Juicy slicers for BLT sandwiches, cherry types for salads and snacking, Romas for homemade sauce—the tomato possibilities are endless, but the amount of space in your garden and on your countertop is most likely not. One tomato plant goes a long way, so before you run out and buy the first seedling you spot, first decide how you’re going to use your harvest in the kitchen.
Slicers
The smooth, round fruits of slicers are super delicious on sandwiches. You probably recognize or have grown many of the most popular varieties available. Better Boy is a well-known tomato plant and has a classic tomato taste. Celebrity is an All-America Selections (AAS) winner with good flavor and disease resistance. Early Girl is one of the first to ripen—it’s ready to harvest in about 60 days. Rutgers offers resistance to disease, meaty consistency and good flavor.
Have your best tomato-growing year ever with these 14 top tips.
Beefsteak
Globe or irregular-shaped beefsteaks have dense fruit and weigh more than a pound. They take longer to mature than smaller types. Beefmaster produces solid 1- to 2-pound red fruit, while Big Beef has smaller fruit but great disease and crack resistance. And if you’re looking for heirlooms, check out the popular red-pink Brandywine and dark red to violet Cherokee Purple.
What’s the best way to ripen tomatoes? Learn what’s true — and what’s bogus! — in these common garden myths.
Paste
Paste tomatoes are perfect for preserving and cooking. The fruit is meaty and has fewer seeds than other types of tomatoes. Roma is a longtime favorite tomato plant. It’s resistant to disease and ready to harvest in about 75 days. Amish Paste has recently gained popularity. The medium-size fruit is red-orange and ready to harvest about the same time as Romas. Many cooks have turned to San Marzano due to its excellent flavor, size and crack resistance. And then there’s Big Mama, which is easy to peel. If you have limited garden space, try the more compact window box Roma with its sweet flavor. They’re also fantastic tomatoes for making homemade salsas and sauces…