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Master List of Heirloom Tomato Varieties for the Home Garden

Master List of Heirloom Tomato Varieties for the Home GardenMany tomatoes from my home garden - One day's harvest

Heirloom tomatoes are those old-time tomatoes, with a very rich, deep tomato flavor! Some varieties go back 150 years, with seeds being collected and kept every year! Some have disappeared, but many remain!  This list are the best heirloom varieties for which you can still get seeds - plus links where to order the seeds online!

Summer is too brief to not have heirloom homegrown tomatoes.  Whether you live in the suburbs, the city, a farm, stead, a farm, townhouse, condo or apartment... you can grow some tomatoes!.

Below is our master heirloom tomato list, certainly the most complete on the internet (if I've missed any - tell me)and send photos of your tomatoes!

And this page explains how to easily, inexpensively grow your own tomato plants from seed, for about 50 cents per plant,

So scroll down to find your perfect homegrown tomatoes for this year's garden!

Where to buy the seeds

Click the name of the tomato in the Variety name column - if it is blue, that's a link to an online seller of the seeds. You can get more information, see photos, etc. I look for the best prices at the most reliable sellers and sources I can find, like Amazon, Burpee, etc. I use this list every year myself! And, in many cases, the se online prices are as good or better than local stores.

Plant growth

  • Determinates bear a crop all at once and stop. Good if you're only planning to can some tomatoes, since you get a big crop all at once.
  • Indeterminates keep growing and producing until frost, so they bear a much larger crop than determinant varieties.

Days to Harvest

This is a general estimate under best conditions of how many days after your transplant the seedlings into the garden or contain until you harvest the first tomato.

Tomato size

We've broken it down into the general size categories:

  • Small - less than 7 ounces, usually a cherry or pear tomato for salads - Size of a marble up to a ping pong ball
  • Medium - Usually a slicer or an early tomato 8 to 11 ounces, golf ball to tennis ball size
  • Large - 11 to 15 ounces, almost a pound, tennis ball to almost baseball size
  • Very large - over 1 lb, could be the size of a softballMany tomatoes from my home garden - One day's harvest

Disease Resistance

See the table at the end of the table.

If your area gets frequent rains and it is hot and humid, you definitely need the disease resistant varieties.

  

Related Pages

 

 

 

 

