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Kinds of Tomato Cultivars. Varieties of Tomatoes A to Z. Photos of kinds of Tomatoes with Definition
1. Adoration Tomatoes – 45 Types Of Tomatoes Definition
The adoration variety of tomato is a hybrid tomato. It is a small (50-55g), round, cocktail tomato
Self Fertile. Other info: Direct sowing into the garden not recommended. Sow seeds into sterile seed starting mix, ⅛″-¼″ deep, indoors, 6-8 weeks prior to last expected frost date. Optimal germination occurs in 7-14 days with constant moisture and soil temperatures of 75-90F.
2.Alicante Tomatoes – 45 Types Of Tomatoes
Definition
Alicante is a medium sized red variety of tomatoes. It is resistant to “greenback,” a condition where the fruit fails to ripen evenly and produces a reliable, heavy, early crop.
A beef tomato (British English) or beefsteak tomato (American English) is one of the largest varieties of cultivated tomatoes, some weighing 450 grams (1 lb) or more. Most are pink or red with numerous small seed compartments (locules) distributed throughout the fruit, sometimes displaying pronounced ribbing similar to ancient pre-Columbian tomato cultivars. While popular among home growers for beef sandwich toppings and other applications requiring a large tomato such as toppings on large steaks, beefsteaks are not grown commercially as often as other types, since they are not considered as suitable for mechanization as smaller slicing tomatoes.
The Better Boy variety of tomato has been in existence for more than 50 years and is a Guinness record holder for the amount of fruit produced from a single plant. Noted for its superior flavor, the fruit grows from an indeterminate plant and is about 12 ounces, typically ripening in 72 days. Due to the high yield of tomatoes, it is recommended that Better Boy varieties be sturdily staked in the garden.
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6. Black Krim Tomatoes - 45 Types of Tomatoes
DEFINITION
The Black Krim (also known as Black Crimea and Noire de Crimée) is an heirloom tomato originating from the Isle of Krim in the Black Sea off the coast of the Crimean Peninsula. The plant is open-pollinated, indeterminate, bearing 8 ounces flattened globe fruits that are dark reddish-purple to black with green/brown shoulders.
In 1990 it became the first “black” tomato to be commercially available in the United States
The Brandywine tomato plant is an heirloomcultivar of the species, with large potato-leaved foliage and which bears large pink beefsteak-shaped fruit, popularly considered among the best tasting available.
Brandywine tomatoes can bear fruit up to 1.5 lbs (0.7 kg), requiring 80 to 100 days to reach maturity, making it among the slowest maturing varieties of common tomato cultivars. Brandywine has been described as having a “great tomatoey flavor”, (others have called it a sandwich-sized tomato that is offset by a wonderful acidity), leading to heavy usage despite the original cultivar’s relatively low yield per plant. Its fruit has a beefsteak shape and mixed red and deep purple flesh. Even when fully ripe, the tomato can have green shoulders near the stem.
Brandywine plant, with potato leaves
The Brandywine tomato plant also has potato leaves, an unusual variation on the tomato plant, whose leaves are smooth and oval with a pointy tip, instead of jagged and fjord-like the way “normal” tomato plant leaves are.
HISTORY
Brandywine tomato ad from The Ohio Farmer, January 12, 1889
As noted by Craig LeHoullier, the origins of the Brandywine cultivar remain unclear. Burpee reports carrying it in their catalog as early as 1886, and there are references to it older than that. Though it is often said to be of Amish origins, there is no evidence of this.
LeHoullier also notes, it had been included in the Seed Savers Exchange in 1982 by an elderly Ohio gardener named Ben Quisenberry. He received the variety from a woman named Dorris Sudduth Hill who could trace Brandywine in her family for over 80 years. Brandywine has become one of the most popular home garden cultivars in the United States. Due to the proliferation of many misidentified varieties, the pink-fruited, potato-leaved Brandywine is sometimes labeled Brandywine (Sudduth’s)
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8. Campari Tomatoes - 45 Type of Tomatoes
DEFINITION
– Campari is a type of tomato, noted for its juiciness, high sugar level, low acidity, and lack of mealiness. Campari's are deep red and larger than a cherry tomato, but smaller and rounder than a plum tomato. They are often sold as “tomato-on-the-vine” (TOV) in supermarkets, a category of tomato that has become increasingly popular over the years. Campari tomatoes can be produced from different varieties, such as Mountain Magic. As a hybrid, the seeds cost around $150,000 per pound. The company Mastronardi Produce registered the term “Campari” as a United States trademark for its tomatoes in 2003; however, the trademark was challenged in 2006 based on claims that “Campari” is actually the general name for the tomato variety bred in the 1990s by the Dutch company Enza Zaden.
9. Celebrity Tomatoes - 45 Type of Tomatoes
DEFINITION
The Celebrity tomato cultivar is a hybrid that produces long fruit-bearing stems holding 20 or more very plump, robust tomatoes. Fruits weigh approximately 8 oz., and are 4 inches across. Plants need caging or staking and produce fruit throughout the growing season.
