A vegetable garden without tomatoes is unthinkable for me and I always include the cultivar ‘Celebrity’ because of its reliability. No matter what the weather conditions or soil conditions may be, ‘Celebrity’ has always produced more and better tomatoes than the other tomato cultivars that I grow in that year. The solid, meaty fruits average about 8 oz, are red with no shoulder, and resist cracking. I grow other tomato cultivars in order to have a variety in flavor and texture but I would never be without ‘Celebrity’ because I can count on it for a good yield every year.
‘Celebrity’ is an old favorite and was an All America Selection Winner in 1984. Some authorities consider it determinate others indeterminate, so perhaps it is semi-determinate. Whatever you call it, it grows very tall and easily reaches the top of my 5’ tomato cages. I don’t prune it but do fertilize it with a side dressing of 10-10-10 every 3-4 weeks and water a couple times a week when we don’t get adequate rain (over 1”/week). I treat all my tomatoes this way but ‘Celebrity’ does better than the others under this regime. ‘Celebrity’ is considered very diseases resistant and I have never had any pest or disease problems; perhaps this is why it so reliably produces a good yield.
Days to Harvest: 70.
Size of Fruit: 8 oz.
Planting Date: Seed – Start seeds indoors 5-6 weeks before the last frost date; Seedlings – Set out when night temperatures are above 55 degrees.
Spacing: 2-2½’.
Germination: 5-10 days under ideal conditions.
Size: 6’ H.
Light: Full sun.
Water: 1-1½”/week
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Soil: Fertile, moist, well-drained loam.
Fertilizer: Apply ½ cup 8-8-8 (or 10-10-10) fertilizer around each plant when setting out and a side dressing of 8-8-8 ever 4-8 weeks once the plants have begun to set fruit. N.B. Too much nitrogen will produce lots of leaves but less fruit, especially if applied before fruit set..
Care: Stake tomatoes or grow in cages.
Pests and Diseases: Resistant to or tolerant of: Verticillium Wilt, Fusarium Wilt races 1 and 2, Nematodes, and Tobacco Mosaic Virus.
Suitable for containers: Possible, but smaller cultivars available.
Comments: Good for canning.