Master List of Heirloom Tomato Varieties

Click here to print a PDF version

Variety name  (click for more info
and to purchase seeds)
Type Color Days to Harvest Tomato size
<7 oz Small
8 - 11 Oz Medium
12 - 15 large
>15 Very large
Plant growth
Determinate or Indeterminate.
Disease Resistance
- See abbrv key following this table
Description, photos notes and other seed sources
Abe Lincoln Slicer Red 75 Medium Indeterminate Delicious heirloom, dates back to 1923, first introduced by H.W. Buckbee Seed of Rockford, Illinois.
Alaskan Fancy Plum Red 55 Small Indeterminate Early for short-season summers. About 2 oz. each.
Amana Orange Beefsteak Orange 85 Very large Indeterminate Amana OrangeLarge tomatoes up to 5 inches across and weighing up to 2 pounds
Amish Gold Slicer Salad Orange 80 Medium- large Indeterminate Amish Gold SlicerBeautiful 3 to 4" round  and very productive. Excellent tomato flavor, average 4 to 6 ounces each.
Amish Paste Paste Red 80 Medium Indeterminate Amish PasteExcellent paste tomato
Arkansas Marvel Beefsteak Yellow with red 80 Medium Indeterminate  Arkansas Marvel4-inch, 1 lb., sweet, well-balanced
Arkansas Traveler Slicer Red 80 Medium Indeterminate Arkansas TravelerHandles heat well,  6-8 oz.
Azoychka Russian Slicer Yellow 70 Medium-large Indeterminate Azoychka RussianRussian heirloom,  Average 3”
Beaverlodge Salad Red 55 Medium Determinate Good for hanging baskets or containers.
Beefsteak Beefsteak Red 75-80 Very Large Indeterminate   Beefsteak10-16oz (284-454g), Also Burpee Beefsteak
Big Pink Beefsteak Pink 75 Large Indeterminate    Burpee
Big Rainbow Beefsteak Multi 85 Very Large Indeterminate Rianbow or Big RainbowBurpee Big Rainbow, also simply called "Rainbow" or Rainbow Beefsteak.  Mild, sweet flavor, 1 lb to 2 lbs.
Bison Salad Red 68 Medium Determinate  2-3", round tomatoes, great canning and salad tomato.
Black Beauty Beefsteak Red , dark, with black 80-90 Large Indeterminate   rich, dark purple-black color and smoky, sweet flavor. Large, beefsteak-type tomatoes
Black Cherry Cherry Red , dark, with black 70 Small Indeterminate Dusky brown, large grape-size fruit. Rich black tomato flavor. Prolific vines.
Black Krim Beefsteak Dark red 80 Large Indeterminate   Black KrimDark red / black and dark green, 12 oz, rich flavor, much like a slightly larger Cherokee Purple, Burpee, Ferry-Morse
Black Prince Beefsteak Chocolate-red 70 Large Indeterminate Black PrinceFlattened, ribbed big beefsteak tomatoes
Black Russian Beefsteak Chocolate-red 70 Medium Indeterminate Black RussianRound, 2-inch (2-3 oz.) tomatoes
Black Sea Man Slicer Red with black and green 75 Medium Determinate Medium sized fruits with brown-black skins and pink shoulders. Rich, tangy tomato flavor. A hardy Russian heirloom.
Black Vernissage Cherry Red with black and green 75 Small Indeterminate Sweet, slightly smokey flavor. 2-4 oz
Bloody Butcher Salad Red with black and green 55 Small Indeterminate 3-4 oz "cluster" tomato. Fruit are deep red in color and have a nice tomato flavor. Production is really good,
Bonny Best Salad Red 76 Medium Indeterminate Canning tomato. Medium-sized fruits
Brandywine (pink) Beefsteak Pink 78 Very Large Indeterminate   Brandywine pinkBurpee Brandywine Pink. Simply incredible flavor. The only tomato that may beat its taste is Cherokee Purple.
Brandywine Red Beefsteak Red 75-80 Very Large Indeterminate   Burpee redder version of Brandywine. They also have a yellow version.  All very similar.
Caspian Pink Beefsteak Pink 80 Indeterminate Indeterminate   1-2 pound, globe-shaped, pleated, pink-red like Brandywine in popularity and flavor. One of the best known and best-tasting Russian tomatoes.
Chef's Choice Black Beefsteak Dark red / black 75 Medium Indeterminate   AAS Winner. 
Chef's Choice Orange Beefsteak Orange 75 Large Indeterminate HR: TMV AAS Winner.  Earlier and more productive than most orange beefsteaks. 9 to 16 ounces
