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Epic Tomatoes: How to Select and Grow the Best Varieties of All Time Kindle Edition

by Craig LeHoullier (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 1,355 ratings
Goodreads Choice Award nominee
See all formats and editions

Savor your best tomato harvest ever! Craig LeHoullier provides everything a tomato enthusiast needs to know about growing more than 200 varieties of tomatoes, from planting to cultivating and collecting seeds at the end of the season. He also offers a comprehensive guide to various pests and tomato diseases, explaining how best to avoid them. With beautiful photographs and intriguing tomato profiles throughout, Epic Tomatoes celebrates one of the most versatile and delicious crops in your garden. 

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  1. Print length
    553 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Storey Publishing, LLC
  5. Publication date
    January 16, 2015
  6. File size
    41073 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Not Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  10. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

2016 GWA Media Awards Gold Medal Winner - Best Overall Book

“All the descriptions and growing information, enhanced by the book's snappy cover art, engaging design, and clever interior layout, make it easy to see how anyone could be smitten by this remarkable and quirky fruit.”
— The American Gardener

“A must-read for all serious tomato growers…you’ll want to read this cover to cover as soon as you get it.”
— Sunday News Herald

“The ultimate in-depth and practical ode to heirloom tomatoes. ... Gardeners will find it a mouthwatering read, and the photography will make you yearn for scratch-sniff-and-taste paper.”
— Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier

“Revel in the amazing variety of tomato colors, tastes, and textures … LeHoullier's book is a treat for the senses.”
— HGTVGardens.com

 

Review

"Craig LeHoullier has been on a marathon journey with this fruit for 35 years, growing and evaluating thousands of tomatoes. His hands-on knowledge ... is now entirely accessible in Epic Tomatoes." ― Diane Ott Whealy, co-founder and vice president of Seed Savers Exchange

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00KLNAJCK
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Storey Publishing, LLC (January 16, 2015)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ January 16, 2015
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 41073 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 553 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 1,355 ratings

About the author

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Craig LeHoullier

Craig LeHoullier

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Craig LeHoullier's first book, Epic Tomatoes, is the culmination of decades of a passion for collecting, researching and growing hundreds of varieties of tomatoes. Residing in Raleigh, NC with his wife Susan and small assortment of dogs and cats, Craig's gardening passion was planted when very young by walks through his grandfather's backyard garden in Pawtucket, Rhode island, and, later on, planting the family gardens with his dad.

Possessing a PhD in chemistry, Craig's professional career involved various positions in a major pharmaceutical company. After retiring in 2008, and following a few years of consulting, he decided to take the plunge into garden writing, a logical progression from Craig's many years of garden lectures, a newsletter (Off The vine), and blogging.

Craig's passion for tomatoes in particular exploded after joining the Seed Savers Exchange in 1986, and all gardens since focus on open pollinated (non-hybrid) varieties, in a wide range of colors, sizes and flavors. He is responsible for naming, developing and introducing many varieties, such as Cherokee Purple and Lucky Cross, and has been co-leading a unique all-volunteer project to create new dwarf-growing varieties. The project is responsible for 25 new tomatoes available through a variety of seed companies, particularly valuable for space-constrained gardeners who wish to grow wonderful tomatoes on decks or patios.

Craig continues to be active in the Seed Savers Exchange and has served as Adviser on Tomatoes to the organization for many years.

His new author website is www.epictomatoes.com, and you can follow his personal blog and local seedling sales www.nctomatoman.com.

Customer reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
4.8 out of 5
1,355 global ratings
Epic Tomatoes How To Select and Grow the best Tomatoes
5 Stars
Epic Tomatoes How To Select and Grow the best Tomatoes
The reason why we bought this book is to improve the quality of our tomato plants. It has a variety of tomatoes that I was not aware of that I can grow and sell at our nursery. There were things that I was missing out on growing tomato plants that this book educated me on. I do have to say there is a lot of reading involved, but the author made it very educational with graphs, pictures, and charts which by the way are very helpful I would recommend this book to first-time growers and even old-timers like me and my wife
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Top reviews from the United States

Bennie
5.0 out of 5 stars Love, love, love this book
Reviewed in the United States on March 20, 2016
Verified Purchase
Wow - after finding out about GMOs in our food, I ordered over 20 books to start growing my own - this is my favorite so far!

