a good garden tomato rivals the complexity of a fine wine or carefully roasted coffee.

Our local Farmer’s Market is a wonderful place to buy tomatoes, as is our beloved ONF. Even though I grow several varieties, I still buy some. I simply can’t grow all the different types of toms I want, so I try a few new ones each year and purchase the rest in order to fully enjoy all the variety the summer season has to offer. When you are purchasing tomatoes, only buy what you can eat in a few days and never refrigerate them.

If you have room to grow only one thing, I would implore you to try a tomato plant. Go out on a limb and get the most interesting variety! The best flavor comes from the more unusual types, the heirloom varieties, the ones that haven’t been manipulated for mass production. There are a few things to look for when you are looking for a tomato plant:

• Determinate vs. Indeterminate- As you look on labels you might see these words. Determinate tomatoes only reach a certain height and produce a set number of blooms each season, regardless of the length of good growing weather. These are good for folks wanting a large harvest all at the same time for preserving. Indeterminate plants will continue to grow and produce blooms for as long as conditions are favorable. I had tomatoes well into October last year from my indeterminate plants.
• Heirloom vs. Hybrid- There is quite a bit of confusion over these terms. Simply put, an heirloom tomato is any variety over 50 years old that is not a hybrid. Seeds saved from an heirloom tomato will produce a tomato identical to the mother plant. Hybrid tomatoes are combined varieties of two different plants. The misconception is that hybrid tomatoes are genetically modified but they are not. There are several ways to combine tomato types including cross pollination and grafting. The downside of hybrids is that a seed saved from the fruit will not produce a tomato true to the mother plant, the upside is that they are more hardy and disease-resistant than heirloom varieties. I always have at least one Sweet 100 tomato plant in my garden, it’s a hybrid, indeterminate variety that produces cherry-size toms for us to snack on while we work.

If I can leave you with one tip, it’s this: If you have questions or problems with your tomatoes, or any other plants, call the Washington County Extension Service at (479) 444-1755. We have a wonderful group of Master Gardener volunteers and staff who would love to help you grow.

Tiffany Selvey is a Master Gardener who writes about her passion for growing, cooking, and living naturally at www.20-by-20.com. When she’s not elbow deep in soil, she enjoys raising a very active son, laughing with her husband, and wrangling their five pets. Follow Tiffany’s gardening adventures on Facebook and on Twitter.