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Top 10 Tomato Varieties to Grow For A Profitable Tomato farming Business
Are you aware that there are lots of tomato varieties that you can grow for a profitable tomato farming business? Tomatoes have a lot of varieties that you can choose from, it varies from its color, shape, size. And if you want to be productive in your tomato farming business, you must know the best tomato varieties that complement the growing condition of your garden/farm.
Have you always wanted to go into tomato farming but don’t know the varieties of tomatoes to choose? Then worry no more, this article will give you guidance on various tomato varieties we have and you can choose the one to grow.
Types of Tomato
There are two distinct types of tomatoes you need to know before you decide to pick the varieties of tomato to plant, we have; determinate vs indeterminate tomato and hybrid vs heirloom tomato.
1. Determinate Vs Indeterminate Tomato
The variety of tomato is distinguished by their growth, we have some tomato that their growth is like a vine (indeterminate) while some growth are like bush (determinate)
Indeterminate Tomato
They are tomato plants that have a vine-like growth, the tomato plants of this type continue to grow and set new flowers and fruits for the entire season of their growth and disease is one of the major impact that affects their growth. These tomatoes:
- They continue to ripe all through their growing season
- They have more leaf and this makes them more palatable
- They are tall with about 6 – 10 feet
- They need to be pruned
- They need support for their growth like using stick as their stake
Determinate Tomato
These tomatoes are a type of tomato with a bushy growth but they stop growing after producing ripe fruits and they’ve grown to a size. These plants have a short harvest lifespan. These tomatoes:
- They grow to about 3 – 6 feet
- They have more fruits than leaf which makes them less palatable
- They don’t need to be pruned
- They don’t need stake for their growth process.
2. Hybrid Vs Heirloom Tomato
The variety of tomato is also classified by how human intervened in their development/growth.
Heirloom Tomato
This type of varieties has been grown from generations to generations as farmers usually save seed from their tomato plants to grow again in their next planting season, these tomato have a lifespan of 50 years. These tomatoes:
- Their seed can be saved and planted again the next planting season and they will still produce the same variety of tomato
- Tomato farmers choose them mainly because of their shape, colour, flavour and history
Hybrid Tomato
These varieties of tomato are done by botanists by crossing different varieties of tomatoes to produce new varieties of tomatoes with specific characteristics of the original plants using hand pollination. These tomatoes:
- To grow hybrid tomato every year their seed needs to be bought.
- These varieties are crossed by different varieties to produce new varieties with distinct characteristics
The top 10 Tomato Varieties to Grow
Tomatoes need sunlight daily at least for 6 -8 hours, and the soil for planting them must be a sandy loam soil. After transplanting tomatoes from the nursery to the farm/garden they start producing between 50 – 70 days. You need to consider the following tomato variety for to grow on your farm/garden:
1. Cherokee Purple
It’s an indeterminate type of tomato that does not produce many tomatoes but it has a great flavour. It’s flavour is rich and sweet although it’s not too sweet, it’s great for snacking for those that love eating fresh tomatoes and also used for tomato sauce or soup. The texture of cherokee purple is so smooth. The soil type for growing cherokee purple is sandy loam soil and it takes about 80 days to mature.
2. Sun gold
This is also an indeterminate tomato. They are sweet but at its peak of maturity, it’s great for those that don’t really like tomatoes and it can be made into pasta sauce. It has a smooth texture but full of seed, their soil type is also sandy loam soil and it takes 55 – 65 days to mature.
3. Black Cherry
It is a hybrid type of tomato with a smooth texture and rich and sweet flavour. Black cherry has a striking feature because of its colour, the plant has a great growth and is ready for harvest between 50 – 68 days.
4. Sunrise Bumblebee
This hybrid tomato has a sweet taste. They are easy to grow and they have a yellow like colour with a touch of pink. They can also be eaten raw for those that love eating fresh tomatoes because of their sweetness.
5. Roma
It’s an indeterminate type of tomato that can be made as tomato pasta sauce. Its soil type is also sandy loam soil and it needs 75 – 90 days to
mature. This type of tomato is productive and disease resistant, it’s great for pasta sauce due to its low water content.
6. Kelloggs Breakfast
It belongs to the heirloom category and they produce more tomatoes than other heirloom tomatoes. These tomatoes are also resistant to disease, their flavour is rich and sweet with a smooth and juicy texture. Their seed can also be saved for another planting season.
7. Eva Purple Ball
This tomato variety is one of heirloom type with a great taste. It can also be eaten fresh and also resistant to diseases, it can withstand high temperature and humidity and it has a smooth texture also.
8. Brandywine
It is an indeterminate type of tomato with a sweet and sour taste and a very smooth appearance and can be eaten raw.
9. Green Giant
It’s a hybrid type of tomato with a smooth texture and balanced flavour. It takes about 75 days to reach maturity.
10. Blue Beauty Tomato
It is an indeterminate type of tomato with a firm fruit and a long shelf life. This type of tomato is productive and the colour is somewhat blue/purple due to anthocyanin antioxidants present in it.
Conclusion
Tomato varieties vary in taste and their growing condition differs because a tomato that is productive in one farm may not be productive in another farm. Tomato varieties are also different from colour to shape, and size and their types are determinate and indeterminate, and heirloom and hybrid. But when it comes to growing tomatoes you must know the growing condition of your farm, the type you want to grow and the soil type for your tomato.
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