Part 3 – How to Choose a Tomato Variety to Grow

There are more than 10,000 Tomato varieties worldwide!

Tomato World Records

There are a number of word records broken with Tomatoes.

1. Tallest Tomato Plant – according to the Guinness World of Records, a UK company in October 1999 reached a height of 19.8 meters (65 ft).

2. Most Cherry Tomatoes grown on a single stem – Douglas Smith from the UK, broke the world record by growing 1269 cherry tomatoes on one plant stem in Sept 2021.

3. Heaviest Tomato – grown by Del & Julie Faust from USA in October 2022. The Tomato weighed 11.65 pounds. (Approx 5 kg).

4. Most Tomatoes on a single tomato plant – Douglas Smith from the UK, broke this record in August 2022 by harvesting 5891 tomatoes off a single tomato plant.

How to Choose a Tomato Variety

It’s difficult to know where to begin on choosing a Tomato variety. I find it’s easier when the tomatoes are broken down into Types of Tomato and then there’s not so many to choose from.

1. Choose your Tomato Type

A Tomato Type is a description of the shape or size of a tomato.

Here are your choices:

1. Small and RoundCherry Tomatoes (small, round, they are quick to grow and you get lots of them.)

2. Small and LongPlum Tomatoes (like cherry tomatoes but longer).

3. MediumSalad Tomatoes.

4. LargeBeef Tomatoes (big, steak tomatoes have a meaty texture)

5. Extra LargeGiant Tomatoes (very large & the size of your hand).

2. Choose your Tomato Colour

  • Red
  • Orange
  • Yellow
  • Green
  • Brown
  • White
  • Purple
  • Black

3. Choose your Final Planting Location

  • In the Greenhouse – Any tomato can be grown in a greenhouse but there are specific varieties that need a greenhouse and don’t like being grown outdoors.

Greenhouse Only Tomato Varieties: Any Beefsteak varieties. They need light & heat to grow to their large size.

  • Outdoors in Raised Beds – these are varieties that like the outdoors temperatures.

Outdoor varieties like: Outdoor Girl, Gardeners Delight. Most Tomatoes can be grown outdoors.

  • Outdoors in Pots – these are more compact, bushy plants that are not too tall.

Pot Tomato Varieties: Lizzano, Tiny Tim, Micro Tom, Losetto, Orangeto, Baby Boomer.

  • Outdoors in Hanging Baskets – these are trailing varieties with small cherry or currant size tomatoes.

Hanging Baskets Tomato Varieties: Tumbling Tom, gartenperle, Tumber F1 & Hundreds & Thousands.

4. Choose your Tomato by Feature

There are some features that you may use to choose your tomato variety.

  • Blight Resistant – these are varieties that are able to survive through the tomato disease Blight.
  • Examples of Blight Resistant Tomatoes are: Crimson Cherry F1, Crimson Crush, Crimson Plum, Losetto, Lizzano, Romello F1 & Mountain Magic F1.

Other Reading on Tomatoes:

Part 1 📕 Tomatoes – Origin, Nutrition and Reasons to Grow.

Part 2 📗 Tomatoes – How to Sow Tomato Seeds with Short Sowing Video

Part 3 📘 Tomatoes – How to Choose a Tomato Variety to Grow

Part 4 📙 How to Pot On your Tomato Seedlings

💦 My Tomato Greenhouse setup with Growbag watering system – l’ll be using this again this year as it was so successful.


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