Tomatoes are a garden favorite, known for their versatility, flavor, and ease of growth. However, with so many varieties available, selecting the right one for your garden can seem overwhelming. Whether you’re a seasoned gardener or just starting out, lets help you determine which type of tomato variety best suits your needs and growing conditions. We’ll also spotlight some popular varieties to help you make an appropriate choice.
Determine Your Growing Space – How Much Room Do You Have?
Garden Beds vs. Containers
Garden Beds: If you have a traditional garden ground bed that is in the ground, you can grow any tomato variety. Indeterminate varieties, which grow tall and produce fruit throughout the season, are ideal for garden beds where they have plenty of space to sprawl and climb.
Containers: For those gardening in containers or small spaces, determinate varieties are a better choice. These tomatoes grow to a set height, produce fruit all at once, and are more compact. Varieties like ‘Patio Tomato’s’ and ‘Early Girl’ are excellent choices for container gardening.
Consider the Climate – How Long Is Your Growing Season?
Temperature and Growing Season
Cool Climates (Minnesota/Wisconsin): In regions with shorter growing seasons, such as northern areas, early maturing varieties are essential for a plentiful harvest. Varieties like ‘Early Girl’ and ‘Sunsugar’ produce fruit quickly and can tolerate cooler temperatures.
Hot Climates: In warmer regions, choose heat-tolerant varieties that can withstand high temperatures. Some tomato varieties are bred for hot climates specifically to resist cracking and sunscald.
Decide on Usage – What Are Your Tomato Plans?
Fresh Eating vs. Cooking
Fresh Eating: Planning to eat fresh tomato’s straight off the vine? Or if you love slicing tomatoes for salads and sandwiches, choose large, juicy varieties like ‘Beefmaster’ or ‘Better Boy’. Cherry and grape tomatoes, such as ‘Sweet 100’ and ‘Yellow Pear’, are perfect for snacking and popping in salads.
Cooking and Sauces: For sauces, pastes, and canning, opt for paste tomatoes like ‘Roma’ or ‘San Marzano’. These varieties have thicker flesh, fewer seeds, and a lower moisture content, making them ideal for cooking.
Visit Applewood Nursery & Landscape Supply, Your One-Stop Landscape Shop!F
Flavor Preferences
Sweet vs. Tangy
Sweet Tomatoes: Varieties like ‘Sugary Tomato’ and ‘Sweet 100’ are known for their exceptional sweetness and are favorites for fresh eating.
Tangy Tomatoes: If you prefer a more traditional, tangy tomato flavor, choose varieties like ‘Cherokee Purple’ or ‘Lemon Boy’. These heirloom tomatoes offer complex flavors that are both tart and savory.
Disease Resistance
Choosing Hardy Varieties
Disease-Resistant Varieties: If you’ve struggled with diseases like blight or wilt in the past, select disease-resistant varieties. ‘Better Boy’, ‘Juliet’, and ‘Mountain Magic’ are known for their resilience against common tomato diseases. Keep in mind tomato blight can persist in the soil for several years. To manage this, practice crop rotation, remove plant debris, use mulch, plant resistant varieties, and ensure good spacing for air circulation.
Heirloom vs. Hybrid: Heirloom varieties are prized for their unique flavors and history but may be more susceptible to diseases. Hybrids are often bred for disease resistance and uniformity. The main difference is deciding which is more important for your garden needs.
Planting Time – This Depends Where You Live
Spring vs. Fall
Spring Planting: Most tomatoes are planted in the spring after the last frost. Early and mid-season varieties are suitable for spring planting, providing fruit throughout the summer. In cooler climate states, many people start tomato seeds indoors in March, or buy tomato plants from garden centers.
Fall Planting: In milder climates, a second crop of tomatoes can be planted in late summer for a fall harvest. Choose varieties with a shorter maturity time to ensure they ripen before the first frost.
Spotlight on Popular Varieties
Beefmaster, Better Boy, Cherokee Purple
These three varieties are all indeterminate tomatoes that are perfect for slicing, fresh eating, and sandwiches. Beefmasters are known for their large fruit size and meaty texture. They have a classic tomato flavor with a good balance of sweetness and acidity. A reliable producer, Better Boy tomatoes are known for their large, round fruits and excellent flavor. They are disease-resistant and ideal for a variety of culinary uses. Cherokee Purple is an heirloom variety that is cherished for its rich, complex flavor and distinctive dark purple color, adding a unique touch to salads and sandwiches.
Yellow Pear, Sweet 100, Sunsugar
Yellow Pear, Sugary Tomato, and Sweet 100 are all indeterminate tomato varieties ideal for snacking and salads. Yellow Pear tomatoes are small, pear-shaped, and bright yellow, adding visual appeal to dishes. Sugary tomatoes, true to their name, are exceptionally sweet with a small, oval shape. Sweet 100 tomatoes are prolific producers of super-sweet cherry tomatoes, perfect for snacking and adding sweetness to salads.
Celebrity, Roma, Early Girl
Popular determinate tomato varieties in the midwest include Celebrity, known for its disease resistance and large, flavorful fruit; Roma, ideal for sauces and canning with its meaty tomatoes; Bush Early Girl, an early-maturing variety that is compact with sweet, medium-sized fruit; and Patio Princess, perfect for containers, producing small, tasty tomatoes.
Making Your Decision
Once you’ve considered these factors and popular varieties, you’re ready to choose the perfect tomato variety for your garden. Here are a few steps to finalize your decision:
Research: Look up the varieties that meet your criteria, read reviews, and talk to other gardeners.
Visit Applewood Nursery & Landscape Supply: Speak with our experts who can provide valuable insight and recommend varieties that perform well in your area and for your preferences.
Start Small…or Large: If you’re unsure, start with a few different varieties to see which ones you like best. Keep notes on their performance and flavor to guide future plantings. Test out different varieties and put some in the ground and some in containers to see what does better.
By taking the time to consider your growing conditions, usage, flavor preferences, and disease resistance, you can select tomato varieties that will thrive in your garden and delight your taste buds all season long!
Visit Applewood Nursery & Landscape Supply, Your One-Stop Landscape Shop!