Are you getting your garden ready for spring? Have you started sprouting your tomato plants? If you are still looking around for some good varieties to try growing from seed, here are some of my Favorite Tomato Varieties. These always find a place in my garden here on the farm.
I took both tomato cuttings and seeds this year. The cuttings are a bit farther along than the seedlings, because I started them in January. But the seeds are already popping their heads out of the soil and I will move everyone out to the raised beds in a few short days.
If you haven’t checked it out already, see my post on tips for growing your best tomato harvest ever! In that article I discuss planting site, the best cages to use, and all sorts of other great info specific to growing strong tomatoes. I have also written about the secret sauce recipe for what to put into your tomato planting hole for vigorous, healthy tomato plants. This one is more about nutrition and how to feed your very hungry little tomatoes to keep them strong and healthy.
If you are still looking for new heirloom tomato varieties to grow, check these beautiful varieties out. All have been grown in our gardens and I can personally attest to the fact that they not only grow really well, but they are also some of the tastier varieties in our gardens. Read on for some of our favorite tomato varieties.
Favorite Heirloom Tomato Varieties
Gold Medal Tomato
This bi-color tomato is one of our very favorites! This might just be the most beautiful tomato ever. A top performer, this baby is a rich golden-orange color with a blush of red streaking on the skin and up from the blossom end on the inside. Gold medal is a robust heirloom which can withstand heat and keep on producing right up until frost. Low in acidity despite the color, this huge beefsteak type tomato is wonderful in salads, sandwiches, burgers, or in a beautiful, multi-color panzanella or caprese. Reseeds well.
Indira Gandhi
More robust than Cherokee Purple, the Indira Gandhi tomato is a medium sized, sweet dark purple tomato with a wonderful flavor. The shape is quite rounded, and I have found it to resist growth cracks better than most dark colored tomatoes. Roots well. Small seeds; perfect for burgers.
Brandywine
Much has been written about this heirloom tomato. Actually, Brandywines come in several different colors, including red, pink, black, orange and even yellow brandywines. The most common and popular is the pink brandywine, which is favored for its lower acidity. Brandywine tomatoes are a bit finicky and susceptible to disease, but drip watering, halos and tents will help deter fungus and other diseases.
Cherokee Purple
One of the more well-known dark red-purple tomatoes, probably because it is easy to find both in seed and seedling form. A bit more tender than Indira Ghandi, still the Cherokee Purple tomato is widely favored for its outstanding flavor.
Beauty Lottringa
This gorgeous ruffled tomato is definitely one of the better tasting ruffled tomatoes I have tried. Bigger and with deeper ribbing than most others, Beauty Lottringa sure lives up to its name. Grow it for how lovely and like a flower it looks on the plate, but enjoy it for the sweeter, tomato flavor.
Paste Tomatoes
Paste tomatoes are smaller, often elongated tomatoes with a lot of flesh and very little juice. While you *could* make paste from any old tomato, this drier consistency is why these tomatoes are known for making great tomato paste and sauce. The less water you start out with, the less time they need to spend in the pot!
San Marzano
These crowd-pleasers are known for their long shape and fleshy insides. The seeds and seed cavities are very small, making them excellent for sauce-making. Higher on the acid side, they tend to have more sugars which balance out the acidity. (To be fair, when grown in their native namesake town in Italy, the volcanic soil keeps their acidity low) San Marzanos are heirloom paste tomatoes, so you can save the seeds. Stellar performers in the garden and a long-time Italian favorite.
Chinese Paste
These babies are like San Marzanos on steroids! Much larger and longer than other plum tomatoes, a Chinese Paste tomato can be as long as your hand. Vigorous growers, they do best in full sun but they seem to have a short season. Not quite as flavorful as the San Marzano, still a good tomato to have on sauce-making day.
Roma
Another of our favorite tomato varieties, and a stand-by for sauce making and canning, the Roma is a reliable and vigorous grower. These meaty tomatoes will continue to produce through heat waves and right up until a killing frost due to their thicker skin. Good flavor and low acidity makes them very versatile. Great for balancing out high acid tomatoes or to add structure to your sauce. More rounded and less pointy than San Marzanos.
Principe Borghese
These cute, orange-red tomatoes are surprisingly dense and dry for their size. Only about two ro three times the size of cherry tomatoes, they have a thicker skin which allows them to withstand temperature variations without fermenting (like many cherry tomatoes do). Because the tomatoes are smaller, you’ll need a lot more of them to make a sauce. But not to worry – this plant is one of the most prolific producers.
Cherry Tomatoes
No matter how serious you are about your tomatoes, everyone needs a good cherry tomato plant in their garden! Fun and foolproof, cherry tomatoes are not only great for kids, but adults too for healthy snacking while out tending to your garden chores. And, they look fabulous on salads. I couldn’t possibly neglect to add cherries to our favorite tomato varieties.
Chocolate Sprinkles – an elongated purple cherry, this one is a must have! Packed with rich flavor. Solid performer even in tough conditions. Resists fermenting in hot weather, staying sweet and juicy.
Fruit Punch – This lovely cherry is a sweet pink variety. So named for its super sweet and fruity flavor, this little guy stays on the vine longer and is cold weather tolerant. Its thin skin prevents cracking, which is a real plus for any cherry tomato!
Sungold – one of the most popular cherry tomatoes, this one has a ton of sugar. An early season ripener, sungold is best enjoyed early on in summer or late season. Super easy to grow and easily the sweetest tomato around.
Favorite Crossover Tomato Varieties
What I refer to as cross-over varieties are those tomatoes which are larger, with a nice round shape. Yet, they are meaty and balanced in flavor enough to use in sauces, like a paste tomato.
Black Prince – A vigorous plant, this tomato was originally saved because it can thrive in cooler temperatures, making it one of the longer season varieties. While each tomato is only about the size of an oversized golf ball, the plants are very prolific. Additionally the dark, purplish skin adds a rich color to your sauce.
Sexy beast – This is one of my very favorite tomato varieties, created by the folks at Love Apple Farms in the central coast region of California. A big, voluptuous pink oxheart variety, this baby is big, meaty, and sweet. Perfect as a slicer, but even better in your sauces. Sexy Beast is an heirloom tomato.
Carmelo – Carmelo is a French hybrid, and I’m including it here because of its size, flavor, and its rarity. Its thin skin makes it perfect for eating raw or for cooking in sauces.
Chef’s Choice – This orange variety is one of the heaviest producing tomatoes I have grown! In addition, it is disease resistant and very cold hardy, making it perfect for early or late-season production. Last year we had dozens and dozens of fruit on each plant, well into December. I love this as a crossover because they add a great flavor to sauce, but can also be enjoyed as part of a colorful caprese or panzanella. Chef’s Choice is a hybrid variety.
