Black Brandywine tomatoes are a unique and highly regarded heirloom variety known for their exceptional flavor and distinctive characteristics. With a rich history dating back to the 19th century, these tomatoes have earned a special place in the hearts of gardeners and tomato enthusiasts alike. The story of Black Brandywine begins with the original Brandywine tomato, which was developed in the late 1800s in the Brandywine Valley of Pennsylvania. Over time, a natural mutation led to the development of the black variant, which retained the outstanding flavor of the original while introducing a striking, dark coloration. The fruit of the Black Brandywine tomato is large and typically reaches sizes of 8 to 16 ounces (227 to 454 grams) or even larger under optimal conditions. Its shape is somewhat irregular, often with a beefsteak-like appearance, characterized by deep ridges and an uneven, slightly flattened globe shape. The skin of Black Brandywine tomatoes is a dark purplish-black or maroon color, adding to their visual appeal. The plants of Black Brandywine tomatoes are indeterminate, which means they continue to grow and produce fruit throughout the growing season. They can reach heights of 5 to 7 feet (1.5 to 2.1 meters) or more, so proper support is essential. These tomatoes thrive in warm and sunny climates, requiring full sun and well-drained soil. Adequate moisture and regular pruning are crucial to manage their vigorous growth and ensure good air circulation. Black Brandywine tomatoes are a favorite among gardeners who appreciate their rich, complex flavor, making them a must-grow variety for anyone looking to savor the taste of history in their garden.
The Costoluto Genovese Tomato is an old Italian preserving tomato with an odd shape and a stellar flavor that is both intense and acidic! This variety's heavily lobed and often convoluted shape is indicative of early nineteenth century tomato varieties, making it an oddity and rarity in today's vegetable garden. Because of the Costoluto Genovese's odd shape, this tomato is best for making sauces and pastes because the skin is removed.
The Red Beefsteak Tomato produces an extra large, meaty fruit that is very popular among home gardens used for adding to sandwiches other dishes. This beefsteak variety is not grown commercially as often as the smaller types. The Red Beefsteak is describes as being a solid, meaty and juicy tomato that is an excellent slicer.
The Pink Oxheart Tomato is a beautiful pink oxheart shaped variety that has vigorous vines that produce plenty of attractive and tasty tomatoes. The tomatoes weigh in at about 16-32 ounces. This variety has a sweet and juicy flavor that will have you growing them for years and years. The Pink Oxheart is just perfect looking!
The Rutgers Tomato produces an intense, red colored, round fruit that is a proven variety that excels at canning and slicing. This highly productive, open pollinated heirloom tomato is one of the earlier maturing tomato varieties and has been around since 1934. Rutgers grows on a strong vine and can weigh anywhere from 6-12 ounces. The first maturing tomatoes tend to be smaller while later maturing tomatoes are larger. This tomato has a beautiful flesh inside with a good ratio of flesh to gel with a few seeds for each slice. This variety holds well when sliced making it great for sandwiches! The Rutgers tomatoes were originally developed by a Rutgers University scientist named Lyman G. Schermerhorn in co-operation with the Campbell's Soup Company. The tomato was developed by crossing Marglobe with a variety called JTD. As time went on, the Rutgers became the most famous tomato worldwide and once made up over 70% of the tomatoes being processed in the United States.
The Sub Arctic Plenty is the world's fastest growing heirloom tomato, in just 42 days from transplant you will have fresh vine ripe tomatoes! This variety is a great tomato to grow in Northern areas where the season is short. However, this is also great for Southern locations where you can harvest the crop before insects and disease start to take over. The Sub Arctic Plenty is a bush variety that needs no staking, as it is great for hanging in baskets.
The Caspian Pink Tomato is a beautiful tomato variety that originally comes from Russia and was brought to America shortly after the cold war ended. This tomato has a sweet and rich flavor that is often compared to the Brandywine. The early maturing medium sized pink beefsteak tomato averages 10-12 ounces in size. The Caspian Pink plant has regular leaves.
