Top 5 Tomato Varieties That Will THRIVE in Your Florida Garden-You Have to See #5!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 10 ก.พ. 2025
- In this exciting video, join me as I share my top 5 favorite tomato varieties that thrive in my garden! As a tomato enthusiast, I've experimented with numerous varieties, and these five have captured my heart. I'll dive into the challenges of growing tomatoes in Florida’s climates and reveal the best times to plant them for a bountiful harvest. Get ready to discover the unique characteristics and flavors of each variety, from the rich and tangy San Marzano to the sweet and petite Red Currant. We'll explore the story behind the Floradade tomato, a gem developed by the University of Florida. Whether you're a seasoned gardener or just starting out, this video will inspire you to try these amazing tomatoes in your own garden. Get ready for a tomato adventure like no other! Don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more gardening tips and delicious recipes using these fantastic tomato varieties. Let's dive into the world of tomatoes together!
Varieties
#1 San Marzano - paste tomato for sauces
#2 Red Currant - fresh eating, salads, pasta dishes
#3 Neptune - slicing and sauces
#4 Red Pear - sweet and tangy, very productive and multi use
#5 Floradade - tomato - determinate bush type

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Varieties
#1 San Marzano
#2 Red Currant
#3 Neptune
#4 Red Pear
#5 Floradade
I live in Southwest Florida and I have a completely different list. I agree with planting at the right time. We start our seeds in August, so they mature in December. Mostly determinates but also indeterminates as well. We do a huge amount of preserving/canning. Sauces, whole tomatoes, diced tomatoes, salsa, tomato puree, eating.
My list
Kewalo. A Hawaiian variety very juicy medium to large fruits. Globe shaped. Strong plant, prolific Determinate
Healani A Hawaiian variety. Medium size, meaty, juicy. Globe Strong plant prolific. Determinate
Dwarf Pink Passion. Medium size juicy, slightly less acidic. Oxheart, needs some extra support. Prolific. Determinate
Roma. A bullet proof tomato plant. Perfect for sauces. Easy to grow, plenty of fruit, strong plant Determinate.
Heatwave II. New plant. Slightly slower start, but catching up fast. Very bushy. Setting a lot of globe type tomatoes. Determinate.
Heatmaster. New plant. Slightly slow start, but caught up and is now going crazy. Tons of fruit set, extremely bushy. Determinate
Milano plumb. New plant. Not that great. Spindly, slow growing, not very many flowers. Determinate
Rutgers. Not the greatest. Second year trying and disappointing. Poor grower, small plants, not much to work with. Determinate
Moneymaker. New Plant. Crazy fast grower. Tons of smaller fruits, just keeps going. Indeterminate. 8 feet tall right now
Beefsteak. Unkown strain, package just said beefsteak. Growing strong, lots of fruit set. Strong [plant. Indeterminate
For cherry tomatoes, I just let the wild ones from the compost grow in the yard.
Failures from previous years
Boxcar Willie. Thumbs down. Terrible plants
Amish Paste Thumbs down, Poor producer, bushy plant but not much fruit set
Brandywine. Plants started out from seedlings o.k., but then declined. Never made it to maturity, but no signs of disease
Black Crim Very small fruit, very few fruit, poor taste
John Bear. Not worth the effort. A nothing plant, barely any tomatoes.
I do not by from big box stores because they all carry the exact same thing, since there is only one supplier.
All tomatoes with the exception of wild ones are grown in raised beds. I have managed to have tomatoes from December through April
I’ve grown the Roma and heatmaster before and liked them a lot too. I’m going to check out those Hawaiian varieties you mentioned. They sound interesting.
Lobe this list too. Just recently bought:
Anahu, arkansas Marvel, Atkinson, beams yellow pear, chocolate stripes, hawaiian currant n few more they are for hot tropical environment.
I got this from Tomatofest. Very lovely ppl..
I have had great success with the Cupid Hybrid cherry tomato from Totally Tomatoes. Easy to grow on a trellis, bug resistant, and a huge producer.
That sounds like a great choice! I’m always looking for new varieties to try.
I love the added recipe at the end of your video. Thank you!
Yay! I’m glad you liked it.
When you save the seeds they are already adapted for your environment. And they keep getting better for the same reason. I didn't learn that until recently.
It’s such a cool thing to experience
@Homegrown Florida and it's really not that hard to do. Enjoy the videos. Have a good summer in the a/c. This is my time for expansion. Hot work, but so worth it.
@@sonnyamoran7383 🥵 You are a tough one!
