Tomato Varieties

Heart shaped tomato

Every gardener loves a good tomato, and there are so many tomato varieties to choose from, so which one is right for your home garden?

First let’s understand the range of different terms we’ll run into when looking at tomato varieties. These describe different features such as the growing habit, the pollination and the fruit type.

Tomato Definitions

Growing Habit

  • Determinate –“Determinate” means the size of the bush is predetermined, so these won’t get too big. They grow to a certain height (usually up to 1m), set fruit, and then concentrate on ripening that fruit all at once. More compact and bushy in style.
  • Indeterminate – The opposite of determinate varieties, in that you can NOT determine how big the plant will grow. With a vining growth habit, they can grow many metres high given the right conditions. These plants will need staking or trellising to stay upright. Tomatoes arrive at different intervals, so these are good for folks who want to pick a few tomatoes here and there throughout the season.
  • Dwarf – Similar limited growth habit like determinate varieties (though much smaller). Though they fruit like indeterminate varieties, with tomatoes arriving a few at a time over a period of time. Popular for smaller spaces, growing in pots and containers.

Pollination

  • Heirloom or open-pollinated varieties are important for seed saving. Seeds collected from these plants will “come true”. Which means they will grow into an identical plant the following year.
  • Hybrids are a cross between two genetically different varieties that have been selected for certain traits. Hybrid varieties often offer better disease resistance or higher yields. If you save the seeds from hybrids it doesn’t mean they won’t grow necessarily, but you will not get the same traits in the new plants.

Fruit type

Fruit type is what I care about most. I use tomatoes in salads, sandwiches, and just to eat like a fruit. I also use them in fresh and frozen sauces, so I select tomato varieties that meet these needs.

  • Slicing – Large and juicy tomatoes which often have more seeds. There are great for eating fresh as in sandwiches and burgers. It includes most larger varieties.
  • Paste – Are wonderful for cooking (particularly sauces) as they have less juice and seeds, and more flesh.
  • Cherry – Small but juicy and flavorful, great for picking and eating off the plant, throwing in salads or snack boxes. Easiest to grow!

What type of tomato should I grow?

Consider your Climate

Depending on where you are in the world, your climate and how long your growing season is, you will likely have a garden better suited to a certain type of tomato plant.

If you have a short growing season, the “early” varieties are going to be a great option to turn around a good crop in a shorter timeframe. Take a look at Early Girl or Early Doll. Tomatoes need to be harvested before the frost comes, so look for varieties that will start ripening fruit quickly. Check the seed packet or plant label for days-to-harvest guidance.

If you have a humid and damp environment, those bred to be disease resistant are probably a good idea! Many of the Hybrid varieties have been enhanced this way.

Consider your Space

Outdoor Gardens and Beds – You have a lot more freedom in the size of your plants, but make sure you consider how you will stake or trellis them as they grow!

Containers and Pots – You can very successfully grow tomatoes in containers and pots, so don’t let space hold you back! Make sure you’re using potting soil for pots, to ensure great drainage and plan to have stakes or a cage to support the plant as it grows.

  1. Stick to varieties bred for this purpose, namely cherry tomatoes, tumbling tomatoes and determinate or bush tomatoes. Most are quick to crop within 120 days from seed. 
  2. Choose a variety with a mature height that is equal to or less than the height of the cage, stake or other support you’ll be using.

The tomatoes you should grow!

So having considered all the above, and how it applies to your growing situation, here are our recommendations!

Small space growing

Larger space growing for snacks

  • Sweet 100 – Enthusiastic producers of sweet and juicy cherry sized tomatoes perfect for salads and summer snacking.
  • Gold Nugget – Early season, determinate yet prolific golden cherry tomato. Heirloom, so good for seed saving.
  • Black Cherry – A dark cherry tomato, producing an abundance of sweet rich flavoured fruit on a tall plant. Heirloom variety, which lends a great colour to the backyard garden!

Larger space growing for slicing

  • Black Krim – Continuous supply of large heirloom tomatoes with blackish red flesh.
  • Money Maker – A classic heirloom variety. Tall growing, disease resistant and heavy producer of smooth, medium sized flavoursome tomato.
  • Mortgage Lifter – an old and proven variety that produces large sweet flavoured tomatoes, that can weigh up to 1.5kg! Heirloom, so great for seed-saving.

Large space growing for preserving

  • Roma – The classic Italian sauce tomato with pear shaped fruit.
  • Oxheart – Fleshy big beauty, packed with flavour and very few seeds.
  • San Marzano – Excellent for pasta sauces, very fleshy.

And just for fun…

  • Green Dragon – A gorgeous red and green striped fruit (pictured above) which I have struggled to find anywhere other than Running Brook Seeds, now by mail order only. One of my absolute favourite lookers, and tastes sweet and juicy too. Heritage seeds so good for seed saving.
  • Eclipse Fireball – Dramatic two tone cherry tomato. These are dwarf plants that cascade well, making them beautiful in containers, baskets and small gardens. It’s a high acid fruit with a great flavour.

Get Started!

If you’re growing from seed – check out these self-watering seedling pots to give your tomatoes then best start.

If you’ve already got established tomato plants, did you know you can propagate them and get more plants for free?!

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