There are many variety of tomatoes now on the market and most of the tomatoes we stock are certified organic heirloom varieties, here is a list of some of the tomatoes available and what you need to know to pick the best variety for your vegetable garden.
Black Cherry Tomatoes
Black Cherry Tomatoes are smaller than their red variety, but do provide a sweet slightly smokey flavour. Perfect addition to salads for that extra colour and taste. Black Cherry Tomatoes start off green and blacken before having a slight red tinge when ready to eat.
The do require staking and should be harvested when their green collar is almost gone and their skin has a shiny appearance. Cherry Tomatoes will drop their ripe fruit which inevitably will become new plants next season. You can buy your Certified Organic Black Cherry Tomatoes here
Black Russian Tomatoes
Black Russian Tomatoes are a medium sized fruit, smooth skinned fruit with an excellent flavour. Black Russian Tomatoes are great for slicing and have less juice than red varieties. They also make a great juice for use in Bloody Mary cocktails.Brandy Wine Pink Tomatoes
An Heirloom American beefsteak variety, one of the most popular grown in the US. The large vines reliably produce heavy crops of Pink / Red fruit that are huge in size and deep red in colour of excellent flavour.
College Challenger Tomatoes
College Challenger Tomato are an old Australian Heirloom variety bred from Hawkesbury region of New South Wales in the 1950s.
This variety produces medium to large fruit over a long period and can be more prolific than Grosse Lisse variety.
This is a highly recommended variety for all Australian vegetable gardens, that enjoys a warm sunny position, as it is sensitive to frost.
Get your College Challenger Tomato seeds here.
Green Zebra Tomatoes
Green Zebra Tomatoes have dark green and yellow stripes. It can have a somewhat tart flavour compared to a regular tomato. Green Zebra Tomatoes can produce mealy fruits depending on growing conditions.
Green Zebra grow to up to 2.8m so give this tomato some space when planting. Green Zebra tomatoes are an excellent source of potassium which assists in the regulating fluids in the body and a good source of vitamins A and C, which are anti-oxidants that help the immune system.
This variety is used for more health purposes rather than taste, so consider adding thinly sliced and cut up to salads, pizzas and pastas. You can buy your Green Zebra Tomato Seeds here.
Grosse Lisse Tomatoes
Grosse Lisse Tomatoes are an Australian favourite with large and smooth skinned traditional tasting fruit. This variety is an early fruiting variety and can fruit from 12 weeks after planting.
A soil that is too rich in nutrients will produce prolific, but soft, sappy growth which is prone to disease. Long, leggy tomato seedlings can be planted very deeply or even on their sides, as the stem is able to grow roots when covered with soil, and a large, healthy root system will develop.
You can buy your Grosse Lisse Heirloom Tomato seeds here.
Golden Jubilee Tomatoes
Golden Jubilee tomatoes are bright and golden with firm texture. Mild, low-acid flavour makes excellent tomato juice, sauce, and salsa. Small seed cavities means fewer seeds and more solid, meaty slices perfect for sandwiches and salads.
Golden Jubilee tomato plants grow to about 1.5m tall and have a mild sweet flavour, low acidity and high Vitamin C content.
The Golden Jubilee tomato has regular leaves on medium sized plants with stiff stems and will benefit from staking or trellising in order to support its heavy yield.
We will be stocking Golden Jubilee Tomato Seeds soon, so sign up to our newsletter and be notified when they arrive.
Graf Zeppelin Tomatoes
Graf Zeppelin tomato is a strong grower is a strong growing staking type tomato with a bushy habit. It produces a rich delicious flavourful small sized fruit in abundance around 5.5cm round.
This variety is worth trying in every veggie garden. Graf Zeppelin stand about 1.3m at full stretch. One of the best producing tomatoes. Heirloom variety adding a burst of sweetness to salads. You can buy your certified organic Graf Zeppelin Tomato Seeds here.
Oxheart Tomatoes
Oxheart Tomatoes are a popular old heirloom staking variety with pink heart shaped fruit. Oxheart Tomatoes are low in acid and tolerates cooler weather. These tomatoes can be eaten fresh or cooked and an excellent source of vitamins.
The plants should be stalked or trellised as these grow to height of 2 to 2.5m tall.
Oxheart tomatoes are mid season to late season tomatoes that are similar to beefsteak varieties and just as versatile. You can buy your certified organic Oxheart Tomatoes here.
Roma Tomatoes
Roma Tomatoes are the most popular tomato to grow in your veggie patch.
These tomatoes are a popular variety used widely in cooked foods, eaten fresh, sun dried tomato, making sauces and bottled. Eaten fresh or cooked Roma Tomatoes are an an excellent source of vitamins. Bush variety, red pear-shaped fruit that is low in moisture content. Lower chance of getting fruit fly due to the bushing habit and fruit is closer to the ground. This tomato variety suits a small veggie garden due to its bush variety. You can buy your certified organic Roma Tomato Seeds here.
Rouge De Marmalade Tomatoes
Rouge de Marmande Tomatoes are an heirloom variety from France. They are early maturing tomatoes that can withstand colder conditions, allowing them to be planted earlier than regular varieties. Rouge de Marmande are disease resistance. The fruit is large, flattened, ribbed and ruby red colour once ripe. Has an excellent flavour with meaty flesh. Very prolific variety, great for slicing.
Santorini Tomatoes
The Santorini Tomato is Greek heirloom variety that is rich in flavour, excellent eaten fresh in salads, dried, cooked dishes and sauces. Santorini Tomatoes produce red fruit up to 6cm across with distinctive ribs. This variety is an incredibly fast producer with crops heavy all at once. Siberian Winter Tomatoes
Siberian Winter tomatoes are small, round to egg-shaped tomatoes with smooth, orange-red skin and juicy, tangy and flavorful flesh. They average 5-8cm in size, and they grow in clusters of thirty or more on bushy vines.Tommy Toe Tomatoes
Tomato Tommy Toe is a mid-season fruiting variety which will require staking. The fruit is a smooth, ruby red colour once ripe and has an excellent flavour and a very prolific variety. Growing to around 1.4 to 1.8 meters tall and producing plenty of juicy cherry tomatoes, Tommy Toes are a sure winner for any garden.
Plant Tomato Tommy Toe in a sunny position in the garden as this will assist with fruit productivity and flavour. Fertilise Tomatoes once a month. Buy your Tommy Toe tomato seeds here.
Yellow Cherry Cocktail Tomatoes
Yellow cherry tomato produces large clusters of round, yellow tomatoes. Each tomato can weigh between 8 and 12 grams. One cluster can produce up to 100 tomatoes! Tomato plants will need to be supported by bamboo stakes or another alternative, to help the plant bear the weight of the fruit.
You can buy your heirloom yellow cherry cocktail tomato seeds here.
Things to Remember
Never plant tomatoes in the same soil consecutively each year, they require crop-rotation which is a process which best benefits the plant. By rotating between different crops in the soil it will prevent the build-up of soil-borne pests and disease. Crop rotation also allows the soil to replenish any nutrients which might have otherwise been depleted over time.
Companion Plants for Tomatoes
To assist with pests and disease try planting these companion plants for tomatoes:
- Basil
- Borage
- Cabbage
- Chives
- Collards
- Geranimums
- Marigolds
- Mint
- Nasturtium
- Parsley
Check out our current range of certified organic and heirloom tomato seeds here.
