Category: gardening in NC

2025 Tomato Project: A Focus on Flavor

On By durhammastergardenersIn gardening in NC, taste testing, tomato varieties, Uncategorized, vegetable gardening

By Eric Wiebe with Kathryn Hamilton, NC State Extension Master GardenerSM volunteers of Durham County

All images credited to Lalitree Darnielle unless otherwise indicated

A table with 6 different plates, each with a different variety of sliced tomato. Two white plates and an instruction sheet are on the table.

The taste-testing table ready with six varieties of tomatoes grown for the trials. Which one will reign supreme? (Image credit: Jenn Van Brunt)

Thinking about what tomato seeds to order this year? For starters, you should read the plant growth and fruit production results of our Briggs Ave Community Garden tomato trial. Probably just as important for your seed purchase decisions is how did those tomatoes taste? The tomatoes included in the trials were:

  • Lemon Boy Plus
  • Mountain Defender
  • Better Boy Plus
  • Mountain Flush
  • Celebrity Plus
  • Mountain Regina
  • Carbon

The “Mountain” tomato varieties were donated by Dr. Dilip Panthee, head of NC State’s Fresh Market Breeding program and shared similar disease resistance characteristics to the “Plus” tomatoes. Carbon, consistently rated one of the best-tasting heirloom tomatoes, had none of these resistance characteristics, and was our “control” for taste.

While all of the varieties can be considered “slicers,” there were clear differences in overall size. Lemon Boy Plus, with an average fruit size of 3.9 oz compared to 8.6 oz for Carbon and 7.8 oz for Mountain Defender, were half the size of many of the red slicers. True to its name, Lemon Boy Plus was a distinct yellow while the remaining tomatoes ranged from bright red (Mountain Flush) to almost dusky red-purple (Carbon).

Our taste tests indicated that most of the varieties attempted to provide the best of both worlds, balancing both sweet and acid notes. Interestingly, people didn’t always agree on the finer points of their flavor with regard to what was sweet or acidic. One thing that everyone seemed to want was deep, often earthy flavor. They also preferred a meaty to a thin or mealy texture.

Unfortunately, Celebrity Plus was a taste-test no-show. Mid-summer production slowed to the point where we did not have enough tomatoes to taste. But production did pick up, and in the end, Celebrity Plus was one of the last plants standing.

Tomato Taste Test Results

A tomato cut in half placed in the center of a plate with slices of red tomato ringing it all around in the shape of the sun.
Mountain Defender: Balanced

Mountain Defender did not have many supporters, only getting two first place votes. Many tasters didn’t find it any better than a supermarket tomato–bland and not very interesting. While the flavor was balanced, it had neither sweet nor acid notes that interested tasters. While the appearance was a nice pink-to light red, it was not particularly distinctive. Tasters also didn’t have many good things to say about texture. Overall it was found to be serviceable but not particularly interesting.

A tomato cut in half placed in the center of a plate with slices of red tomato ringing it all around in the shape of the sun.
Mountain Flush: Juicy Tending Toward Sweet

Mountain Flush didn’t fare much better than Mountain Defender in the ratings. With only three first place votes, it finished with Mountain Defender at the bottom of the rankings. While a number of raters noted its looks, the texture and flavor didn’t match up. A few liked its juicy qualities, but most found it too watery. Similarly, the flavor was too mild for most, tending towards sweet.

A tomato cut in half placed in the center of a plate with slices of red tomato ringing it all around in the shape of the sun.
Better Boy Plus: A Hint of Classic Taste

Better Boy Plus was a tomato that didn’t quite live up to its looks. Often described by raters as a ‘beautiful’ or ‘perfect’ tomato, with a strong red color with a few orange spots. However, while many raters tasted a hint of classic tomato flavor, it was too weak. As with many of the tomatoes, raters were mixed as to how good the sweet/acid balance was, with raters falling all along the scale. Similarly, the texture responses ranged from meaty to mushy. Many noted it had the perfect characteristics for a sandwich slicer. It ended up scoring in the middle of the pack with nine first place votes, and the same number of second place votes.

