By Eric Wiebe and Kathryn Hamilton, NC State Extension Master Gardener^SM volunteers of Durham County

All images credited to Kathryn Hamilton

The Tomato Project

The 2025 Tomato Project is the latest in a series of tomato trials begun by Durham County Extension Master Gardeners in 2020. Over the years, the team has trialed tomatoes for various attributes, including disease resistance, longevity, and taste. Last year, the team participated in a larger statewide trial but returned to a local format this year.

It took a hard frost to bring this year’s tomato project to a close, but on November 8, 2025, we harvested our final tomatoes just before overnight temperatures dropped below freezing on November 10.

After participating in last year’s statewide program, Dr. Dillip Panthee, Associate Professor at NC State, and head of the university’s Fresh Market Breeding Program, invited us to trial three new varieties from the Fresh Market Breeding Program, along with two repeats from 2024: Mountain Regina and Mountain Girl. We compared these disease-resistant hybrids with three widely available “hybrid plus” ¹ varieties that have similar resistance

Due to germination challenges, we were able to grow only three NC State varieties: Mountain Defender, Mountain Flush, and Mountain Regina. These were grown alongside our comparison hybrids: Lemon Boy Plus, Better Boy Plus, and Celebrity Plus.
We also included a favorite heirloom, Carbon, as a control. Carbon is an award-winning tomato renowned for its complex flavor. It also lacks the disease resistance of the other tomatoes.

Master Gardener^SM Volunteers plant the project tomatoes in prepared beds at Briggs Gardens on May 9. 2025

The Process:

• On May 9 each of four beds was prepared with new soil and planted with seven plants from starts, resulting in four plants per variety.  
• Plant placement was randomized within the bed; each bed received approximately the same amount of light. 
• We grew the tomatoes “blind,” without knowing which variety we were charting.
• At planting, roots were dipped in copper sulfate and planted with a scoop of Tomato-Tone® fertilizer.
• The next week, to address transplant shock, they received an application of Fox Farm Grow Big liquid fertilizer and water. 
• They were fertilized every four weeks with Tomato-Tone®. 
• To curtail both disease and insect depredation, leaves touching the ground were pruned off during the first six weeks.
• The plants were suckered throughout the season.
• The plants also benefited from a monitored drip irrigation system.

The early season was cold and wet. Mid-May brought four inches of rain in two days, and on May 24, the temperature dipped to 48 degrees. In contrast to last year, in which there were also several cold days, none of the varieties developed characteristic “cat facing.”  Despite having a few brown spots, the tomatoes were observed to “have new growth and look healthy.”   

By June 10, some plants were so heavy with fruit that we had to tie up their limbs to keep the tomatoes off the ground. Two plants: A1 and A3, didn’t grow as vigorously and “failed to thrive,” but even these stubborn plants – a Lemon Boy Plus and a Better Boy Plus – eventually managed to produce fruit.

By early July we were back to very rainy conditions. As would be expected in these hot and humid conditions, all plants were affected with one or more of the usual disease suspects: Cercospora and septoria leaf spot, and one potential case of early blight. However, we were not able to identify any incidents of diseases the varieties were primarily bred to resist: Tomato Mosaic Virus, Spotted Wilt Virus, Fusarium Wilt or Root Knot Nematode.

Left: A healthy, flowering Mountain Regina with a few yellowing lower leaves. Right: Ultimately, no evidence of root rot nematodes.

Tomatoes were harvested, counted and weighed two to three times a week.  They were picked at the “breaker” stage, when approximately 10% of the tomato shows a pink, red, or yellow blush.   At this point, the tomato is physiologically mature and will ripen off the vine.  Highest production fell between the middle of July and the middle of August.

Left: Not part of the project but still interesting, the San Marzano tomatoes (planted in nearby beds) quickly succumbed to wilt with all the rain we had early in 2025. Right: To preserve the fruit, tomatoes were picked at the “breaker” stage.

So How Did The Different Tomato Varieties Compare? 

Variety	Total Number of Fruits	Total Weight (lbs)	Average Fruit Weight (oz)	First Fruit	Last Fruit	Days Between First and Last Fruit
Lemon Boy Plus	166	40.13	3.9	7/1	10/9	100
Mountain Defender	80	38.87	7.76	7/7	10/25	110
Better Boy Plus	113	44.57	6.59	7/7	11/8	124
Mountain Flush	89	39.07	7.09	7/5	11/8	126
Celebrity Plus	97	36.74	6.28	7/1	11/8	130
Mountain Regina	104	44.34	6.8	7/1	8/16	46
Carbon	91	48.7	8.57	7/1	9/6	67

Left to Right: Celebrity Plus, Mountain Flush, and Better Boy Plus in the garden on November 8. Even though Celebrity Plus was one of the last plants standing, there were so few tomatoes by midsummer, we couldn’t include it in our taste test.

