As you choose tomato varieties for this year’s garden, summon the mantra “Change is good.” Branching out can be great fun, and also tremendously rewarding, when a new-to-you variety solves a chronic problem with an unmanageable tomato disease.
Most MOTHER EARTH NEWS readers prefer open-pollinated (OP) tomato varieties that have been selected for flavor, texture and color. These include some heirlooms, a term that has various definitions but generally refers to an open-pollinated variety that’s at least 50 years old. Open-pollinated varieties allow gardeners to save their own seeds from year to year, too. On the other hand, hybrids may be the best tomato varieties to prevent devastation in disease-prone climates.
To help you choose the best tomatoes for your inclinations and situation, we’ve selected some classic, representative varieties in a few broad categories, which we chose based on reader feedback from a tomato survey. Then, we’ve offered up top recommendations among both open-pollinated and hybrid varieties based on eating quality and disease resistance. (See the key for disease-resistance codes.) Some of these tomatoes are sure to climb their way to the top of your must-grow list!
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Classic: ‘Brandywine’ strains vary, with the Sudduth strain most beloved for its full flavor that hits all the high notes — fruity and slightly sweet with a hint of savory smoke. The lobed fruits vary between large and giant.
Good open-pollinated picks: ‘German Johnson’ is like a more refined ‘Brandywine,’ producing less-lumpy fruits that are more uniform in size. Other fine-flavored pink beefsteaks include ‘Ferris Wheel,’ released in 1894, and the modern version of its likely parent variety, ‘Pink Ponderosa.’
Good hybrid picks: ‘Brandy Boy’ (V, F, N) and ‘Pink Brandymaster’ (V, F) were specifically bred for gardeners whose garden plots require strong resistance to soilborne diseases and who want the distinctive flavor of ‘Brandywine.’ When given serious support and wide spacing, these big, potato-leaf plants can be highly productive and are less finicky and disease-prone than ‘Brandywine.’
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Classics: Hybrid ‘Supersweet 100’ (V, F) starts producing cascades of bright red fruits about 65 days after planting. Fruity, popular ‘Sungold’ (V, F, TMV) follows a few days later with its delicious, orange-yellow orbs.
Good open-pollinated picks: Bright red ‘Peacevine’ delivers sweet flavor in an open-pollinated, highly nutritious package. In addition to high vitamin C, ‘Peacevine’ contains high levels of an amino acid thought to help calm the body. ‘Black Cherry,’ a variety with Russian roots, has small, purple-black, sweet fruits that tomato expert Amy Goldman says taste like “plumstone fruit without the stone.” ‘Dr. Carolyn’ is a richly sweet, yellow cherry tomato developed by and named after famed tomato breeder Dr. Carolyn J. Male. Its plants are vigorous and productive.
Good hybrid pick: ‘Mountain Magic’ (V, FF, EB, LB) takes a while to load up with big, red cherries, but its tolerance of early blight and resistance to late blight helps keep the plants productive until frost, even in rainy years.
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Try These Colorful Tomato Varieties
Every garden should include at least one tomato grown just for fun, in which case unique colors top the list of desirable traits. In this wild-card category, one of the top varieties to put on your list is ‘Green Zebra,’ which produces striped, green fruits that develop buttery yellow undertones when fully ripe. When breeder Tom Wagner of Everett, Washington, shared an early version with his father, his father responded, “See you in the funny papers.” Now, about 30 years later, many gardeners consider them the jewels of their tomato patches. ‘Green Zebra’ plants are real survivors, too, and often produce good crops in years with bad weather.
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More Interesting Articles:
- How To Grow Tomatoes From The Same Plant Year After Year
- (Video) Want Your Own Tomato Seedlings? Here’s How
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Article source: Mother Earth News
Image source: Geneva Anderson