A Rainbow of Tomato Plants

Numerous pictures of a variety of tomatoes, one with a woman cuddling up to them growing on the vine, another with a purple flower.

Enjoy These Unique Tomato Varieties

Yearning to grow your favorite tomato varieties? Check back in September for our early tomato plant starts...

Coming this Fall: 

Better Boy tomatoes growing on the vine.

1. Better Boy

  • Fruit Color: Bright Red
  • Size: Large
  • Flavor: Well-balanced and classic
  • Other Features:Disease-resistant, dependable yields

Black cherry tomatoes growing on the vine.

2. Black Cherry

  • Fruit Color: Deep purple to blackish hue
  • Size: Small, cherry-sized fruits, typically about 1 inch in diameter
  • Flavor: Sweet and rich with a complex, smoky undertone
  • Other Features: This variety is a cherry tomato, known for its prolific yield and the unique, rich color of its fruits. It's an heirloom type, highly regarded for both its visual appeal and its excellent, juicy flavor. The plants produce clusters of the cherry-sized tomatoes that are a favorite in salads or as a snack.

Black Krim Tomatoes growing on the vine.

3. Black Krim

  • Fruit Color: Dark reddish-purple, almost black
  • Size: Large, beefsteak-type, around 4-6 inches in diameter
  • Flavor: Rich, slightly salty, and smoky
  • Other Features: Russian heirloom, high in antioxidants, cracks easily

Brandywine Tomatoes growing on the vine.

4. Brandywine

  • Fruit Color: Deep pink
  • Size: Large, beefsteak-type, averaging 1-1.5 pounds
  • Flavor: Exceptionally rich, full and slightly sweet
  • Other Features: Heirloom variety, potato-leaf foliage, late maturing

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5. Brandywine Pink

  • Fruit Color: Bright pink
  • Size: Large, often over 1 pound
  • Flavor: Sweet with a fine, balanced acidity
  • Other Features: Amish heirloom, potato-leaf plant, does well in short season areas

A closeup of 3 celebrity tomatoes ripening on the vine.

6. Celebrity

  • Fruit Color: Red
  • Size: Medium to large
  • Flavor: Mild and juicy
  • Other Features: Disease-resistant, compact growth

A row of Champion tomatoes on a wooden table with pasta, mushrooms and more...

7. Champion

  • Fruit Color: Red
  • Size: Medium
  • Flavor: Rich, robust, slightly tangy
  • Other Features: Disease-resistant, adaptable

Many Cherokee Purple Tomatoes on a table with a bed of straw underneath.

8. Cherokee Purple

  • Fruit Color: Dark purple-pink with green shoulders
  • Size: Medium to large, around 10-12 ounces
  • Flavor: Rich, sweet, and smoky
  • Other Features: Heirloom variety, more drought tolerant, indeterminate

A bunch of Chocolate Cherry tomatoes on a table.

9. Chocolate Cherry

  • Fruit Color: Deep, dark brown or chocolate color
  • Size: Small cherry-sized tomatoes
  • Flavor: Sweet and fruity with a rich, earthy undertone
  • Other Features: Great for snacking, salads, and garnishing

A striped chocolate tomato growing on the vine.

10. Chocolate Stripes

  • Fruit Color: Deep reddish-brown with green striping
  • Size: Large fruits, often weighing between 6 to 10 ounces
  • Flavor: Rich, complex, and sweet with a hint of smokiness
  • Other Features: Beefsteak type; fruits are slightly flattened and ribbed. It is an heirloom variety known for its unique color and excellent taste.

Costoluto Fiorentino Tomatoes growing on the vine.

11. Costoluto Fiorentino

  • Fruit Color: Bright red with ribbed texture
  • Size: Medium, deeply fluted or scalloped
  • Flavor: Tangy and slightly acidic
  • Other Features: Italian heirloom, great for sauces and canning, performs well in hot climates

Early Girl tomatoes growing on the vine.

12. Early Girl

  • Fruit Color: Red
  • Size: Medium
  • Flavor: Tangy and flavorful
  • Other Features: Early-maturing

Stripped Green Zebra Tomatoes growing on the vine.

13. Green Zebra

  • Fruit Color: Green with darker green stripes
  • Size: Small to medium, about 2-3 inches in diameter
  • Flavor: Tangy, slightly tart
  • Other Features: Aesthetic appeal, firm texture, indeterminate growth habit

Cherry tomato and Juliet grape

14. Juliet Grape

  • Fruit Color: Red
  • Size: Small, grape-shaped
  • Flavor: Sweet with a hint of tartness
  • Other Features: High yielding, disease-resistant

Icon of a camera with the text

15. Kellogg's Breakfast

  • Fruit Color: Bright orange
  • Size: Large beefsteak, fruits can weigh up to 1 to 2 pounds
  • Flavor: Very sweet and fruity, with a rich tomato taste
  • Other Features: Heirloom variety with a thin skin and few seeds. It's known for its juicy flesh and excellent for slicing.

Large Red Cherry Tomatoes growing on the vine.

16. Large Red Cherry

  • Fruit Color: Bright red
  • Size: Small, cherry-sized
  • Flavor: Sweet and juicy
  • Other Features: Great for salads and snacking, prolific bearer, indeterminate

Lucid Gem Tomatoes growing on the vine.

