Tomato Index

Growth Habit

D - Determinate Plants do not grow much after the fruit sets

I - Indeterminate Plants keep producing new shoots and blossoms after the fruit sets

ISI - Indeterminate-Short-Internodes Plants dwarf varieties of indeterminate plants

S-D - Semi-Determinate Plants do not grow much after the fruit sets but fruit sets over a long period of time

Another great source of information!

Disease Resistance Legend

V - Verticilium Wilt Resistant

F - Fusarium Wilt Resistant

FF - Fusarium Wilt (2 Types) Resistant

N - Nematodes Resistant

T - Tobacco Mosaic Virus Resistant

A - Alterneria Stem Canker Resistant

St - Stemphyllium (Grey Leaf Spot) Resistant

BS - Bacterial Speck Resistant

TSWV - Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus Resistant

BW - Bacterial Wilt Resistant

YLCV - Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl Virus Resistant

Common Name Growth
Habit		 Day to
Harvest		 Resistant Description
Amish Paste I 80-90 Days An heirloom paste tomato produces tons of meaty, rich and sweet with 6-8oz. red fruit – one of the best for sauces and canning..
Arkansas Traveler I 85 Days This heirloom, with 7oz. pink fruit is rough, creamy, mild flavored and low acidity. It produces under most circumstances.
Beef Master I 80 Days V, F A beefsteak that produces up to 2lbs. fruit that are juicy with a great taste. This will need staking.
Beefsteak i 96 Days Delicious, ribbed fruit, up to 2lbs., sweet and meaty, used for cooking, salads, and canning. Start early and stake this monster.
Beefy Boy ISI 70 Days V, FF, T, St 12 to 16oz. meaty fruit bred for enhanced flavor. Although indeterminate, it is a more compact plant than on expects. Stake it to support the big yields.
Bella Rosa D 75 Days V, FF, N, A, S Get high yields of large, 10-12 ounce, bright red tomatoes. They are round, firm, loaded with flavor and the perfect balance of acid and sugar.
Better Boy I 75 Days V, F, N Think Big Boy with more disease resistance. Bright red fruit up to 1 ½ pounds, great for slicing and tasty.
Better Bush D 68 Days V, F, N 4 inch fruit that are tasty and meaty. It does great in a pot if you have limited space
BHN44 D 75 Days V, FF, TSWV 8 to 10oz. fruit uniform ripening, globe shaped fruit on a medium sized plant. This is the first variety resistant to Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus.
Big Beef I 73 Days V, FF, N, A, St (1994 AAS) Old fashioned flavor, great yields, and uniform. Disease resistant, globe shaped fruit weighing 10oz. to a pound. Does not get rough,
cracked tops or fibrous like other large varieties. Reliably produces in Houston.
Big Boy I 78 Days One of the first hybrids ever developed. 12 to 16oz. fruit are bright red and smooth. Good tasting and a great slicer, on a stocky plant that produces
heavily. Very popular around this neck of the woods.
Big Bunch I 75 Days V, FF, N, T, St Want a gourmet flavor? Try this cluster tomato. Each cluster contains 3 to 4 giant 10-ounce red, firm and meaty, yet juicy sweet fruit well suited for
canning, eating fresh or cooked.
Biltmore D 75 Days V, FF, A, St 10 ounce, very firm fruit with good crack tolerance. Great fresh, canned or juiced.
Black Krim I 80-90 Days Violet-red slightly flattened 4-5in. fruits with near black shoulders. It has an intense smoky flavor. Heat tolerant and color deepens as summer
temperatures rise on this Russian heirloom.
Bobcat D 68 Days FF, Ss, TMV, V, S Perfect for containers if you like beefsteak tomatoes. With 10 ounce fruit, this compact plant will definitely need support. Firm, meaty and packed
with flavor.
Box Car Willie I 80 Days 5 to 10 ounce fruit of delicious smooth red tomatoes. Heavy yields over a long harvest.
Bradley S-D 76 Days F Consistently high production and tolerance to humid summer conditions on bushy plants that produce an abundance of dark pink, globe-shaped, 6-10oz.
fruits with a wonderful old-fashioned flavor. Great for slicing, eating, canning and freezing. Fruit ripens uniformly and hold well on the plant.
Brandywine I 85 Days An Amish heirloom that dates to 1885 produces 1-2lbs., scarlet-pink beefsteaks with high acid and sugar content. Considered one of the world’s
best-tasting tomatoes!
