Choosing Heirloom Tomato Varieties to Grow and Saving Seeds

There are literally hundreds, if not thousands, of heirloom tomato varieties from all around the world. How is one to choose which varieties to grow? The number one deciding factor, and one we all tend to ignore (especially me!) is the climate they will be grown in. Tomatoes have certain parameters of growth and for best results, these must be provided. Tomatoes originally came from the mountains of Mexico. The climate is temperate due to elevation. So all tomatoes perform well in temperate areas. Temperatures below 100F, not extremely humid in the summer with moderate rainfall. In places which experience freezes, tomatoes are grown as annuals, but if there is no frost to kill them, they are perennial. In the wild, they scramble across the ground as long vines. If one lives in a temperate climate, just about any tomato variety should do well. 

The next consideration is length of growing season. In the northern hemisphere, the further north one goes, the shorter the growing season. In the southern hemisphere, the further south one goes, the shorter the season. Most variety descriptions will tell how many days from planting in the ground to when they ripen fruit. This is called days to harvest and does not include the time from starting from seed which can be 6-8 weeks previous to planting out. If one is in a place where the growing season is around 90 days, it's best to find varieties that will produce fruit within that time frame or be prepared to grow them in a greenhouse or ripen fruit in the house. It also is beneficial to find varieties which will tolerate cool temperatures, still set fruit, and ripen them. I tend to ignore days to harvest and just follow the rule that the smaller the tomato, the quicker it ripens. Small tomatoes take less time, big and huge tomatoes take more time. 


Type of growing season is also important. Lots of rain is a difficult situation in any type of climate for tomatoes. Either they need to be grown in pots or in raised beds to keep their roots from drowning. Very rainy or cloudy climates limit the amount of sunlight the plants receive. Less sunlight does not bode well for plant growth and tomato production. This combination promotes disease. Lack of rain is not so much of a problem because the plants can be mulched and if water is available, it can be added to the soil. There is generally less airborne diseases in dry climates, more in wetter ones. 

My garden is located in upstate NY, in USDA zone 5. Do a search for USDA Agricultural Zone maps to discover yours if you are in the US. My garden experiences summers which are rarely up to 100F and our winters can get to -25F. This is a temperate climate with a moderately short growing season. We are supposed to get a moderate amount of precipitation with occasional wetter years and drier years. Our average last frost is May 20th and our average first frost is September 20th. I need to think about tomatoes that can produce in less than 120 days, which fortunately, is nearly all of them, even the really big ones. Of course, I have to bring in a lot of green tomatoes at the end of the season to ripen, but it extends how long I have tomatoes to eat. The further south one travels, the longer and warmer the growing season, often with increased humidity. Most varieties can still handle this. Deep south and along the coast? Difficult situation for any tomato. A friend who worked at a greenhouse in Costa Rica told me that growing tomatoes in tropical climates is, well, he used the word...nightmare. It rained every day, a lot of it at one time, and was hot and humid for the rest of the day. He described what happened to them as they looked like they melted. So, tomatoes to be grown in subtropical and tropical climates need to be tolerant of these conditions.
If there are specific problems such as soil borne diseases, and there isn't fresh garden area to grow the plants in to avoid the diseased soil, the only alternatives are to grow susceptible varieties (all are unless they are bred to be resistant to them) in pots or grow hybrids that are bred for disease resistance to fusarium and verticillium wilt. To my knowledge, there are no heirloom tomato varieties resistant to these diseases and the only option would be to grow tomatoes in pots. 

After all these considerations, it comes down to personal preference and whether you want indeterminate tomatoes (ones that will keep growing taller and taller and need to be staked or caged) or determinate ones which can do well in pots and need minimal staking because they grow to about 2-3' and that's it. Heirloom tomatoes come in all colors, red, black, yellow, purple, white, green, pink, orange, striped, spotted, tiny, huge, sausage shaped, heart shaped, acidic, not so much acidic, pouch shaped, pleated, pear shaped, hollow for stuffing, grape size, cherry size, beefsteak for sandwiches, sauce tomatoes, salad tomatoes, cocktail tomatoes, etc. Heirloom tomatoes also come from nearly every country in the world where they have been selected to do the best in the climates they are being grown in. 

