photo by Ryan Richardson

The 5th and LAST harvest of the 2019 NOVIC Tomato Trial!! Late blight has all but taken over the field and it is clear which varieties can withstand the onslaught of fungal pathogens (*More information to come*). That all being said, frost and disease have left a mark on the fruit that we so desperately crave, literally. The numbers for marketable tomatoes went wayyy down this week as late blight, and the first frost of the season, made their rounds. For the first time, the unmarketable fruit outweighed the marketable fruit, and the shelf life of these late-season tomatoes has been greatly reduced. It seems the end of the tomato growing season of 2019 is near.

I have begun the hosting of tomato tastings as part of the requirements of the field trial. These tastings include assessments for 3 separate parameters: visual, scent, and taste. As I host these tastings, I walk my peers through what goes into differentiating between the different types of tomatoes. While to some, tomatoes may all taste the same, but when tasted back to back, and focusing on their differences, one can sense the peculiarities of individual varieties. From these tastings I am gathering data on the preferences of my peers with regards to the different varieties that are being grown in the trial. I will compile the info and be able to see if there is a particular variety that is favored over the rest.

Frost Damage!

The 5th week of harvesting marks the start of the end of the 2019 NOVIC Tomato Field Trial. As most of the plants succumb to late blight, the numbers for harvestable tomatoes have plummeted, and the time for site clean up approaches. Now that I am planning to rip the plants out of the field, and field data collection comes to a close, I will stop posting weekly submissions of information on this wordpress website. Instead I hope to clean up the aesthetics and tie up any loose ends that need to be attended to. I will be posting information that pertains to the data and results of individual varieties, information such as yield weights, disease stress, height and width, flavor preference, etc.

Thank you for following my journey, and reading through my scattered thoughts.

-Caleb Poppe