Recommend a tomato for me

[Pegasus]

Always trying to add more vegetables and veggie variety to my diet.  Can you recommend a tomato variety for me that hopefully has at least decent availability in the market?

 

• Flavor - I avoid all tomatoes during the winter months, even picking them off a deli sandwich because the flavor is just not there.
• More flesh and less of the juicy pulpy center.  This may be weird, but I find myself trying to scrape this part away before I eat the tomato.
• Goes well with fresh mozzerella, basil, salt and olive oil.  Caprese salad is currently my favorite way to eat tomatoes.

Oh, bonus points for anyone who can suggest a tomato plant that I may not be able to kill.  The heat and insects typically kill any one that I try.

 

Thanks!

[need2read]

Roma tomatoes are cheap, readily available and have the qualities you desire. I have never grown them myself so I can't comment on whether or not they are hard to kill.

 

 

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[Bluegoat]

I usually grow one called Slava.  It isn't a cherry but is on the smaller side.  It has great flavour and seems to do well in a variety of conditions.

 

I've had one the last two years called Cosmonaut Volkov which I am happy with, it's a good size, a short season tomato.

 

A lot of people swear by Mortgage Lifter, I had a disaster when I grew it but nothing to do with the tomato itself, I accidentally boiled it in my greenhouse.  It's fairly popular so might be easier to find.

 

 

[kewb]

Roma are easy to grow.

I also had success with black crim and lemon boy tomatoes.

One year my black crim and lemon boys cross pollinated and made one heck of tasty tomato. I saved the seeds and as soon as I find a good spot to grow tomatoes on my property again I will plant them.

Edited June 13, 2016 by kewb

[zoobie]

I kill all plants, so no recommendation on growing things.

 

We like the Campari tomatoes available at Costco during off season. They taste like tomatoes.

[Farrar]

The Roma tomatoes you get at the store are the pits. You can put them in things or roast them and every once in awhile they're good, but overall if you're unsure about tomatoes I wouldn't recommend them.

 

They're starting to be in season. I'd get anything from the farm markets or marked local/regional at the grocery.

 

Agreed with the above that Campari are good for grocery tomatoes and off season.

[Bambam]

We've had decent luck growing roma tomatoes. These are the tomatoes I use for pizza with fresh mozzarella and basil. They would be good in a caprese salad too. 

But, the heat (east Texas here) will slow production way down when it gets hot. If you water daily, you can keep them alive, and they will start producing again when it gets cooler.

 

Our best producing tomato plants are the little cherry tomatoes. Unfortunately they have lots of seeds and little flesh.

 

[Ethel Mertz]

Go to your local farmers' markets, farm stands, or Amish farms The tomatoes there will be better than any you can get in the grocery store. However, depending on what part of the country you're in, tomatoes might not be in season yet. I suggest checking with your local county agricultural board (yikes! can't find the right term in my head at the moment) for what variety of tomato might be good for you to grow.

[Carol in Cal.]

Definitely Dona.  They are extremely flavorful, and have less seeds that most tomatoes.  Roma have even less but are also less flavorful, but more readily available.  Dona plants or seeds might need to be ordered.  One thing I like about Dona is that more than most varieties they continue to ripen, even the very dark green ones, so when you have to pull out the plants you can bring in all the fruit and put it out on trays in the kitchen or a coolish but not totally dark basement, and it will all ripen over time.

 

 

[Tanaqui]

Green zebras. Easy enough to grow, and yummy.

 

If you go to your farmer's market, look out - there's this one hideously lumpy and huge tomato that local growers here seem obsessed with and I can't figure out why. It's bland and mushy, and it tends to squish before you get it home. You'll know it when you see it, it looks grotesquely mutated.

[Callie]

Cherokee Purple

Red Brandywine

Juliette

Sweet Million (cherry)

Mortgage Lifter

Roma (for sauce)

San Marazino (for sauce)

Black Krim

 

You should be able to find these at farmers markets.

[City Mouse]

I agree that grocery store tomatoes are yucky. I will look for roadside stands and ask for the "ugly" tomatoes.

I have had very good luck growing Early Girl tomatoes. They have one of the shortest growing times, so the work well for shorter growing seasons (either in areas where it gets too hot or where gets cold early)

[Lady Marmalade]

I'm not sure where you live, and that would change my recommendations.  I have seed for 250 varieties of tomato, do grow-outs for tomato breeders and would never call a "Roma" a good tomato.  

 

If you live in the deep south (insect and heat problems) you might want to see if anyone has Creole, Homestead 24, Bella Rosa or Black Krim.  Rebel Yell if you are really lucky!

 

If you live in the interior part of our country, then you might want to think about Neve's Azorean Red, Pruden's Purple, Daniel Burson, Kellogg's Breakfast, and any of the Cherokee line of tomatoes (Golden, Purple, Lime, Chocolate, etc.) as well as any on the deep south list.

 

If you live here in the northern part of the country, you might find any from the other two lists, as well as Mortgage Lifter, Caspian Pink, Hillbilly, Orange Oxheart, Old German, Green Zebra, Jubilee, Purple Cherokee.  (I've seen all these sold as plants at a local nursery, as well as at farmer's markets from specific growers.)

