What is the best tomato to grow?

[jbolander]

Any suggestions on what tomatoes to start with? I want to start a veggie garden and tomatoes are a must for my household

 

[Chris09]

It all depends on what your using the tomatoes for and if you are buying the plants or starting the seeds.

If your paining on starting the seeds your self --

Good all around or out of hand eating tomato you could go with either Marglobe (size8oz.), Rutgers (size 8oz.), Pritchard (size 8oz.) or Delicious (size 1-2 lbs.) .
Very good "show off" tomato that is still a good out of hand eating tomato go with a Porterhouse tomato (size 2-4 lbs.)
Good paste tomato go with Roma (size 2 oz.)

Another great all around tomato is the Campbell's 1327 (size 10oz.)

I will also add IF your buying seeds and planting them yourself, buy them from a good, well name seed company.
Companies like Stokes Seeds, Burpee Seeds, and Liberty Seeds have been around a long time and sell good trustworthy Non-Hybrid, Hybrid, and Heirloom seeds that have good germination and are true to type.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I’ll mention cherry tomatoes. Obviously they are not much for slicing for a sandwich but they are very easy to grow and can be very prolific. It’s not a bad first tomato for someone to get their feet wet growing tomatoes. I always plant one near my garden gate so I can munch on a few as I enter and leave.

You don’t mention where you are. Your growing season can have an effect on which varieties grow best for you. As someone once said, “All gardening is local”. Varieties or even certain veggies may do great for me but horrible for you depending on your growing season.

I like 4th of July, a small red juicy hybrid from Burpee but has thin walls. I think the taste is great plus it normally keeps producing during my hot summers. Many varieties shut down in the heat. I also always grow Jubilee. That’s a large yellow tomato, good thick walls and a flavor I like.

 

[Circle-M-Farm]

It hard to name a "best" tomato.
I plant a few hundred tomatoes and dozens of each variety for my use and to sell and I have yet found a "perfect" tomato.
There are a lot of good tomatoes out there but not one is what I would call the best tomato.

I try to stay away from really old Heirloom varieties just because over the years there quality and type has changed drastically do to poor harvesting of the seeds, improper selection, and over all bad management. Some of the bigger seed suppliers still have decent quality but the little online "stores" are killing a lot of the heirloom varieties.

I also try to stay away from a lot of the newer varieties mainly because they tend to lack taste and texture.

What I do plant are older varieties that are still readily available from most good seed suppliers.
These tomatoes not only still have good tomato type as in the fruit but also the plant itself still has good type.

For me, you cant go wrong with Rutgers, Marglobe, Beefstake, Burpee's Delicious, Roma and Pritchard. There still a good tomato.
* Note both Rutgers and Pritchard have Marglobe as a parent stock.*

 

[sourland]

Heirloom tomatoes are my favorites, and my favorite varieties are: Mortgage Lifter, Mr Stripey and Cherokee Purple. Good luck in establishing some plants. Home grown tomatoes are the best!

 

[nin in PA]

I seeded cherokee purple, rutgers, black krim, red cherry, red and pink brandywines, bush beefsteak, celebrity, delicious and san marzano

 

[Beekissed]

I'm a firm believer that every tomato garden should have at least a few Brandywine in it. Voted the best tasting tomato over and over by many tomato growers for many years, they are hardy, good producers of large, sweet slicing tomatoes. Of all the varieties I've tried, the Brandywine is one I keep coming back to year after year...I doubt I'll have a garden without them from now on and they form the largest part of my crop.

Quote from Better Homes and Gardens Top Heirloom Tomatoes:
A few others we find to be reliable and flavorful producers~Yellow Stripey, Jetstar, Rutgers, Sweet One Hundred or One Million(cherry tomatoes).

Tried Pruden's Purple this last season but was not real impressed...every single tomato cracked and allowed bugs and bacteria into the fruit before they were even ripe enough to pick, so won't be using those again.

My best advice is to try some of the suggestions you get here and every year try another new variety to see how it does for you....that's how I found out about what I can depend upon and what I cannot and that goes with chicken breeds as well.

 

[Peaches Lee]

I like black krim, cherokee purple, and orange amana. This year I'm trying yellow pear tomatoes and some supersweet 100. I'm losing my mind over the tomatoes in the Baker Creek catalog and the Johnny's catalog.


Has anyone grown white tomatoes or blue tomatoes? I'm really curious about them.

If you are thinking of growing white tomatoes for next year--do it! My favorite two tomatoes are White Queen and Black Brandywine. The taste on both is superb!

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I agree with sourland for the heirlooms. However, for a first time gardener, I'd go with Early Girl and Better Boy hybrids.
Early Girls are the fastest to produce and Better Boys give a good all around tomato.

For Heirlooms, I agree on the Cherokee Purple. I also like Black Krim, Garden Peach, White Beauty and Scarlet Red.

 

[Arielle]

Yellow Pear!!! it is a large indeterminate that can become HUGE. A tomato cage is a MUST. It is a fun tomato and seems to grow well, at least it does for us. It is late but well worth it. 1 1/2 - 2 inch clear yellow. And of course it looks like a pear.

We plant several varieties. Some do better than others, depending on the weather. Our weather can be cool. Or rainy. Or very hot and dry. Hence, many varieties of tomatos here.