The following is from Jacqueline Record. University of Illinois Extension, Coles County Master Gardener.

It is almost tomato planting time and I am on a quest to find good-tasting, early-maturing tomatoes for our table. The varieties I have come to prefer are mostly heirlooms, harder to grow but worth the trouble if you can get them to produce. Heirlooms are defined as open-pollinated, non-hybrid plants. Hybrids that are bred to be disease-resistant and tougher-skinned for shipping purposes help give the supermarket tomato its bad reputation.

Most supermarket tomatoes are also "determinate" plants, bush-like varieties that mature all at once for harvesting, whereas most "indeterminate" plants are taller, frequently need staking, and produce fruit until frost.

We rarely eat tomatoes out of season at our house, since I find them mostly disappointingly tasteless. The tomato is one of the few vegetables, along with lettuce, radishes and green peppers that we try to grow in a garden mostly devoted to herbs and flowers.

I have read that 95% of all gardeners grow tomatoes, even those who have to pretend they are flowers and grow them in pots in their hyper-zoned and gated neighborhoods. The desire for a fresh tomato overrides good taste in landscaping every time.

I usually plant "Early Girl," a hybrid, simply because it lives up to its name and matures long before most other tomatoes. I also plant one " Big Boy" as an insurance policy, sort of like applying to a safe college--- just in case. Then I look for heirlooms and more unusual varieties. " Brandywine," preferred by many of our Amish neighbors, is my all time favorite. I like the ones with funny names, such as "Cherokee Purple," "Green Zebra" and "German Johnson," which I tried growing last year with mixed success. This year I bought seeds for "Hillbilly" and "Mortgage Lifter," because I found the names irresistible. I've never tasted those tomatoes but how can one go wrong? Oh yes, there is also " Abe Lincoln," said to be a reliable plant, of course.

One of the pleasures of spring is inspecting the offerings of the various nurseries in the area, even though I am not quite ready to take home tender seedlings yet. A couple of warm days bring on the urge to plant things. Most vegetable gardeners have already planted potatoes and spinach and maybe carrots and lettuce. I did see some people buying tomato seedlings this week, presumably to coddle on sunny windowsills or in cold frames until the May frost date is past. It is still too early to plant a tomato outside, but you already knew that, didn't you?

And, by the way, I KNOW the tomato (Lycopersicon lycopersicum) is technically a fruit, so no need to call me about that. Most of us treat it like a vegetable though. You wouldn't put it in fruit salad would you?

I checked with Master Gardener Max Davis who is the guiding spirit at the Plant-a-Row project near Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Center about the varieties he has chosen for the 2008 garden. Max mentioned several determinate and indeterminate hybrids and heirlooms including Goliath, Big Boy, Brandywine, Abe Lincoln, Box Car Willie and Mortgage Lifter. Max says Mortgage Lifter got its name because a tomato farmer should be able to pay off his debts in a couple of seasons with such a big producer. Max, Stan Huffman and their hard-working crew plan their garden carefully to produce not just tomatoes but also broccoli, cabbage, peppers, onions and potatoes and a dozen or so other vegetables to help keep the local food banks well-supplied with fresh produce throughout the season.

This is just one of many community projects of the U of I Extension Master Gardeners. Look for them at Mattoon's Herb and Garden Festival next weekend. They will have plants for sale, including some tomato seedlings. U of I Extension's state funding, including Master Gardeners, is in jeopardy, Let Master Gardeners know if you think their work is important to the community.

In the meantime, if you have gardening questions, or would like a more detailed explanation of the difference between a determinate and indeterminate tomato, contact the Master Gardeners.

If you have any horticulture questions, call the local U of I Extension office 345-7034. Volunteer Master Gardeners are in the office on Monday's from 2 to 4 p.m. and Wednesday's from 9 to 11 a.m.

This column is based on information and materials available at the University of Illinois Extension office, located at 707 Windsor Road, Suite A., Charleston, 61920; phone 345-7034; or web site: www.extension.uiuc.edu/coles/