Bush Early Girl D 55 Days V, FF, N, T Perfect for large patio pots, growing only 18in. tall, this plant produces tasty red fruit measuring almost 4 inches across. Higher yielding and earlier than
most compact varieties; these large red fruit have excellent flavor.
Bush Goliath D 68 Days Compact 3 to 4 foot tall bushes bare 3 to 4 inch flavorful and sweet fruit. It has not been around long, but the reviews have been great! A small cage
should do the trick.
Carmello I 70 Days V, F, N, T A French hybrid that is one of the most productive tomatoes ever bred. Harvest up to 40lbs. off a single plant. Crack resistant, heavy juicy tomatoes
have a high weight to size ratio and a flavor reported as exquisite.
Celebrity S-D 70 Days V, FF, N, T, A, St (1984 AAS) Large oblate fruit are firm and tasty. 10 to 12oz. fruit arrive heavily even under adverse conditions. Our most popular tomato, also available
in bush form.
Champion I 68 Days V, F, N, T Especially bred as a luscious sandwich tomato...solid, meaty slices with just the right sweetness. High yields of large fruit, bigger than Early Girl and
earlier than Better Boy. Outstanding performer.
Bush Champion D 67 Days V, FF, N, T, A Especially bred as a hamburger tomato, one slice will cover your hamburger bun. It does well here with large, solid meaty fruit. Heavy production up to
50lbs. per plant…your neighbors will love you.
Champion 2 I 65 Days V, FF, N, T, A Everything you love about Champion with better disease resistance. 6 to 8 ounce solid, meaty tomatoes.
Cherokee Purple I 80 Days An heirloom variety with an outstanding flavor and unusual color. It has giant, ridged, striped, juicy beefsteaks weighing up to a pound with a strong
tangy flavor. Heavy bearing plants need good support. Reduce flower count for larger fruit. Complex flavor; pre-1890 slicing heirloom.
Chocolate Cherry I 70 Days Get past the color and you will be telling family and friend that these are no good, so you can eat them all yourself. 1-inch, thin skinned fruit in clusters
of 8. They go from green to a deep mahogany with a flavorful flavor.
Creole I 72 Days Bred by LSU (redeemable act) to be heat, humidity, crack resistant, meaty and tasty 6 to 12 ounce fruit.
Delicious I 77 Days 1lb. fruit that are smooth, red and meaty with few seeds. A world record holder at 7lbs. 12oz.
Early Girl I 52 Days V Medium sized, 4 to 6oz., fruit are firm and solid with a good flavor, making a nice slicer. Quick, heavy production makes this a good bet for fall planting
and a great start to the spring.
Early Goliath I 58 Days V, FF, N, T, A, St Extra-large crops of 8oz. sweet, red fruit with a luscious flavor and great disease resistance wrapped up in continuous production…what more could you
want.
Fantastic I 70 Days V, F, N, T This heirloom is a firm, solid, meaty slicer. The fruit grows up to 5in. across. High yielding and great for canning. Must be staked.
German Giant I 77 Days This monster-sized heirloom sports a lobed pink jacket with a sweet and juicy core weighing up to 30 ounces.
German Johnson I 80-90 Days One pound+- pink, meaty, nearly seedless fruit on a large plant with an excellent flavor. Crack resistant and heat tolerant.
Glory I 75 Days A cross of two heirloom varieties. 11 ounce, meaty and juicy fruit with a rich flavor. Heavy yields on a stocky plant that needs staking.
Golden Jubilee I 80 Days 8 to 12 ounce, low acid, yellow fruit on sturdy upright vines with heavy yields.
Goliath Hybrid I 65 Days V, FF, N, T, A, St An improved Goliath with great disease resistance. High yields of 10 to 15 ounce meaty, smooth, blemish-free, tasty fruit.
Grape I 55 Days Delicious clusters of elongated red cherry tomatoes. Heat tolerant and disease resistant…always a good choice.
Great White I 80 Days It is not truly white…it’s more of a cream color. This meaty, low acid one pounder has few seeds. Shark boy is crack and drought resistant…but watering
maker better fruit.
Green Zebra S-D 75 Days Green Bay Packers fans; this is the tomato for you! Green and yellow striped coat this delicious 3-ounce, sweet, yet tangy fruit. Start picking them when
the pale green stripes begin to turn yellow.