10. Cherokee Purple Tomatoes - 45 Type of Tomatoes
DEFINITION
Cherokee Purple is the name of a cultivar of tomato that develops a fruit with a deep, dusky-rose color while maintaining a somewhat greenish hue near the stem when mature for eating. The deep crimson interior and clear skin combination give it its distinctive color. It was one of the first of the darker color group of tomatoes sometimes described as “blacks”; the variety Purple Calabash, with its highly irregularly shaped fruits, arose in a very few seed catalogs in the mid-1900s. Southern Exposure Seed Exchange was the first seed company to offer Cherokee Purple, released in limited quantity in 1993.
Cherokee Purple tomatoes are beefsteak in style. They are also notable for having a dense, juicy texture, with small seed locules irregularly scattered throughout the flesh. The comparatively dark interior color is enhanced by the tendency of the seeds to be surrounded by green gel. In 1995, a skin color mutation of Cherokee Purple arose in Craig LeHoullier’s North Carolina garden. It was named Cherokee Chocolate, and the yellow skin gives the variety a brownish mahogany hue. Cherokee Green arose in Craig’s garden in 1997 from the planting of Cherokee Chocolate. It is one of several tomatoes whose flesh stays green when it ripens; the skin color is yellow, which provides a guide to indicate when the tomato is ripe and ready for harvest.
The Cherokee purple tomato is most commonly available in the summer and fall. This tomato is best enjoyed fresh and is often used in BLT sandwiches and salads. It can also be used when making pizza and pasta.
Craig LeHoullier received seeds of an unnamed purple tomato from John D. Green of Sevierville, Tennessee in 1990. The accompanying letter indicated the Cherokee Indian origin of the tomato in the late 1800s. After growing the tomato in his 1991 garden, confirming the unique purplish coloration, and considering the history shared by Mr. Green, Craig named the variety Cherokee Purple and sent it to Jeff McCormack of Southern Exposure Seed Exchange. Jeff enjoyed the flavor of the tomato and his company first listed the variety in its 1993 seed catalog. Its popularity and availability have grown steadily since then.
11. Early Girl Tomatoes - 45 Types of Tomatoes
DEFINITION
The Early Girl tomato is a medium-sized globe-type F1 hybrid popular with home gardeners because of its early ripening fruit. Early Girl is a cultivar of tomato with indeterminate growth, which means it produces flowers and fruit until it is killed by frost or another external factor (contrast with a determinate cultivar, which would grow to a limited, predefined shape and be most productive for one large harvest before dying or tapering off with minimal new growth or fruit). It grows tall, therefore it needs support as the plant grows. Fruit maturity ranges from 50 to 62 days (1.6 to 2.0 mo) after transplanting, depending on the source, which appeals to growers in climates with shorter growing seasons. Early Girl can tolerate temperatures as low as 40 °F (4 °C) and is well-suited to hot, dry climates. Early girl is reliable and prolific.
The ripe fruit is extremely standard for a tomato, about the size and shape of a tennis ball and weighing 4 to 8 ounces (110 to 230 g). The tomatoes have a bright color and good flavor.
12. FOURTH OF JULY TOMATOES – 45 TYPES OF TOMATOES
DEFINITION
The Fourth of July tomato variety is a common cultivar of tomato plants. This is the earliest variety of non-cherry type tomatoes which might be ripe by the Fourth of July, in a typical climate.
Garden Peach tomatoes are a cultivar of tomato, native South American fruit mainly from Peru, where they are known as Coconas. Its small, bright yellow fruit is the standard globe shape of a tomato. With its yellow coloring, blushing vaguely pink mottling when very ripe, and fuzzy skin, it resembles a peach. This cultivar is also extremely prolific. It is rich in iron and vitamin B5. The plant grows naturally between 200 and 1,000 meters from Colombia to Ecuador and Perú.
Studies have shown they may lower cholesterol when eaten, or their juice drunk, regularly, similar to oranges or orange juice, but with a greater effect.
This heirloom is colored exactly like a peach and has a sweet mild flavor. Fruits are 2-4 oz. and perfect for salads. The vines are prolific and very easy to grow in poor soil. Garden Peaches have soft fuzzy skins and mature in 65 days on average. They are suited to containers.
14. Gardeners Delight Tomatoes – 45 Types Of Tomatoes
DEFINITION
Bright red, bite-size, extra sweet fruits are full of flavor. This old German heirloom boasts many clusters of 6 to 12 cherry tomatoes all summer long. It’s indeterminate, crack-resistant, and very prolific. Proven tops for performance, flavor and wide adaptability.
15. German Johnson Tomatoes – 45 Types Of Tomatoes
DEFINITION
A parent line that gave rise to the illustrious Mortgage Lifter. Large lobed fruits with pinkish-red skin. Originally grown in West Virginia, this heirloom was one of the parent lines for another cherished heirloom: the legendary Mortgage Lifter. With pinkish-red skin and nearly seedless meaty, mild flesh, the large, lobed fruits weigh ¾-1 ½ lb. A favorite variety for slicing or canning. The disease-resistant, indeterminate vines thrive in hot, humid areas.