It is fun, fun, fun! Lots of huge, nice, color pictures that inspire and make you smile to look at: tomatoes of so many different varieties pictured on the vine, cut open, and described, so you get a real close look at them and can decide if you would like to grow that variety yourself. Lots of good tips on how to do that. Love the author's style: for example, he says, rather than telling you how to plant he wants to share what has worked from him and still learn from others - he has experience in two different climates. Lots of good tips to get me started in the southeast, for sure. Even the table of contents is presented in a fun style with chapter headings printed on little seed bags and labels - just gives you a good feeling to look at this book. It is huge (8.5 by 11 inches - like a piece of paper) and has good quality material and easy to read print.

The only thing I don't like is that it has a horrible smell to it - maybe my copy did not have the print cured/dried properly - but I am hoping that will dissipate with time and I am happy to deal with that in exchange for the thick, glossy, almost three dimensional color pictures of the tomatoes.

Two more great points about the book are the loving presentations of the "Ten Tastiest" tomatoes, again with super color pictures and descriptions - makes me want to try at least two more that I have not thought about before - the kind of 'gotta have this one in our family' feeling that gets you going - and the lovely presentation of letters from seed savers like you and me, again with pictures of the actual letters - nice to see.

There is also a section on problem solving - a most useful book for any tomato fan and a beautiful book to look at, too - it's like a tomato art gallery on my book shelf, that I can visit any time now. =]
6 people found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars The ultimate tomato gardening book
Reviewed in the United States on November 10, 2021
Verified Purchase
I am an avid tomato grower. Each spring, I plant over 20 tomato plants and like to choose the standards (Roma, cherry, heirloom, beefsteak, etc.) and this book opens the doors to new types of tomatoes that I've never heard about, or possibly overlooked at the neighborhood garden store. I think the book has over 200 tomato varieties mentioned in great detail, and they are broken down by color and size. Also included is some helpful information and tips for planting, pest control, fertilization, etc.

The books' photography and artwork are great, and the writing is really interesting. I have purchased several vegetable garden books that cover all types of veggies, but I wanted a tomato-specific book. When I finished reading it, I realized that I knew nothing about tomatoes even after growing them with success for 20+ years. The author really knows his stuff; you can tell that he has a lifelong passion for tomato gardening and growing, and his expert tips and information will enhance your knowledge and gardening skills.
One person found this helpful
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Ben N
5.0 out of 5 stars Tomato Gardening Book
Reviewed in the United States on April 18, 2024
Verified Purchase
This book covering tomatoes is extremely informative and a valuable tool to have in my gardening library.
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Michele
5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome book
Reviewed in the United States on January 25, 2024
Verified Purchase
I wanted this book for a while and when the price was right I purchased. An awesome book, looks of great color pictures. Highly recommend if you are a gardener.
2 people found this helpful
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Patsy
4.0 out of 5 stars Easy to read, and large type
Reviewed in the United States on August 12, 2022
Verified Purchase
I bought this along with a soil science book for my retired husband who's having trouble with his tomatoes. He's never had a problem before. The soil science book is a harder read, but I believe he'll have it read before next summer planting. He said the tomato book is interesting and easy to read. He did say that in trying to identify the problem with his plants, this book hasn't really nailed down what his problem is. It will tell a scenario and suggest the problem, but will end it with 'however it may not be the problem'. So he's no better off than before. I also got him a soil tester kit and hope this identifies what's possibly lacking in the soil.
4 people found this helpful
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Laurie
5.0 out of 5 stars Epic Tomatoes How To Select and Grow the best Tomatoes
Reviewed in the United States on January 21, 2024
Verified Purchase
The reason why we bought this book is to improve the quality of our tomato plants. It has a variety of tomatoes that I was not aware of that I can grow and sell at our nursery. There were things that I was missing out on growing tomato plants that this book educated me on. I do have to say there is a lot of reading involved, but the author made it very educational with graphs, pictures, and charts which by the way are very helpful I would recommend this book to first-time growers and even old-timers like me and my wife
Customer image
Laurie
5.0 out of 5 stars Epic Tomatoes How To Select and Grow the best Tomatoes
Reviewed in the United States on January 21, 2024
The reason why we bought this book is to improve the quality of our tomato plants. It has a variety of tomatoes that I was not aware of that I can grow and sell at our nursery. There were things that I was missing out on growing tomato plants that this book educated me on. I do have to say there is a lot of reading involved, but the author made it very educational with graphs, pictures, and charts which by the way are very helpful I would recommend this book to first-time growers and even old-timers like me and my wife
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3 people found this helpful
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Heidi G.
5.0 out of 5 stars EPIC! Definitive in the Tomato World!
Reviewed in the United States on April 4, 2024
Verified Purchase
What to do and not do! This is a fantastic resource for tomato lovers! Its chock full of fantastic stories and has beautiful pictures! A must read!
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Top reviews from other countries

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Edson Alvarado
5.0 out of 5 stars Excelente calidad!
Reviewed in Mexico on March 3, 2020
Verified Purchase
Excelente calidad, super recomendado
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Mark
5.0 out of 5 stars I was sold at 'Mexico's Midget'
Reviewed in Canada on August 16, 2019
Verified Purchase
This is the only book you need as a Tomato Geek.

