We grow and test every tomato variety that we sell -- and we have tested hundreds of varieties since running variety test gardens for the City of Cleveland Summer Sprout Program in the early 1980's. These are the best varieties that we have found for Northern Ohio gardens -- and some that we are still testing.
Our plants are grown using living soil made from our own compost -- inoculated with a microbe blend including mycorrhizal fungi -- and nourished with the best organic fertilizers. We do not use environmentally damaging products like peat moss to grow them -- or any pesticides.
People have been saving seeds from
their favorite varieties in every corner of the world for
generations. We bring them to your home garden for you to
feast on and treat your family and friends with. A plate of our
mixed colors and tastes will open up a new world of flavors for
you. If you already purchased those boring old varieties, we will have these real tomato flavors for sale as fresh produce this summer.
Abraham
Lincoln
Red
77
days
An old-time
variety really loads up with an abundance of
6 to 10 ounce round red tomatoes that are packed with great tomato
flavor. This
variety has been popular since the early 1920's, and it is no wonder
considering its productivity and flavor. Indeterminate.
Ananas
Noire
Bicolor
80
days
Beautiful
when sliced. Large fruit - bright green flesh
with pink streaks - superb flavor - heavy yielder - from
Belgium.
Beauty
Beefsteak
75
days
Old-fashioned
flavor - heavy crop of 12 to 16 oz.
beefsteaks that mature early and keep well after
harvest.
Better
Boy
Red
70
days
A trusted
favorite for many years, Better Boy is a great
performer big hybrid-quality yields of succulent, juicy yet meaty
tomatoes. A good all-around disease resistant choice.
Indeterminate
BHN-624
Cherry
60
days
BHN-624 has
the oval shape of a grape, the juicy
consistency of a cherry, and an excellent, sweet rich flavor. Very good
flavor.
Nice, deep red color. Heavy yields over a long period of
time.
Big
Beef
73
days
Beefsteak
Weeks earlier than other beefsteaks -- disease resistant hybrid beefsteak variety -- excellent
yields of large fruit.
Big
Zebra
85
days
Bicolor
Although deep
red and green outside, its interior is
green with pink extending up into the middle. The appearance is striking
beautiful. Fruit is medium to large with a mild, sweet
flavor.
Black
Cherry
65
days
Cherry
Round dark cherry tomatoes with a delicious, smooth, black tomato
flavor -- abundant fruit on tall vigorous
plants.
Black
Plum
80
days
Black
Our favorite
sauce or paste tomato -- excellent flavor for
bruschetta, in salads or for drying -- small plum shaped -- deep
mahogany-brown --
one of our most productive tomatoes --
Russian origin.
Black
Zebra
75
days
Black
Deep burgundy
with green stripes on the outside -
produces lots of 3 to 4 oz. tomatoes. A cross between Green Zebra and a
black
tomato. Sweet and juicy.
Brandywine
78
days
Purple
The most
popular heirloom. The large fruits, often over 1
lb., have a deep pink skin and smooth red flesh. The medium-tall,
potato-leaf
plant is best staked or caged. Our "Quisenberry" strain is considered
among the best. Indeterminate.
Carbon
80
days
Black
Exceptionally
sweet, rich flavor - medium large - one of
the darkest and most popular black tomatoes.
Indeterminate.
Cherokee
Purple
80
days.
Purple
Always one of
the highest rated at taste contests.
Medium-large, flattened globe fruits. Relatively short vines -- not very productive for us. Heirloom
from Tennessee.
Indeterminate.
Chile
Verde
Paste
A fascinating
green paste tomato with a good strong,
earthy flavor! Perfect for canning or for making green ketchup.
Developed by
Tom Wagner, who also bred "Green Zebra". Vigorous and
productive.
Chocolate
Cherry
70
days
Cherry
These 1-inch
beauties are a flavorful, tangy treat
appearing in large clusters -- a little more compact than most cherry tomatoes but can still reach 5 to 6 feet. They ripen from green
to rich mahogany.
Church
85
days.
Beefsteak
This heirloom
tomato was a favorite of the late breeder
Chuck Wyatt. It delivers an exceptional harvest of top quality fruit -- 1
pound
beefsteaks are delicious with rich, full tomato flavor and plenty of
solid
meat. Indeterminate.