A tomato cut in half placed in the center of a plate with slices of yellow tomato ringing it all around in the shape of the sun.
Lemon Boy Plus: Strong Third Place

Tasters found Lemon Boy Plus to be firm but at times tough-skinned. There were mixed results with regards to flavor. While some found it bright, others found it boring. Similarly, while some liked its acid bite, others found it too sweet. Nonetheless, Lemon Boy Plus had supporters in the final rankings, getting nine first place votes and 20 second place votes–more second place votes than any other tomato. While a number of tasters commented on the distinct yellow color, it’s hard to know how much this influenced final rankings.

A tomato cut in half placed in the center of a plate with slices of dark red tomato ringing it all around in the shape of the sun.
Carbon: Vaunted Heirloom Comes in Second

Our heirloom control, Carbon, ended up second in the rankings. It received 10 first and 14 second-place votes. For many, it was good but not the best. Its looks had a lot going for it, with raters loving the deep red, purple, and green variegation. The acid/sweet balance was good, described by many as slightly acidic. However, on flavor it fell short for a number of people. A number of raters found it too mild, specifically noting that it was not as rich as Mountain Regina. While it had some nice earthy notes, they were not strong enough.

A tomato cut in half placed in the center of a plate with slices of red tomato ringing it all around in the shape of the sun.
Mountain Regina: “The Perfect Summer Tomato”

Mountain Regina ended up at the top of our rankings, scoring an average of 4.07 on a scale of 1 to 5, the highest average score of the taste test. In addition, 29 of the 61 tasters ranked Mountain Regina as their favorite tomato in the trial. Twenty-one other tasters ranked it as either their second or third favorite. Raters described it as an heirloom tomato in appearance–a beautiful deep red with almost a hint of purple; smooth and meaty flesh and not too many seeds. The “classic, old-fashioned” flavor won many raters over with its deep, rich umami-like notes. Many considered it having a perfect acid/sweet balance with just the right hint of sweetness and not too much acidity. A number of raters said it was the perfect summer tomato–a 10 out of 10. These comments on flavor and appearance for Mountain Regina mirrored Carbon, our one heirloom variety.

The results of this year’s tasting trials had only one definitive outcome: people don’t always agree on what they like in a tomato. Even the lowest ranked tomatoes received some first place votes. Raters also didn’t necessarily agree on texture or degree of sweetness or acidity in varieties. While some of these differences may have been from variations between samples, it also is a reminder that people’s taste buds respond differently, and people want different flavors out of a tomato. Hopefully, the results of this taste test will help you find a tomato variety (or two) for your summer planting that matches your preferences.

Stay tuned for the 2026 tomato trial where we will test different root treatments to see if they make a difference in production.

Special thanks to Dr. Panthee who donated the tomato seeds, project leader Dr. Ashley Troth, and “Tomato Team” members: Caryl Cid; Carol Feldman, Kathryn Hamilton, Vicki Houck, Jeff Kanters, Debe Parks, and Eric Wiebe.

Resources and Additional Information:

Learn more about our participation in tomato trials on our blog: https://durhammastergardeners.com/tomatoes-on-trial-the-2024-tomato-project/

Get deeper into tomato science and growing by discovering the how-tos of tomato grafting: https://durhammastergardeners.com/tomato-grafting-project/

Links on growing tomatoes from NC State Cooperative Extension: https://extensiongardener.ces.ncsu.edu/2021/04/growing-tomatoes-at-home/

Edited by Melinda Heigel, NC State Extension Master GardenerSM volunteer of Durham County

Article Short Link: https://wp.me/p2nIr1-72J

Virginia Creeper: Up or Down It’s the Perfect Vine for Gardens

On By durhammastergardenersIn gardening in NC, groundcovers, native plants, Uncategorized, vines

By Wendy Diaz, NC State Extension Master GardenerSM volunteer of Durham County

Editor’s Note: For a closer look at any image, simply double click on the photo.

