A Brandywine from the fog belt at last - but was it worth it?

In retrospect it does seem silly to try to grow Brandywine tomatoes in the fog belt of the Richmond Annex; far more sensible to stick with cherry and plum tomatoes suitable for this area.  UC Davis has done exhaustive trials of what tomatoes grow best in each region of California (http://anrcatalog.ucdavis.edu/pdf/8159.pdf) and therefore, despite finally producing a Brandywine from seed, I have concluded that it isn’t worth the time and expense to try to battle the elements.  I can walk to an organic market and my bi-weekly Farmer’s Market where I can purchase my favorite heirlooms (Brandywine, Black Crimson and Pineapple Tomatoes).   From now on I will stick to growing Sun Gold and Sweet Cherry 100s, which performed great despite a cool summer and an admittedly neglectful gardener.   


My experience growing the Brandywine is akin to that described by William Alexander in his witty and informative book: "The $64 Tomato: How One Man Nearly Lost His Sanity, Spent a Fortune, and Endured an Existential Crisis in the Quest for the Perfect Garden"

NPR provides an interesting podcast of an interview with William Alexander at http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5360768.

The $64 Tomato

William Alexander

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With only a dozen of these sought after beauties I am not fussing with any elaborate recipes - just sliced tomatoes, fresh basil, Burrata cheese & a sprinkling of black olives.