Have you ever found yourself at the garden center staring at rack upon rack of tomato plants all begging you to take them home? With so many choices it’s hard to know which variety is best for your garden. Well, I have three questions to ask yourself that will make picking out a tomato easier.
What size is your garden?
Limited Space or Raised Beds
If you grow vegetables in raised beds or a limited space, choose a variety that stays fairly small. Look for determinate, bush and dwarf varieties. Although these plants stay more compact than some of the indeterminate varieties plan on staking them to give them the support they need and make room for more vegetables.
- Better Bush (Determinate) – This plant produces medium-sized tomatoes on sturdy stems. It’s also a good choice for growing in a container. Grows 3 to 5 feet tall. Matures in 68 days.
- Husky Cherry Red (Indeterminate) – This is a dwarf, indeterminate variety that will produce sweet, cherry-type tomatoes in continuous waves all summer. Grows 3 to 4 feet tall. Matures in 65 days.
Large Area
If you have plenty of space then you can grow any tomato variety, but you are in the unique position to select those that need room to sprawl and sturdy support. Many of these tomatoes are indeterminate and will give you tomatoes to harvest all summer.
- Mr. Stripey (Heirloom, Indeterminate) – How about a beefsteak tomato that can weigh as much as 24 ounces? In addition to the hefty size, the fruits are an attractive yellow to orange with irregular red stripes. The high sugar content makes Mr. Stripey tomatoes extra tasty. Grows 8 to 10 feet tall. Matures in 80 days.
- Sungold (Indeterminate) – These cherry tomatoes are so sweet you will find yourself eating them right off the plant. Sungold produces through summer and into fall. Grows 4 to 5 feet tall or larger. Matures in 55 to 65 days.
Containers
You can grow tomatoes even if you only have room for one container. For the best results select a container that is at least 20 inches in diameter and a tomato variety that stays compact.
- Bush Goliath (Determinate) – This variety produces large 3 to 4 inch tomatoes on compact, robust, 3 foot tall plants. Fruits are sweet and perfect for serving sliced with a dash of salt and pepper. Give this plant support with a tomato cage or stake. Grows 3 feet. Matures in 68 days.
- Sweet n’ Neat Cherry (Determinate) – Diminutive plants that will produce clusters of tomatoes in the smallest of spaces. Plant in a 10-inch pot and enjoy homegrown cherry tomatoes. Grows only 10 inches tall and 8 inches wide. Matures in 48 days.
What is the climate like in your area?
Mild Summer Weather and/or Short Growing Season
Most tomatoes need warm temperatures to set fruit and time to ripen. If your garden is in a region where summers are cool and/or the growing season is short, select varieties with an early ripening season that are known to set fruit in cool weather.
- Black Prince (Heirloom, Indeterminate) – This tomato hails from Siberia so you know it will do well in a cool climate. Dark fruits have a rich flavor. Grows 6 to 9 feet tall. Matures in 70 days.
- Early Girl (Indeterminate) – Harvest vine ripened tomatoes in only 50 days. Fruits are a good size for multiple uses including that summer classic the tomato sandwich. Grows 6 to 8 feet. Matures in 50 days.
Hot Summer
Tomatoes like warm weather, but they don’t like it too hot. When the day time temperatures stay consistently above 95 degrees F many tomatoes will stop setting fruit until the heat breaks. Gardeners in hot summer regions can get around this by planting heat tolerant varieties.
- Heatmaster (Determinate) – Both heat tolerant and disease resistant, this tomato is perfect for the hot, humid garden. Firm, medium-sized fruits are good for eating fresh from the garden. Grows 3 to 4 feet tall. Matures in 55 to 75 days.
- Solar Fire (Determinate) – This is a tomato that was bred to take the heat. Plant it in spring for a summer harvest and, if you live where the growing season is long, again in midsummer for a fall harvest. Grows 4 to 5 feet. Matures in 72 days.
How do you like your tomatoes?
I don’t know about you, but I can eat tomatoes prepared in any number of ways. Fortunately there is a tomato for every recipe.
Sliced
- Mortgage Lifter (Heirloom, Indeterminate) – Huge beefsteak tomatoes with a mellow taste. A slice of Mortgage Lifter makes for the perfect BLT sandwich. Grows 6 to 10 feet tall. Matures in 70 to 90 days.
- Arkansas Traveler (Heirloom, Indeterminate) – This plant will keep on producing fruit through heat and drought. Crack-resistant tomatoes are mild in flavor. Grows 6 to 8 feet tall. Matures in 75 days.
Salads and Salsas
- Super Sweet 100 (Indeterminate) – Bite-sized, sweet tomatoes are ready for picking 65 days after planting. This tomato will continue to produce until the first fall frost. Great for gardeners with space and those who live where summers are cool. Grows 8 to 12 feet tall. Matures in 65 days.
- Celebrity (Semi-determinate) – This plant stays 3 to 4 feet tall and produces fruit right up to the first frost. A large, all-purpose tomato with good flavor and a meaty texture. Matures in 65 to 70 days.
Sauces, Soups and Canning
- Bradley (Heirloom, Indeterminate) – If you’ve ever been to the Bradley County Tomato Festival you know this plant produces some delicious fruits. Pink in color and mild in flavor. Grows 4 to 6 feet tall. Matures in 75 to 85 days.
- Roma (Determinate) – This is the classic tomato for paste, sauces and cooking. The fruits are meaty and flavorful with less juice and fewer seeds than other varieties. Grows 4 to 6 feet tall. Matures in 73 to 80 days.
Tomato Terms
Determinate – Tomatoes are produced on the end of stems and ripen at roughly the same time. The plants tend to stay more compact.
Indeterminate – Tomatoes are produced all along the stems. These types of tomatoes will continue to grow and produce fruit until the first fall frost.
Heirloom – A variety of tomato that has been passed down from one generation to the next or open-pollinated varieties that were introduced more than 50 years ago. Seeds from an heirloom tomato will produce the same tomato.
Hybrid – A variety of tomato that is the result of a cross between to other varieties. Hybrids are developed for certain qualities such as disease resistance. Seeds from a hybrid tomato will not reproduce that same tomato.