I generally grow around 20-30 tomato varieties each year and aim to have around 5-10 of those be new to me or a second chance to a variety that may have not worked out the first time. A big limiting factor for me is space, as I just have 8 raised beds a handful of spots for grow bags, and there are lots of other things I enjoy growing besides tomatoes. This blog discusses things to consider when choosing the right varieties for your garden as well as some recommendations for cages and tomato varieties that work well in the PacNW.
The first things to consider when selecting tomato varieties are...
Growing season length
Days to maturity
Climate and precipitation
Intended growth support: cage, trellis, stake, none/growing on ground, etc
Space available
Growing season length and days to maturity
In the maritime PacNW we have a long growing season, but the actual days to maturity are usually much higher than what is listed on seeds or starts due to our cooler, temperate climate. A good rule of thumb would be to increase the listed days to maturity by around 25%, which will give you a more realistic estimate. Days to maturity is measured starting the date of transplant to the date of the first harvest. Some late season varieties may ripen too late to successfully grow in the PacNW, or at least too late to get a decent harvest. I generally say anything above 85 (106 adjusted) days to maturity is probably not a good fit, even 80 (100 adjusted) days can be pushing it.
Precipitation
Some tomato varieties grow better in cool, rainy locations or are more susceptible to diseases that are caused by high humidity and/or precipitation. Fortunately, in the PacNW once we are beyond mid-June there is very limited precipitation, but we do often get the marine cloud layer so tomatoes that are tolerant of cooler, cloudier temperatures may work better
Plant Support
Some tomato varieties get huge. Last year I had one called Hugh's that outgrew my square 7 ft tall cage by a couple feet and completely filled the entire cage inside and required continuous pruning. For large, indeterminate beefsteaks you really should have a large, tall (6ft +) metal cage or a strong trellising system. Their fruit alone will require a lot of support, and you don't necessary want the plant flowing over into other areas (especially with limited garden space like me). You should choose your plants according to the support you have available or plan to purchase. There are also many compact and determinate varieties that can easily be staked and managed with inexpensive cages, and will give you just as much quantity and satisfaction.
Below I have examples of the different types of cages I use in my garden. Keep in mind these pictures were taken on June 26th, roughly 6 weeks after being transplanted and many of these plants will continue to grow through September.
Light duty and flexible ($8-$10/cage): Most of these are compact, determinant varieties and each are in 10 gallon containers which easily fit the cages. These are less sturdy than the ones I use in the garden for beefsteaks, but I like that they snap open so it is easy to contain stray branches. They are also the most reasonable in terms of pricing and can be found through a hardware store or purchased through Amazon. I think this is the best option for those just starting out and does the job.
Very tall and heavy duty ($40/cage no longer available): On the right I have my Aunt Ruby's Green tomato with the largest type of cage that I have. It has an extension (already had to be installed 6 weeks post transplant) that brings the height to just under 7 ft. The tomatoes in the lighter duty cages on the left are the Black From Tula and Paul Robeson (they could both use some trimming - that's a tomorrow me problem 😁).
Medium height and heavy duty ($30/cage): These are the newer, smaller version of the cage that is around Aunt Ruby's Green in the photo prior. They are 53 inches tall installed and can be purchased through Amazon. In the picture above I have the Big Rainbow and Pineapple tomatoes - the bok choi in front of them did get a little out of a hand, so they are a bit further behind the rest of the tomato plants.
Short and heavy duty ($10/cage): This is one of the Patio Choice Yellow tomatoes that I have planted. The plant itself is very compact and maybe grows to be 2 ft tall, but is very prolific. You can barely see, but I have it in a pepper and eggplant cage which helps keep it upright and will support the heavy fruit set. I also have this cage supporting the eggplants in my garden and have found its size and sturdiness super useful, it can also be purchased through Amazon.
Space Available
This also ties in with plant support, the better plant support and caging/trellising you have the less space you need per plant. If you have very limited space I'd recommend using containers or grow bags and sticking to determinate and compact tomato varieties. There are also a lot of really interesting dwarf tomato options now available that still produce full beefsteaks and slicers but take up considerably less space. If interested I would recommend checking out the Dwarf Tomato Project to learn more
The next thing to ask yourself is why are you growing these tomatoes and what excites you about them?
Taste (T)
Color (C)
Quantity (Q)
Use (U)
Wow factor (W)
Fruit size (S)
I personally grow for taste, color, and wow factor, and you will find very few (if any) traditional red tomatoes in my garden. I do it all for the insta pictures and vanity 😂
Today there are so many varieties available that you should be able to find many varieties that meet your preferences and needs. Below is a list of some that I've had success with and enjoy to grow.