Chef's Choice Red Beefsteak Red 75 Medium Indeterminate    
Chef's Choice Yellow Beefsteak Yellow 75 Medium Indeterminate   AAS Winner.  
Cherokee Purple Beefsteak Dark red 85 Large Indeterminate   Cherokee Purple10 - 12 Ounces, incredible flavor, Burpee Cherokee Purple
Chianti Rose Beefsteak Pink 78 Large Indeterminate Heavy crops of early large-fruited heirloom
Chocolate Cherry Cherry Dark red / black 70 Small Indeterminate Chocolate cherryDark, port-wine colored 1 inch round fruit.
Chocolate Pear Cherry Dark red / black 70 Small Indeterminate Dark, port-wine colored pear-shaped tomatoes with a very long season.
Cold Set Slicer Red 65 Large Determinate  3-4 inch fruits.
Cosmonaut Volkov Slicer Red 72 Large Indeterminate 3"-6" tomato with crack resistance
Costoluto Genovese Beefsteak Red 80 Large Indeterminate Old very popular heirloom in Italy with flattened  fruit with  ribbing. Rich, flavorful, flesh.
Cuore di Bue Slicer Pink / red 85 Large Indeterminate Cuore di AlbengaLarge pinkish-red oxheart, 4" tomatoes. Italian Heirloom. also used for sauces
Cuore di Albenga Paste Red 85 Medium Indeterminate moderately disease resistant. Cuore di AlbengaItalian heirloom , ribbed pear-shaped fruit,  ox-heart type from the Ligurian coast town of Albenga, Italy. They have meaty centers and narrow seed cavities and dense flesh making them great for flavourful sauces. Weigh up to 200 grams.
De Barao Paste Paste 60 Small Indeterminate (Also called Debarao). 3-4 oz., oval , for  snacking, sauces and salads.
Delicious Slicer Red 77 Very Large Determinate   Large red round fruits, >1 pound.  Developed from Beefsteak, Burpee Delicious.
Evan's Purple Pear Cherry Chocolate red 75   Indeterminate 2 oz. fruits with rich flavor. for fresh, sauces, pastes and canning.
First Lady II Cherry Red 52 Small Indeterminate F1 5 oz red fruit
Flaming Burst Cherry Orange 80 Small Indeterminate Sweet, pear-shaped , small < 1"
Franchi's Red Pear Beefsteak Red 75 Large Indeterminate 8-18 oz fruit, with vertical ribs. Great fresh with few seeds.
Gardener's Delight Cherry Red 65 Small Indeterminate   Gardener's DelightOld time favorite cherry tomato, popular in England... where it is considered a big tomato!
Geranium Kiss Cherry Cherry 65 Small Dwarf Determinate AB, SP GREAT for container growing.
German Pink Beefsteak Pink 78 Large Indeterminate Sweet, meaty, few seeds from Germany.
German Johnson Beefsteak Pink 80 Large Indeterminate German Johnson1 lb, some up to 2 lbs, Sweet, meaty, few seeds from Germany.
German Queen  Beefsteak Pink 80 Large Indeterminate German Queen1 lb (16 oz) 
Giant Belgium Beefsteak Red 85 Very large Indeterminate   Giant BelgiumOriginated in Ohio in the 1930s. Great size and flavor, can weigh up to 5 pounds, 2 lbs is common, 3 to 5 inches across. SeedsNSuch
Giant Bulls Heart  Beefsteak Red 80 Very large Determinate   Giant Bulls HeartOxheart shape with heirloom flavor
Glacier Cherry Orange-red 63 Medium Determinate 2" tomatoes
Gold Nugget Cherry Orange 56 Small Determinate V 1" round-to-oval fruits.
Golden Jubilee
Salad Orange 72 Medium Indeterminate Mild flavor, low acidity,  2 1/2"-3" fruits  6 to 7 oz. a
Great White Beefsteak White 80 Small Indeterminate Citrusy, juicy meat.
Green Tiger Cherry Green-yellow 70 Small Indeterminate Oval striped yellow and green with a green interior. Sweet, juicy, tropical flavor.
Green Zebra Salad Green-yellow 75 Medium Indeterminate Green skin with mottled gold streaks. 1 ½” - 2 ½”
Hillbilly Potato Leaf Beefsteak Red with yellow 85 Large Indeterminate HillbillyBi-color 1 pound heavy producer.
Hungarian Heart Slicer Red 85 Very large Indeterminate Large reddish-pink oxheart fruits often 1 lb or more and firm and meaty. For paste, canning or fresh use.
Indigo Cherry Drops
Cherry red with black-purple 65 Small Indeterminate  1" to1 ¼" fruits,
