Five Tasty Tomatoes You'll Want To Grow This Year
Did you know that there are over 20,000 varieties of tomatoes? They come in a full rainbow of hues: yellow, red, orange, green, black, purple, pink, blue and striped. Some are better eaten fresh, others are more ideal for sauces. Some are better suited for climates with a short growing season and others excel in more temperate locations. They all offer exciting and distinct flavours.
Determinate vs Indeterminate
An indeterminate tomato plant produces fruit throughout the season, often until frost. They tend to be vine styled growing taller and benefit from some management via pruning. A determinate tomato plant produces fruit for only a short period of time. They tend to be bush like and more compact.
Our Top Five Tomatoes for 2018
Green Zebra Tomato: Charlotte's Favourite Tomato
(77 Days) Indeterminate: The green zebra tomato has a smooth skin and the interior texture is firm and pulpy. It has a unique rich flavour that can be described as sweet with a zingy twist. It has a vibrant striped skin in shades of yellow & green. This is lovely eaten fresh, in salsas and soups. It also makes a great tasting pasta sauce if you don't mind it being green.
Amish Paste Tomato: The Sauce Tomato
(74-85 days) Indeterminate: The Amish paste tomato is a very old variety from the early 1800's. It has long, heart-shaped red fruits that are heavy & sweet. This tomato has few seeds. It's sweet, rich flavour and meaty flesh makes it the perfect sauce tomato.
Broad Ripple Yellow: The Cherry Tomato
(70 - 80 days) Indeterminate: Discovered in the early 1900's, this high yield cherry tomato is a must have in a garden. It can produce around 1000 tomatoes per plant. The bright yellow tomatoes grow in clusters of 6-8 tomatoes. They are sweet & fruity in flavour and very juicy. The best time to eat them is in the garden when no one is looking but they are also wonderful in salads or roasted with herbs. Give this plant plenty of room, it can get rather large and unruly.
Bloody Butcher Tomato: The Early Producer
(55-70 days) Indeterminate: This is our reliable early and heavy yielding producer. The tomatoes are on the smaller side (golf ball sized) but it's a truly multi purpose and reliable plant. The fruits are borne in clusters, and are very juicy, with exceptional flavour. This tomato is ideal for colder climates.
Walkerland's New Pick for 2018: The Blue Beauty Beefsteak
(80 days) Indeterminate: Each year we grow a few new varieties of vegetables in the garden to keep things interesting. This year in the tomato category it's going to be the Blue Beauty Beefsteak Tomato. This is a hefty red tomato with a deep blue top. It is sunburn and crack resistant.
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Oh I only know about the red tomato. Now i know there are other colors as well! 😱
You might find some at farmers markets in the summer. The flavours are out of this world compared to what you find in the grocery stores.
oh, hopefully we have some variety of tomatoes somewhere around here. I only usually see the red ones.
i am always on the hunt for the best cherry tomato - this one definitely sounds like a winner. thank you for the recommendations!
Glad you found it helpful. There are so many good cherry varieties.
Green Zebra's on my list, too. Along with Black Cherry, Yellow Pear and a few other coloured novelties to try out.
I love the black cherry but I've never had the yellow pear. Do you recommend it? I grew over 30 varieties last year, it is getting out of control. I am going to donate some of my seeds to a seed library this year because I have far more than I could ever use.
I haven't tasted the Yellow Pear, yet. I chose mainly because it supposedly does not need to be trained (well, that and the colour). It sure can be hard narrowing it done with tomatoes:it just too tempting too order too many varieties. I've been using a few chefs' books(that mention specific varieties) to help me focus but I still get carried away..!
I want to grow Amish paste this year for sure. Tomatoes were a bit of a bust for us last year—first we got too many plants, and then we didn’t stake them well enough. Hopefully this year will be better!
Last year for us was difficult as well. Half the yield. Not enough sun. Weather is so unpredictable. I am the constant optimist so this year is going to be wonderful :)
The Amish Paste sound interesting. I'm not a fan of fresh tomatoes. (I know, I know - sacrilege for a gardener...) However, I love them for sauces and this one sounds like it's right up my alley. Thanks for the descriptions and your opinions on each!
You won't be disappointed. This one is a keeper in my books!
Where do you purchace your seed?
I collect seeds, all seeds, but tomatoes are my favorite. With the long stretches of dry, then long stretches of rain where I live, the crack resistance of the Blue Beauty Beefsteak might be a new addition to the garden this year. Thanks for the list!
I have multiple sources but I love the Cottage Gardener best. I have had a lot of luck with their seeds. I especially like that they have a list of short season vegetables ...the way the weather has been changing I am gravitating more and more towards them. They also have seed collections (the link is near the bottom of the menu) any company who offers a Faery Garden Collection is destined to be my friend for life (lol). I have no affiliation with them just a BIG fan.
http://cottagegardener.com/
I really like the Baker Creek Heirloom seed catalogue and I am going to order some from them this year as well but it will be my first time using their seeds. That's where I found the Blue Beauty.