Craig is to Tomato as Eliot Coleman is to Organic.

His passion shines through in his writing and the information within is valuable to both the person sowing their 1st Tomato seed as much as it is to the Tomato NERD like myself. I hadn't known of anyone(that I hadn't shared a harvest with) to have such an appreciation and respect for my favorite variety, Mexico's Midget as Craig and this book has inspired me to become involved in Tomato breeding as well as helped me diagnose my non-organic gardener's Tomato related problems.

Anytime someone from a local Facebook gardening Group asks about Tomatoes, Craig's website & book are the first things I refer them to.

To summarize, the information in this book is invaluable and the passion of the Author for Tomatoes is inspiring. 5/5!
2 people found this helpful
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Max
5.0 out of 5 stars Have complete confidence in growing tomatoes
Reviewed in Australia on August 5, 2018
Verified Purchase
Everything is here by a longtime grower who loves his tomatoes. Easy to read great content. The best tomato book I’ve read and I’ve read many.
2 people found this helpful
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Andrea F.
5.0 out of 5 stars Informatives und sehr schön aufgemachtes Tomaten-Handbuch
Reviewed in Germany on August 22, 2015
Verified Purchase
Craig LeHoullier's "Epic Tomatoes" beschreibt von der Geschichte der heutigen Tomaten über die einzelnen Schritte von Tomatenanbau und -pflege bis hin zur Ernte alles Wissenswerte für Hobbygärtner, die gerne ihre eigenen Tomaten ziehen möchten. Die Samengewinnung und Zucht eigener Sorten werden ebenfalls beschrieben. Auch gibt es Tipps zur Konservierung und je ein Rezept für eine Gazpacho und Salsa.

Ein wichtiger Punkt in "Epic Tomatoes" sind die alten, samenechten Sorten, wo der Autor den Leser ermuntert, ihnen ggü. den heutzutage weit verbreiteten F1-Hybriden auch eine Chance zu geben. Zusätzlich zu den immer wieder eingestreuten detaillierteren Sortenvorstellungen als "Meet the varieties" oder "Ten tastiest" gibt es im Anhang eine tabellarische, nach Farben geordnete Liste von 250 Tomatensorten mit Kurzangaben zu Form, Grösse, Wuchs, Erntezeitpunkt early/mid/late und Geschmack, was die Auswahl für den eigenen Anbau erleichtert; abgesehen von den alten heirloom und anderen open-pollinated tomatoes werden auch einige F1-Hybride empfohlen, die sind jedoch in der Minderheit.

Anders als viele andere Bücher zum Gärtnern ist "Epic Tomatoes" kein trockenes Handbuch, sondern berichtet aus der über 30-jährigen Erfahrung LeHoullier's mit dem Tomatenanbau, was auch diverse Überraschungen und Misserfolge nicht ausschliesst - nicht nur interessant zu lesen, der Autor animiert auch zum selbst Ausprobieren und vermittelt die notwendigen Informationen auf leicht verständliche Weise.
Was mir persönlich auch sehr gut gefiel, ist die Aufmachung des Buches, das abgesehen von schönen Fotografien auch alte Tomatenbilder und -anzeigen von Saatgutherstellern +/- 1900 enthält.

Eine Empfehlung an alle Tomatenliebhaber und sowohl für Neueinsteiger in den Anbau wie auch für schon Erfahrenere geeignet.
3 people found this helpful
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Cldwell
5.0 out of 5 stars All the basics covered
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 9, 2015
Verified Purchase
I found this book to be an easy and informative read. Covers all the basics about how to germinate, grow and harvest tomatoes.
The best thing I found with this book was the introduction to lots of new varieties of tomatoes. In that respect it makes itself quite a good coffee table book with lots and lots of good pictures.
I was worried that it might not have much relevance in the UK but I managed to pick up most of the heirloom seeds online, by doing an online search, from a Canadian called Tatiana
Some sections aren't in text book depth, I think anyone wanting to cross breed tomatoes wouldn't be able to do it solely from the knowledge gathered from this book, but it does point you in the right direction to search for demonstration videos and the like.
Overall I think this is an excellent book and gets your passion for growing tomatoes going
3 people found this helpful
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