Heatmaster D 65-75 Days V, FF, A, St, N Bred to set fruit in higher temperatures. 7 ounce fruit are smooth, oblate and tasty fruit on bushes that only get to 4 foot tall.
Heatwave D 70 Days V, FF, A, St Sets fruit under higher temperatures, than most other varieties. Medium to large, quality, good tasting fruit. Try planting this one, 45 days after regular
varieties.
Heatwave II D 68 Days Round red 7oz. fruit produced on compact, disease-resistant plants with exceptional heat-tolerance, for abundant yields even in hot climates. Has a
terrific flavor.
Hillybilly I 80-85 Days A huge, bi-color heirloom; brilliant yellow color with red marbling. Very large with a rich, sweet flavor. Beautiful when sliced. Believed to be from West
Virginia. Bares when you start to give up on it.
Homestead 24 D 80 Days Round, red, 8oz. fruit are very smooth and uniform with good flavor. Compact, heat-tolerant plants ideal for high temperatures, container gardening.
Invincible D 65-70 Days V, FF, T, YLCV 3 to 4 ounce, uniform, dark red, Roma type fruit, stand up to hot weather. Their full flavor and firm flesh make them great for salads and canning.
Improved Porter I 70 Days 3oz. fruit are meaty, tasty and round. Deep red fruit store well if picked green in the fall a proven sturdy producer.
Jet Star I 70 Days V, F A heavy producer of globe shaped fruit that ripen all the way through. Low acid and a compact size give this variety thumbs up from even commercial
growers.
Jubilee I 80 Days 1943 AAS winner. A bright golden-orange, smooth, meaty, 3-inch fruit with outstanding mild flavor. High yields on short stemmed, stiff plants.
Juliet I 60 Day F, St (AAS 1999) A sweet, elongated cherry in clusters like grapes. Resistant to late blight and leaf spot.
Kellogg's Breakfast I 83 Days This giant, orange, heirloom, beefsteak sets tasty, solid fruit between 16 and 32 ounces! Unique in size and color, this might become your crazy
“I grew this huge, orange tomato story.”
La Roma III D 76 Days V, FF, N, A, St Vigorous, and uniform fruit are 5 to 8 ounces and packed with flavor. Perfect for salads, canning, sauces and paste.
Large Red Cherry I 75 Days Cherry tomatoes that are 2in. in size.
Lemon Boy I 72 Days V, F, N, A, St Three ½ in. fruit with a mild sweet flavor and low in acid, nice contrast in a bitter salad.
Marglobe I 77 Days Medium-large fruit that is smooth, red with good yields. Great for processing but needs a well prepared bed for the best flavor.
Matt's Wild Cherry I 60 Days Wild variety from Hidalgo, Mexico. Extremely sweet, small fruit that grow on meandering vines and rarely has any disease problems.
Master Sandwich I 75 Days Do you hate it when multiple tomato sliced fall out of your sandwich? Why go there when one slice can do the job? This is a prolific producer of 10-16 oz.
deep red, juicy yet meaty fruit. You will definitely need to stake the plants and additional individual support might be needed to let each fruit reach their
full size.
Money Maker I 75-80 Days An English heirloom variety that produces 4-6 oz round, very red, smooth, high quality fruit. Does well in hot humid weather.
Mortgage Lifter I 85-95 Days Dark pink 1-2lbs. fruits are meaty with good old-time flavor. This heirloom is known for its productivity.
Mr. Stripey I 80 Days This is a crazy colored tomato with yellow shoulders, a red bottom and a pink center. Large low acid fruit with a great flavor.
Old German I 85 Days This meaty slicer with few seeds is a great slicer and can reach 2 pounds. Reported to often be boat shaped…whatever that means.
Parks Whopper I 65 Days V, FF, N, T High yields of 4 inch, juicy, uniform, crack resistant fruit on a stocky plant.
Patio D 70 Days Great in a container or in the garden. Medium sized fruit on a sturdy, dwarf upright plant…a large cage is overkill on this one.
Paul Robeson I 75 Days This antique Russian variety produces slightly flattened, 4 inch, deep maroon, beefsteak-type fruits that are free of most blemishes and cracking. The
complex flavor is sweet yet tangy, with the distinctive flavor common to black tomatoes and the perfect acid/sweet balance.
Pineapple I 85 Days Meaty and mild flavored, this 5-inch beefsteak tomato is yellow and red striped. It has a sweet and fruity flavor.