Vines, if properly managed, are an attractive addition to any garden. They cover the vertical component of the landscape and can create a nice backdrop for flower beds. They also can creep horizontally over the ground developing roots that produce a lush green ground cover. Our native Virginia creeper vine (Parthenoncissus quinquefolia) is a good candidate because it adds texture, color, and interest to your garden and at the same time provides food and shelter for wildlife as well as erosion control.

Virginia creeper vine with reddish-orange leaves climbing up a tree trunk in a woodland setting.

Behold the stunning reddish-orange fall color of Virginia creeper vine climbing up a red maple tree in my woodland garden along the north side of the house in October 2021. (Image credit: Wendy Diaz)


Virginia creeper is a better alternative to traditional vines that are invasive species such as English ivy (Hedera helix) and Chinese wisteria (Wisteria sinensis).1 It doesn’t form a dense mat like other traditional vines but a more elegant lighter texture due to its 5-parted long leaves. At the North Carolina Botanical Garden, Virginia creeper covers their deer fence and gate and is trained over arbors at the entrance to the Plant Family Garden and staff entrances across from the carnivorous-plant raised beds.

Virginia creeper vine displaying vibrant fall foliage with red, orange, and green leaves, alongside dark blue berries, climbing on a wooden trellis against a clear blue sky.
A wooden trellis covered with green vines and plants, labeled 'STAFF ONLY'. The pathway leads through a lush garden area filled with various foliage.

(Above left to right) Leaves of the Virginia creeper vine turning crimson red along with the plant’s dark blue berries growing on a deer fence in the North Carolina Botanical Gardens this September. Here, the vine graces an arbor to staff entrance of the garden. (Below right to left) In May of 2024, Virginia creeper blooming with small yellow flowers gracefully covering an arbor welcoming guests and the same view in late September of 2025 when leaf color was sparse due to drought. (Image credit: Wendy Diaz)

A Virginia creeper vine (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) climbing over an archway in a garden, showcasing lush green leaves.
Wooden arbor with Virginia creeper vine at the entrance to a garden path, surrounded by greenery.


Virginia creeper vine is generally a volunteer plant in my yard as it self-seeds or its seeds are dispersed by birds. If it appears in your yard, you may want to keep and control it to maintain the benefits of its beauty and ecosystem services.2 Virginia creeper vine can be seen just about anywhere in the Piedmont this time of year because its bright fall foliage stands out, although this year with the drought in August and September the leaves may have fallen off the vine before they turned color in October.

Virginia creeper vine with reddish-orange leaves climbing the side of an old log barn surrounded by trees.
Virginia creeper vine with reddish-orange leaves climbing the side of an old wooden barn.

Virginia creeper vine, with its stunning fall color, climbing up an old tobacco barn in late October 2025. (Image credit: Wendy Diaz)

Description of Virginia Creeper Vine


Virginia creeper is a deciduous, perennial woody vine with a native range in eastern United States from Canada to Mexico.3 It is hardy from Zones 3 to 10. This fast-growing, high-climbing vine is a member of the grape family (Vitaceae) and does not twine but uses tendrils to latch onto a surface. This vigorous grower can climb 30 to 50 feet in a year. It can very easily cling and climb on smooth surfaces so keep it away from the painted siding on your house. Although it does not harm masonry, its high flammability rating requires it to be planted away from your house.4

This relatively low maintenance vine tolerates a wide variety of soil and light conditions. It grows most vigorously in full sun but tolerates partial shade. It needs medium moisture to thrive but tolerates dry soils when established. It is an ideal plant for planting near black walnut (Juglans nigra) trees because it is not affected by juglone, a toxic substance that prevents many plants from growing under or near them.  It is also deer resistant. The attractive compound-palmate leaves have 5 leaflets that are 6 inches long and dark green in the summer turning to shades of purple, orange to crimson red in the fall.

Close-up of Virginia creeper vine with reddish-orange autumn leaves climbing up a tree trunk.

