Skip to Content

Comparing Heirloom Tomato Varieties Growth Characteristics

Comparing Heirloom Tomato Varieties Growth Characteristics

Every spring I sell heirloom tomato plants at the farmers’ markets and I’m always trying to organize the information in a way that is not so overwhelming for people.  Based on the questions I have received over the years, I’ve put together a chart that is about comparing heirloom tomato varieties against each other.

Of course there are many varieties that do not show up in these charts. These varieties are the most popular varieties for certain growth characteristics. Another way to compare heirloom tomato varieties is by flavor according to color.

Red globe heirloom tomatoes
Red globe heirloom tomatoes
Comparison of easy to grow heirloom tomatoes
Comparison of easy to grow heirloom tomatoes
Comparison of bi-colored heirloom tomatoes
Comparison of bi-colored heirloom tomatoes
Comparison of heirloom black tomatoes
Comparison of heirloom black tomatoes
Comparison of orange heirloom tomatoes
Comparison of orange heirloom tomatoes

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Inge sinclair

Saturday 24th of July 2021

Marvelous it helped me a great deal to see it written compared to trying to remember what goes with what.companys should do this

Lisa Sharpe

Thursday 17th of September 2020

Very helpful charts on tomatoes that are not as commonly grown. So thanks for that. Would you be willing to expand the charts to include some info about disease resistance? Thanks!

dorothy stainbrook

Friday 18th of September 2020

Thank you for the comment Lisa, it helps me know what is missing for people. That’s a good idea and I am more than willing to expand the charts. I won’t be able to get to it until next Spring when I start ordering specific varieties and culling the ones I currently grow. I will definitely make note to add more of that information to the charts! In the meantime, here is the post that I have related to disease. It’s mainly during the seedling stage, but that is the most critical time for the plants (now the soil related disease is a different story). Here is the link: https://farmtojar.com/signs-and-solutions-of-nutritional-deficiencies-in-heirloom-tomato-seedlings/

Gazpacho & Breakfast Tomato Bread: Reconstructed from Spain

Wednesday 8th of March 2017

[…] tomatoes […]

2013 Heirloom Tomato and Pepper Varieties at HeathGlen's Farmers' Markets | Tomato HeadquartersTomato Headquarters

Saturday 4th of May 2013

[...] market.  For more specific information on size, growth habit, flavor, and disease resistance see this post which gives more in-depth information (*note that the previous post is for 2012 varieties, so a [...]

John Steinmeyer

Sunday 3rd of March 2013

Great Website!!

But I cannot find Cherokee :Purple listed anywhere. I am growing 20 plants this year for myself and friends and it is the most tasteful tomato we have tasted and very prolific.

Thanks for considering. John

Dorothy Stainbrook

Monday 4th of March 2013

Hi John, I go back and forth growing Cherokee Purple. I will be growing it this year, but didn't last year, so it wasn't in the roundup. I like Cherokee Purple... I just find it very similar to a lot of the other large pink-to-purple varieties, so I switch it up a bit.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.