The Complete Tomato Guide

Tomato Categories

• Slicing are the most commonly grown, used for a wide variety of processing and fresh eating.
• Beefsteaks are large tomatoes often used for sandwiches and similar applications.
• Plum or pear or pastes are bred with higher solids content for use in tomato sauce.
• Cherry are small and round, often sweet, generally eaten whole in salads.
• Grape are smaller and oblong, a variation on plum tomatoes, used in salads.
• Early tomatoes bear fruit even where nights are cool.

Tomato Classifications

Determinate or bush types bear a full crop all at once and top off at a specific height. They are good choices for container growing and for canning. They require little or no staking, of the plant.

Indeterminate varieties develop into vines that never top off and continue producing until killed by frost. They are preferred by home growers who want ripe fruit throughout the season.

Days to Harvest

Average days from the time transplants are set out until the first fruit is ripe.

Heirloom Tomatoes

A tomato is considered to be an heirloom when the seed has been saved and grown at least 50 years. Heirloom tomatoes are grown for their superior taste. They are less disease resistant than most hybrids.

Hybrid Tomatoes

Hybrid tomato plants tend to be heavier producers, and sometimes combine unusual characteristics of heirloom tomatoes with the ruggedness of commercial tomatoes. Hybrid tomato varieties are generally produced by plant breeders, which select two compatible tomato varieties and cross-breed them. Many hybrid varieties are bred for common disease resistance or tolerance.

Cherry & Grape Tomatoes Varieties

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