Pink Brandywine I 90 Days 16 to 20 ounce ripen evenly on huge plants with a true tomato flavor.
Pink Ping Pong I 75 Days These tall plants yield amazing quantities of rosy pink fruit the size of Ping-Pong balls. Fruit is delicious, sweet and juicy, bursting with flavor and is very
crack resistant. An excellent keeper after harvest.
Rapunzel I 72 Days This extremely productive variety produces trusses over 20 in. long, each bearng at least 40 super-sweet, cherry type fruit. The fruit ripens in a very
tight window, allowing harvesting of entire trusses of fruit at one time.
Red Grape I 60 Days Bright red, oval fruit, 1/3 ounce each in long clusters. Very sweet, firm and meaty with few seeds and crack resistant.
Red Robin D 55 Days Now for something completely different…super dwarf…8-12in. tall…sweet flavor…think…hanging baskets.
Roma D 78 Days V, F Italian pear type that is great for paste and cooking. Meaty with few seeds, the fruit grows in clusters. Does not produce as well as La Roma but is easier
to find…go figure?
Rutgers D 73 Days V, F, A Produces good tasting red deeply oblate fruit weighing about 5oz. An oldie but a goodie, production leaves you wishing for more.
San Marzano I 80 Days V, F, N, T, A Slightly larger than Roma. Superb flavor, slightly rectangular-shaped fruits, 5 in. by 1½in., which are bright red and hang in large cluster. Holds well on
the vine and in storage. Extra meaty texture is perfect for canning or making paste. Almost no seeds
Small Red Cherry I 65 Days Pinkish, grape-sized, oval fruit on a compact bush with a full flavor.
Sugary S-D 85 Days (2005 AAS) Tiny, red, pointed, oval fruit that are very sweet. Huge yields and big vines…stake ‘em up.
Sun Gold I 75 Days A very sweet orange colored cherry tomato that grows in clusters on tall vigorous plants be sure to stake it early. Interesting sweet, fruity flavor.
Super Bush D 80 Days Large, meaty fruit on a very determinate bush. This is a one yield variety…you get it all at once…nice if you're freezing or canning.
Super Fantastic I 70 Days V, F, N Heavy yields of 10oz. fruit that are smooth, solid and meaty with an excellent flavor. Will bear even when it is hot out.
Super Sonic I 75 Days V, F Large, oblate, smooth, firm and meaty fruit. A dependable producer you should try…provided you can get them.f
Super Sweet 100 I 65 Days V, F Buy a big cage for this beast of a cherry tomato. Extra vitamin C apparently causes the plant have over 100 fruit in a cluster…
Supremo D 68 Days V, FF, N, BS, TSWV This compact plant grows 5 to 6 ounce, Roma type fruit, that are meaty and heat tolerant. Their great flavor, combined with a long shelf life and compact
size makes them a great choice for containers.
Sweet N' Neat D 60 Days 1 foot tall, 1-inch fruit great for hanging baskets, pots and even on a windowsill.
Sweet Chelsea I 45 Days V, F, N, T Disease resistance and drought tolerance in one. Produces up to 200 low-acid fruit on one plant. Round, 1oz. fruit are firm and exceptionally sweet.
Considered one of the best-flavored cherry tomatoes ever.
Sweet 100 I 65 Days Large clusters of large red and tasty cherry tomatoes. Big vines produce bumper crops; stake them early for best results
Sweet Million I 65 Days F, N, T Extra-long chains of dark red fruit. Improved Sweet 100 with better disease resistance and tolerance to cracking. Same wonderful flavor.
Tomatillo 75 Days Not a true tomato, but a close cousin, produces an abundance of green fruit, about the size and shape of a large cherry tomato. Heat loving, easy to
grow and prolific this fruit is a simple addition to your tomato patch. Used in salsa verde and other Southwest dishes.
Top Gun D 75 Days V, FF, A, St, TSWV 7-8oz. fruit are a uniform color, firm and ripen all at once with an excellent sweet flavor. Grows on the ground or on short cages. Bred to flower in the
heat so they offer a great yield potential.
Viva Italia D 72 Days V, FF, N, A, St, BS A very heavy producer of square-ish Roma-type tomatoes. Eat it, cook it, can it, freeze it. The best Roma-type if you can find it.
Yellow Pear I 78 Days Clusters of pear-shaped fruit with a unique, mild sweetness, which are good for preserving, pickling and throwing at your neighbor’s cat…so I’m told.