Copia
85
days.
Bicolor
Beautiful combination of golden yellow and red stripes. Their gold flesh is streaked
with red
and is very juicy, flavorful, and sweet. A stabilized cross between
Green Zebra
and Marvel Stripe, these tomatoes weigh about one pound each, They were
named
in honor of Copia, the American Center for Food, Wine and the Arts, in
Napa
California. Indeterminate.
Costoluto
Genovese
78
days.
Red
Heirloom
Italian
heirloom tomatoes. Large, deep-red, juicy
tomatoes are deeply ribbed but fully flavored and delicious.
Indeterminate.
Dafel
68
days
Red
Early-season,
standard hybrid. Indeterminate plants bear
6- to 7-ounce, smooth, globe-shaped,
red considered one of the better tasting new hybrids.
Early
Wonder
55
days
Early determinate
Extra-early
maturing and compact variety that yields an
abundant crop of round, dark-pink, great-tasting fruit. Perfect for
gardeners
in shorter season growing climates.
Determinate
Gajo de
Melon
75
days
Cherry
Sweet, fruity
bicolor cherry tomato in marbled melon
tones of pink and yellow.
German Johnson
80 days
Pink Heirloom
Vigorous
vines produce 12 to 24 oz. Pink fruits with
yellow shoulders. Mild flavor, low acid and meaty. Potato leaf plant.
Indeterminate.
German Red
Strawberry
85
days
Oxheart
Big red
oxheart tomatoes shaped like a strawberry. 10 to
16 oz tomatoes are meaty with an excellent taste. Tall, productive
plants.
Heirloom. Indeterminate.
Giant
Belgium
90
days
Purple
Developed in
Ohio,
this variety is distinctive for its fruit that averages 2 lbs., but has
been known
to grow to 5 lbs. Tomatoes are dark pink and solid meat with smooth
blossom
ends and a delicious sweet flavor.
Indeterminate.
Goliath hybrid
70
days
Beefsteak
Large, juicy,
10 to 15 oz., with a sweet, luscious
flavor. Tall vigorous, productive plants with modern disease resistance.
Indeterminate. 70 days
Grandma Mary's
Paste
70
days.
Paste
A familiar
heirloom variety. Large, pointed red paste
tomatoes that are meaty and flavorful, just right for cooking into sauce
or
chopping up for fresh use. Prolific plants. Indeterminate. 70
days.
Great
White
75
days
White
A must have!
Big
yellow-white fruits with a wonderful, deliciously fruity, mild taste --
the flavor makes it a favorite.
Indeterminate.
Green
Grape
70
days
Cherry
Short compact
plants yield 3/4 to 1 inch fruit that is
yellow-green when ripe and easy to harvest. Full of flavor, sweet and
juicy,
these cherry type tomatoes are a real taste treat.
Determinate.
Green
Pineapple
80
days.
Green
A small
heirloom beefsteak that ripens to emerald green. A unique fruity aroma is
released when you cut open the ripened fruit. Smooth with a
flattened-round
shape, these tomatoes have chartreuse-green interiors full of sweet,
complex
flavor
Green
Zebra
72
days
Green
A must have -
excellent flavor - sweet and tangy tomato,
often in the top 5 for flavor - makes a wonderful unique green sauce or
salsa
verde for Caribbean dishes - ripe just as the green fruit develops a
yellow
blush, highlighting the green stripes -
Indeterminate.
Gregori's
altai
67
days
Early
A Siberian
variety that originated in the Altai
Mountains on the Chinese border. Delicious sweet, yet acid
continuing over a very long season. 67 days,
Indeterminate
Hillbilly
80
days
Bicolor
An heirloom
originally from Ohio
but made popular in West Virginia
- large, mild, - orange-yellow color,
streaked red. Indeterminate.
Husky
Cherry
65
days
Container
A great
container tomato -- producing flavorful, 1 inch
cherry tomatoes all season long. The plant grows only 50 in. tall. Dwarf
indeterminate.
