Tomato varieties: 110 photos of examples of growing tomatoes at home

Directions for choosing tomato varieties

To achieve high yields, when choosing seeds, you should always read the recommendations on the package. Colorful photos of tomato varieties on seed bags should not mislead gardeners - tomatoes will grow well only if the variety is adapted to the local climate.

If it is printed on the bag that these are seeds for a greenhouse, they will not produce a large harvest in unprotected soil. Without a doubt, something will grow on them, but this will only be enough for summer salads, and not for preparing and preserving.

There is no need to plant varieties for open ground in greenhouses - they will not withstand high humidity and high temperatures.

Tomatoes will grow well in pots and special boxes on the windowsill in city apartments - then choose compact varieties with small fruits.

Before you buy tomato seeds based on the shape, color and weight of the fruit, you need to inquire about the shape of the bush: the most productive ones are tall and large-fruited. But they will require installation of supports during the fruiting period; they will need to be tied up.

The best varieties of tomatoes take up as little space as possible on the plot. If you choose low-growing varieties, you will need a larger area to obtain the same volume of harvest: 10 high varieties will give a yield equal to 50 bushes of low-growing tomatoes.

Varieties are selected for food purposes: for fresh salads - juicy (possibly with thick skin), for canning with vinegar - tomatoes with dense flesh, for tomatoes in their own juice and pasta - varieties with sweet flesh. Preserving tomatoes with thick skin requires special skill, because it is almost never salted.

And the most useful advice is that you should take seeds based on the desired time of harvest: for example, if you need tomatoes for canning, you need to buy seeds of late-ripening varieties. For summer cottages and city dinners, take early-ripening species.

Getting to know new products

This year we have planted many new varieties of domestic and foreign selection. Of course, varieties from our favorite breeders - Brad Gates, Tom Wagner, Anna Jankowski and others. Several varieties from the “Gnome Tomato” series will not do without wonderful new products of bi-colors and tomatoes with anthocyanin, cherry tomatoes, giant tomatoes. We hope that we will grow, surprise and delight everyone.

Tomatoes for canning

In general, tomatoes are not so whimsical. The description of tomato varieties would not take place without mentioning the types for pickles and marinations: for greenhouses, which are grown even in Murmansk and Vorkuta:

Auria variety - tall vine-like bushes: fruit weight up to 200 g, tassels - 8 tomatoes, up to 15 tassels per bush, characteristics - dense pulp, ideal for whole canning, mid-ripening, almost free from late blight;
De Barao Tsarsky - stem height - up to 2 m, bush fertility - approximately 20 kg, fruits - oblong, pinkish in color, weight of one tomato - up to 170 g, flesh is dense and juicy, the variety is good for both pickles and marinade filling. Plus - almost no pain, minus - a garter is required;
banana legs - reaches a height of about 1.5 m, can produce as many as 3 stems, the yield is abundant, the color of the tomatoes is yellow, the taste is with a hint of citrus;
pink raisins - bushes more than 1.5 m in height, ovaries - multiple fruits, fruits - small, oval - about 50 tomatoes on one bunch, pulp - sweetish, skin - dense (if canned whole, the tomatoes will not crack).

What varieties to cultivate in open ground

In the southern regions there is no need to protect tomatoes with film - there is already an abundance of sunlight, daylight hours - from May to September, and timely warm precipitation. It is recommended to plant the following varieties in unprotected soil in warm regions (usually salad types of tomatoes):

Anastasia - grows about 1 m tall, tomatoes are red, round in shape, taste sour, suitable for fresh salads and pickling, yield - about 9 kg per 1 m², soil quality does not matter;
Raspberry giant - bushes grow up to 1 m, tomatoes - large, pink, pulp - fleshy, weight - 0.5 kg, in a good season and with proper care, the bush gives a harvest of about 6 kg, species - early ripening, almost not susceptible to diseases, not you need to pinch your mustache;
Green giant - the best tomatoes, smell like melon, with tender, sweet flesh, weight of one fruit - from 300 to 600 g, ripe fruits have a light yellowish color, bushes - more than 1.5 m, pinching is necessary.

What tomatoes are there: types and classification what are Indeterminate, Determinate varieties

Traditionally, tomato varieties are usually selected according to the speed of ripening (early, medium or late), as well as according to the method of cultivation (in a greenhouse or in open ground).

Some people prefer to select varieties based on the color or shape of the fruit, but in reality, the classification of tomatoes is much more complicated.

After reading the material in this article, you will learn a detailed classification of tomatoes according to various parameters, and learn how to select varieties suitable for growing.

Height classification

Most often, consumers believe that tomatoes only come in short or tall varieties. But in fact, the classification of culture by height is more extensive and includes five main groups.

So, depending on the height, hybrids and varieties of tomatoes are:

Indeterminate
are
the tallest among all varieties
, since the height of an adult plant can reach two meters, and under favorable conditions the stems can grow even larger. Due to active growth, the shoots of such crops need to be regularly shortened so that the tomato bed does not turn into thickets. A distinctive feature is their abundant and long-lasting fruiting, so they are often grown in greenhouses or in open beds for further sale.
Superdeterminate varieties
are distinguished
by their early onset of fruiting
and small bush height. No more than three shoots can form on the main stem, therefore the number of fruits is small, but at the same time they ripen quickly and smoothly. In addition, such plants require minimal care, since even adult bushes do not need to be pinched or tied up.

