finding a good tomato

[Contrary Housewife]

The seed catalogs have started arriving and I'm making a list for spring. I'm looking for a good variety of tomato that will do well. I'd like to know what you other gardeners have had good results with.

We are in the midwest, zone 5. I have clay soil amended with lots of compost over the years but it is still heavy. Our springs are wet, we have a late frost/cold spell after it warms up enough to plant, and our summers are hot (80+) and dry as a bone.

I have tried:

[bad choices]
Rutgers (did not thrive, no fruit)
Better Boy (smallish plants, low yield)
Early Girl (smallish plants, low yield)
Old German (big plant, small low yield fruit)
Beefsteak (medium plants, low yield, squirrels got it all because they fell over)
Gulf State Market (did not thrive, no fruit)

[good choices]
Grapette (small plants, but excellent yield)
Roma (healthy plants, good producer)
Yellow Pear (huge plants, exceptional yield)

I plan on planting the 3 successful varieties again. The yellow pears did so well I *still* have bags of dried tomatoes from that season. I like them, but there's only so much you can do with them. Likewise, the grapettes are terrific, but they are salad tomatoes.

I really want to find a good fat slicing tomato that I can count on during the summer. What are your favorites? What grows for you?
Or, what do I have to do to get a lot of healthy tomatoes?

[Brat]

I have the same zone and the same soil...We use coffee cans with a tube in the botton to keep the roots watered and not the rest of the ground and put grass clippings around them, to keep the weeds down and to hold moisture. Use cages made of concrete wire. We plant them as deep as we can in the spring. (Usually after mothers day) This past year we had lots of rain so didn't have to water except to feed. (feed with mircal grow tomato and epson salt about every other week) We had Better girl and Big boy this year...Had more than we wanted..

Mortgage Lifter is a good one for your type of soil. This takes 83 days to produce..

[frugalfranny]

Not much help CH.......I am the same zone but the weather must be enough different or the ph of your soil. Some of the ones you named that were bad are ones that I grow and have good luck with.

Have you checked your PH? I am having everyone save their egg shells for me this winter as I had one plant that was starting to get blossom end rot......

My catalogs have started arriving too...........LOVE IT! Always makes me feel that maybe spring will arrive........though we have had a mild winter........so far!