Nice list! Hope your summer is going well! 😊
Hi lady 👋 Summer is going good. You have to come by and see the natives. They all have done really well and I put the backyards one in too.
Thank You for listing them under your description….Took a snap shot & definitely going to try……I love my Everglades…..4th of July…..and Store bought vine that I saved seeds from 😉 produced really well so far….❤
I’m a sucker for those no name tomatoes 🍅.
Very good video. I also like Brichetto. I didn’t realize it was so easy to make. God bless you and your family. Duane.✝️🍅
And it’s so tasty! Blessings back to you and your family 🙏
Fantastic information. Thank you!
Glad you enjoyed it 💚
Thanks for this very comprehensive video. I have grown Neptune and Floradade, they are great, I have to try the others.
I'm glad I found your video. This was very helpful. And your recipe looks wonderful! I will definitely try this. Have a wonderful day!
Glad it was helpful!
Hi! thank you for TH-cam channel. I live in Puerto Rico in the interior at a low altitude (300ft) in a tropical climate. No frost or cold whatsoever. Summers (June through September) are very hot (91°/74°) and rainy. Winters are warm to moderately hot at daytime with mild to cool nights for three to four months (84°/66°) with dry weather making it ideal for growing vegetables especially tomatoes. Temperatures here are fairly constant and generally change slowly throughout the year. I had success growing tomatoes under a roof, such as a terrace or balcony (shielding from the rain and the midday sun) but allowing plenty of morning and afternoon sun to reach the plants. I only use heat tolerant varieties. I grow them in plastic containers sold for storage at hardware stores in a soil-less medium with constant dilute fertilizer and a flushing of just water once a week. They can also be grown in pots (5 gallon minimum). The fertilizer is either 20-20-20 with micronutrients (or a specific tomato fertilizer) with fish or seaweed emulsion added and epsom salts for the magnesium. I add just 1/4 tsp per gallon of each. Sometimes I add Superthrive supplement which adds vitamins but it can be left out. I use mycorrhiza inoculant and worm castings or other organic fertilizer at planting time (1/4 to 1/2 cup per plant). I plant one seedling per square foot. I put up a trellis to tie them up as they grow (it allows for good ventilation and avoids overcrowding). I prefer indeterminate varieties for this. I do prune suckers but leave some foliage. The vines grow very well and sometimes may reach several feet. I may pinch the plants at an early stage to encourage two or three main stems. I keep a close watch for diseased foliage which I eliminate immediately and for tomato hornworms or any other insect. I use an electric toothbrush (very delicately) on the blossom stems to aid in fertilizing the flowers. Tomato blossoms get pollinated by wind so shaking them at midday or early afternoon mimics that and greatly improves fruit set in hot conditions. Since the plants are in partial shade (which lowers their ambient temperature somewhat) the harvest is not as plentiful as if grown in full sun and in cooler seasons but you still get plenty of fresh ripe tomatoes from the garden even in sweltering tropical heat. Priceless!!! BTW we are a tad cooler than Florida in summer 😂 and there is usually a constant breeze (the so-called trade winds) which help cool the plants further. In the event of a hurricane you can move the plants indoors to protect them. This method has worked for me and gets me fresh tomatoes and other vegetables and herbs during the tropical summer. It is a bit tedious but well worth the effort. The key is the overhead protection. They do require extra care because the heat increases the insects and diseases. Since the plants do not get wet, the risk of foliar diseases drops considerably. I do apply a mulch cover to the soil. I only water the medium not the foliage. Happy gardening.
Thank you. Such great detail 😊
I'm taking notes. Come fall I'll be ready & know what to plant. My tomatoes are still giving me a few tomatoes, I've been picking them green, like you suggested, to avoid splitting, with all this rain we've been having. I love watching your videos, I learn so much & am becoming a better gardener. Thanks again
That’s awesome. I’m so happy to hear that.
Flora-dade (developed in Homestead, Dade County Florida) tomatoes are great for the heat down here in 10a.
It’s one of my favorite!
Im in 10a also. When should I sow them?
Love all the great information. I agree with the tiny ones peeling when you pull them off the stem, I think mine are a wild Texas cherry, I love the taste. I’ll try the currant ones next year.
The little ones are so tasty!
@@HomegrownFloridaZ9a I would like more info about saving seeds, I put them on foil, they dry well, I never know which ones can be saved and can’t.
Good idea. Just tomatoes or other veggies and flowers?
Thank you for the list! Been wanting a larger tomato to grow here in florida. The marzannos sound perfect!
So glad it was helpful!
Like done 👍
Wooow nothing but respect
I want to garden so badly. Its been years!!!!! I graduate in December from nursing; however, i love my garden!!!!