Indigo Rose Cherry purple-red 75 Small Indeterminate 1-2 oz. high in anthocyanin
Isis Candy Cherry shades of reds to yellows, usually with golden flesh 67 Small Indeterminate Round 1" fruits.
Italian Heirloom Slicer Red 75 Large Indeterminate 1 lb. Italian heirloom
Japanese Trifele Black Salad Green  to dark red. 85 Small Indeterminate 6 oz pear-shaped
Jaune Flamme Salad apricot-orange 75 Small Indeterminate Large cherry size.
Jubilee Slicer Bright, golden-orange 80 Small Indeterminate Good disease resistance JubileeAAS Winner. , 2 1/2 to 3 inches in diameter, average 6 to 8 oz
Koralik Cherry Red 61 Small Determinate  Round cherry tomato 
Large Barred Boar Slicer Pink-brown with metallic green stripes. 70 Large Indeterminate  Flattened, medium, beefsteak fruit.
Large Red Cherry Cherry Red 80 Small Indeterminate 1"-1¼”-diameter
Legend Slicer Red 68 Large Determinate LB 4"-5"  Cold tolerant..
Little Birdy Series Yellow Canary Cherry Yellow 55 Small Determinate 1 inch round, sweet cherries.
Little Napoli Paste Red 60-65 Medium Determinate   Burpee 
Manitoba Slicer Red 66 Medium Determinate Good for short summers. 3-4 inch .
Marglobe Salad Red 75 Medium Determinate Good disease resistance First released in 1925,  it has 8-10 oz  globe-shaped fruit.
Medford Slicer Red 80 Medium Determinate F1, V  crack-resistant tomatoes.
Minibel Cherry Red 65 Small Determinate Plants are only a foot high  Excellent choice for containers.
Moonglow Slicer Orange 80 Medium Indeterminate Excellent keeper.
Mortgage Lifter  Beefsteak Pink-Red 80 Very Large Indeterminate   Mortgage LifterUp to 4 lb.; average 2 1/2 lb. Dates back to the 1930's. There's a story about a man, "Radiator Charlie", who grew this tomato during the Depression sold them from his truck and paid off his mortgage, hence the name "Mortgage Lifter", Also sold by Burpee Mortgage Lifter
Moskvich Salad Red 60 Small Indeterminate CR Deep red small fruits
Mr. Stripey (also called Tigerella) Salad Red with yellow stripes 65 Small Indeterminate Tigerella tomatoHuge crops of small to medium sized 1.5" to 2" tomatoes
Mule Team Slicer Red 78 Medium Indeterminate flattened round, medium-sized, 8-1/2 oz. and 2-1/2 to 3
Mushroom Basket
Slicer Pink 75 Medium-large Indeterminate  8 to 16 oz. ribbed, flattened shape,  Heavy yielder.
Nova Plum Red 65 Small Determinate  
Nyagous Slicer Red 90 Medium Indeterminate  
Old German Beefsteak Pink 75 Very Large Indeterminate Burpee
Opalka Plum Red 82 Large Indeterminate OpalkaRed, 3” by 6” plum tomato.
Orange Wellington Beefsteak Orange 75 Very Large Indeterminate tomatoes/orange-wellington 16 oz beefsteaks. Burpee Orange Wellington
Oregon Spring Salad Red 70 Small Determinate V Early variety 3-5 oz  Almost seedless which makes them great for ketchup and sauces.
Paul Robeson Slicer Red with green-black shoulders 80 Very Large Indeterminate  20 oz beefsteak
Perfect Flame Salad Orange 65-70 Medium Indeterminate   Burpee
Peron Cherry Red 70 Small Semi-Determinate Fairly disease resistant.  3-6 oz,.
Pineapple Slicer Yellow, orange -red multicolored 80 Large Indeterminate Pineapple tomatoExcellent Heirloom flavor.
Pink Berkley Tie Dye Slicer Dark pink with green stripes 70 Large Indeterminate Pink Berkley Tie DyeExcellent Heirloom flavor. 8-12 oz fruits.
Pink Boar Salad Pink-Red 75 Small Indeterminate Sweet 2-4 oz..
Polish Giant Raspberry Malinowy Olbryzm Beefsteak Pink 80 Very Large Indeterminate   Very large Polish heirloom
Ponderosa Beefsteak Red 80 Very Large Indeterminate   tomatoes/ponderosa-redTrue heirloom,  introduced in 1891 by Peter Henderson, big 1 to 2 lb flattened, lobed beefsteak with a deep, rich old time heirloom tomato flavor. Also sold by SeedsNSuch
Porterhouse Beefsteak Red 80 Very Large Indeterminate   PorterhouseA very large 1 to 2 lbs heirloom, also sold by Burpee.