Japanese Black
Trifele
65
days
Black
A must have! -
Unusual pear shape and burgundy color -
wonderful flavor - great production. Harvest when shoulders are still
green for
best taste. Indeterminate. Russian
heirloom
Juliet
60
days
Cherry/Saladette
Sweet grape
cluster - 1999 All-America Selections winner
- fruits avg. 2" x 1-1/2" x 2 oz. - tomato taste for salads, great
salsa, and fresh pasta sauce.
Keepsake
70
days
Long
keeper
A long
shelf-life tomato with very good flavor in a
variety that gives gardeners options they haven't had previously in a
home
garden tomato. First, Keepsake sets lots of fruit, and when picked "vine
ripe", the fruits will keep at room temperature for up to six weeks.
They
retain their good taste during that time too, without decline in
appearance or
physical quality.
Kellogg's
Breakfast
80
days
Orange
Beautiful,
deep orange color. Beefsteak type with rich
flavor, meaty with few seeds. Beautiful, delicious orange juice.
Productive and
disease resistant heirloom.
Indeterminate.
LaRoma
80 days
Paste
Compact determinate plant
with outstanding
production of fruits very similar to
Roma.
Lemon Cherry VFF
hybrid
58
days.
Cherry
Expect large
yields of pale yellow cherry tomatoes that
are juicy, sweet, and flavorful. Each fruit has an average weight is 1/2
oz., a
perfect size for adding into salads or for snacking. These cherries
offer a
beautiful color and yummy flavor.
Indeterminate.
Limmony
80
days.
Yellow
Bright
lemon-yellow beefsteak tomatoes with a fabulous
tangy. This pronounced acid flavor sets it apart from many other yellow
varieties, which are milder in taste. Fruit typically weigh 8 to 10
ozs., and
are smooth and blemish-free, with solid, meaty interiors. Healthy plants
are
quite productive. Heirloom from Russia.
Indeterminate.
Marmara VFT
hybrid
75
days
Midseason
A modern
version of the marmande tomato, a type grown in Southern
France. 5 to 6 oz fruit with a scalloped exterior, intense red
color, and great flavor.
Indeterminate.
Matina
58
days
Early
A very early
variety bearing loads of 2 to 4 oz red fruit with terrific, intense
flavor. Heirloom from Germany.
Indeterminate. 58 days.
Mexico
80
days
Beefsteak
An unusual
variety because it bears such large fruit in
great numbers while maintaining superb flavor. Very large plants.
Indeterminate. 80 days.
Monomakh's Hat
Midseason
Unusual and
delicious with a honey-like sweetness. Big,
heart shaped, raspberry colored treasures originating from Novosibirsk,
Siberia.
Mortgage
Lifter
85
days
Red
Well-shaped,
large fruit is very meaty with few seeds.
Folklore says variety named by a man who sold this crop to pay off a
farm he
was about to lose. Indeterminate.
Moskvich
60
days
Early
An early,
cold tolerant, delicious, disease-free tomato
with heavy yields. Fruits are early, deep red, smooth and globe-shaped,
4-6 oz.
Indeterminate
Mule
Team
80
days.
Late
season
Vigorous
plants bear plenty of 8 to 12 ounce round,
bright red tomatoes with excellent flavor and texture. Not only are
harvests
very abundant, but production continues right up until
frost.
Opalka
75
days.
Paste
One of the
best paste tomatoes. Fruit is large, at least
5 inches long. Very few seeds and extremely meaty with a rich, sweet
flavor. Although
they make outstanding sauce, these tomatoes are good enough to eat
fresh.
Heirloom variety originally from Poland.
Indeterminate.
Paragon
78
days
Red
Heavy-hitting
main crop, shipping tomato. The vigorous
vine produces a heavy set of very smooth, globe-shaped fruit.
Indeterminate.
1991 introduction
Paul
Robeson
75
days
Black
Winner of
many taste contests - medium-sized fruit -
complex flavor, sweet and tangy - characteristic of the distinctive
richness
that makes black tomatoes special. Russian
heirloom.
Pearly
Pink
75
days
Cherry
Crisp, very
flavorful. Very petty cherry tomatoes that
are bright pink and perfect for
snacking.
Pineapple
85
days
Bicolor
One of the
most beautiful tomatoes with a fruity and very
sweet flavor. Good yielder.