Conclusion:

For most gardeners, the benchmarks of success are healthy plants that produce plentiful, tasty products. A bonus is a plant that produces over a long season.  With these goals in mind, here’s a snapshot from this year’s trial

• In earlier tomato trials, the harvest ended mid- to late August. This year, we harvested our last tomato in early November.
  
• The last-standing plants were Lemon Boy Plus, Better Boy Plus, Mountain Flush, and Celebrity Plus
  
• Mountain Defender largely produced over a shorter period.
  
• Celebrity Plus was an uneven producer, producing so few in July that there were not enough tomatoes for our taste test in early August. Nonetheless it came back in late August and was one of the last tomatoes standing.
  
• In addition to being the most prolific, Lemon Boy Plus was the most reliable,  rarely skipping a week.

• Along with Celebrity Plus, Carbon took a mid-summer break.
  
• All Mountain Regina plants were pulled by mid-August.

• Mountain Regina, Mountain Flush and Carbon all had at least one plant pulled in July.

• The most resilient varieties were Better Boy Plus and Lemon Boy Plus. Both had a plant that failed to thrive early in the season but still managed to produce at least one tomato in October.

The takeaway: for a long, productive season, plant several different varieties, and if you have the space, plant multiple plants of your favorites.  Of course, this analysis has not taken “taste” into consideration. The results of our taste test are coming in the next installment of the “Tomato Project” blog.

Note:  Although we were gifted seeds from the NCSU Fresh Market Breeding Program, most are not yet available to consumers. Several varieties, all bearing the name “Mountain” can be found from different seed houses.

With gratitude to this year’s tomato team led by Dr. Ashley Troth.  Members included: Caryl Cid; Carol Feldman, Kathryn Hamilton, Vicki Houck, Jeff Kantor, Debe Parks, and Eric Wiebe.

 Notes:

1. ‘Hybrid plus’ is not a scientific classification. It appears to be a marketing label used by seed companies to describe hybrids with enhanced disease-resistance or other traits.

Additional Resources:

• Selecting the Best Tomato Varieties for Your Garden: NC State HomeGrown https://homegrown.extension.ncsu.edu/2021/09/05/selecting-the-best-tomato-varieties-for-your-garden/

• Common Tomato Diseases: How to Identify and Manage: https://www.buncombemastergardener.org/resources2/common-tomato-diseases-how-to-identify-and-manage/

• Commercial Production of Staked Tomatoes in the Southeast: A deep dive on growing tomatoes in the south: https://plantpathology.ces.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Tomato_guide.pdf?fwd=no

• North Carolina State University Fresh Market Tomato Breeding Program: https://mountainhort.ces.ncsu.edu/fresh-market-tomato-breeding/

• NC Tomato Resources: https://chatham.ces.ncsu.edu/tomato-resources/

Edited by Marcia Kirinus, NC State Extension Master Gardener^SM volunteer of Durham County

Article Short Link: https://wp.me/p2nIr1-6Rj

By Gary Crispell, North Carolina Extension Master Gardener^SM volunteer of Durham County

To paraphrase a Hallmark card, or maybe it was a Lexus commercial, this was a December best forgotten. Cold, dry (for the third month in a row), and complicated by a household with major orthopedic issues. Here’s hoping 2026 is kinder.

The Accidental Cottage Garden is sleeping now (with all the stems left intact, of course). If either my mother or her mother were still around, the former would be worried and the latter downright apoplectic. Times change, and so do gardening practices. That said, I will need to trim a few plants that are intruding onto the sidewalk. My apologies in advance to the insects affected.

January is a bleak month in the garden. There isn’t much that should be done, and even less that’s pleasant to do given the weather. I may choose to stay indoors with a stack of gardening books and the occasional escapist novel. ( One does need a break now and then.)

Here’s your January garden to-do list. Try not to do it all in one day.

LAWN CARE:
Keep accumulated leaves off turf areas. Most leaves should be finished falling by now, which makes the job easier. Use them as mulch in garden beds – do not send them to the landfill.