I will mention a few specific varieties to grow but in lieu of that, there are a few simple tips to choose from the names of the varieties or if you know their country of origin. Color is the most obvious if it appears in the name. Size can be determined by the words: tiny, currant, grape, cherry, and represent small tomatoes with the words describing shape as well. Giant is also very obvious. Shape is more difficult to determine. Ox heart indicates tomatoes that are shaped like hearts, plum are shaped like plum, sausage like a sausage. Seeing a description or a picture is the only true way to know what the shape is. Heirloom tomatoes with the name of the country from which they come can give a clue to what type of climate they will do well in. Cold tolerant and short season: those from Russia particularly Siberia, Canada, Nepal, and places with high elevation which would have a short growing season. Tropical and subtropical areas: Vietnam, Thailand, Taiwan, Laos, African countries, and any tomato variety mentioning any one of the USA's southern states. High heat but dry: varieties from the Middle East, Iraq, Iran, Morocco, some parts of Spain. Cloudy, rainy areas: varieties with the names San Francisco, and those from the United Kingdom. Nearly all the varieties from Europe will do well in a temperate climate. 

Now for specific varieties for specific situations. The most difficult situations are extreme heat, extreme heat with high humidity, and short season. The heirloom tomato varieties I will be mentioning are only ones I am familiar with. I'm sure there are many, many others. 

Tropical, sub-tropical, Vietnam 01, Vietnam 10, Caribo (Vietnam), Thai Egg, Ghost (Laos), Bali 

Extreme heat: Togorific (I've seen it listed as from Iran, Iraq, and Togo Africa), Banjan Roomi (Middle East) 

Cloudy, rainy, temperate: Tigerella aka Mr. Stripey (UK), San Francisco Fog, Qi Huang (China). 

Cold tolerant, short season: Nepal, (Nepal) Novosadatsky 37 (Soviet), Sasha Altai (Siberia), Tarasenko (Russia), Zunami (Russia), Mao (China) 

Just for fun and authenticity, here are some varieties from their true home all from Indian tribes in Mexico: Zapotec, Wild, Tlacalula Pink (Aztec), Oaxacan Pink. I find these to have a very complex flavor. The Tlacalula Pink almost tastes floral. The little wild tomato is about the size of a woman's thumbnail and just bursts with tomato flavor. 

One last thing. If you like to tinker with plants and want to create a tomato which will be the best performer in the conditions in your garden, it is a relatively simple matter. Choose the most productive tomato, one which has grown the best, produced the quality of fruit you desire, most disease resistant, whatever criteria you want your personal strain of tomato to be. Save the seeds from at least one fruit, I'll explain in a minute how to do that. Sow those seeds and again, save whichever tomato performs the best. After a few years, you will develop a strain of that variety which performs the best in your local. 

Saving tomato seeds is not difficult. They can be scooped out onto a paper towel and left to dry there and if they are spaced well, the paper towel and seeds can be planted like they are the next season. The best way to ensure that all seeds are viable and it's not a sticky, jell mess on a paper towel is to ferment the whole lot. Put the seeds complete with gel in a plastic cup or other such container and let it stand in a warm place. It will get disgusting, but this is what we want. Within 3 or 4 days the gel will ferment off. Take the cup to the sink and add water to it. Wait until everything that might settle settles and then carefully pour off the liquid, discarding every thing that floats. Seeds which are not viable will float and will be poured off. Good, viable seeds will be at the bottom. Keep adding water and pouring off until the water is pretty much free of material other than the viable seeds on the bottom. Pour these out into a tea strainer and rinse under running water. Then lay the seeds out to dry on a paper towel, spread them out so they don't stick together too much and they dry down quicker. After about 2 weeks, take them off the paper towel and store them in a paper envelope for sowing the following season. Tomato seed can remain viable for up to 10 years. Just storing them in paper envelopes in a cool dry place, I have gotten over 50 percent germination from 7 year old seed. 

Welcome to the world of heirloom tomato growing, have fun, eat well, and keep the varieties going. They will only be around as long as someone grows them and saves seed.

Black Star. This is the first year I've grown this tomato. I got the seeds for this variety from Germany. The name on the packet was in English making me think it is a variety from an English speaking country. Sorry, I've forgotten to take a picture of it, but it is black, round, and is medium in size.