Pink
Beauty
74
days
Pink
Firm,
delicious. Perfect, pink, medium-size, 6-8 oz.,
flattened globes have full, rich tomato flavor. Healthy plants produce
firm,
blemish-free fruit.
Piriform
78
days
Midseason
Superb
flavor. Pear shaped, 7-9 oz. fruits with ribbed
shoulders. Old fashioned, juicy, sweet flavor. Harvest when shoulders
are still
green. From Liguria, Piedmonte,
and Abruzzo regions of Italy.
Rev. Morrow's
Long Keeper
78 days
Long
keeper
A tall
determinate variety with 6-10 oz globular fruit
that ripens orange-red with pinkish flesh. These tomatoes have kept
until
January, selected by Merl Neidens.
Riesetomate
80
days
Traveler
The most
novel tomato ever -- like a big bunch of
cherry tomatoes all fused together. Also called "Traveler tomato" for
the ability to tear it apart a piece at a time. These types of tomatoes
trace
their roots to Central America where the native people
carried them on trips.
Roman
Candle
85
days
Yellow
Beautiful,
neon yellow banana-shaped fruits bursting with
intense flavor an sweetness.
Rose
78
days
Beefsteak
Rivals
Brandywine for taste and
more productive. Large beefsteak type over 1 lb. Pinkish
fruits.
Royal
Hillbilly
85
days.
Beefsteak
A favorite of
the late breeder Darrell Merrell, who
selected it from some variations of Hillbilly tomato. These one pound beefsteaks have a
deep pink color -- brimming with juice and a complex flavor blend of sweet and
tart. Also
famous for its large yields.
Indeterminate.
Rutgers
Select
75
days
Midseason
An old time
favorite -- an all purpose variety, ideal for
canning. Meaty, bright red fruits average about 7 oz. Full bodied
flavor.
Indeterminate.
San
Marzano
80
days.
Paste
Excellent for
canning, tomato paste, or puree. Rectangular
pear-shaped, 3-1/2 inch long fruit with mild flavor and meaty texture.
Bright
red color. Indeterminate.
Sapho
64
days
Cherry
Sapho is the
size of a very large cherry tomato -- a big mouthful -- about
1 1/2 - 2 inches in diameter. Fairly compact plants (about 5-6 ft) produce well until
frost.
Indeterminate.
Sioux
70
days
Midseason
An Heirloom
variety from 1944. Incredible flavor and
heavy yields, even in hot weather. Extraordinary
taste, sweet yet tangy, full of complex flavors, in a round red tomato.
70
days.
Snow
White
75
days
Cherry
Ivory colored
cherry tomatoes -- mild flavored -- deliciously sweet without
being sugary.
Snowberry
75
days
Cherry
A very sweet
little cherry tomato that is very popular in
Europe. 1 inch "berries" with a mellow fruity
taste. Productive plants set large
trusses.
Striped
German
78
days
Bicolor
Large,
flattened tomatoes are shaded yellow and red. The
marbled interior is beautiful when
sliced -- and a rich tangy flavor to match.
Sugar
Snack
65
days
Cherry
One of the
best tasting larger red cherry tomatoes. Huge yields
of very long trusses of cherry tomatoes with real tomato
flavor.
Sugary
60
days
Cherry
2005
All-American award winner. Very sweet red cherry
tomatoes with a pointed blossom end. Long clusters on a compact
plant.
Sun
Cherry
58
days
Cherry
Sweet, red
cherries. Small, 1-1/8", fruits are borne
in long, 20-fruit, grape-like trusses. Compared to other "Sweet 100"
types, the fruits are sweeter and ripen earlier.
Indeterminate.
Sungold
57
days
Cherry
A must have! -
intense, fruity, unique tomato flavor -
Our favorite snack every year - vigorous plants start yielding early and
bear
fruit right through the season.
Sunsugar
62
days
Cherry
Flavor
comparable to Sun Gold with better crack
resistance - tall growing plants set loads of half-ounce, golden fruits
filled
with sweetness. Indeterminate.
Sweet Cluster
VFNT hybrid
67
days.
Cluster
Cluster
tomatoes on the vine. This variety produces long
clusters of 6 to 8 glossy red 4- ounce tomatoes that ripen at the same
time and
are sweet and delicious.