16. GIULIETTA F1 TOMATOES – 45 TYPES OF TOMATOES
DEFINITION
– The real Italian San Marzano
– Hyper productive with long fruit
– Perfect for sauces and salads
Granadero F1 is an intermediate plum tomato variety with a compact vigorous plant for the open field or unheated greenhouse. It produces a high yield of large fruits and demonstrates tolerance to cooler conditions. Medium to early plant maturity of fruits with an average weight of 5 oz.
18. GREAT WHITE TOMATOES – 45 TYPES OF TOMATOES DEFINITION
The Great White tomato is exactly what it sounds like. Producing a harvest of creamy white globes that can reach up to 2-pounds, but average about a pound each, the overall consensus of backyard growers is that this is a keeper.
An heirloom variety, I could find no information on the approximate date it was first introduced, which I can only deduce, means that it is a very old variety. The customer reviews of this unusually colored tomato have me agreeing that it is worth growing.
19. GREEN ZEBRA TOMATOES – 45 TYPES OF TOMATOES DEFINITION
Green Zebra is a tomato cultivar with characteristic dark green and yellow stripes. Newer variations blush reddish instead of yellow when ripe. It is more tart (described as ‘spicy’ and ‘zingy’) than a regular tomato, and it is an early cultivar. Compared to other tomato varieties, it can produce somewhat mealy fruits depending on growing conditions.
Green Zebra was bred by Tom Wagner of Everett, Washington, and introduced in his Tater-Mater Seed Catalog in 1983. He first came up with the idea in the 1950s. Usually, green tomatoes are considered unripe and discarded or fried. However, Wagner was intrigued by the idea of a green tomato that was ready to eat.
There is some controversy as to whether Green Zebra should be considered an heirloom tomato. Some people don’t consider it an heirloom quite yet, while others consider it either an heirloom, “modern heirloom” or “created heirloom.”
Classification – Common varieties include Green Zebra, Black Zebra, Big Zebra, and Red Zebra
20. HANGOVER TOMATOES – 45 TYPES OF TOMATOES
DEFINITION
The Hanover Tomato is a mostly large variety of cultivated tomatoes grown in Hanover County, Virginia. While most Hanover Tomatoes that come to market are large fruits, they are not necessarily defined by their size but rather by the geographic setting—normally in coastal soil rich in sand—in which they are grown. The water retention in this type of soil is thought to influence the nature of the mature plant.
Granadero F1 is an intermediate plum tomato variety with a compact vigorous plant for the open field or unheated greenhouse. It produces a high yield of large fruits and demonstrates tolerance to cooler conditions. Medium to early plant maturity of fruits with an average weight of 5 oz.
The Hillbilly Tomato, also known as the “hillbilly potato leaf tomato”, scientific name Solanum lycopersicum, is an heirloom cultivar originating from West Virginia in the 1800s. This fruit is considered a beefsteak tomato weighing 1-2 pounds. It is round, heavily ribbed and its skin and flesh are orange-yellow with red streaks. The flavor is described as “sweet and fruity” and is low in acid.
The Hillbilly tomato plant stands anywhere from 52″-84″ tall when fully established, needing 85–94 days of growth before it reaches its full maturity. The plant is a low maintenance crop and does not require extra attention as long as it is planted properly, particularly after any season of frost. It requires full sun with a minimum of six hours daily. This plant also requires water but is drought tolerant, and mulching can help to ensure an even supply of moisture to the tomato plant. There are some problems that may occur with the hillbilly tomato plant which include pests and diseases. You can control some of these problems by crop rotation.
22. JAPANESE BLACK TRIFELE TOMATOES – 45 TYPES OF TOMATOES
DEFINITION
Heirloom with unusual pear shape and burgundy color. Good yields of 4–6 oz. fruit with excellent, rich flavor. Harvest when shoulders are still green for the best flavor. Potato-leaf plants. Indeterminate.
23. JERSEY BOY TOMATOES – 45 TYPES OF TOMATOES DEFINITION
The Jersey Boy tomato (Lycopersicon lycopersicum) is a type of beefsteak tomato in the family Solanaceae, a hybrid cultivar of the Rutgers and the Brandywine tomatoes by Burpee Seeds. It made its first appearance as a commercial seed registered in 2014 and released circa 2015.
Burpee dubs it the “Supertomato” because it draws the best attributes of another hybrid and the heirloom Brandywine. The 8 oz. to 10 oz. fruits combine the Brandywine’s sweet-sour with the Rutgers classic rich color, thicker skin, and yield.
Remarkably, this tomato won the prestigious AAS Award back in 1943, proving its adaptability and reliability. Golden-orange, round fruits are smooth, blemish-free, and meaty, with a mild, sweet, delectable flavor. Fruits weigh 6 to 7-oz. and measure 3-in. across.