*'s denote staples in my garden
Cherry
Black Cherry (C,Q) - Indeterminate with larger size, abundant cherry tomatoes
Bumble Bee (C,Q) - pretty striped tomato with larger fruit size and abundant crop
Galina (Q) - large yellow cherry tomatoes that are early maturing
Green Grape (C,T) - very sweet tomato, only problem is the deer and birds liked it just as much as I did
Indigo Blue (W) - very pretty indigo cherry tomato that I believe was created at OSU. The taste was mediocre, but definitely had a wow factor
Koralik (Q,T) - a sweet tasting red cherry with a compact size
Patio Choice Yellow (Q)* - this is average tasting, but very early maturing, compact, and extremely high yield. This is a great option for new growers or those with limited space
Sungold (T)* - Everyone's favorite small, orange-ish and indeterminate. Needs plenty of space and will continue producing until October
Slicers and Beefsteaks
Early Varieties:
Azoychka (C,T)* - yellow slicer that is a consistent producer and does well in cooler climates. This is my favorite yellow tomato to grow
Early Girl - PacNW staple that is red, slicer tomato
Lime Green Salad (C) - Green-ish, yellow dwarf tomato that only gets to be maybe 18 inches tall and produces small slicer tomatoes. This is very compact and can easily be grown in a container or in that 'last spot' in the garden.
Northern Lights (C) - bi-color slicer that is early maturing (rare for bi-colored tomatoes), but did not produce a large quantity
Stupice (Q,T) - this is a decent tasting early, red slicer that produces small slicers, almost bordering grape size tomatoes at time. It's a reliable producer that does well in our climate
Mid-Season Varieties:
Black Krim (Q)* - one of the most common, if not most common black tomatoes (rivaled by Cherokee Purple). It is a shorter and more compact indeterminate tomato that doesn't get massive, but does require strong caging for the fruit. This tomato does very well in the PacNW
Black Sea Man (Q)* - determinate black tomato that does well in containers (rare) and produces loads of fruit. This variety produces the largest quantity out of anything I grow, and needs plenty of support. As a determinate it is relatively compact and great for someone with minimal space that would like to grow a larger tomato.
Black From Tula (Q,T)* - smoky tasting black tomato that does very well in the PacNW and produces medium amounts of fruit, but the fruit you get is well worth it
Garden Peach (C,W,T)* - this is a really fun variety that produces small-medium size fruit with a kind of fuzzy peach outside with yellow and peach coloring. This one is really unique to grow and has a great wow factor. The plant itself is relatively compact and bears a very high yield.
Green Zebra (C,W,T)* - green slicer with yellow zebra stripes. I wouldn't call this a prolific producer, but it is a great salad and fresh eating tomato with a citrus taste.
German Gold (C) - beautiful bi-colored tomato with a moderate yield. This indeterminate does get pretty large, so be prepared with heavy support
Old German (C,Q) - the nursery I go to says this is probably their highest yielding tomato so I am adding it to the list and taking their word for it. I tried growing this tomato one time, and I got a big, beautiful 7 ft tall bush, and 1 tomato. The tomato I did get was massive, but almost all of the blooms had no flower or pollen, I've never seen anything like this before. I'll try growing it again another time.
Paul Robeson (Q,T)* - supposedly one of (if not the best) tasting black tomatoes, but I've found it is more of dark brick red than black compared to the other blacks that I grow. Does well in PacNW and produces medium to high yield
Persimmon (T,C) - a yellow-ish/orange tomato with a phenomenal taste. It is an indeterminate tomato, but I found it to still be relatively compact/manageable compared to others. This is one that I would like to make a staple in my garden at some point.
Russian Lime (Q,C) - this is an interesting yellow/lime colored plum tomato, which is very unique. The plant is somewhat compact and produced loads of tomatoes.
Late-Season (you are pushing your luck) Varieties:
Ananas Noir (C,T,W)* - that color. I saw pictures of this tomato, and I just had to grow it. It is green and red on the outside with beautiful green, purple, and red coloring on the inside. I've read they are high yielding, but that has not been my experience which could be due to the climate and cooler weather, but definitely a must try.
Aunt Ruby's Green (C,T,W)* - this is hands down my favorite tomato, and I know it is the best because it is also the first thing that squirrels and deer go for as well 😭. This is a beautiful, green beefsteak that has a yellow and pink blush color at the bottom when it is ripe. It is much sweeter than any red tomatoes, and has a nice citrus taste. It does have low-medium yields compared to other tomatoes I grow, but the quality of the fruit you get will be worth it. This variety does grow very large, so you will need a very tall, sturdy cage.
Big Rainbow (C,S)* - large bi-colored beefsteak that is medium-high yielding and requires strong support. This is one that I feel like I'm pushing the limit with up here in the PacNW
Hillbilly (C,Q) - potato leaf bi-colored beefsteak that seems to be an earlier producer than Big Rainbow or Pineapple. This is a high yielding variety that requires strong supports
Mortgage Lifter (S) - very large beefsteak that requires strong supports. I haven't found it to be very high yielding, probably because we are pushing the limit on days to maturity in this climate, but you will get very large fruit
White Tomesol (T,C)* - this is a pretty pale yellow variety that produces heavy yields and does well in our area.
I did intentionally leave off Roma/Plums (besides Russian Lime) as I have really struggled with blossom end rot with them and I'm not currently growing any. I would recommend going with a hybrid if you choose to grow them.
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