Overwhelmed by choices of tomato transplants at the garden center? The ISU Extension and Outreach Office of Dubuque County has released the results of their 2019 Garden Tomato Cultivar Trial sponsored by the Dubuque County Master Gardeners. Ray Kruse, Food System Program Coordinator at the Dubuque County Extension Office explains, since tomatoes are a cultivated plant, we call their varieties “cultivars.” In this experiment, twelve garden tomato types, or cultivars, were tested for yield, taste, and plant health as influenced by foliar disease.
The top yielding cultivar was Defiant PHR. The top tasting cultivar was Brandywine Red. Cultivars receiving consistently high health ratings were Brandywine Red and Celebrity. Kruse, commented on the project stating “A lot of people from the community have contributed time to help generate these results. We now have a local resource available to Dubuque area gardeners helping them to choose what type of tomato is right for them.”
The full details of the cultivar trial can be found at: https://bit.ly/DBQTomatoTrial Questions relating to the processes and results of the trial can be directed to Ray Kruse, Food System Program Coordinator at rakruse@iastate.edu. You can also call the ISU Extension and Outreach Office of Dubuque County at (563) 583-6496.
This institution is an equal opportunity provider. For the full non-discrimination statement or accommodation inquiries, go to www.extension.iastate.edu/diversity/ext.