Slightly larger than the well-known Santa grape tomato, Juliet bears delicious, sweet fruit on indeterminate vines. Some gardeners refer to it as a mini Roma because of the shape. The wonderfully sweet fruit are crack resistant and remain in good condition on the vine longer than most cherry tomatoes. The fruit is as soft and juicy as cherry tomatoes, they hold up well in salads, even leftovers, and they have a longer shelf life so you can keep them on hand without picking every day. The vigorous vines set lots of fruit on long trusses and keep setting fruit throughout the summer. Quite heat tolerant. Vines are long and vigorous, so give the plant room to tumble over its cage. One of the longest-lasting tomatoes in the garden. Hybrid.
Resistant to early blight (AB). Tolerant to late blight (LB).
– (Lillian’s Yellow tomato is a late-season heirloom tomato collected by Lillian Bruce of Tennessee. She gave seeds to Robert Richardson, after which it found its way into the Seed Savers Exchange yearbook. One of the few bright yellow varieties, Lillian’s Yellow Tomato is a potato leaved plant that requires a long growing season. The fruit is meaty, full-flavored, and contains few seeds.[
27. MATT’S WILD CHERRY TOMATOES – 45 TYPES OF TOMATOES
Matt’s Wild Cherry is a cultivar of tomato ostensibly based on the original wild tomato plants, acquired by a friend of Doctor Matt Liebman in Hidalgo, Mexico. Liebman raised this cultivar in Maine, eventually releasing it under his own name. It is the species Lycopersicum esculentum var. cerasiforme.
28. Micro Tom Tomatoes – 45 Types Of Tomatoes Definition
88 days. Lycopersicon esculentum. (F1) The plant produces good yields of tiny pea size red tomatoes. An ideal house plant for windows and patios. Kids love them! Developed by the University of Florida. Determinate. Plant Height: 8″ tall
29. Moneymaker Tomatoes – 45 Types Of Tomatoes Definition
A classic Heirloom “greenhouse” tomato, Moneymaker (as you might have guessed) has long been a popular cash crop for farmers, but is a favorite of home gardeners as well! Highly heat tolerant, Moneymaker is easy to grow and produces very red, 4-6 ounce fruits. Can grow up to 8′, but can be controlled with pruning and/or staking.
30. Monterosa Tomatoes – 45 Types Of Tomatoes Definition
Whole and healthy with a fresh, firm, shiny, and clean look. GG caliber: size (82-102 mm) and weight (200-500 gr). In several ripening stages so their color and taste can be enjoyed for longer.
Availability: 12 months a year, as we work with selected producers in the main tomato areas in Spain: Catalonia, Murcia, and Andalusia.
31. Montserrat Tomatoes – 45 Types Of Tomatoes Definition
One of the world’s prettiest tomatoes, its perfect, undulating, non-splitting form seemingly carved from red wax, this is the best-known Catalan heritage tomato. Highly valued by local Catalan gastronomes, it is barely known beyond the county, despite its top quality. Seeds for this plant are saved and protected by the local farmers themselves and are not widely available. A gloriously different tomato whether for sandwiches and salads, baking or stuffing, cut slices produce an elegant almost floral-like design that will fall onto your plate with delicate ruby-colored pockets of sweet, juicy flesh gathered at the center. Sprinkled with olive oil (and a touch of salt if desired) it is a gastronomic delight! (Cordon)
HEIRLOOM. Legendary, huge beefsteak consistently wins taste-tests. This huge heirloom beefsteak (up to 4 lb.; average 2 ½ lb.) consistently wins taste-tests. Developed in the 1930s by a gardener who planted the four biggest varieties he knew and crossed one with pollen from the other three. He did this for six seasons and created a variety that produced immense, tasty fruit. He sold the plants for $1 apiece and paid off his $6000 mortgage in 6 years.
33. Mr Stripey Tomatose – 45 Types Of Tomatoes
Definition
Mr. Stripey (sometimes confused with Tigerella) is a type of heirloom tomato with unusually small leaves and a mix of a yellow and red color that can fool some growers into thinking they are picking an unripe tomato. Under good conditions in size, shape, and internal structure it may be considered a “beefsteak”.Tigerella is generally smaller than the Mr. Stripey variety and the colors are less defined, they actually are two distinct different heirloom varieties. Tigerella isn’t as sweet or “low-acid” as the Mr. Stripey variety either. Like other heirlooms, Mr. Stripey has an appearance that differs considerably from other tomatoes. In coloration, it is generally somewhat more yellow near the stem and more red towards its underside, with gentle stripes of red and yellow blending into each other along the sides. This coloration may extend into the interior of the fruit, which tends to be more yellow than red.
When conditions are right and the fruit is fully ripe the taste will be surprisingly sweet and mild, superior to most store-bought varieties. The mild character of the tomato flavor is best used where it is intended to blend in with other flavors such as in a pasta sauce or salad. The flavor is in good condition and when fully ripe is pleasingly sweet when sliced raw – excellent for hors d’oeuvres. The ripe flesh is soft, juicy, and extremely tender.
