Tomato Varieties - Rainbow Gardens

Tomato Varieties
“Which tomato varieties do well in Texas?”
To my mind, this is not a question that can be answered easily by simply providing a list.
Timely planting is every bit as important as variety selection. A common mistake new tomato growers in Texas make is to
plant too late. Even a couple of weeks can make a major difference in getting a decent harvest from any variety before the
heat kicks in, even from some of the “heat setter” types – which frequently don’t taste very good.
Plant early! Protect plants if necessary. In Central and South Texas, a good target plant out date is usually the first to
second week of March. This also means you will need to get your seeds started before Jan 15. Planting out in late March or
early April is usually too late.
Also, different people define tomato success in various ways. I primarily grow for taste, and have a large garden with
plenty of plants, so the productivity of any one plant or variety is not a major concern of mine. If a tomato is not very good
to great tasting to me, I probably won’t grow it again no matter how productive the variety was.
Others may only have room for just a few plants and so productivity is likely going to be a major concern. A superb tasting
variety that only gives a gardener 5-6 tomatoes per plant may not be considered so much of a “success” if they’ve only got
ten tomato plants total in the garden and a large family who loves to eat plenty of tomatoes.
Are Heirlooms More Difficult?
We come across a lot of blanket statements out there like “heirloom tomatoes don’t do well in Texas” and “it is better to
grow hybrids”. However, we’ve found that almost any tomato variety can be grown here when planted at the right time and
properly cared for. It is true that some varieties are noticeably more productive than others, but this is no reason to
exclude heirloom varieties from your garden in favor of hybrids, because some heirloom or open pollinated varieties can
be plenty productive too. A wise gardener grows a variety of different tomatoes to find which do the best for him or her in
terms of productivity, flavor, and other factors.
We encourage gardeners who are just starting out to grow a variety of varieties to see what works best for them, and also
what may appeal to their tastes. We present below, a short list of fairly reliable, productive tomatoes that have scored well
with us for flavor:
Jet Star — F1 hybrid medium fruited red variety developed in 1948 by Harris Seed Co.; widely available in seed
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packets and plants have been spotted at major retailers and some nurseries
[Arkansas] Traveler — An excellent dark pink medium fruited tomato developed and released by the
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University of Arkansas in 1971; 4-6 ft tall plant; plants are available almost universally at better nurseries
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Gregori’s Altai — Heirloom Russian variety; large pink beefsteaks on a 4-6 ft tall plant; exceptionally early
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Break O’Day — 7-8 oz uniform red globes with very good flavor and productivity on compact 4 ft plants
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Momotaro — F1 hybrid pink, tennis ball sized globes with great flavor and productivity on 4-6 ft tall plants
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Sun Gold — F1 hybrid goldish-yellow cherry tomato; extremely productive on a very large plant — 8-12 feet
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Black Cherry — Dusky purplish-dark cherry tomato; very productive on a large plant — 6-8 ft tall; developed by
the late Vince Sapp of Tomato Growers Supply
Sweet Quartz — One of the better pinkish-red cherry tomatoes; extremely productive on a large plant — 6-8 feet
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tall;
Jet Star
Arkansas Traveler
Gregori’s Altai Break O’Day
Momotaro
Sun Gold
Black Cherry
Here is a short list of some of our top favorites on taste alone. We usually get at least 8 good tomatoes minimum per plant
from all the varieties listed by planting early, sometimes a lot more:
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Brandywine (aka Brandywine Sudduth’s, aka Pink Brandywine)
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Prue (a paste or roma-shaped tomato)
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Cherokee Purple (similar to Indian Stripe)
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Earl’s Faux
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Stump of the World
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Wes
Aunt Gertie’s Gold
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Note: Varieties recommended above are just a few we like and are by no means an inclusive list of our favorites. Also,
we’ve primarily listed varieties that have at least fair commercial availability for the seed at this time.
Posted on 30 January '09 by Suze, under Growing Tips.