I’m totally addicted to mine!
Thanks, Petrina. I'm gonna rewind the video and listen again so I can write down the names of these tomatoes.
If you end up growing them, let me know what you think.
I just added the names to the description too. 💚
Great video! Was wondering if you tried growing the red current through the summer heat?
I did and it held out the longest but it tapped out late July.
You have added at least two tomatoes to my fall planting list! I have to throw my San Marzano seeds into a compost pile and see how they do; all the babying in seed trays with humidity domes just make them wilt. I have not grown anything bigger than a plum type tomato, so Florade next, though Neptune should do well in the fall, too.
You have to do a seed giveaway raffle on those pear tomatoes; they look nothing like mine (from UF/IFAS), and are 2-3 times as big! A new Petrina Pear Tomato! And thanks for that yummy snack idea. I think I will chicken out, and rub the garlic piece over the toast or use roasted garlic, but looks scrumptious with those halved current tomatoes!
OMG I love it. Petrina Pear Tomato 🍅 Believe it or not the garlic wasn’t too bad but I’m a big garlic fan so maybe that just my crazy garlic 🧄 taste buds 🤣
Thank you for your informative video definitely a thumbs up can you give us some advice where to purchase the Florida tomato the red current and the San Marzano
Southern exposure should have both of them along with many more. Tomato fest is pretty cool too.
Beautiful tomatoes. What zone are you in?
I was 9a but I’m now 9b with the new planting zones
Thank you. We been 9b now 10. 😄
Been looking for a video like this for so long! Thank you!! I have some floridade seeds that I can't wait to try in the fall! Have you had any sucess with cucumbers?
Yes! My two favorites are Boston pickling and sweet success. I have a couple videos on growing cucumbers 🥒 Check them out 💚
@@HomegrownFloridaZ9a Sweet I will definitely check that out! Thank you!
I got a late start this year, I am just potting up my seedlings. I am growing 14 different varieties, that said most of the plants will be Floradade. Im in south alabama so zone 8, hot humid, and big rain. I am hoping to get them in ground by mid June and just try to nurse them along but we shall see😂 great video!!
Definitely keep me updated on how it goes. I’d love to hear the progress.
Quick question - I’m growing Floridade and Everglades tomatoes. Do I need to replant them after they die off? Also, when do they die off? Zone 10a. Thank you!!!!!
They will probably start showing signs of not pollinating or disease soon. Maybe next month. You can let them keep going even after that to get the remaining fruit to ripen. I would wait till Aug/Sept before starting the next round of tomatoes. Give them a break during the hottest part of the year.
@@HomegrownFloridaZ9aI just planted them 😳😳
I’ve got seedling started, and I just put them in the ground this morning. They were super, super slow to takeoff. I actually planted them in my nursery last September, and they are finally big enough to transplant now. So I just put them all in the ground.
Did I screw up?? Also, thank you so much for the help and the advice. I absolutely love your videos. ❤
Wow, they took a long time to grow up. Were you fertilizing them? Normally planting them out this late in the season could cause them to have some trouble with setting fruit because the flowers don’t like to be pollinated when the temperatures get into the 90s. But since you already have them, you might as well let them grow and see what happens. You Never know, they might takeoff and surprise you.
@@HomegrownFloridaZ9a I used bloodmeal and composted mulch… But they actually didn’t start to really Grow until I took them out of all of that and just put them directly in sand 😂🤦🏼♀️
I made that change about two weeks ago, and they grew from 1 inch tall to 4 inches tall… In two weeks.
Thank you for the advice. Praying for the best for these plants!
And I’m super sorry, but I’ve got one last question. Do you need to replant them every year? Or will they come back? we are in Southwest Florida, zone 10 A, so we do not get any freezes.
@@aubreyburkhart9376you will need to plant them each year. They are annuals. I would suggest giving your seedlings a liquid fertilizer when they are young. The bloodmeal takes a long time to break down for them to use it which is probably what happened.
I tried Florade this year and love them! Will add your suggestions for the fall. When would you start tomato seeds indoors for the fall planting?
If you are in North Florida, start in July, Central August, and South in September. I usually start them inside and then put them in the shade outside once they sprout.
I been having great success from the Parks Wopper tomatoes up here in Augusta GA,I have 40 percent sun shades install over a 45' x 60' multiple raised bedded area..and 1800 gal rain water storage available,,they do pretty good against the heat up here,no specis I have found does not do good ,against the intense heat and uv rays ,you have to sun shade your plants if you want to extend your growing season till Dec Jan ,I have tomatoes setting and flowering and harvesting till first freeze up here and sometimes longer if I cover the plants
Do you have any trouble with blight? Besides heat, mine usually get fungal diseases with the rains. Maybe the shade cloth helps reduce the amount of rain too?