34. Pantano Romanesco Tomatoes – 45 Types Of Tomatoes
Definition
Pantano Romanesco Tomatoes are Roman heirloom tomatoes said to have been grown in former marshes in Rome, Italy. Similar to Genovese Costoluto. Our TomatoFest organic, heirloom tomato seeds produce indeterminate, regular-leaf, highly productive vines yield large crops of 12 oz., brilliant-red, slightly-ribbed tomatoes with meaty interiors bursting with wonderful, rich, complex, tomato flavors. Expect a good production from these heirloom tomatoes. A great sauce tomato and a sensible choice for farmer’s markets due to visual appeal and reputation for intense flavor. Rare tomato seeds. A winner!
35. Plum Tomatoes – 45 Types Of Tomatoes Definition
A plum tomato, also known as a processing tomato or paste tomato, is a type of tomato bred for sauce and packing purposes. They are generally oval or cylindrical in shape, with significantly fewer locules (seed compartments) than standard round tomatoes (usually only two) and a generally higher solid content, making them more suitable for processing. Plum tomatoes are also sometimes favored by cooks for use during the tomato off-season, as they are generally considered more amenable to handling and are therefore available in a state closer to ripe than other supermarket tomatoes.
Varieties commonly available in markets include Roma VF and San Marzano (semi-determinate; a signature tomato of Italian cuisine), though there are many other varieties, such as the short-season Ropreco Paste and the larger Amish Paste and Big Mama. Five hybrid cultivars grown in California constitute over 60% of the total production of processing tomatoes. Small plum tomatoes (similar in size to cherry tomatoes) are known as grape tomatoes.
36. Raf Tomatoes – 45 Types Of Tomatoes Definition
The Raf tomato is a tomato (Solanum lycopersicum, Solanaceae) obtained from artificial selection practiced on traditional tomatoes are planted outdoors since 1969. Its origin is Almeria (Spain). The Raf tomato Marmande is a variety which stands out for its flavor and texture, as well as its resistance to water with high salt content.
The name Raf refers to its Fusarium resistance. This resistance to fusarium (Fusarium oxysporum lycopersici) was one of the causes of its popularization in greenhouse cultivation where traditional productions of Muchamiel tomatoes did not fit enough. Raf is the product of a selection of traditional tomatoes so it is not a hybrid tomato.
Raf Tomatoes of Cabo de Gata-Nijar Natural Park
In Spain the production areas most relevant to this type of tomato are the neighborhood of Cabo de Gata and the municipality of Nijar, both in Almeria (Spain)- Cabo de Gata-Nijar Natural Park.
Their morphology is special and very characteristic. It is a fruit of irregular shape with deep furrows that end in the center, oval, and flattened at the ends. These grooves make it very recognizable and attest to its quality. Its color is deep green with touches approaching the black on top.
Inside the pulp are a pinkish color, compact very firm and juicy, meaty texture with small seeds. It is consistent and usually has a delicious sweet taste (9 degrees Brix) due to the balance between sugar and acidity of citrus and malic type. Maturation occurs from the inside out.
The Raf tomato is a vigorous plant but current productions try to reduce this original vigor he has done that encompasses within un-determinate transportation and medium vigor. Its natural size can reach 4 m while production will rarely let the feet.
The reason that the Raf tomato is peculiar given for their growing conditions. Need a certain salinity water to counteract generating the fruit sugars. It has been cultivated for decades but semi-abandonment by more intensive crops. Originally it was cultivated in the open but now is under the street or under plastic mesh.
The production is usually limited to about 2,000 acres and the yield of a plant usually 4–6 kg. The yield of a tomato plant of another variety ranges from 20 to 22 kg of product medium.
37. Rebellion Tomatoes – 45 Types Of Tomatoes
Definition
Succulent, smooth-skinned Rebellion tomatoes with a handsome ribbed shape. This special variety is good and chunky – just right for stuffing with a Mediterranean or Middle Eastern filling and baking. Or cut crossways and dress with a punchy vinaigrette for a striking salad: each slice looks like a child’s drawing of a flower.
Solanum pimpinellifolium, commonly known as the curranttomato, is a wild species of tomato native to Ecuador and Peru but naturalized elsewhere, such as the Galápagos Islands. Its small fruits are edible, and it is commonly grown in gardens as an heirloom tomato, although it is considered to be wild rather than domesticated as is the commonly cultivated tomato species Solanum lycopersicum. Its genome was sequenced in 2012.
It will hybridize with common domestic tomatoes. There are annual, biennial, and perennial varieties. Solanum pimpinellifolium is important in tomato breeding.
Its relatedness to tomatoes and ability to freely cross with them has allowed it to be used for the introduction of disease resistance traits in tomato varieties, as well as in the study of the genetic control of tomato traits such as fruit shape and size. Its 900 Mb genome differs from the tomato at 0.6% of base pairs; in comparison, they both differ from the potato (from which they diverged 7.3 million years ago) at 8% of bases.