 

If you want to take a shot at growing your own tomatoes, you should pm me an address and I can put together a little packet-o-tomato-love for you.  It might be too late for this year though, depending on where you live.  I have a whole new crop of new-to-me tomatoes in the ground for this year, and may have one or two that might be in the meaty category.  But I have no idea yet, as it will be a few months yet before I have ripe fruit to sample.

 

 

[Kebo]

These are all readily available in nurseries here:

 

My favorite for flavor:  Cherokee Purple      They are pretty reliable and a decent producer.   

My favorite full-sized tomato for reliable production:  Lemon Boy     A yellow tomato, it's mild and pleasant, but won't wow you.   Easy to find and always seems to be one of my best producers. 

My favorite for no-fail for beginners:  Any cherry tomato.  My choice for flavor is Sungold

Tomatoes grown for paste/sauce production will have smaller seed cavities/more flesh.  They are usually decent for fresh eating, but not the best, and will have an elongated shape.  Roma and San Marzano are examples of this kind of tomato.  There are more or less meaty varieties among regular "beefsteak" types, but you may sacrifice flavor or availability. 

 

There are others I have been impressed with, but I grew them from seed and you aren't likely to find them available as plants.  I have tried MANY different varieties and continue to try new ones each year, but these are three I keep coming back to for our hot climate.  BTW, you typically only need one cherry tomato plant, unless you plan to share your tomatoes with others.  I always plant multiples of Cherokee Purple and wish I had planted more.  Lemon Boy is more of a hedge your bets tomato, because the other varieties may have bad years and not produce much, but Lemon Boy always comes through. I plant one or two of Lemon Boy and that's enough. 

 

I garden in extreme desert heat -- tomatoes love warmth, but don't produce well in truly hot weather.  They stop producing new tomatoes once it gets much above 90 degrees, and the tomatoes that ripen in extreme heat and sun will be poor quality much of the time.  The best bet is to find an exposure that suits them (full morning sun, full afternoon shade works well in the hottest weather), or shade them once the sun gets brutal.  Provide plenty of water on an even schedule.  And plant them early enough in the season that they have a chance to produce tomatoes before the weather gets oppressive.  BUT, watch for frosts!  They need a regular feeding schedule.  You can pick them before they fully ripen (but once they start to color up) and finish ripening inside if you are worried about sunscald, birds or insects.  They may not be quite as yummy, but much nicer than most grocery store tomatoes.  I started growing tomatoes because I didn't like tomatoes ... until I tried a home grown one.  Then I realized how tasteless most of them were and how much better they could be.  It's frustrating much of the time to grow them, but the taste keeps me planting them every year.   

 

Good luck!

 

ETA:  Find out when it is recommended to plant tomatoes in your area.  You may want to plant a few plants even a little early if the weather has been mild, so they have a chance to start production before it gets too hot.  Late frosts are always a risk, so I spread out the planting a bit in case the early plants take a hit.  Gardenweb is an incredible resource if you want more info!

 

 

Edited June 13, 2016 by Kebo

[RKWAcademy]

If you get a Roma type tomato that is not so wonderful (i.e. most in the grocery store), you can bring out the flavor by roasting in the oven for just a bit, cut in half with a touch of olive oil and S&P.  You can then cool them and use them in caprese salads or similar.  The flavor is much better. 

 

As far as fresh, the best are Cherokee Purple and Kellogg's Breakfast.  Just about anything at a farmer's market is going to taste fantastic.  Cherry/grape type tomatoes would be easiest to grow.  I find San Marzano and Cherokee Purple grow well for me. 

[Guest]

I find this discussion fascinating - I've never really gardened but am trying to branch out what I produce indoors, and tomatoes have been on my 'to try' list. I didn't know there were SO many varieties!

[Liz CA]

I second the suggestion for Black Krim. It is likely the most flavorful tomato I have ever eaten.Since I get them from a CSA arrangement, I have never grown one.

[foxbridgeacademy]

Always trying to add more vegetables and veggie variety to my diet.  Can you recommend a tomato variety for me that hopefully has at least decent availability in the market?

 

• Flavor - I avoid all tomatoes during the winter months, even picking them off a deli sandwich because the flavor is just not there.
• More flesh and less of the juicy pulpy center.  This may be weird, but I find myself trying to scrape this part away before I eat the tomato.
• Goes well with fresh mozzerella, basil, salt and olive oil.  Caprese salad is currently my favorite way to eat tomatoes.

Oh, bonus points for anyone who can suggest a tomato plant that I may not be able to kill.  The heat and insects typically kill any one that I try.

 

Thanks!

That would be a Roma Tomato.

 

For most of my life I hated tomatoes, to the extent that I even told people I was allergic so they didn't try to convince me how great they were.  Then I started growing my own tomatoes for canning (I was okay with cooked ) and the Roma tomato actually looked and smelled good.  Now I love tomatoes, especially home grown.  I only eat Roma, Campari, on stuff, or grape tomatoes, which I can eat alone especially in the Winter I stick to grape tomatoes, they're the only ones that still somewhat taste like a tomato.

