Tomato Varieties We Grow Every Season
Trying to decide which plants to grow can be a complicated choice when planning your garden, especially when it comes to tomatoes. Whether you’re buying seeds or seedlings from a local nursery, the tomato varieties to choose from are endless. Our family loves tomatoes and we grow multiple varieties each year, some that we’re familiar with and some that are new to us. This list is a compilation of our favorite varieties that we tend to grow over and over again for their flavor, storage capability, or growing style.
Heirloom vs. Non-Heirloom Tomatoes
One of the things to look for in tomato varieties is whether or not it’s an heirloom. Heirloom tomatoes are typically known for their intense flavors and vibrant colors. Heirlooms are not normally known for their sturdiness or storage capacity, so you often cannot find them in a grocery store. These older varieties are passed down over generations and their shape, color, and flavor can vary each grow. Non-heirloom varieties are typically those you find in grocery stores. Most are modern hybrids that have been bred for uniform appearance, taste, and durability for shipping and storing. This often means a milder flavor, but there is still a lot of use for these hybrids. Which variety to pick depends on your goals for the garden. We prefer growing a few heirloom varieties for fresh eating and a few modern hybrid varieties for cooking and preserving. Try out one of our favorite varieties that we’ve listed below.
Cherokee Purple Tomato
This heirloom tomato is our absolute favorite variety for fresh eating. The fruits ripen into a dark red, purple color, which makes it a beautiful addition to our garden space and kitchen counter. The tomatoes tend to grow very large, so this plant requires a support structure once it starts to fruit. Cherokee purple do not last very long before they start to mold and turn mushy. To avoid losing any of our harvests, we check these plants daily once it starts fruiting. If we forget, the birds and insects start to enjoy them. This is the type of tomato you can eat by itself because it’s so flavorful, but it also works fantastic in sandwiches, salads, or diced up for bruschetta.
Sungold Tomato
The sungold tomato is another heavy producing bite sized tomato that is a great addition to any garden. These plants are long season growers, producing heavily throughout the season. The plants are disease resistant, so they tend to grow strong without too much input. We usually have a few sungold volunteer plants each year because the plants are so tolerant to different soil and sunlight levels. The small bright orange fruits are incredibly sweet, making them perfect for snacking while you’re working in the garden. If you’re not sure what kind of cherry tomatoes to try, the sungold is a great variety that is almost universally loved. These tomatoes are perfect for a fresh pasta dish or you can freeze them whole to use in a mid-winter dish.
Roma Tomato
Once you try homegrown roma tomatoes, you’ll never want to get them from a grocery store again. These plants produce firm, bright red plum shaped tomatoes. As a determinate variety, the plant grows to a fixed height, usually around 3 to 4 feet tall, and produces all of its tomatoes within a period of a few weeks. This makes the roma tomato an excellent choice for canning and preserving since you have all of your harvests in a short span of time. These firm fruits also hold up well to heat processing if you are canning any salsa or tomato products. While it might not taste as good as an heirloom when eaten fresh, roma tomatoes are still a great choice for salads, sandwiches, or cooked into a dish.
Red Cherry Tomato
While there are a ton of options for cherry tomatoes, the red cherry is a favorite of ours. These plants tend to produce heavily throughout the season, which means we always have cherry tomatoes on hand. One or two plants can provide enough tomatoes to feed a couple over the course of the season. This variety has a sweeter taste and tends to be juicier than other varieties, so it’s great for snacking or to use in cooked dishes like marinara sauce or homemade pizza.
Beefsteak Tomato
Beefsteak tomato plants are large vining plants, often heirlooms, that can quickly take over a garden space. Plants can get as large as 6 to 7 feet with the right support structure in place. The plants produce large, bright red fruits that have a great flavor that works in a lot of dishes. Our favorite way to use these is for Greek style stuffed tomatoes since the tomatoes hold their structure well when stuffed. They are also a popular choice for slicing due to their more meaty texture. Based on their size and yield, these plants require consistent watering and fertilization to keep up with production, but they are well worth it.
What’s Your Favorite Tomato Variety?
These varieties have been our favorites to grow so far, but we are always expanding our list. Whether we grow them or purchase the tomatoes from a local farmer’s market, we try to sample a few new varieties each year. Let us know your favorite varieties in the comments!
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About the Authors
The Votana Garden began with a desire to live more sustainably and grow our own food, flowers, and herbs. We started with no experience and have learned one season at a time. We share tips and practical insights to help make gardening and sustainable living feel possible for everyone.