While you’re at it, think about whether you could reduce, or eliminate, some of your lawn. Grass is often the most expensive planting in the yard (unless you’re growing a serious collection of tea roses) and one of the least ecologically sustainable. Just saying.

FERTILIZING:
There’s not much to do this month unless you’re looking for a place to use wood ashes. They can be spread on vegetable gardens, bulb beds, or non–acid-loving shrubs if your soil pH is low (below 6.0).

PLANTING:
Asparagus crowns can be planted now. Trees and shrubs can also be planted or transplanted. Remember: even in cold weather and without leaves, plants still need water.

Left to right: Asparagus can grown from one-year-old roots, called crowns. Crowns grow vertically and horizontally. This is an example of ‘Purple Passion’ asparagus crowns. (Image credit: NC Cooperative Extension (osiristhe CC BY-ND-2.0). Tender young asparagus shoots coming out of the ground (Image credit: twoellis/Bigstock.com)

PRUNING:
Sharpen your hand pruners and loppers and get to work. This is a perfect legitimate excuse to get out of the house. Studies show that pruning cuts made in January often heal more quickly than those made later in the year.

Remove branches that overhang the house, shade key areas of the garden, or are misshapen or overgrown. Prune branches individually to shape the plant. Unless you’re trying to recreate Buckingham Palace, Versailles, or the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, leave the power hedge clippers in the garage. Shearing is rarely the best option.

If you must shear, be sure the finished plant is wider at the base than at the top. This allows sunlight to reach the lower leaves and keeps the plant full from top to bottom.

When removing entire branches, make cuts just outside the branch collar – the flared area where the branch meets the trunk.

Branch collar shown at white arrows on a sycamore. Branch bark ridge shown at yellow arrows. Gold arrows show correct angle of cut along the dashed red lines. (Image from: NC State Extention Publications. )

SPRAYING:
Did some uninvited guests come indoors with your houseplants this fall? You’re not alone. On a warm day, take plants outside for a light application of horticultural oil or insecticidal soap. And yes – read the label.

A Mealybug nymph and a Mealybug extended family or potential “Lessees” on your houseplants.
(Image credit: US National Collection of Scale Insects Photographs Archive, USDA ARS, http://www.insectimages.org and https://www.flickr.com/photos/scotnelson/)

HINTS FOR STAYING WARM AND DRY UNTIL MARCH:
Dress in layers when you go outside, because you will go outside. You’re a gardener.
Seed catalogs are excellent winter reading. One favorite is Southern Seed Exchange; if it grows in the South, they probably carry it (including, paradoxically, seedless watermelon).
Install a squirrel-resistant bird feeder (note: “squirrel-proof” is an oxymoron).
Search online for North Carolina native plants and consider adding something new to your landscape. Start planning what you want to buy at our annual plant sale which will be on April 11, 2026 this year. And for more inspiration come to our Plant Festival on March 28th 2026. You will learn so much about particular plants, community partners, and we give away free plants!
Make soup from garden produce you preserved earlier in the year and enjoy warm beverages.

Stay warm. March is only two months away.

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Additional Resources and Information

• Using wood ash in the garden: UGA Cooperative extension. //site.extension.uga.edu/fannin-gilmer/2020/12/using-wood-ash-in-the-garden/
• More on growing Asparagus from NCSU: https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/asparagus
• Find whatever plant you want on the NCSU Plant Tool Box: https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/
• Winter is the time for pruning, Northern Virgina Master Gardener’s bulletin: https://mgnv.org/public-education/winter-is-the-time-for-pruning/
• General Pruning techniques: Pruning Trees and Shrubs: NCSU: https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/general-pruning-techniques
• Provide Nesting Habitat for Native Bees Through Plant Stems in Your Garden: By NC Extension Agent of Chatham County, Debbie Roos: //growingsmallfarms.ces.ncsu.edu/2025/02/provide-nesting-habitat-for-native-bees-through-plant-stems-in-your-garden/
• Nesting and Overwintering Habitat for Pollinators and Other Beneficial Insects from Xerces Foundation: https://xerces.org/sites/default/files/publications/18-014.pdf
• Garden Cleanup for Pollinators: Trim Perennial Stems in Their First Winter: NCSU Publication: //content.ces.ncsu.edu/garden-cleanup-for-pollinators-trim-perennial-stems-in-their-first-winter
• Identification of the bees of North Carolina: https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/the-bees-of-north-carolina-identification-guide

Edited by Marcia Kirinus, NC State Extension Master Gardener^SM volunteer of Durham County

Article Short Link: https://wp.me/p2nIr1-6U5