You may have met the heirloom tomato varieties that come in black, purple, and brown. You may have even perused the white heritage tomatoes. So, it shouldn’t come as any surprise to hear that there are many heirloom tomatoes that are striped and bi-colored. These are the party favors of the tomato world and one you’ve grown several of these festive fruits, your garden will never be the same again.
Striped and Bi-Colored Heirloom Tomato Varieties
- Beauty King – These are some beautiful tomatoes that have clearly defined red- and yellow-striped fruit. The flavor is fruity and sweet.
- Beauty Queen – Beauty Queen is a prolific producer of small-to-medium-size tomatoes that have clearly defined red and yellow stripes. Terrific flavor.
- Big Rainbow – These 2 pound tomatoes have green shoulders, a yellow midsection, and neon red streaks running through them. Terrific slicing variety.
- Copia – This newer open-pollinated variety that’s an extremely unique-looking tomato. The skin has fine striping of brilliant gold and neon red. The flesh is swirled red and yellow. It’s juicy and flavorful.
- Csikos Botermo – Here’s a sweet, cluster tomato that has lovely yellow stripes on red skin. It’s rare and colorful.
- Gajo De Melon – These little pink and yellow marbled cherry tomatoes taste like tomato, melon, and sugar stirred all together.
- Georgia Streak – This 2 pound, Georgia heirloom is a big beefsteak-type with yellow and red flesh. It’s skin is yellow with a red blush. It has nice flavor.
- Gold Medal – This gorgeous variety is predominately yellow but has a rose blush radiating up from the blossom end of the fruit. It’s mild and sweet with very little acid. Makes a great slicing tomato.
- Green Zebra – A favorite chef’s variety that’s extremely striking in color with yellow-gold skin and stripes of lime green. It has a rich, sweet flavor that gives just a little bite – excellent taste.
- HillBilly (Flame) – This is a 4″ – 6″, yellow, flattened fruit with rose “flames” on its skin and throughout the flesh. It’s been described as meaty, creamy, rich, and sweet. It’s also crack-resistant and makes a gorgeous slicing tomato.
- Isis Candy Cherry -This is a sweet and fruity cherry tomato that comes in different shades with blushed patterns on them. Usually they have a “cat’s eye” at the blossom end.
- Marizol Gold – This German heirloom from the 1800s. These are flattened, deeply ribbed, red and gold bicolor tomatoes. It’s a prolific producer with delicious flavor.
- Mary Robinson’s German Bi-color – This is a large, yellow fruit that with lots of red shading and stripes. It’s sweet and mild in flavor.
- Nature’s Riddle -This Russian tomato is golden-yellow with salmon-pink streaks and blushes. It’s sweet-flavored with a meaty texture.
- Old German – Southern Exposure Seed Exchange introduced this Mennonite family heirloom in 1985. It has outstanding flavor and its color is yellow with a red center through the whole tomato. The fruits often weigh more than a pound.
- Pineapple – This 2 pound tomato is beautiful to serve with its yellow skin and red marbling. It has a sweet and fruity flavor.
- Plum Tigris – These 4-ounce fruits are plum-shaped and have unusual bright red and yellow stripes. It has good flavor.
- Red Zebra – This is Green Zebra in a fire-engine-red dress with bright yellow stripes. It’s a sweet tomato full of flavor.
- Striped Cavern (Schimmeig Seoo) – These fruits are shaped like a bell pepper and have red skin with vibrant yellow stripes. Great stuffing tomato (try it with cheese).
- Striped Roman (Speckled Roman) – Striped Roman is an amazing-looking variety that you’ll never recognize as a tomato. The fruit’s unique shape is cylindrical, 3″ x 5″ long, and pointy. Their base color is red, but they have wavy yellow stripes. It’s a meaty and excellent-flavored tomato.
- Tigerella – These 2″ round tomatoes are a popular variety from England. It’s an early producer and very prolific even in cool summer areas. Tigerella is dressed in bright red with orange stripes and is disease-resistant.
- Turkish Striped Monastery – This 2″ variety is striped red and gold, has great flavor, and is a high producer.
- Williams Striped – Williams Striped is a 1 pound, beautiful tomato with skin and flesh colors of red and white. The large fruits have luscious flavor.
Purchase Heirloom Tomato Seeds
- Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds
- Southern Exposure Seed Exchange
- Seed Savers Exchange
- Victory Seeds
- Terrior Seeds
- D.Landreth Seed Company
All of these striped and bi-colored tomatoes are either heirlooms or open-pollinated varieties, so remember their seeds can be saved to replant the following year – every year after. Heirloom seeds will produce plants and fruit that have the same characteristics as the parent plant. This is truly “living history”.
Be sure to check out White Heirloom Tomato Varieties and Black, Purple, and Brown Heirloom Tomato Varieties.