12 Comments to “Tomato Varieties”
09.02.09 at 10:25
Posted by Arlene Hoffer
I have been looking for a certain tomatoe plant that they grew around Beaumont, Texas called Gulf States . Do they still
have this variety? If so do they grow them ainywhere aaaatound Houston or Conroe Texas?
09.02.09 at 15:25
Posted by Morgan
Arlene,
Thanks for your comment. I did some research and found a PlantFiles article on Louisiana Gulf State. This might be what
you are talking about. I have not seen these plants around, but you might get lucky.
Louisiana Gulf State is supposed to be an improved Gulf State Market developed in 1936 at Louisiana State University,
Baton Rouge.
Gulf State Market (a 1917 variety) is the parent of many tomato varieties including one of the most popular and tasty
tomato varieties I’ve grown — Arkansas Traveler. Traveler, as it was officially known, was developed at the University of
Arkansas in 1976 for farmers who liked GSM but had problems with splitting in wet weather. Arkansas Traveler does not
split as readily.
If you cannot find Louisiana Gulf State, you might give Arkansas Traveler a shot.
21.04.09 at 14:12
Posted by Bill
I’m a little late gettin’ in on the conversation for this year, but wanted to comment.
First of all, those are beautiful pictures of Traveler tomato. Mouthwatering!
Bradley is another tomato bred for southern heat and humidity by University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. It’s parentage is
Gulf State Market x Pinkshipper.
Bradley subsequently was used in the development of Traveler, which is to say, Gulf State Market provided input as
Morgan points out. Traveler 76 is an improved version of Traveler and is even more crack resistant.
Even though I live in Indiana, I’ve found Arkasas tomatoes like Bradley and Indian Stripe perform very well for me during
our hottest and most humid spells. They also have grown well for me in containers while other tomatoes have pooped out
in the heat.
Bill
06.08.09 at 07:09
Posted by Linda
Tell me about the tomato that grows in the little “paper bag”. I think it stays green. What do I do with it??
08.08.09 at 19:02
Posted by Suze
Hi, Linda – I believe you are talking about a tomatillo, which is not really a tomato, although they are related.
When they are ripe, the husk turns brown and starts to split. Many people use them in salsas or for making sauces used in
Mexican cuisine.
07.11.09 at 16:22
Posted by Farmer John
Has anyone done any research on tomatoes that are from Texas? Texas heirloom tomatoes in other words. There has to be
old family favorites that have been handed down for generations. Anyone know of any?
08.11.09 at 03:10
Posted by Suze
John, great question. I really don’t know of many Texas (family) heirloom/OP tomatoes, or even what one might call
“Texas” tomatoes because they were bred here or perhaps have some sort of Texas origin or connection.
Here’s the few open-pollinated varieties that come to mind at the moment – some I’ve grown, some I haven’t:
Texas Wild – origin Southern Texas, found on old homestead – small red cherry, currant/pimpinellifolium, similar to
many of this type
Texas Pink – I have never been able to find anything out about the origin or history, but it is a nice flavored med-lg pink
beefsteak I’ve grown
JD’s Special C-Tex – bred by the late JD Whitaker of Conroe, Texas, thought to be a cross between Brandywine and an
unknown black, one I like
Tamu-Joy – I have not grown this one, and all I know about it is it was developed by Texas U and is red and OP
Texas Kansas Marketer – med red that I haven’t grown and know little about, can’t find any specifics on origin/history
Texas Star – another one I can’t find any history on – similar in appearance to Oaxacan Jewel, good flavor
02.08.10 at 21:05
Posted by lindac
Does anyone know anything about a tomato called V F
Pink? It is supposed to be an improved version of the
traveler 76 tomato.
