Favorite Heirloom Tomato varieties?

[sheknitsandcrochets]

What are your favorite heirloom tomato varieties to grow?

 

[TooCheep]

Mexico Midget- a tiny, berry-sized tomato. I always grow a single plant that makes for excellent snacking when I'm working in the garden. Produces continuously for several months. Nickel for comparison.

 

[sheknitsandcrochets]

@TooCheep Wow those look neat!

 

[TooCheep]

@TooCheep Wow those look neat!

They are. The chickens follow me around when I'm harvesting as they like them too. I generally bite them in half and give a half to each of them.

 

[HollowOfWisps]

San Marzano and Indigo Rose. The San Marzano are my absolute favorite for sauce, but combining them with Indigo Rose it makes for a very creamy sauce that is perfect for Penne Alla Vodka.

 

[sheknitsandcrochets]

@HollowOfWisps Those tomatoes look amazing! I tried San Marzano this year, but so far not much luck. Looks like it's worth giving another shot next year though! And those Indigo Rose tomatoes are beautiful!

Thanks for sharing!

 

[Sally PB]

I've been growing Amish Paste for a few years, and have gotten some very good 'maters. The last two years, though, very low yield.

I'm trying some new varieties, and am VERY impressed with Hungarian Heart and Italian Heirloom. It's early days yet, but the plants are loaded and the tomatoes are big-to-huge. Size matters when I'm canning; I once grew some romas and counted 17 it took to fill a quart jar. So much better to need only 4 or 5.

 

[sheknitsandcrochets]

A couple of my favorite varieties we're growing this year are the Riesentraube Tomato (very prolific and delicious, like a very large cherry or grape tomato)

Barry's Crazy Cherry Tomato (by far our most prolific cherry tomato variety, unique shape and beautiful bright yellow color, great tasting!)

and the Green Zebra tomato (a small, beautiful tomato, excellent --- less acidic --- flavor, a prolific variety)

 

[Iluveggers]

Love the Berkeley tie-dye tomatoes (will get a pic later) for slicers, and yellow pear for “cherry” type. They are bigger than cherry but ripen quick and grow tall!

Tried mortgage lifter this year, and they are just starting to ripen. By far the biggest tomato I’ve grown. I’m a fan of San Marzano as well, planted amish paste, Roma & SM and the SM’s are the biggest and most abundant.

Does anyone know what the elongated orange cherry tomatoes are? I got them at a CSA a few years ago and they were fantastic but I haven’t found anything that looks the same.

 

[HollowOfWisps]

@HollowOfWisps Those tomatoes look amazing! I tried San Marzano this year, but so far not much luck. Looks like it's worth giving another shot next year though! And those Indigo Rose tomatoes are beautiful!

Thanks for sharing!

I have heard that they can be tricky to grow. I use a compost wood shaving mix from my duck pens and my entire garden takes off like crazy with it. It has been 90F+ since May and frequently 100F+ here. The shavings act like a mulch which has helped considerably in this heat and the duck compost has more nitrogen than chicken. My San Marzano's have been growing so many tomatoes that I had to install 2x4" grid fencing to hold them up because they were bending all of the stakes and cages.