Tomatoes are the best
Tomatoes are a favorite crop of many home garden growers who love the new flavors and varieties they can achieve when they grow their own. But even with the large number of varieties available, it's easy to grow the same variety year after year and get stuck in a rut. To help you find some new tomatoes to try, we asked nine experts from across the country to pick their favorites and tell us what was “the one” for them. The following pages reveal time-tested treasures and unusual treats that our experts know and love. We hope you find at least one you want to try this year.
1. Plant 'Thorburn's Terra Cotta' tomatoes for best color and flavor
Days to maturity: 75
This delicious and uniquely colored fruit has an amazing story. What more could you ask for about tomatoes? After being listed as an heirloom seed in the late 1800s, it disappeared for decades before being rediscovered and resurrected for the seed trade in the 1990s. Terra cotta on the outside, and green, pink and bronze on the inside, this small and often lobed beef delights on every level. Its high-yielding plants are early growers, a plus for many gardeners. In our growing trials over the years, we have found it to be a medium-sized, unyielding plant with good disease resistance and solid production over a long season.
2. Fallen's First Snow' tomatoes are a classic beef with fun foliage
Days to maturity: 80
This is a new category for me in 2020 and I expect it to grow over the years. There is nothing in this uncertain tomato. It has thick stems; Large, white leaves; large flowers; and large fruits with pink to purple-red skin and deep red flesh. As with many other varieties of tomato, the markings on the stems and leaves are most noticeable early on, giving the plants a decorative appearance as the fruit ripens. The rich flavor is what I expect from a beefsteak tomato, and one slice is enough to make an entire sandwich.
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3. 'Alston Everlasting' is a high-yielding heirloom tomato
Days to Maturity: 65
If I could only grow one tomato (which is a sad thought; I hope it never happens), it would probably be 'Alston Everlasting'. This large cherry tomato, almost a saladette, is very versatile. It is perfect for making a salad or oven-roasted sauce. I really appreciate tomatoes that are good early and late in the season. 'Alston Everlasting' was popular at Monticello's traditional harvest festival a few years ago at the tomato-tasting. I especially appreciate that this unpretentious variety is easy to grow and delicious fresh, cooked or dried.
4. ‘Juliet’ tomato is versatile and disease resistant
Days to Maturity: 60
A great all-purpose variety, 'Juliet' is great for eating out of hand during weeding breaks, as in salads and salsas. I've often used it in pasta sauces along with tomato paste to add a little pizzazz. It has a nice, rich texture and is meaty and moderately juicy. Crack-resistant fruits grow in clusters of 12 to 18. Best of all, the plants are resistant to early blight, the nemesis of tomatoes grown in the Northeast. This disease kills many tomatoes in late summer and early fall. 'Juliet' continues to produce until frost and is resistant to late blight.
5. For tiny, tasty treats, try ‘Candyland Red’ tomato
Days to Maturity: 55
'Candyland Red' is not your average cherry tomato. This currant variety produces some of the smallest fruit I have ever seen. The fruit grows in clusters, which allows for easy harvesting: run your hand under each cluster, and all the ripe fruit will fall into your hand. Although these little tomatoes get the most attention, their flavor is my favorite feature. Add to pasta or sauce after cooking for a bit with tomato flavor
I have not noticed any major diseases in this cultivar and the harvests are huge. One plant is enough for a small family. This indeterminate tomato needs staking to support its rambling vines.
6. The delicious 'Sungold' tomato is a fan favorite
Days to Maturity: 57
I grow dozens of tomato varieties each summer, but only 'Sungold' has a guaranteed spot in my garden. Why? Taste! Its exceptional sweetness and fruity flavor have made it one of the most popular cherry tomatoes in cultivation, and no one who visits my garden can resist a sample of those golden-orange fruits. Indeterminate plants are vigorous and ridiculously productive, bearing hundreds of 1-inch-diameter fruits from mid-summer until frost. It also offers excellent resistance to common diseases such as Verticillium wilt, Fusarium wilt and Tobacco mosaic virus. 'Sungold' is always the first tomato to get ready in my garden. Once the plants begin to harvest, I will be on top of the harvest as over-ripe fruit may split.
7. 'Midnight Snack' tomatoes produce a long season
Days to maturity: 65 to 70
Since I first started growing it in 2017, the same year it was awarded the prestigious All-America Selection Winner designation, 'Midnight Snack' has continued to be a top performer. These indigo cherry tomatoes start out green and turn a beautiful, shiny, blackish-purple color. As the fruit matures and begins to ripen, the bottom half to two-thirds turn red, while the top has a darker coating. Plants are indeterminate and very productive, each bearing up to 100 individual 1-1/2-inch fruits. Production begins early and continues through the fall. The fruits are fleshy with a well-balanced spicy-sweet flavor. These snack-sized cherry tomatoes are not only delicious, but they're also a nutritional powerhouse! The purple color comes from the accumulation of anthocyanin pigments, which are packed with healthy antioxidants. For best color development, give 'Midnight Snack' full sun, and don't crowd individual plants. Plants can reach 5 to 6 feet tall and should be staked or placed in cages for support.
8. Choose 'Rapunzel' tomatoes for its dressing
Days to maturity: 70
This beautiful plant produces long, tiered trusses of cherry tomatoes all season long. A single truss can grow up to 2 feet tall and hold up to 40 individual fruits. It's a adaptable, indeterminate variety that can grow even in a large container, but be sure to give it some support as its vines can reach up to 6 feet tall. Easy to care for and always reliable, 'Rapunzel' makes a wonderful addition to any vegetable garden.
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