04.08.10 at 22:28
Posted by Suze
Linda, I’m not familiar with VF Pink, but I asked Dr. Randy Gardner if he knew anything about the variety, and here’s
what he shared with me (thanks Randy!):
“Information I found on it shows that it came out of the breeding program of Joe McFerran at the Univ. of Arkansas and
was released around 1980. It has Traveler ‘76 in its background and was bred to include verticillium wilt resistance,
which became a problem in AR in the mid 70’s. It is described as being similar in internal fruit quality to Traveler ‘76
and earlier in maturity than Traveler ‘76. Joe McFerran developed pink fruited indeterminate varieties with good flavor
for the Arkansas vine ripe industry, whose trademark used to be the pink tomato.”
21.03.11 at 09:32
Posted by Jane
I am looking for an acidic tasting tomato that I can find in East Texas. Someone told me that the Celebrity and Homestead
are very acidic tasting. Do you have any other suggestions?
21.03.11 at 09:35
Posted by Jane
I would like to add also that last year I had trouble with squirrels getting my tomatoes before I could. Would a net covering
them solve my problem?
02.01.12 at 06:13
Posted by Morgan
I think there are far tastier varieties than Celebrity, at least based on the 1 year I grew it. I’ve never heard it described as
acidic.
I would try Arkansas Traveler, Bloody Butcher, Jet Star, heck even Beefy Boy.
Homestead is an older variety that is worth growing if you are looking for a medium red.
You can try netting, and others have done exactly that including Shelley and Roy in Houston. It’s worth noting that last
year was a 100 year record drought in most parts of Texas, making wildlife desperate for water. In a typical year, I pick my
tomatoes early, when they have just started to blush halfway up the sides, and then continue to ripen stem-side-down in
indoors on a countertop. I have found no difference in flavor to tomatoes I’ve overlooked and found only when fully ripe.
Tomato Varieties For Texas
(Especially Houston)
Here are many of the tomato varieties recommended by Texas A&M horticulturists and local tomato growers in-the-know. Below the list
is an explanation of attributes of some of the recommended varieties.
If you would like to recommend other varieties for the list, send an e-mail message to Randy.
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Early Bingo (VFFTASt)
Early Carnival (VFNT)
Early Celebrity (VFNT)
Early Heatwave (VFStTMV)
Early Merced (VFStTMV)
Early Sunmaster (VFStASC)
Late President (VF)
Late Sunny (VF)
Late Surefire (VF)
Early and Medium Size Fruit -- Surefire (VF)
Small to Medium Size Fruit -- Porter Improved
Small to Medium Size Fruit -- Porter's Pride
Small to Medium Size Fruit -- Red Cherry Grande
Small to Medium Size Fruit -- Small Fry (VFN)
[V resistant to verticillium wilt; F resistant to fusarium wilt; N resistance to nematodes; TMVresistant to tobacco mosaic virus; St resistant to stemphylium (gray leaf
spot)]
Other Varieties Recommended By Local Tomato Experts:
• Better Bush, Improved:
Indeterminate. Good producer of large fruits.
• Big Beef:
Indeterminate. Large fruits that are crack-resistant with great taste.
• Carmello:
Indeterminate. Very productive. Great taste.
• Dona:
Indeterminate. Always a solid producer in my garden. Great taste.
• Floramerica:
Indeterminate. Made for hot weather. Another very popular tomato for Houston.
• Jet Star:
Indeterminate. Very productive in my garden. Good flavor.
• Wild Texas Tomato:
Indeterminate. This is the most flavorful tomato I grow. The fruits are a little smaller than a marble, but packed with flavor.
Usually the first and last tomato of the season. Reseeds freely. Don't miss this one.
Fall Recommendations
• Better Bush, Improved:
Indeterminate. Good producer of large fruits.
• Big Beef:
Indeterminate. Very productive. Great taste.
• Bingo:
Determinate. Dark red color.
• Camello:
Indeterminate. Very productive. Great taste.
• Carnival:
Determinate. Good producer. Good taste and large tomatoes.
• Celebrity:
Determinate. Heavy producer. Very dependable in Houston.
