Race to ripeness: Sacramento ready to see red

When it comes to harvesting tomatoes, the sooner the better for this local gardener

Are you seeing red on your tomatoes yet? (Photo: Debbie Arrington)

By Debbie Arrington

In Sacramento, it’s a major point of pride.

Who has ripe (full-size, not cherry) tomatoes in June? You can count on Pete Frichette, Sacramento’s king of home-grown tomatoes,

“I picked five ripe tomatoes on the 13th of June,” Frichette said. “I’ve only had two others since. Several different groups are blushing, so it’s only a matter of time – short –  until the season’s on full bore.”

Frichette, who lives in Sacramento’s Greenhaven neighborhood, annually picks hundreds of tomatoes from his small backyard. (He keeps track.) This expert always plants ever-dependable Early Girls plus a variety of heirlooms including Aussie, which produces 2-pound giants.

Frichette gives his tomato patch a good head start, setting out his transplants by late March. During warm winters, he’s had his tomatoes in the ground in February.  “The earliest I’ve ever picked is the third of June,” he said.

Although it may seem like a slow start, Frichette is expecting his red tomatoes to come rolling in soon.

“I must say most of my vines seem to be loaded with fruit,” he said. “The one exception is the Mexico (an heirloom variety), which I was so excited about. Mine has set only three fruit, yet the plant is over 7 feet tall. The Early Girl next to it has at least 50 fruit set with more on the way.”

Expect tomato sauce by the Fourth of July.