[Tanaqui]

I didn't know there were SO many varieties!

 

Oh, yes, there are over 3,000 varieties of heirloom tomatoes alone! Add in newer varieties and hybrids and we rapidly reach the 10,000 mark when it comes to tomatoes! Though Wikipedia says only 7,500.

 

And it's not just tomatoes. Most of the foods we're familiar with have more varieties than we've ever thought of - apples, potatoes, cherries, turkeys, wheat - everything!

[Tanaqui]

Those of you repeatedly suggesting roma tomatoes, btw, that's what's called a "paste type" tomato, isn't it? There are many more varieties of paste tomatoes than just Roma! I'm not always a fan myself, but even you're not limited to just one variety, guys.

[Laurie4b]

Those of you repeatedly suggesting roma tomatoes, btw, that's what's called a "paste type" tomato, isn't it? There are many more varieties of paste tomatoes than just Roma! I'm not always a fan myself, but even you're not limited to just one variety, guys.

 

True. I grew "Heidi" last year, which is a Roma type, but an heirloom variety. It did well and I'm growing it again. 

 

 

OP, you have to do something about insects and heat. 

 

Heat: Well-watered tomatoes don't mind the heat. When you plant the tomato, dig a "well" deeper than the surrounding soil. I like to lay the plant on its side and pull off all the stems but a few at the very top. The plant will root through the stem, making a strong root system. Once you plant it and put dirt on top, there should be a depression left of 1 1/2-2 inches. This makes watering easy. Fill that up with water at least once per week. 

 

Insects: to avoid pesticides, try some companion gardening. Plant basil, parsley, French marigolds, and nasturtium near your tomato plants. Plant them on the south side of the tomato so that they get sun, too. 

Edited June 13, 2016 by Laurie4b

[Guest]

Stupice.  (No I am not calling you a name; that is a kind of tomato.)  It's bigger than a cherry but smaller than a roma.  I got at least 600 tomatoes off one plant the last two summers, and I kill everything.  I was sick to death of tomatoes by the end of the summer--and that's a good thing.  

 

I'm in the NW.  

 

And I do plant basil on the south side of my tomato because yum.  

[Lady Marmalade]

I find this discussion fascinating - I've never really gardened but am trying to branch out what I produce indoors, and tomatoes have been on my 'to try' list. I didn't know there were SO many varieties!

 

Arctic Mama, you need to look into dwarf tomatoes for indoor growing!  They tend to stay under 3 feet, so are easily grown in pots and without support systems in place.  

 

I highly recommend Heritage Seed Market/Bunny Hop Seeds for a great selection of dwarf and micro-dwarf tomato seeds: http://heritageseedmarket.com/index.php/product-category/dwarf-tomatoes/

 

Those of you who have troubles with heat may find their selection of Heat Tolerant Tomatoes to your liking.   

[Debbi in Texas]

My pick would be the Cherokee Purple. My parents usually have no trouble growing them, although this year is not so great. They do not have good luck producing perfect looking tomotoes, but they are oh so good.

 

The flesh is velvety and not too juicy.

[KrissiK]

I grow Celebrities. That's it. They are tasty, produce all summer and I just eat them with salt and pepper. Or cut them up for burgers, or chopped salad, or salsa. The past couple years we've had late frosts (I live in Central Calif.) and those plants produced past Thanksgiving.

[Guest]

Those of you repeatedly suggesting roma tomatoes, btw, that's what's called a "paste type" tomato, isn't it? There are many more varieties of paste tomatoes than just Roma! I'm not always a fan myself, but even you're not limited to just one variety, guys.

Yes, but she did ask for something with widespread availability. Roma does have that in its favor.

 

I personally don't love Romas for any purpose, but it is a non-juicy tomatoe for sure.

[cjzimmer1]

I'm another one in the not a fan of Romas category.  They just don't taste that great to me.  My parents own a greenhouse and so I've tried a lot of tomato varieties over the years.  I prefer varieties in the Beefsteak family.  They are almost as meaty as a Roma but they have more flavor and are sweeter as well.  My favorite is Beefy Boy but Supersteak are very nice too.  My son really likes Mortgage Lifter and Lemon Boy.  I personally don't care for them but I compare everything to my beloved Beefy Boy and nothing really stacks up to them for me.  I just planted 30 of them today (and 1 Lemon Boy for the kiddo).  But in all my years helping customers select tomatoes, the majority of people are asking for the sweeter meatier tomatoes but there is still a fair number who prefer the more "tang" of the traditional varieties (Early, Girl, Better Boy, Celebrity etc).  Heirlooms (Cherokee Purple, Mortgage Lifter, Green Zebra and many others mentioned here) are very popular.  I've only tried a few of them but I haven't been happy with any of them.  But again my taste buds prefer the sweeter varieties and none of them fall into that category. 

 

Also when selecting your plants, I would consider buying the largest sized plants you can find.  This will get your production going sooner and hopefully you will get to enjoy them before the heat and bugs take over.

[Guest]

Lemon Boy. We grabbed them on a whim last year, and OMG...we loved them. We had a heck of a time finding them this year, but we searched till we found some.