Ceylon This is a very attractive tomato. It's pleats look good if the tomato is cut or uncut. It really looks nice in tossed salad or on a vegetable dip platter. It has a sweet taste and good red tomato flavor

Liguria. I bought these seeds from a man in Slovenia. He only described them as incredibly sweet, highly productive and vigorous, suitable for greenhouse production and in the field. I believe it to be a variety from Italy as there is a region called Liguria. It is a dumpy, oblate spheroid...larger on the bottom than the top and very red. It is great for sauce though it is sweeter than most sauce tomatoes. I was intrigued by the shape so, because I tend to be obsessive/compulsive about collecting tomatoes, I just had to have this one. Besides, ever since 9th grade earth science when I first heard the words oblate spheroid to describe the Earth, I've wanted to use the words "oblate spheroid". I've waited 34 years and now here's my chance.

Schemmig Striped Hollow. German heirloom. This is one of my more interesting varieties. It is somewhat like a pepper inside. The top can be sliced off and the seeds are stuck in the center for easy removal. There is very little meat inside but the walls are nice and thick for stuffing. It is red with gold stripes, The tomato themselves are medium in size. A perfect serving for a stuffed tomato. Has been productive for me. Interesting flavor.

Yellow Pear, This indeterminate plant bears a multitude of cherry size, sweet, mild, yellow, pear shaped fruit. The best part is, they are a great vegetable platter and dip veggie. It all ready sports a handle! The fruit is about 1-2" long . These are great favorites with kids because they have a handle.

Druzba. This indeterminate plant bears medium to large red tomatoes with a good yield and some disease resistance. Druzba is a Bulgarian heirloom and Druzba means "friend" in that language. Good taste and it is juicy.

Interested in buying seeds or plants for these varieties? Go to Mani Plants and Malas for seeds. Plants will be available for order in my ebay store, Mani Malas Buddhist Prayer Beads, also plants will be available at Bonanaza or contacting me directly. Order now for spring delivery.

Kamnik. This indeterminate plant bears medium to large beefsteak type tomatoes. This is a red variety whose name means "mountains" in Slovene. To me, this is my favorite red tomato. Full of flavor without being too acidic. I am of Slovene descent so it is nostalgic for me as well.

Kazakstan Giant This is the first year I've grown this tomato. I traded tomato seeds with someone and this is one of the varieties I got. Giant is in it's name and I suspect it would be a larger tomato if I had grown it in the ground. This is one of the ones I grew in pots because it was the only plant that came from seed and if we were to have hail or bad wind, I brought it under cover. It is an interesting tomato to me because of where it is from. Kazakhstan is so exotic. It is flavorful and productive and can be used for sauce or fresh eating.

Muchamiel, Spain. The name means lots of honey. This indeterminate plant bears small to medium size tomatoes that are flattened, slightly pleated, red, and sweet. Makes an interesting addition to summer salads, sandwiches and home made fresh salsa...especially mixed with red, white, yellow, pink, and black tomatoes.

Novosadatsky 37. This indeterminate plant bears medium to large red tomatoes with a good yield. Good taste and it is quite meaty. This is a former Soviet Union variety

Green Zebra, This indeterminate plant bears medium size yellowish green with darker green stripes tomatoes. It bears well. It's one of my favorite green tomatoes. I eat them right off the vine. It also looks pretty in fresh salsa with other color tomatoes. Red, white, yellow, pink, black, and green salsa.

Gypsy This indeterminate plant bears small to medium very flavorful black tomatoes. This is the first year I've grown this rare variety. I'm quite pleased with its production and flavor. Makes an interesting addition to summer salads, sandwiches and home made fresh salsa...especially mixed with red, white, yellow, pink, and black tomatoes.

Indian Fleisch I got the original seed for this variety from Germany. I don't have a positive country of origin for these. Indian was in English and Fleisch means "meat" in German. I'm thinking it means it's an Indian Meat tomato meaning it's from India. No info came with the seeds. Enough about pedigree, on to the tomato in question. This is the first year I've grown this and am pleased with it's production and taste. It's a medium size tomato, black, with rich flavor. Fruit is born in clusters of 6 or so. Being a black tomato, it is healthier to eat than a red tomato. Black tomatoes are higher in antioxidants.

