Are you tired of the bland, uniform tomatoes found at your local grocery store? Are you ready to make your garden truly stand out?
Look no further! Home gardening offers the opportunity to select tomatoes for qualities beyond mere shelf life.
With a plethora of weird and wonderful heirloom varieties available, your garden and kitchen can be transformed into a canvas of diversity and beauty.
Here are ten tried-and-true old-time heirloom varieties that are guaranteed to add a touch of uniqueness to your garden. From the sweet and tangy to the bright and bold, these tomatoes have withstood the test of time and are sure to impress
This medium-sized beefsteak boasts a mesmerizing purple hue on its shoulders and delightfully sweet red flesh. As the fruit matures, its deep blue hue reaches its peak.
Not only does Blue Beauty have excellent taste, but it is also high in the cancer-fighting compound, Lycopene. Whether you’re slicing it for a salad or cooking it to perfection, this variety is sure to be a crowd-pleaser.
The San Marzano is the epitome of Italian paste tomatoes and is highly sought after by chefs and home growers alike. Its juicy and meaty texture makes it the perfect choice for sauces.
The complex flavour profile of this classic Italian variety is second to none, and you’ll be able to enjoy it all summer long as its vigorous plant continues to bear fruit. This crack-resistant, low-acidity tomato requires support, so be sure to stake or cage it.
An heirloom cultivar, the Brandywine is known for its large, beefsteak-type fruits that can be red, pink, or yellow in colour.
While this variety can be a challenge to grow, its unbeatable taste is why it continues to be a favourite in home gardens year after year.
This unique beefsteak tomato will leave you speechless with its smoky flavour and rich, deep purple colour. Its dusky rose hue, green shoulders, and full-bodied flavour make it a standout.
With the ability to grow up to nine feet long on indeterminate vines, this heirloom will provide you with a bounty of large, round fruits from mid-summer to frost.
With a golden-creme colour and a purple-brown neck, the Blue Gold Berry tomato is a sweet treat with excellent flavour.
Crack-resistant and juicy, this tomato is perfect for salads and fresh eating. Its sweet taste is balanced by a hint of acidity.
A light yellow, plum-shaped tomato, the Cream Sausage is mild in flavour and best enjoyed fresh off the vine. Great for salsa and salads, this determinate, or bush, variety is an extremely productive cultivar.
Compared to the popular San Marzanos, the Cream Sausage is comparable in size and packs a punch with its 2-3 inch length and 1-inch diameter.
An early-maturing beefsteak tomato from Florence, the Costoluto Fiorentino has a balanced flavour profile of sugar and acid. Ideal for eating fresh or cooking down for sauces, this Italian beauty boasts deep red, sweet, and heavily ribbed fruits that are 7 ounces in weight.
With its bold and rich flavour, the Costoluto Fiorentino is a versatile tomato that is perfect for slicing, salads, and sauces. Be sure to provide good staking and support for its indeterminate growing plant.
This variety boasts of its radiant and metallic appearance, displaying gleaming red-green stripes on its plump and juicy flesh.
With a weight of around 200 grams, the Large Barred Boar tomato is a sight to behold, making it a standout among its peers.
Despite its impressive size, the plant has sturdy and compact growth, unlike its towering indeterminate counterparts. Whether used for slicing or as a garnish, this tomato is sure to make a statement on any plate.
Inspired by its yellow hue and distinctive pear shape, the Yellow Pear is a tomato variety that harks back to the 1800s. It is an indeterminate tomato, known for its ample and ceaseless production of petite, yellow pear-shaped fruits.
With a sweet and delicate flavour, the Yellow Pear is a perfect ingredient for snacking and salads. Its vibrant colour and delicious taste make it a desirable addition to any home garden, ensuring a steady supply of fresh tomatoes throughout the summer.
This award-winning variety is sure to leave you in awe, as clusters of its multi-hued cherry tomatoes blanket its wispy green vines.
From the inside out, each fruit is an explosion of colours, ranging from green when young to dark purple stripes with orange, red, and yellow streaks as it matures.
Its flavour is equally as impressive, sweet and bursting with taste, making it a standout ingredient for salads, snacks, and more
If you’re a gardener or just a foodie seeking to broaden your taste horizons, growing heirloom tomatoes is an exciting adventure to embark upon.
The thrill of discovering a new culinary delight and the beauty it brings to the garden makes it all worth it. So, why not make room in your garden for something different this year who knows, you may just stumble upon your next favourite heirloom tomato variety.
Do you already grow any heirloom tomatoes? Which new variety are you eager to try this season? Let us know in the comments below!
One Response
I am from Kolkata, in to container gardening, since i live in the city. I am growing Rio grande variety this year, as this is a determinate tomato. My containers are mostly 10/12 inches (3-5 gallons) so i cannot grow indeterminate varieties due to space constraint. I would like to know if you have any determinate varieties, but that would be for October 2024 sowing, as this year, my space is filled up. Thank you.