Choosing Which Tomatoes to Grow

Tomatoes are deservedly one of the most popular crops for vegetable gardeners. Although there are some varieties which you can only grow in a greenhouse, there are many others which you can easily grow outdoors, in a small town garden, or even on a patio.

Seed merchants and garden centres offer a bewildering array of different varieties, and it’s important to pick tomatoes which suit not only your taste, but also your growing conditions.

For most gardeners, growing only three or four plants, it’s more economical to buy in tomato plants if you can, but for the less common varieties, you may need to grow your own plants from seed.

Choosing Your Tomato Variety

There are many different types of tomato to choose from; the fruit may be red or yellow, as big as oranges or as small as cherries, round, oval or plum shaped: the plants may have a climbing (or cordon) habit, a trailing habit or grow as a compact bush. Cordon varieties must be trained on a stake; bush or trailing varieties need no support.

Flavour is very much a personal judgment, but here too there are considerable differences; some varieties are particularly sweet, some sharp and some more bland.

Overall, the choice of variety is generally a matter of individual preference, and many gardeners prefer a mix of varieties, but you must pick tomato varieties suitable for greenhouse or outdoor cultivation as appropriate.

Old Favourite Tomato Varieties

Popular and well tried varieties include:

• Ailsa Craig. Greenhouse or outdoor cordon. Medium sized red fruit of good flavour.
• Alicante. Greenhouse or outdoor cordon. Medium size red fruit of very good flavour.
• Gardeners Delight. Greenhouse or outdoor cordon. Masses of very sweet small, red, cherry-like fruit.
• Golden Sunrise. Greenhouse or outdoor cordon. Medium sized yellow fruit, fairly bland in flavour.
• Moneymaker. Greenhouse or outdoor cordon. Large crop of medium sized red fruit of unexceptional flavour.
• Shirley. Greenhouse only cordon. Heavy crop of large red fruit.
• Sweet 100. Greenhouse or outdoor cordon. Masses of very sweet small cherry fruit.
• Tomato Tumbler (Red or Yellow). Trailing outdoor. Masses of small cherry fruit of good flavour. Good for pots and hanging baskets.

Newer Varieties

Alternatively you may want to try less common varieties, like:

• Beefeater. Greenhouse cordon variety, but can be grown on a warm, south facing patio. Plenty of huge, meaty, regular shaped, red fruit with a good strong flavour. Good for slicing in salads or frying.
• Marmande. Greenhouse or outdoor variety, but best outdoors. Bushy cordon, requires minimal staking. Huge knobbly red meaty fruit like those you find in a Mediterranean market. Good strong flavour.
• Principe Borghese. Outdoor variety, but best grow in a sheltered position. Bush form requiring no staking. Italian style, egg shaped red fruit, which are particularly good for sun drying. When harvesting, simply hang the bush and fruit in a sunny, sheltered but airy position until the skins turn leathery. Available from Mr Fothergill’s Seeds.
• Tamina. Greenhouse or outdoor cordon, producing few side shoots, so little pinching out needed. Produces a large crop of medium size red fruit of very good flavour. Available from Sutton’s Seeds.
• Tumbling Tom. Greenhouse or outdoor trailer.. Masses of small cherry fruit of good flavour. Good for pots and hanging baskets.

More Information on Growing Tomatoes

How to grow tomatoes in growbags and containers.

Tomato pests and diseases.