Considered the ancestor of domesticated tomatoes, it is valued for supplementing the limited gene pool of the domestic tomato. Due to agricultural development, the wild currant tomato is becoming less prevalent in the native range of northern Peru and southern Ecuador. In addition, seed collection is hampered by issues with the Convention on Biological Diversity.
39. Roma Tomatoes – 45 Types Of Tomatoes
Definition
Roma tomato or Roma is a plum tomato popularly used both for canning and producing tomato paste because of its slender and firm nature. Commonly found in supermarkets in some countries, Roma tomatoes are also known as Italian tomatoes or Italian plum tomatoes
Roma tomatoes are grown in the United States, Mexico, Australia, and Great Britain. The “Roma VF” variant is most common in seed catalogs as of 2007. It was developed by the USDA‘s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists in Beltsville, Maryland in the 1950s as a fusarium wilt-resistant cultivar.
While Roma is an open-pollinated variety rather than a hybrid, it has been steadily improved to the point where most Roma tomato vines are verticillium and fusarium wilt resistant (thus the VF in the name).
Most commercial plum tomatoes sold in markets in the Western Hemisphere are Romas or related types. Smaller plum tomatoes about the size of cherry tomatoes are sometimes sold as “baby Romas”. A smaller relative was known as “Windowbox Roma” is sold as a tomato suitable for window gardens and hanging containers.
Roma tomatoes are egg or pear-shaped and red when fully ripe. They have few seeds and are good at canning and sauce tomato. While Roma is an open-pollinated variety, in general, it is not considered an heirloom tomato. Maturing in under three months, the plant itself grows to 1 meter (36 inches) in height and the single fruit weighs about 60 grams (2 oz). The vines fruit heavily, making Roma a popular variety with gardeners who do a lot of home canning.
40. Rutgers Tomatoes – 45 Types Of Tomatoes
Definition
The Rutgers tomato (Lycopersicon lycopersicum) was the most popular tomato variety in the world before the era of mechanized farming began a change in breeding for durability over flavor. It is an open-pollinated beefsteak from the family Solanaceae with an excellent balance of acidity to sweetness and lots of flavor. A true New Jersey tomato has both high acids and high sugars, and a thin skin. It lasts days at full ripeness, not weeks as modern, commercially bred tomatoes for automatic harvest and long-haul shipment, do.
It was developed in 1934 by Rutgers University‘s New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station and the Campbell Soup Company’s Riverton, New Jersey research facility. A hugely flavorful tomato that also was more resistant to rot than its predecessors, the Rutgers tomato became a staple ingredient of not only Campbell’s Soup, but other large companies including Hunt’s and Heinz. It was popular on American dinner tables as the seed was grown by farmers nationally.
It was the most popular variety of tomatoes in the world, according to Thomas J. Orton, a professor in the department of plant biology and pathology at Rutgers University. The Rutgers tomato, at its peak, made up more than 60% of all commercial tomato sales. The Rutgers tomato plummeted in popularity with commercial farmers in the 1960s. Too thin-skinned for automated picking, they fell out of favor with both farmers and commercial producers looking for heartier tomatoes that would store longer and travel farther with less spoilage. The seeds were not patented, so farmers and other companies “evolved” the Rutgers tomatoes into more refined hybrids that suited their needs better.
In 2006, there was not enough commercial interest to “revive” the hybrids that were so popular in New Jersey. By 2009, though, Rutgers scientists at the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station (NJAES) launched the Jersey Tomato Project to revive the coveted Rutgers (Jersey) Tomato. Scientists had learned that Campbell Soup still had some genetic material from the parent plants of the original Rugters tomato. From 2009 to 2014, scientists and plant breeders worked to revive the cultivar through inbreeding and discovering a change in soil amendment that had removed sodium from the fertilizers used on the soil. Dr. Josephy Heckman, a researcher in soil fertility at NJAES, also examined other key mineral deficiencies in the soil that affect taste, including potassium and boron.
After many experimental plantings, tastings, and adjustments in genetics, they finally debuted the Rutgers 250, named to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the university’s founding in that same year.
41. San Marzano Tomatoes – 45 Types Of Tomatoes
Definition
Compared to the Roma tomato, San Marzano tomatoes are thinner and more pointed. The flesh is much thicker with fewer seeds, and the taste is stronger, sweeter and less acidic.
The San Marzano vines are indeterminate and have a somewhat longer season than other paste tomato varieties, making them particularly suitable for warmer climates. As is typical of heirloom plants, San Marzano is an open-pollinated variety that breeds true from generation to generation, making seed saving practical for the home gardener or farmer.
Amy P. Goldman calls the San Marzano “the most important industrial tomato of the 20th century”; its commercial introduction in 1926 provided canneries with a “sturdy, flawless subject, and breeders with genes they’d be raiding for decades.” Though commercial production of the San Marzano variety is most closely associated with Italy, seeds for the variety are available worldwide. It is an heirloom variety. Canned San Marzanos, when grown in the Valle del Sarno (valley of the Sarno) in Italy in compliance with Italian law, can be classified as Pomodoro San Marzano dell’Agro Sarnese-Nocerino and have the EU “DOP” emblem on the label.
