There are several properties of soil that may make a difference. Soils are very complex. Take for example that soils can be composed of small or large particles, or they can and often are a mix of different sized particles. The different sizes often determine how many nutrients a soil holds and how they hold (or don't hold) water. It also influences the cation exchange capacity (CEC) which determines how readily those soils share their nutrients with plants and the natural amount of organic matter that soil typically holds under natural conditions. Then soils can come from several different types of parent material (or rock) which can be made up of different chemical compositions. The different types of rock often leads to different possible shapes of the particles. The chemical composition and regional rainfall amount influences soil PH which can influence the availability of micro nutrients. Probably the least understood and most complicated part is soil ecology, such as bacteria, fungi, and invertebrates, all of which greatly influence soil nutrients. Each of these factors can influence soil fertility and thus production and taste. The marvelous thing about soils is that almost any soil problem can be mitigated with the addition of organic matter to the soil.

Thank you for the information. I have a clay yard to which I add compost at a high rate. I grow good-sized tomatoes, with good-looking fruit. I've grown Nepal, Patio-pik, Sweet 100, and now Hungarian Heart. None of my tomatoes have a really noticeable or outstanding taste, They're all "bland". 20 miles away, a friend of mine grows tomatoes on upland loam. His tomatoes have taste that jumps out and grabs you, so to speak. He thinks the problem is my soil. He asserts that any one cultivar of tomato will taste very different on different soil. I'm not so sure. I think any given strain should taste about the same no matter which soil grows it. Of course, that begs the question as to why my tomatoes have very little taste. Odd problem.

I think the amount of sun and the watering are major factors for tomato flavor too. With clay the soil holds a lot of water but that water is bound tightly to the clay particles so its unavailable for plants. If they are over watered tomatoes tend to be more bland. Tomatoes are really pretty drought resistant and do well with less water. My problem is that I grow my tomatoes with other veggies what are less drought tolerant so I have to water more than I like. When I want a good tomato, I don't water for 4-5 days before harvest. It makes a big difference.

There is a story that goes around about the famed "Jersey"
tomatoes of half a century and longer ago about how they
salted their tomatoes while they were still growing. And that
made a difference in the taste.

They were using Chilean guano as fertilizer and it contained
large amounts of salt. Well, not different soils but what you
put on makes a difference. This is not a suggestion that you
get out there with your table shaker.

I have been using just(only)compost for my tomatoes. I think I'll try something more supercharged this coming year. As for Kevinitis' view, would it help me (in general) to apply agricultural gypsum? When I say I have clay, I mean red clay fill dirt that they put in to level the lot. Thanx jj

Sneezer makes a good point.. not to salt but to get a good mineral balance. Minerals are almost all provided in a SALT form. My take on flavor is a little different than previous responses in that I believe variety and soil nutrition play largely into tomato flavor. You can grow good flavored tomatoes in sand, silt or clay soils. You will also get a better flavor from a fully vine ripened tomato and one ripened in full sun as opposed to a fruit shaded by the plant canopy. But Ive heard reports of some of the best flavored tomatoes having been grown hydroponically(no soil) provided the water nutrient mixture was properly balanced.

Gypsum generally is used to help reduce salt in sodic (saline) soils. It can also be a source of calcium and sulfer. However, gypsum also can cause other nutrients to be unavailabe to plants, or lost due to leaching. I would recommend you get a soil test to see what your soil needs before adding amendments like gypsum. You might find that you have plenty of calcium and sulfer in your soil, and that your soil is not sodic. In that case gypsum could harm your soil rather than help. A soil test will tell you exactly what type of soil you have, it's ph, and mineral/micro-nutrient content. It will also make recommendations on soil amendments. An extension service located near you can provide you with a soil test. The cost ranges from free to a small fee and requires you to send them a little soil for the test.

That said, It would not hurt at all to keep adding compost to your soil. Compost contains a lot of micro-nutrients, and improves drainage and structure of clay soils. It is generally not an adequete source of macro nutrients like nitrogen, at least not for a few years. So you may want to consider adding a fertilzer as well, whether that be an organic or man-made. This is a good topic to discuss in the soil compost and mulch forum. There are a lot of experts over there who can help you. Once you get a soil test you can even post the results over there and it usually generates a very informative discussion.

"My take on flavor is a little different than previous responses in that I believe variety and soil nutrition play largely into tomato flavor.......But Ive heard reports of some of the best flavored tomatoes having been grown hydroponically(no soil) provided the water nutrient mixture was properly balanced."

Bmoser, I think we agree here, we both stated that soil nutrients/nutrient balance plays a role in tomato flavor. I guess I should explain better what I meant when I said that "over watered tomatoes" tend to not taste as good. It comes down to mechanism, in that by overwatering you can lose mineral balance in the soil through leaching, and dilution. Plants rely on an imbalance of solutes between root membranes (between soil solution and root tissues) to uptake water. In hydroponically grown tomatoes, even though they are grown in all liquid, they balance those nutrients. Thus the solute differences between the hydroponic solution and the roots do not get out of balance so that the plant does not uptake too much water.

When a plant becomes low in water, it concentrates the amount of solutes in the root tissues to try to draw in more water. When a plant has been dry for a time, and then suddenly experiences a dramatic increase in water avaiability, the water flows quickly into the roots. In soil solutions, the amount of water in the soil also influences, or temporarily changes, the solute concentrations. So plants that are watered irregularly will uptake more water in a short time period which can dilute the solutes in the plant tissues and thus affect taste. This is also part of what causes cracking in tomatoes. Essentially the water uptake is so swift that the walls of the fruits can't stretch enough to accomodate the water. So we essentially agree that soil nutrients influences taste.

In my soil, which is sand, the water holding capacity is poor and, even though try to maintain water content, I still have these large swings in soil moisture which makes my tomatoes crack and not taste as good. And if I let them dry out for a few days before harvest those solutes in the plant tissues concentrate which makes them taste better.

I am sure that soil nutrients also influence sugar production and other plant chemicals, which influence taste as well.

Kevin

Thanks to all who have responded. I'm starting to see that the subject is much, much more complicated than I ever imagined. I'm going to get a soil sample sent in at my state extension office, and go from there. This could get .... as Sgt. Schultz said .... veeeery interesting. :) jj