Determinate tomatoes
are
low-growing varieties
, the main shoot of which ends in a large inflorescence, but the bulk of the fruit ripens on the first few clusters. This group includes mid-season varieties that are characterized by long-term fruiting.

Tall late-growing tomatoes are considered
semi-determinate . Unlike indeterminate tomatoes, which are not limited in growth, tomatoes of this group have certain restrictions on the growth of the central shoot: it stops when about 10 shoots are formed on the stem. A characteristic feature of tomatoes in this group is late fruit ripening and high resistance to diseases.

In addition, according to growth height, it is customary to distinguish a group of standard varieties, which are distinguished by their average height (up to 70 cm) and weak branching.

Classification by ripening time

In addition to the height of the bushes, many farm owners are interested in the speed of fruit ripening. As a rule, to obtain a bountiful harvest throughout the growing season, varieties with different ripening periods of tomatoes are selected.

According to this classification, the following groups of tomatoes are distinguished:

Ultra-early ripening is characterized by the fact
that the first harvest can be harvested on average within 80 days after planting in the ground. As a rule, these are low-growing varieties with sour fruits. Such taste qualities are explained by the fact that plants develop in conditions of short daylight hours.
Early ripening ones ripen later
, approximately 90-95 after planting. Unlike ultra-early ripening ones, the pulp of early tomatoes is sweet, and the height of the bushes can be either small or medium. Varieties of this group are excellent for growing in temperate and cold climates.
Mid-early ones ripen even later
, approximately 100 days after planting, but their main feature is that they are suitable for both open ground and greenhouses.
Mid-season tomatoes produce a bountiful harvest of sweet tomatoes
, which can be harvested no earlier than 115 days after planting. At the same time, they develop well both in open beds and in a greenhouse.
Late-ripening tomatoes
, as a rule, are tall, since they require a lot of time to develop the main stem and shoots, and about 130 days can pass from planting to harvest. They can be grown in open ground in temperate climates, but it should be borne in mind that such varieties are very sensitive to frost, so at the initial stage they should be equipped with film shelters.

When choosing a tomato variety based on ripening time, you should take into account not only personal preferences regarding the timing of harvest, but also climatic conditions.

Classification by fruit shape and size

It is traditionally believed that tomatoes are round and not too large. But, thanks to the efforts of modern breeders, it was possible to develop unusual varieties. For example, the round tomatoes we are used to have a regular shape and medium size, while the flat-round ones are slightly flattened at the top and bottom.

There are also round varieties with a spout and plum-shaped tomatoes with an elongated shape and approximately the same size. Among the unusual shapes are pear-shaped, heart-shaped and pepper-shaped tomatoes.

Separately, beef tomatoes and cherry tomatoes should be highlighted

. The former are distinguished by their large size: the average weight of a mature fruit exceeds 150 grams, while the pulp contains few seeds. Cherry tomatoes are small and grow crowded on one stem. Their dense and juicy pulp makes them suitable for fresh consumption and canning.

Classification by purpose

Growing tomatoes has several main purposes - sale or fresh consumption, or processing.

Accordingly, there are different types of tomatoes, which are usually divided into groups depending on their purpose. For example, meaty varieties with juicy pulp are suitable for fresh consumption, including beef tomato varieties and cherry tomatoes.

Fleshy varieties are also suitable for processing, and the taste of the pulp does not play a key role due to subsequent heat treatment

. The only condition is that the skin must be thin enough. If you plan to can tomatoes, choose varieties with medium-sized and regularly shaped fruits. Moreover, even mature specimens should be quite dense. In addition, there are universal varieties that are suitable for both fresh consumption and canning.

Classification by color

In the understanding of most, tomatoes should be red, but a wide selection of modern varieties of this crop allows you to create a truly exotic bed of colorful tomatoes.

In addition to regular red tomatoes, there are yellow and orange varieties with a high content of vitamin C, as well as pink tomatoes, the flesh of which is much juicier and sweeter than conventional types of the crop. Of the unusual varieties, it is worth highlighting purple and black tomatoes, which contain heart-healthy substances. In addition, modern breeders have developed green and white varieties of tomatoes that are perfect for allergy sufferers.

If you still have questions and need advice, you can always take advantage of a free consultation from our agronomists - call us or leave a request for a call back!

If you love canning but don't really like growing...

A couple of varieties that are easy to grow:

Roma variety - stems up to 50 cm, fruits - plum-shaped, weight - up to 100 g, red flesh - elastic, about 20 fruits grow on a tassel;
Gazpacho variety - stem growth up to 45 cm, yield per bush - up to 5 kg, fruits - red, fleshy, cylindrical in shape, ripen in the middle of the season, are little susceptible to disease.

In general, tomatoes are completely unpretentious, they grow in almost any conditions - if you don’t need to sell them, plant any varieties - they will grow, and it’s amazingly tasty both fresh, and salted, and in stews, in soups, with stews. The tomato is the king of the garden.