The Anna Russian Tomato is a delicious and beautiful heirloom oxheart-shaped tomato that was brought over from a Russian immigrant in the 1980's. This large tomato variety is early maturing for an oxheart variety. The beautiful pink-red fleshed Anna Russian can weigh up to 1 pound. This superb old-fashioned tomato gives off rich tomatoey flavors with lots of juice.
The Bradley Tomato is one of the all time Southern favorites! This tomato variety is a reliable, productive plant that has fairly good cover, producing attractive, smooth pink fruit with a tasty mild flavor. Bradley is a disease resistant variety released in 1961 by Dr. Joe McFerran of the University of Arkansas. The seeds produce delicious, sweet tomatoes that are well balanced with just enough acidity to give you that old-fashioned big tomato flavor that you love so much. Bradley tomatoes ripen at the same time making it a great variety for canning and freezing. This variety is suitable for Southern regions, but can grow in most places.
The delicious Glacier Tomato is one of the earliest tomatoes around! This 2-3 ounce red saladette tomato is ready in just 55 days. This tomato variety is wonderful for salads or sliced up for fresh eating! The Glacier plant is perfect for small spaces, such as patio containers, and typically grows to be 24-30 inches tall.
The Cherokee Purple is an old heirloom tomato that has an outstanding flavor. This tomato dates back to pre-1890 and is recognized as an old Cherokee Indian heirloom that originated in Tennessee. This variety has a semi-meaty flesh with an average seed/flesh ratio. The Cherokee Purple offers some of the best flavor with an earthy-sweet, rich taste that is delicious eaten raw. This tomato has a beautiful purple skin with a slight pinkish-red hue. This plant produces large vines with large beefsteak fruits that average 8-20 ounces. The Cherokee Purple is an indeterminate tomato that will keep producing all summer long and into the first frost in fall time. This high yielding tomato is in our top 5 of best heirloom tomatoes on the market!
The Taxi Tomato is an attractive, sweet flavored, vibrant lemony-yellow tomato that grows to be the size of a baseball! This popular variety produces smooth, blemish-free globes with a rich, meaty flesh that are perfect for market and home growers alike. The easy to grow tomatoes thrive anywhere throughout the United States. Taxi is a low acid tomato.
The Heinz 2274 Tomato is a customer favorite for being the perfect variety for making delicious, juicy, homemade ketchup! This 6 ounce tomato is smooth and slightly flattened with a juicy and tangy flesh. The Heinz 2274 is a great tomato for making purees, sauces and of course, ketchup!
The Red Oxheart Tomato, also known as the Hungarian Heart, is an excellent flavored unique, "ox heart" shaped tomato variety. This tomato variety has vigorous vines that produce plenty of beautiful, red, tomatoes that weigh anywhere from 8 ounces at their smallest all the way to 2 pounds! These tomatoes have such a sweet and juicy flavor that will make you want to grow them for years!
The Dixie Red Tomato is a delicious hybrid that consistently produces high yields of vibrant red tomatoes with excellent disease resistance. This tomato plant variety produces large, firm, deep oblate-shaped fruits that are great for both market and home gardens. The Dixie Red thrives in the Southern heat, but does well in other places.
The Red Zebra is not only a beautifully striped hybrid tomato, but it also has a very juicy and flavorful taste as well! This variety was first grown in 2013 by Jeff Dawson and is a cross between Tom Wagner's 'Green Zebra' tomato and an unknown parent.
The Black Krim Tomato is a popular dark purple Russian heirloom with slightly black shoulders that has a rich, sweet flavor that always scores high in tomato test trials! This meaty, juicy tomato variety contains an average amount of seeds on the inside. The Black Krim develops a darker color and a sweeter flavor the longer it matures on the vine. This variety is growing in popularity within farmers markets and different restaurants. The round, medium-sized beefsteaks grows to be 8-12 ounces, and are wonderful for slicing or canning. The Black Krim gets its name for originating in Crimea, a peninsula in the Black Sea.
