How to Choose the Best Tomatoes to Grow

1️⃣ Determinate vs. Indeterminate – Know Your Growth Type

✔️ Determinate (Bush) – Grows to a set size (3-4 feet), produces all fruit at once, then stops. Great for small spaces & canning!
✔️ Indeterminate (Vining) – Keeps growing and producing until frost, needs staking or cages. Best for fresh eating & long harvests!

💡 Tip: If you want steady tomatoes all season, go for indeterminate! If you want a big harvest at once, choose determinate.

2️⃣ Match Your Tomato to Your Climate

✔️ Short, Cool Summers? → Early Varieties like Stupice, Glacier, or Siberian (ripen in 50-60 days).
✔️ Hot, Humid Areas? → Heat-Tolerant Varieties like Solar Fire, Heatmaster, or Florida 91.
✔️ Short Growing Season? → Cherry or Grape Tomatoes ripen fast and produce heavily!

3️⃣ Choose by Purpose – What Will You Use Them For?

🥗 For Fresh Eating: Brandywine, Cherokee Purple, Sungold, Black Krim
🍅 For Sauces & Canning: Roma, San Marzano, Amish Paste
🥪 For Slicing & Sandwiches: Beefsteak, Mortgage Lifter, Big Boy
🌱 For Small Spaces & Containers: Tiny Tim, Patio Princess, Tumbling Tom

4️⃣ Disease Resistance – Protect Your Harvest

Look for disease-resistant varieties if blight, wilt, or pests are a problem. Labels like V, F, N, T indicate resistance to:
✔️ V – Verticillium Wilt
✔️ F – Fusarium Wilt
✔️ N – Nematodes
✔️ T – Tobacco Mosaic Virus

💡 Tip: Celebrity and Big Beef are excellent disease-resistant varieties!

🏆 Best All-Around Tomato Picks

✔️ Best for Beginners: Roma, Sungold, Early Girl
✔️ Best for Big Yields: Juliet, San Marzano, Beefsteak
✔️ Best Heirloom Flavor: Brandywine, Cherokee Purple, Black Krim
✔️ Best for Containers: Tiny Tim, Patio Princess, Tumbling Tom

🌱 Final Tip

Pick a mix of early, mid, and late-season tomatoes to keep the harvest going strong! 🍅

What’s your favorite tomato variety to grow? Let me know! 😊🌿