Most San Marzano tomatoes sold commercially are grown in Italy, though they are produced commercially in smaller quantities in other countries. Because of San Marzano’s premium pricing, there is an ongoing battle against fraudulent products. On November 22, 2010, the Italian carabinieri confiscated weight = 1,470 tonnes (1,450 long tons; 1,620 short tons) of canned tomatoes worth €1.2 million of the improperly labeled product.
San Marzano tomatoes, along with Pomodorino del Piennolo del Vesuvio, have been designated as the only tomatoes that can be used for Vera Pizza Napoletana (True Neapolitan Pizza).
San Marzano tomatoes originate from the small town of San Marzano sul Sarno, near Naples, Italy, and were first grown in volcanic soil in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius. One story goes that the first seed of this tomato came to Campania in 1770, as a gift from the Viceroyalty of Peru to the Kingdom of Naples, and that it was planted in the area of San Marzano sul Sarno.
In the United States, San Marzano tomatoes are the genetic base for another popular paste tomato, the Roma tomato. The Roma is a cross between a San Marzano and two other varieties (one of which was also a San Marzano hybrid) and was introduced by the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service in 1955.
42. Santorini Tomatoes – 45 Types Of Tomatoes
Definition
The Santorini is a cherry tomato that grows in Santorini, Greece.
An abbot of the Capuchin monastery in Ano Syros (Cyclades) brought the first cherry tomatoes to Greece in 1818. The variety of tomato began to be regularly cultivated in 1875. By the 1900s, 20,000 acres of tomatoes were regularly being harvested in Santorini. Tomato production has declined since this time due to various environment, political, and tourism issues.
A caprice of nature, Santorini’s trademark baby tomato, known as “tomataki” or “tomatini”, is as sweet, delicious, and aromatic as it is tiny. An untrained eye could easily confuse it with a cherry.
With a characteristic flavor derived from the volcanic soil, the tomatini or tomataki is truly one-of-a-kind. Benefitted by the sparse rainfall, the strong winds, and the high daytime temperatures, the fruit grows exclusively on Santorini and does not thrive anywhere else on the planet. Agricultural scientists are still not certain whether the baby tomato got accustomed to Santorini’s climate and soil conditions or if it belongs to an altogether unique species.
43. Super Sweet 10 Tomatoes – 45 Types Of Tomatoes
Definition
The Super Sweet 100 tomato cultivar is a hybrid that produces long fruit-bearing stems holding 100 or more very sweet cherry tomatoes. Fruits weigh approximately 1 oz., and are 1 inch across. Plants need caging or staking, and produce fruit throughout the growing season.
44. Tomaccio Tomatoes – 45 Types Of Tomatoes
Definition
Tomaccio tomatoes resulted from a 12-year breeding program using a wild Peruvian tomato species. The program was developed by Hishtil in Israel. Tomaccio is a vigorous, high yielding, early fruiting cherry tomato bred primarily for the sun-dried tomato market.
Tomaccio tomatoes have an intense, sugary flavor when picked fresh or dried at home. Tomaccio plants can reach heights of nine feet and yield 13-18 pounds of fruit per season.
45. Yellow Pear Tomatoes – 45 Types Of Tomatoes
Definition
Pear tomato or teardrop tomato is the common name for anyone in a group of indeterminate heirloom tomatoes. There are yellow, orange, and red varieties of this tomato; the yellow variety being most common. They are generally sweet, and are in the shape of a pear, but smaller. They are heirlooms and have 3 common other names, such as the “Red/Orange/Yellow Pear Tomato Plants.
I agree that the Cherokee Purple is one of the best tasting tomatoes ever. I tell people it is everything they ever wanted in the way a tomato should taste. The Black Krim is also one of our favorites to grow. incredibly good on a BLT. We tried the Japanese Black Triffle this year and had great results. Very delicious, and quite prolific.
I just ate two* Cherokee Purple tomatoes from a plant I bought at Whole Foods this past spring. They were by far THE sweetest tomatoes I've ever encountered - absolutely delicious.
*Why only two, and why so late in the growing season? Because I grew the plant in a container, which probably didn't have enough soil in it. I mulched it well with grass clippings, but a couple of times I still let it go too long without watering, which killed off a bunch of the flowers at probably the worst possible time. Now that I've finally gotten a taste of the fruits, I'm really kicking myself. I won't let the same thing happen again.
When I was child my mother planted Tomatoes that only grow to about 3’. They were a medium sized and produced most of the summers d had a sweet taste. I haven’t heard of them in many years and can’t remember the name of them more Just hoping might have any clue of a tomato plant like that.