Indeterminate.
Sweet
Million
65
days
Cherry
An improved
Sweet 100 type. Long clusters of 1"
fruit on tall vigorous plants.
Sweet
Mojo
59
days
Cherry
Excellent,
sweet-flavored fruits are like a small grape
tomato. They are uniform in size, avg. 10 gm., have good texture, and
resist
cracking. Indeterminate.
Toma
Verde
75
days
Tomatillo
The tomatillo
is a member of the tomato family, but not a
real tomato. Round green tomatillos have a papery husk that is removed
before
preparing. Vining plants are easily grown and prolific. Flavor is sweet
yet
tart and wonderful in green Mexican salsa and other Mexican and
Southwestern
dishes.
Tomato
Berry
65
days
Cherry
Extremely
sweet fruits shaped like strawberries. Thick
flesh, juicy 1 inch tomatoes that also keep
well.
Topaz
Cherry
This Chinese
introduction is light yellow with gold
speckles. Mild tasting, firm and good for snacking. Very
productive.
Valencia
76
days
Orange heirloom
Sunny orange
fruits with full tomato flavor. Round,
smooth fruits average 8-10 oz. Their meaty interiors have few seeds.
This
midseason tomato is among the best for flavor and
texture.
Violet
Jaspar
Cherry
Also called
the Tsi Bi U (coming from China).
Pretty little violet-purple fruit with iridescent green streaks. A very
productive variety from China.
Good tasting, dark purplish-red
flesh.
Viva
Italia
72
days
Determinate
3 oz red oval
paste tomato. Determinate
Vorlon
75
days
Black
A stabilized
cross between Cherokee Purple and Prudens
Purple. A large variety with excellent flavor -- rich, smoky, organic
taste --
and rich dark flesh.
White
Beauty
85
days
White
Creamy white
color inside and out. Extremely mild and
sweet because of a high sugar content. Fruits average 8 ounces -- quite
meaty
with few seeds. Indeterminate.
White
Tomesol
80
days
White
A great
heirloom bursting with fragrance and sweet, rich
flavor. Cream colored, smooth, 8 oz
fruit.
Yellow
Brandywine
85
days
Yellow
A large
yellow Amish old-timer with rich taste. Best
yellow fruit flavor.
Indeterminate.
Yellow
Pear
70
days
Cherry
Petite,
distinctive, pear-shaped salad tomato. An old
favorite!
Tomato Listing 2010
Ananas
Noire 
Beauty 
Better
Boy 
BHN-624 
Big
Beef 
Black
Cherry
Black
Plum 
Black
Zebra 
Brandywine 
Carbon 
Cherokee
Purple 
Chile
Verde
Chocolate
Cherry 
Church 
Copia 
Costoluto
Genovese 
Dafel 
Early
Wonder
Gajo de
Melon 
German Johnson 
German Red
Strawberry 
Giant
Belgium 
Goliath hybrid 
Grandma Mary's
Paste 
Great
White 
Green
Grape 
Green
Pineapple
Green
Zebra 
Gregori's
altai 
Hillbilly 
Husky
Cherry 
Japanese Black
Trifele 
Juliet 
Keepsake 
Kellogg's
Breakfast 
LaRoma 
Lemon Cherry VFF
hybrid 
Limmony 
Marmara VFT
hybrid 
Matina 
Mexico 
Mortgage
Lifter 
Moskvich 
Mule
Team 
Opalka 
Paragon 
Paul
Robeson 
Pearly
Pink 
Pineapple 
Pink
Beauty 
Piriform 
Rev. Morrow's
Long Keeper 
Riesetomate 
Roman
Candle 
Rose 
Royal
Hillbilly 
Rutgers
Select 
San
Marzano 
Sapho 
Sioux 
Snow
White 
Snowberry 
Striped
German 
Sugar
Snack 
Sugary 
Sun
Cherry 
Sungold 
Sunsugar 
Sweet Cluster
VFNT hybrid 
Sweet
Million 
Sweet
Mojo 
Toma
Verde 
Tomato
Berry 
Valencia 
Violet
Jaspar 
Viva
Italia 
Vorlon 
White
Beauty 
White
Tomesol 
Yellow
Brandywine 
Yellow
Pear 