Juicy Tomato Tips!

  • Spray your yard with our “Guardeners Mix”. It will keep bug away, kill the ones you see and feed microbes in the soil.

  • Protect early planting by turning your cages into mini greenhouses. Protect late planting with N-Sulate (a lightweight reusable cloth).

  • This one will make you laugh. Hang red plastic Christmas ornaments on your plants before your fruit starts turning red. Since birds are territorial, they will try your “fruit” and find it no good, and go to your neighbors. If this fails…try bird netting, this worked for me.

  • Cracks and cat facing happen, it gives your fruit character…just eat the tomato.

  • Protect fruit from bugs and birds with “Tomato Sentry” bags. These actually work!

  • For providing this great information at no charge…you should bring us a sample of your crop (spaghetti sauce or lasagna is acceptable)…just so we can make sure you are doing it right…and to appease the nursery Gods.

Guardeners Mix Recipes

3 TBSP Horticultural Molasses

1 TBSP Liquid Garlic

1TBSP Organic Liquid Fertilizer (any brand works)

Add to 1 Gallon of water and spray away.

  • Plan ahead. Decide what type of tomato you like. Cherry or Roma? Small slicer or a big one? Meaty or juicy? There are many choices.

  • Prepare your beds properly: High, well drained and lots of organic matter (i.e. black humus or compost). If you want, quality vegetables prepare the bed of their dreams.

  • Buy quality seed or plants.

  • Plant them a little deep…if they are tall plant them sideways…we can explain this and why it works.

  • Use organic fertilizer. Cottonseed meal is reported to make your fruit even tastier. Microlife and Medina, are both all-purpose fertilizers we use, they are both a great choice. It cannot burn…even if it lands on the foliage. You can throw it out like chicken feed and you do not have to water it in…sounds almost too easy.

  • When your fruit is about 1in. across, fertilize again and then monthly after that.

  • Water; slowly and evenly…try to avoid splashing soil on to plants. Do not let them wilt…this really effects yield and quality.

  • Mulch, mulch, mulch. It helps prevent soil borne diseases from splashing onto your plants when you water or it rains, pine needles work great for this.

  • Plain corn meal (with no wheat flour) is an effective fungicide. Sprinkle it around your plants to prevent soil borne funguses.  Make a “tea bag” of corn meal and steep it in warm water. Pour resulting “corn water” into a spray bottle and give your plants a thorough spraying regularly. Soak your feet in it too.

  • Check for pests and disease regularly…your shadow in the garden makes plants grow better. If you see a problem act quickly.