I have grown tomatoes for fifty years and find for dropping and taste Shirley are good feelings is even better me the first tomatoes ogres where aamoroso and arasta I also like piccolo all in a cold greenhouse
Last year I bought a tomato plant that did not need trussing. It grew prostrate and produced 5-7 fruit on each stem which were sweet and luscious. Slightly flat fruit that fitted in the palm of my hand. Does anyone know what variety it may be?? Thanks
Once someone gave me a small tomato that had almost a fuzz on it. Best cherry-sized tomato I’ve ever eaten. What was it?! Grower has passed, so I don’t know anything else about it. Please help if you can. Thank you.
Hi Lee, I can help out with another keyword that should help you with your journey, "Woolly". This means these types of tomato have a gene that causes the furriness or fuzz on the outside of the tomato. I hope this helps out. Would love to know what kind of tomato you're looking for once you find it. All the best, Chef Pennington...
I bought a tomato plant called country something. Can not remember the correct. Can you help me.
Steven Pennington
I did a search using: "country" tomatoes, or "country" tomato. I found Country Taste Hybrid Tomato I suggest trying using the same search and see what you find. Make sure to use the quotations " " around the word country. Hope you're enjoying our website. Please join our newsletter and follow on YouTube and social media. The link is located on the menu. All the best, Chef Pennington.
Ivy Muthoni
I was asking how you can avoid birds eating the tomatoes if you don't plant in a greenhouse and whether you know which company in Kenya has these kind of tomato seeds
Which tomato seeds are you trying to source in Kenya?
As to keeping birds away from your tomatoes, I would suggest using raised netting surrounding the tomatoes.
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Anonymous
Thank you. Great photos and explanations.
D.S.Wayal
Nice information against tomato segments.
jack burton
I agree that the Cherokee Purple is one of the best tasting tomatoes ever. I tell people it is everything they ever wanted in the way a tomato should taste. The Black Krim is also one of our favorites to grow. incredibly good on a BLT. We tried the Japanese Black Triffle this year and had great results. Very delicious, and quite prolific.
Jonathan H.
I just ate two* Cherokee Purple tomatoes from a plant I bought at Whole Foods this past spring. They were by far THE sweetest tomatoes I've ever encountered - absolutely delicious.
*Why only two, and why so late in the growing season? Because I grew the plant in a container, which probably didn't have enough soil in it. I mulched it well with grass clippings, but a couple of times I still let it go too long without watering, which killed off a bunch of the flowers at probably the worst possible time. Now that I've finally gotten a taste of the fruits, I'm really kicking myself. I won't let the same thing happen again.
Anne
You have a typo in the heading for Hanover tomatoes. They are not "Hangover" tomatoes. LOL.
Jonnie
I saw that too and at first was like....a tomato that helps with hangovers?! BRILLIANT!
Denise
Have you ever heard of an Oxi Harp or Oxy Harp tomatoe? Not sure of the spelling
TimX
Ox Heart. Because they look like a heart.
They are very large and there are several excellent varieties.
Robert grooms
When I was child my mother planted Tomatoes that only grow to about 3’. They were a medium sized and produced most of the summers d had a sweet taste. I haven’t heard of them in many years and can’t remember the name of them more Just hoping might have any clue of a tomato plant like that.
Maureen taylor
I have grown tomatoes for fifty years and find for dropping and taste Shirley are good feelings is even better me the first tomatoes ogres where aamoroso and arasta I also like piccolo all in a cold greenhouse
Kathy Flaherty
Excellent, thank you so much for all the information!
Helen
Last year I bought a tomato plant that did not need trussing. It grew prostrate and produced 5-7 fruit on each stem which were sweet and luscious. Slightly flat fruit that fitted in the palm of my hand. Does anyone know what variety it may be?? Thanks
Lee
Once someone gave me a small tomato that had almost a fuzz on it. Best cherry-sized tomato I’ve ever eaten. What was it?! Grower has passed, so I don’t know anything else about it. Please help if you can. Thank you.
Steven Pennington
Hi Lee, I can help out with another keyword that should help you with your journey, "Woolly". This means these types of tomato have a gene that causes the furriness or fuzz on the outside of the tomato. I hope this helps out. Would love to know what kind of tomato you're looking for once you find it. All the best, Chef Pennington...
Jeannie
Possibly Wapsipiconicon Peach
Joan castagna
I bought a tomato plant called country something. Can not remember the correct. Can you help me.
Steven Pennington
I did a search using: "country" tomatoes, or "country" tomato. I found Country Taste Hybrid Tomato I suggest trying using the same search and see what you find. Make sure to use the quotations " " around the word country. Hope you're enjoying our website. Please join our newsletter and follow on YouTube and social media. The link is located on the menu. All the best, Chef Pennington.
Ivy Muthoni
I was asking how you can avoid birds eating the tomatoes if you don't plant in a greenhouse and whether you know which company in Kenya has these kind of tomato seeds
Steven Pennington
Which tomato seeds are you trying to source in Kenya?
As to keeping birds away from your tomatoes, I would suggest using raised netting surrounding the tomatoes.