Bright orangey-red fall color of Virginia creeper vine in October. (Image credit: Wendy Diaz)

The leaves are often confused with poison ivy because of their similar growth habit and leaf size, and they often grow together but Virginia creeper has 5 leaflets per compound leaf whereas poison ivy has 3 leaflets.

Close-up of Virginia Creeper vine leaves transitioning from green to yellow and orange, resting on the ground among grass and fallen leaves.
Close-up of poison ivy leaves displaying a mix of yellow and green shades with leaflets per compound leaf.


With these early November photos, it’s easy to see why the Virginia creeper vine (left) and poison ivy (right) are easily mistaken for one another. Remember the tried-and-true phrase to distinguish poison ivy in this case: “Leaves of 3, let them be.” (Image credit: Wendy Diaz)

The insignificant greenish-yellow flowers develop into showy round, ¼ inch diameter, fleshy berries that mature from green to blue-black in late summer to early fall. Their peduncles, stalks that support flowers, also change color from green to bright red in the fall. The 2 or 3 seeds in the berries are toxic to humans because of the high concentration of oxalic acid but are an important source of food for songbirds, deer, squirrels, skunks and other small animals. The flowers provide nectar to bees.

Close-up of Virginia creeper vine leaves with blue-black berries and red peduncles against a blurred background.

Blue-black round Virginia creeper berries (poisonous to human but valuable to wildlife) and red peduncles in September. (Image credit: Wendy Diaz)


Branching tendrils form opposite the leaves on the vine and strong adhesive pads or disks develop at the tendril tip called holdfasts. Holdfasts will leave a residue when removed from a smooth surface. The vine’s gray-brown bark develops aerial roots when it climbs trees. Virginia creeper vine is even a host plant for the lepidoptera species of moth called the eight spotted forester moth (Alypia langtoni).5

A brown lizard perched on the rough bark of a tree, with green Virginia creeper leaves and a fuzzy aerial root of the vine nearby.

Aerial roots of a Virginia creeper vine on a maple tree. Eastern fence lizard (Sceloporus undulatus) has a similar texture and colored skin of vine stem with camouflaging effect. (Image credit: Wendy Diaz)

Maintaining Virginia Creeper Vine

Virginia creeper is not for everyone due to its rapid growth rate and potential to damage siding and gutters if you forget about it and it finds your house to climb on. Just ask Kit Flynn who does not appreciate this native intruder into her garden because it can grow thirty feet in a year, covers anything and its roots are difficult to pull out.6 But my garden is more on the wild side, and I appreciate its ability to also grow as a ground cover alternative to grass. I do love its brilliant reddish-orange fall color. I have plenty of room in my yard for native vines that like to take over like Virginia creeper after I removed all my invasive species vines of English ivy (Hedera helix), Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica), periwinkle (Vinca major), and Chinese wisteria (Wisteria sinensis).

Virginia creeper vine with reddish-orange leaves climbing a tree, surrounded by green foliage in a woodland setting.

Crimson red Virginia creeper along my north property boundary in October. (Image credit: Wendy Diaz)

Using Virginia Creeper Vine in the Landscape

I found that as a native plant it can be used as a transitional plant in the landscape or the final say in both my woodland backyard and conventional front yard as I transform our property into a more ecofriendly garden that represents the flora of what used to be here before my subdivision was built. I am trying to make up for some small part of habitat loss and create a yard that is more interesting and engaging with not only beautiful plants but wildlife too.

View of a wooded garden area featuring Virginia creeper vines climbing trees and mixed vegetation including azaleas and shrubs.
Virginia creeper vines climbing trees in a wooded garden, labeled in red against a backdrop of green foliage.

(Left) In April, woodland garden along north side of house along property boundary after removing Vinca major, planting natives, and encouraging natives like Virginia creeper to grow. (Right) Native plants have filled in the woodland garden by June with the help of Virginia creeper suppressing weeds in leaf litter. (Image credit: Wendy Diaz)


I also leave dead trees and snags in my garden which the vine can climb on. This has a dual purpose of helping to sustain wildlife and covering a decaying tree. There is no need to purchase this native thanks to the birds in the area and it appeared in the woods after I removed the mat of Vinca major.

