Tomatoes can be sweet and juicy, or range in size from large to the small cherry variety, but always a popular choice for any garden. Although typically known as a vegetable, a tomato is actually a fruit, since it contains seeds of the plant.
Starting a garden with tomato plants, may leave you pondering which tomato seed variety would be the best choice to sprout and grow. Gardeners may differ on their preferences for tomatoes, from large tomatoes to cherry tomatoes, red colored to orange, or yellow, and maybe sweet and juicy, to a rich, dense taste. Whatever your preference may be, a few helpful tips may help guide you in your decision.
Harvesting and Use
Harvest time will influence your decision for the tomato seed variety you choose. If you prefer a tomato seed variety that yields fruit later in the season, you may want to plant the Wonder Boy, or Arkansas Traveler tomato seeds, that produce a larger crop yielding between 6 to 8 ounce tomatoes. These tomatoes typically appear within 80 days after planting. On the other hand, if you prefer an earlier season tomato, the Applause and Early Girl tomato typically arrive between 55 and 65 days, with a smaller tomato that ranges between 4 and 6 ounces.
Size Does Matter
The size of tomato you prefer will determine which tomato seed is more suitable for your garden. If you prefer a larger tomato, the Supersteak, Big Beef, and Beefmaster may be the choice for you. If, however, you prefer smaller tomatoes for salads, perhaps the Sun Gold, Sweet 100, and Sun Sugar, may be the perfect pick for your tomato seeds.
Indeterminate Means What?
If you’d like tomatoes to produce fruit all summer long, you probably want the indeterminate kind. They will need to be pruned since they will continue to grow as long as the temperature is favorable for their growth. Examples of the indeterminate tomato include garden peach, old Brooks, and Anna Russian. The garden peach tomato is known for its fuzzy texture comparable to a peach. Anna Russian will produce tomatoes in about 68 days. These tomatoes are more heart shaped in size with a pink tinge of color.
So What are Determinate Varities?
The determinate tomatoes, on the other hand, typically do not require pruning since they have a more compact size. The popular varieties of the determinate tomatoes include northern delight, black sea man, and Alaska. The Alaska tomatoes are large with a rich cherry color, and are best suited for a somewhat cooler climate. The black sea man tomatoes are popular for use in salads and sandwiches. Northern delight tomatoes can produce tomatoes more quickly, in approximately 58 days, and typically grown in northern climates.
Heirlooms Are a Good Option Too!
Tomatoes also have the distinction of being either heirloom, produced for several generations, or hybrid, that are new each season due to the cross pollination of the seeds. Heirloom include tomatoes such as black plum, and black Brandywine, while hybrids include sun gold, sweet 100, and early girl.
Tomatoes grow in such a myriad of size, shape, taste, and color, there’s sure to be some that will accommodate your choice for the ones that will thrive in your garden.