Principe Borghese Plum Red 75 Small Determinate Principe BorgheseGrape, plum shaped, with few seeds
Prudens Purple Beefsteak Pink 72 Very Large Indeterminate  16 oz tomato, ribbed with excellent flavor.
Quedlinburger Fruhe Liebe Cherry Red 40 Small Indeterminate German heirloom 1- 2 oz fruits
Red Grape Grape Red 75 Small Indeterminate   Burpee
Red Pear Salad Red 75 Small Indeterminate pear-shaped , good for canning and pickling.  2 long fruit
Red Rosso Sicilian Slicer Red 80 Small Indeterminate Deeply ribbed, up to 5 oz. F
Roma Paste Red 76 Small Determinate Moderate disease resistance RomaRed, pear-shaped fruits that are nice and meaty, with very few seeds. Well-known paste-type tomato, perfect for sauces, pastes and ketchup.
Rossa Sicilian Slicer Red 80 Small Determinate An Italian heirloom. Striking deep red, ribbed fruits weigh up to 6 oz. and have firm, meaty flesh. Thin skin bruises easily, so fruits should be handled with care. Perfect for sauces and pastes.
Rutgers Slicer Red 70 Medium Indeterminate   Old standby, said to be used by Campbell's Soups in NJ for their tomato soups
San Marzano Paste Red 65-70 Medium Indeterminate   Burpee
San Marzano Gigante Plum Red 70 Small Determinate Italian tomato aka Gran Merito.  2-4 oz
Sean's Yellow Slicer Yellow 70 Small Indeterminate 6-8 oz. Fruit, plants are 2-3 ft tall, great for small spaces and containers.
Sebastopol Cherry Red 75 Small Indeterminate Large 3/4" heirloom red cherry.
Siberian Salad Red 60 Small Determinate Heirloom tomato from Russia. 3-5 oz
Siletz Slicer Red 60 Medium to large Determinate F1, V  10 ounce, 4" in size, almost seedless.
Solar Flare Slicer Red with gold stripes 75 Medium Indeterminate  6-10 oz beefsteaks
Striped Roman
Plum Red 80 Small Indeterminate These are long, roma-shaped
Stupice Salad Red 52 Medium Indeterminate 2-3 inch fruits. Very sweet, and Cold-tolerant
Sunray Slicer Yellow 75 Large Indeterminate F1, V Like Jubilee with strong Fusarium Wilt resistance.
Super Beefsteak Slicer Red 80 Very large Indeterminate Improved beefsteak with larger yields and larger tomatoes.  Burpee
Sweetie Cherry Red 70 Small Indeterminate Very  sweet cherry
Tasmanian Chocolate Slicer Red 85 Medium Dwarf Determinate  8-12 oz beefsteak type
Tasty Pink Beefsteak
Slicer Pink-Red 75 Very large Indeterminate 16 to 20 oz. but go up to 3 pounds
Taxi Salad Yellow 70 medium Determinate 4-6 oz
Ten Fingers of Naples Plum Red 75 Medium Determinate Paste-type, elongated, pointed, 5"-6" fruits, up to 3 oz, heirloom from Naples, Italy. .
Tidy Treats Cherry Red 50-55 Small DWF-Indeterminate   Burpee
Tigerella (also called Mr. Stripey) Salad Red with yellow stripes 65 Small Indeterminate Tigerella tomatoHuge crops of 1½”-2" tomatoes
Vernissage Black Salad Chocolate red 75 Small Indeterminate 2-3 ounce, small, round, and firm with green/red stripes and a very dark interior and have fairly thick walls
Vernissage Green
Salad Green 75 Small Indeterminate 2 to 3 oz. green fruits with dark green stripes. .
Viva Italia Plum Red 75 Small Indeterminate F2, V, N, A, B 3-4 oz  red Roma tomatoes. Great for paste, sauce, salsa, tomato soup, and ketchup; and for canning and freezing.
Wapsipinicon Peach Slicer Yellow 78 Small Indeterminate  Heavy yields.
Washington Cherry Cherry Red 60 Small Determinate High-yielding
Wood's Famous Brimmer Slicer Red 76 Very Large Indeterminate Large 3"-4" round 1-2 lb red tomatoes.
Woodle Orange Slicer Orange 70 Large Indeterminate Rich and sweet complex flavor.
Yellow Brandywine Slicer Yellow-red 90 Large Indeterminate Yellow version of Brandywine.  6 inch, flattened fruit t
Yellow Pear Cherry plum Yellow 75 Small Indeterminate  Burpee Yellow Pear
Yellow Perfection Salad Yellow 75 Small Indeterminate 1 1/2"-2" (golf ball size)
Zapotec Oaxacan Ribbed Slicer Red 85 Large Indeterminate  Mexican heirloom. Deeply ribbed, pink/red fruits up to 4"/1 lb,