• Champion:
Indeterminate. Bred as just the right size for a hamburger tomato.
• Dona:
Indeterminate. Always a solid producer in my garden. Great taste.
• Jet Star:
Indeterminate. Very productive in my garden. Good flavor.
• Miracle Sweet:
Indeterminate. Large plants. Great taste.
• Sweet Chelsea:
Indeterminate. Very sweet cherry tomato.
• Terrific:
Indeterminate. Good producer.
• Wild Texas Tomato:
Indeterminate. This is the most flavorful tomato I grow. The fruits are a little smaller than a marble, but packed with flavor.
Usually the first and last tomato of the season. Reseeds freely. Don't miss this one.
Comments from Texas A&M Horticulturists
Proven TOMATO Varieties (Heat & Cold Setting)
• Heatwave - (V,F,St,TMV) (Peto Seed Company, Abbott & Cobb Seed Company) - the standard heat-setting large-fruited variety in
recent years. The plant is semi-determinate and vigorous. Stem cracking is minor with this variety.
• Surefire (GS 12) - (V,F) (Northrup King Seed Company) - the fastest maturing, heat-setting tomato producing abundant medium (2foot to 4-ounce) fruit of excellent eating quality. It is the only heat-setting tomato for producing abundant ripe fruit when planted for fall
production in northern areas of Texas. For more information about Surefire visit aggie-
horticulture.tamu.edu/cemap/tomato/surfire1.html
• Sunmaster - (Peto Seed Company) (V1, F1, F2, St, ASC) is resistant/tolerant to verticillium wilt (race 1), fusarium wilt (races I & II),
stemphyllium and alternaria stem canker. In 1996, we considered Sunmaster as a replacement for Heatwave, seed which was thought
to be unavailable. Sunmaster produced more fruit than Solar Set, Sunny, HeatMaster and Heatwave in Florida and Texas. Sunmaster
has a "sweeter" flavor. Some people enjoy its sweeter flavor and other people dislike it because of their preference for a slightly more
acid flavor. Produces high yields of large uniform fruit. The globe-shaped fruit is very firm, has uniform green shoulders and excellent
color and flavor when ripe. The vigorous, determinate plant produces harvest-ready fruit in approximately 74 days after transplanting in
spring or summer (since it is a heat-setting tomato).
• Merced - (V,F,St,TMV) (Northrup King Seed Company) WE BELIEVE THAT MERCED IS THE HIGHEST QUALITY TOMATO
VARIETY AVAILABLE TO US AT THIS TIME. The first crop of big, deep-globe shaped tomatoes will be ready to harvest in 75-80 days
from transplant in the spring. Since it is not considered to be a heat-setting tomato, days-to- harvest will depend on weather conditions
in July, August and September. Merced has fine appearance, firmness and flavor. Merced's firm, smooth-shouldered fruit ripen to a
uniform bright red. The delicious flavor delivers satisfaction -- it has a very likable, "this is how a tomato should taste" flavor. Field test
results from Florida, California and Texas show that this variety has what it takes: (1) wide adaptability (2) resistance to verticillium,
fusarium (races 1 and 2), stemphylium and tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) (3) deep globe-shaped tomatoes with a meaty, rich texture. It is
much firmer, of higher quality and meatier than other commonly used varieties such as Celebrity.
[V resistant to verticillium wilt; F resistant to fusarium wilt; N resistance to nematodes; TMVresistant to tobacco mosaic virus; St resistant to stemphylium (gray leaf
spot)]
NOTE: Heatwave, Surefire , SunMaster varieties have been observed to set fruit well at day temperatures over 92 degrees (F) and
during periods of extremely hot nights. Tomato breeders have shown that incorporating the gene for heat-setting ability also
strengthens cold-setting ability. These known heat-setting pepper and tomato varieties can also be planted in spring to ensure that
many fruit are set during cool spring weather.
Read more: http://www.ktrh.com/pages/gardenline-tomato.html#ixzz1nuKqFHMV