How to Choose the Best Organic Tomato Variety for Your Garden

Sooner or later it always comes down to the matter of choice. Whether it happens in life or in your garden, it makes no difference. My garden presents an important oasis in my life. It’s a place where I have a chance to better understand the nature and myself as a part of it. So, what’s the best organic tomato variety to grow? Honestly, I think they all are. It all depends on what you want. Keep on reading if you wish to find out how to choose the right tomato variety for your garden.  

…and Tomatoes Love Us Back

Should You Go for an Heirloom Tomato Variety?

If you’re following my blog then you probably know that I wrote about determinate, indeterminate and semi-determinate tomato varieties. That tomato classification is based primarily on sizes and shapes of tomato plants.

Another useful tomato categorization that is very common and widespread focuses on the type of breeding of the plant. According to the type of tomato breeding, you can grow heirloom, hybrid and open-pollinated tomato plants.

Heirloomtomato plants have been around us for ages. They are, what one might say, the witnesses of time. If you’re looking for a special, unique flavor, then you should for sure grow an organic heirloom tomato variety such as Cuor Di Bue and Atkinson. 

Or Should You Grow a Hybrid Tomato Type?

Although the word hybrid sounds like there’s something unnatural going on, it’s not necessarily always the case. When it comes to tomatoes and plants in general, hybrids are plants that are bred for specific purposes. Hybrid tomatoes are created in order to strengthen the advantages and erase the handicaps of their parents.

For example, when you cross a delicious but not resistant tomato variety with a resistant but not delicious tomato variety it’s clear that you’re going for the best of both worlds. Hybrid tomatoes like Premio H and Delfine H are typical representatives of their breed.

What about Open-Pollinated Tomatoes?

First of all, what is an open-pollinated tomato? Let’s take a closer look at this gardening expression. Open-pollinated tomatoes are pollinated freely, either by wind, insects or with a friendly help of a gardener.

In simple words, seeds from open-pollinated tomatoes such as Lucky Tiger and Purple Bumble Bee produce tomatoes that have the same set of characteristics as their parents did.

Interestingly, all heirloom tomato varieties are open-pollinated but not all open-pollinated tomato varieties are heirloom varieties.

Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Moe, Catch the Tomato by the Toe…

Do you remember those cute counting rhymes that we all so eagerly loved to speak when we were children? Recently I’ve found out that counting games like “eeny, meeny, miny, moe” are common among children in many languages, cultures and nations.

A modern version of “eeny, meeny, miny, moe” comes in different variations. In the one that you see in the subheading above I put the word tomato instead of tiger or piggy, which are more frequent.

Counting rhymes are basically used when one wants to make a choice, either for serious or just for plain fun. So, if you can’t choose the right tomato variety for your garden I suggest that you play a counting game and grow the tomato variety with the most interesting flavor. If you’re asking me, I would propose a variety with an unbelievable taste such as Raspberry Baby. 

Leave a comment if you decided which tomato variety to grow. Ask a question if you need a hand with it.