How to save money and grow better tomatoes

Start you own tomatoes from seed!  See https://www.pickyourown.org/how-to-start-vegetables-from-seed.php

This year the Bonnie plants at Home Depot, Lowes and Wal-Mart are selling for around $5 PER PLANT. That is INSANE! With my method you can grow your own for around 50- cents per plant!

You can also choose tastier and more disease resistant varieties.  IT is SO easy - when you know these tips and tricks. See this page

 

Tomato disease abbreviations

Disease Resistance Abbreviations
SC Alternaria Stem Canker
EB Early Blight (Alternaria solani)
AB Early Blight (Alternaria solani)
CR Crack Resistance
F1 Fusarium Wilt Race 1
F2 Fusarium Wilt Races 1 and 2
F3 Fusarium Wilt Races 0, 1, and 2
HR High Resistance
MR Medium Resistance
LB Late Blight (Phytophthora infestans)
LM Leaf Mold
N Nematodes
St/L Stemphylium (Gray Leaf Spot)
TMV Tobacco Mosaic Virus
ToANV Tomato Apex Necrotic Virus
ToMV Tomato Mosaic Virus (Strains 0, 1, and 2)
TSWV Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus
TYLCV Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl Virus
V  Verticillium Wilt

 

Tomato disease descriptions and what to do

See this page for Tomato diseases, their symptoms and what to do

 

References and more information

  1. Tomato Diseases and Disorders in the Home Garden from Penn State Extension
  2. Growing Tomatoes in the Home Garden Rutgers Cooperative Extension 
  3. Growing Tomatoes Univ. of Maryland Extension 
  4. Organic Gardening from the NC Extension Gardener Handbook 
  5. Vegetable Gardening: a Beginner’s Guide NCSU AG-12 
  6. Growing Tomatoes in Containers by Penn State Extension 
  7. Excluding and Repelling Problem Wildlife from the Garden U of Mass, Amherst 
  8. Epsom Salts: Miracle, Myth, or Marketing? WSU Extension PDF
  9. Soil Temperature Maps and interactive tools by location 
  10. Watering the Vegetable Garden from Clemson 
  11. Nematode Assay Forms and Information 

Prepping tomatoes

Canning tomatoes (in water bath canners )Many types of heirloom tomatoes

Canning Tomatoes in Pressure canners

Freezing Tomatoes

Drying tomatoes