Italian Red Pear I imported the seeds for this variety last year from Italy. I must say, I am mightily impressed. The fruits were HUGE, pleated, and were excellent for sauce. Few seeds, very meaty and lots of them. The tomato in the picture weighed in at 13 oz and there were others that were larger still on the vine. If I were to grow just one variety for sauce, this would be it. Get seeds now of this amazing tomato because I don't have too many of them. The fact that they don't have a lot of seeds means the number is limited that I can gather.

Wish to purchase any of these tomatoes as seed?  I am now listing plants for spring delivery in my ebay store Mani Malas Buddhist Prayer Beads
I sell plants and seeds on that site as well.

Feuerwerk, Germany,This indeterminate plant bears medium to large size tomatoes that are very flavorful. Even the meat is tasty and most often all the taste is in the gel around the seeds. It has flavor that can stand up to mayo. The patterns of gold stripes often look like a chrysanthemum firework and it seems no two tomatoes look alike . Makes an interesting addition to summer salads, sandwiches and home made fresh salsa...especially mixed with red, white, yellow, pink, and black tomatoes.

Giant White Oxheart, This indeterminate plant bears huge size tomatoes that are white, flavorful, and heart shaped. There's a nice combination of tang and sweet. Holds up well in sandwiches. Bears well considering it is producing a multitude of very large tomatoes.

Green Sausage This is one of the more odd tomatoes I have grown. Not only is the fruit "different" so are the plants. The plant is definitely a determinate variety which never needed staking except to keep the fruit off the ground and critters from them. It was very prolific bearing lots of 3-4" long fruit. My only problem with it was trying to figure out when it was ripe. It needs to be picked when it is yellowish with green stripes and quite soft. Otherwise, the flavor is that of an unripe tomato. It's novel to cut these up into "coins" to add to a salad. They look pretty too.

Tomato Products

Be sure to check out the Amazon tomato products at the end of the blog. Visit the author's website to purchase seeds, and coming soon, plants of the these heirloom varieties. Link is Mani Plants and Malas.

Togorific. I have seen reference to this tomato as being from Togo Africa, Iraq, and Iran. My personal opinion is that it is closely related to the tomato Ceylon. The two are very similar. If you get one, I suggest not bothering to get the other, they are that close. This indeterminate plant bears small to medium red tomatoes with a good yield. They are a perfect size for salads. It has a good mix of tart and sweet and is very juicy. Eventually I will have a picture of the tomato itself. Until then, it is flattened and very pleated though some early tomatoes are less pleated and smaller.


Val This auction is for an heirloom tomato from Slovenia. It is a medium sized rosy red, with sort of a heart shape. We have had the screwiest growing season. Cool, rainy, for much of it. This tomato was one of the top performers. It set fruit regardless of temperature, had good crack resistance to the almost constant rain, and despite the weather, ripened good tasting fruit. It is versatile and can be used in sauce, salads and sandwiches.

Black Sea Elephant Russian variety known as Black Sea Elephant, not to be confused with Black Sea Man. The seed for this tomato came to me from a trade with a Russian woman living in Germany. The seed came from her parents' plants in Russia. This indeterminate variety is a robust plant and very much the elephant in the tomato patch. The leaves are generally bigger than others and the fruit is large as well. It is a large, RED, beefsteak type where one slice covers a sandwich or burger. The sea is Black, the tomato fruit is red. It is quite robust and a sturdy, dependable producer. I don't suggest growing this one in a container unless you have a 3 gal. container and keep it well fed and watered. Great for slicing and salads, good heirloom flavor and it's only fault seems to be what to do with the rest of the cut tomato after you've taken the slices off for the family's BLTs.

Creme and Green This is a variety from Ireland. It certainly is an unique tomato. The foliage is variegated cream and green. I regret that I took a picture of the fruit and forgot to take a picture of the plant. Anyway, this variegation is also unique in the fact that it is carried through the seed so seed raised plants will show various amounts of variegation. The fact that the plant still produced pretty well considering the fact that the cream part of the leaves is not photosynthesizing. The fruit is small, dark red and flavorful.

Črnkovič I know a little Slovene and I think this is a surname and it is a Mr. Black. Crn is black. It would be pronounced chrrn- koh- vich. The name is black, but the tomato is red. It is medium size and round with good flavor. The vines are indeterminate and produced well. Seems somewhat disease resistant.