Close-up of Virginia creeper vine leaves and blue-black berries growing on a tree, with a garden bench in the background.

Virginia creeper vine with blue-black berries covering a snag in September. (Image credit: Wendy Diaz)


I converted about one third of our small front lawn from fescue grass to a patch of about a foot-high Virginia creeper vine by transplanting some rooted vine to the front yard from the north yard, and it took off. Yes, I have to occasionally pull up its young runners it as it creeps into the remaining grass, but at least I have a seasonal green mat with no weeds near the street and along our driveway where it was difficult to maintain a green lawn and a bare spot and where I removed 3 large burning bushes (Euonymus alatus).


It also prevents erosion during high rainfall events as water streams down to this lowest point of our yard. Our HOA has not issued me a letter because it is contained by the grass edge (by me) and the concrete curb. I pull it off the crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia) trunks nearby so it has a more intentional look. My neighbor was alarmed and questioned me (he thought I was cultivating poison ivy) one day when I was pulling some of it up out of my grass patch. I politely explained what it was and how to tell the difference between Virginia creeper and poison ivy. Education is a major part of the process of changing my garden plants, I guess.

Virginia creeper vine growing along a garden edge with bright orange flowers and purple petals scattered on the ground.
A vibrant garden scene featuring flowering plants and lush greenery, with a stone sculpture at the center, set under the shade of flowering trees.

(Left to right) Virginia creeper as a ground cover near the street. Close-up of Virginia creeper ground cover. (Image credit: Wendy Diaz)


Virginia creeper ground cover required minimal weeding because its wide large palmate-shaped leaves shaded out weeds for the most part. I did let a few volunteer black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia spp.) grow in the ground cover patch this year. Even on a smaller scale, the Virginia creeper vine has even found a place to adorn my fairy garden.

A Virginia creeper vine featuring aerial roots and tendrils climbing the trunk of a tree, with a whimsical fairy garden at its base, including miniature houses and colorful decorations.

Virginia creeper vine climbing on base of red maple (Acer rubrum) as a back drop for my fairy garden. Note the young aerial roots and dried tendrils on the vine. (Image credit: Wendy Diaz)


I hope you’ll try Virginia creeper in your garden if you have a suitable place; I know you won’t regret it. After all, if it can grab your attention while driving by a spartan utility pole, it can make anything look good in your yard and at the same time attract some interesting wildlife.

Virginia creeper vine with bright reddish-orange leaves climbing up a wooden utility pole against a clear blue sky.
A lizard resting on the trunk of a tree, surrounded by green foliage and a variety of small plants in the underbrush.
Eastern fence lizard climbing a tree trunk beside Virginia creeper leaves.

Eye-catching Virginia creeper vine climbing a utility pole in south Durham in early November. Eastern fence lizard climbing on Virginia creeper vine. Closeup of eastern fence lizard sharing the spotlight with Virginia creeper vine leaves later April. (Image credit: Wendy Diaz)


Notes


1– https://extensiongardener.ces.ncsu.edu/gardening-publications-2/extgardener-%20previous-newsletters/extgardener-past-features/extgardener-virginia-creeper-is-in-the-%20ivy-league/
2– https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/virginia-creeper-parthenocissus-quinquefolia/
3 —https://woodyplants.cals.cornell.edu/plant/165
4–https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/parthenocissus-quinquefolia/
5 —https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Alypia-octomacula ;
https://auth1.dpr.ncparks.gov/moths/photos_records/2024/06/83462_1718995245_2.jpeg
6– https://www.trianglegardener.com/are-native-plants-better/

Resources and Additional Information

On the blog, more on replacing invasive plants with natives: https://wp.me/p2nIr1-5CJ

On the blog, a better alternative to invasive wisteria: https://wp.me/p2nIr1-2aE

Edited by Melinda Heigel, NC State Extension Master GardenerSM volunteer of Durham County

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