17. Lucid Gem

  • Fruit Color: Orange with a blue blush on the skin
  • Size: Medium-sized
  • Flavor: Balanced sweet and tangy
  • Other Features: Attractive appearance, good for slicing, relatively new variety

Mortgage Lifter Tomatoes growing on a wall.

18. Mortgage Lifter

  • Fruit Color: Pinkish-red
  • Size: Large, beefsteak-type, often over 1 pound
  • Flavor: Mild, sweet, and meaty
  • Other Features: Heirloom variety, developed during the Great Depression, good disease resistance

A group of Berkeley Tie Dye Pink tomatoes.

19. Pink Berkeley Tie-Dye

  • Fruit Color: Pink with green and yellow stripes
  • Size: Medium to large-sized tomatoes
  • Flavor: Sweet, juicy, and rich
  • Other Features: Eye-catching appearance and excellent flavor

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20. Prairie Fire

  • Fruit Color: Green with yellow stripes, ripening to orange and red
  • Size: Small to medium-sized tomatoes
  • Flavor: Sweet and slightly tangy
  • Other Features: Colorful ripening process and suitable for container gardening

Roma tomatoes growing on the vine.

21. Roma

  • Fruit Color: Red
  • Size: Medium, plum-shaped
  • Flavor: Rich, slightly sweet, intense
  • Other Features: Meaty texture, low moisture

San Marzano Tomatoes growing on the vine.

22. San Marzano

  • Fruit Color: Deep red
  • Size: Small to medium, elongated plum shape
  • Flavor: Low acidity, sweet, less watery
  • Other Features: Italian heirloom, excellent for sauces and pastes, determinate growth

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23. Striped German

  • Fruit Color: Yellow and red bicolored, with intricate marbling
  • Size: Large, fruits often weigh over 1 pound
  • Flavor: Sweet and fruity, with low acidity
  • Other Features: Beefsteak type; the flesh inside is beautifully marbled with red in the yellow. It's an heirloom variety prized for its stunning appearance and great flavor.

A single stupice tomato on a charcoal-colored table.

24. Stupice

  • Fruit Color: Red
  • Size: Small to medium-sized tomatoes
  • Flavor: Sweet and slightly tart
  • Other Features: Early-maturing variety, ideal for short growing seasons

Sun Gold cherry tomatoes growing on the vine.

25. Sun Gold

  • Fruit Color: Orange
  • Size: Small cherry
  • Flavor: Exceptionally sweet and fruity
  • Other Features: Prolific, indeterminate growth

Supersweet 100 Cherry Tomatoes growing on the vine.

26. Super Sweet 100

  • Fruit Color: Bright red
  • Size: Very small, cherry-sized
  • Flavor: Exceptionally sweet
  • Other Features: High vitamin C content, good for snacking and salads, indeterminate

Yellow Taxi tomato on the vine.

27. Taxi

  • Fruit Color: Bright yellow
  • Size: Medium-sized tomatoes
  • Flavor: Sweet and mild
  • Other Features: Early maturing and disease-resistant

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28. White Currant

  • Fruit Color: Pale yellow to white
  • Size: Very small, currant-sized
  • Flavor: Sweet with a mild tang
  • Other Features: Unique color, wild species, good for garnishes

Yellow Pear Tomatoes growing on the vine.

29. Yellow Pear

  • Fruit Color: Bright yellow
  • Size: Small, pear-shaped
  • Flavor: Mildly sweet, less acidic
  • Other Features: Heirloom variety, ornamental, great for salads and preserving

A Diverse Range of Tastes

Each tomato variety offers unique characteristics in terms of color, size, and taste, allowing for a diverse range of options when it comes to culinary uses and visual appeal. These tomato plant starts are sure to inspire the foodie in you! Stop by your local SummerWinds Nursery in the fall to explore the varieties listed above and more. Selection varies seasonally and is available while supplies last!

Tomato Growing with Red Tomato Cage

Vital Nutrients & Support for the Best Fruits

When fertilizing in temperatures below 90°F, we recommend the following fertilizers for superior fruits and yields: 

To amend your soil for in-ground planting, we recommend SummerWinds Natural & Organic Planting Mix or Happy Frog® Soil Conditioner by FoxFarm. For containers, SummerWinds Organic Potting Soil or Strawberry Fields® Potting Soil by FoxFarm.

Protect your tender plant starts from the heat with shade cloth—available by the foot. With our current summer temperatures and periods of excessive heat, it's critical to grow your tomato plant starts in a shaded environment and water them as needed.

Tomato Cages: Support your growing tomatoes with tomato cages...


Fertilizing in Summer

Given that we are prone to seasonally-high summer temperatures and excessive heat, we recommend holding off on fertilizing in summers until it gets cooler (below 90°F). Fertilizing in temperatures above 90°F will push new growth that will not have a chance to harden off before getting burned by our intense sun. 

While we don’t recommend fertilizing plants during periods of excessive heat, plant starts can benefit from diluted vitamin and mineral supplements, such as SUPERthrive®, Fox Farm’s Bush Doctor® Boomerang®, or any of our kelp/seaweed supplements. Click the button below to learn more about these vital nutrients and other ways you can help keep your plants free from heat-stress!

Vital Nutrients

Want more tomato inspiration? Read our blog, "The Joys of Growing Your Own Tomatoes ."

At SummerWinds, We Guarantee Success!