#1 San Marzano-paste tomato (sauces)
#2 Red Current-fresh eating, salads, pasta dishes
#3 Neptune-slicing and sauces
#4 pear tomato-red or yellow, sweet and tangy, very productive and multi-use
#5 Floraide tomato-bush type
I should have taken your advice on picking before the rains, all my San Mazonos split 😢
Can I copy your list for my description? You summarized them so perfectly
@@HomegrownFloridaZ9a of course! Fix the spelling! 😄
Thanks so much!
Love heat tolerant tomatoes. Do you grow other varieties in fall? I’m in SE Louisiana and this will be my first year attempting tomatoes in fall so I’m curious if your varieties change with the “cooler” season
Great question! They do change with fall. I mainly focus on the fastest growing tomatoes for fall so I can get a quick harvest in before frost. This year I think I’m going to do it a little different and grow some dwarf varieties in pots so I can protect them.
Hmm, I'm surprised that you have difficulty growing basil in FL, seems like that would be the perfect environment for it to grow.
It’s hit or miss for me. Lots of folks down here grow it well. It just doesn’t always like me.
Do you have a video on when to start the tomatoe seeds for fall planting or do you just sow them right into the ground?
I have a playlist for tomatoes on my channel that shows one of the east ways how I start them but I do mainly seeds into trays. At the start of every month I do a video on exactly what I’m starting including tomatoes. There is a playlist for that too. Check them out and let me know if you have any questions
@@HomegrownFloridaZ9a Thank you...I sure will check them out. Your the best!
I start my fall tomato seeds first week of August
My very favorite is beefsteak. How well do they do here in central florida?
I haven’t had any luck with them yet but I’m going to test growing them through the winter to see if I have better luck.
Can you share where to buy these seeds. I know about San Marino is in the urban harvest but not the others
I get them from different places like flgardening.com, thurbanharvest.com and MIGardener.com
@@HomegrownFloridaZ9a thanks
I checked my seeds and I have three out of five sweet!
Yay!
Can you recommend a good cherry-type tomato that can be container-grown?
I’m growing the large red cherry in a container right now and it’s doing well. If you are looking for a dwarf variety, maybe tiny Tim
@@HomegrownFloridaZ9a Thank you, you're always so helpful. When should I start them? I have little grow domes that I can set on the screened porch or should I bring them in and set them on the window? I have a weird growing layout. The back of my house (kitchen window) gets about 4hr of morning sun and then shade the rest of the day. The screen room gets no sun until sunset.
@@justmeinflorida33542 now is the perfect time to start them. I start mine outside but you can definitely start them inside by the window but once they sprout, get them outside so they can get at least 6 hours of direct sunlight otherwise they could get leggy and weak
@@HomegrownFloridaZ9a Thank you! I wish I could hire you for one on one advice I'm so lost lol! I've had Aquaponics and indoor Hydroponics but dirt is different to me. Everything dies! The "dirt" here is so weird. I'm using grow bags and grow beds right now.
@@justmeinflorida33542 I just started offering consultations. If your interested, here’s the link to schedule - calendly.com/petrinahomegrownflorida/gardenconsultation
When do you start the seeds for fall vegetables . Do you start seeds indoors?
For Florida zone 9a, I start my fall warm season crops in August and my cold season crops late September.
I watch you harvest many crops before the summer heat..so do you start your summer crops from seed indoors and when do you do it. I seem to wait too long and not able to harvest in time before the heat . I’m in 9b. Any info would be awesome. Thank you❤️
@@kthorsen100 I categorize crops in to three types: cold, warm, and hot summer crops. The ones that I’m harvesting now are actually my warm season crops like tomatoes, squashes beans, and corn. I start most of those in February or March. For true summer crops, I start those anywhere from late April to June. Those are things like sweet potatoes, lima beans tropical spinaches and roselle.
@@kthorsen100 I have a garden planter e-book that’s free in the description of my videos. At the end of the book there is planting charts for each of the seasons to show exactly when I start them and when I harvest them if you want to take a look at that. .
Thank you I will look at that. Love your show❤️❤️❤️❤️
I have a Better Boy plant that I was trying to put outside, but it kept wilting. Now I know why. it's too hot outside. 🔥. I've been trying to harden them to outside in shade they still wilt. 😅 My wife says I love them too much, just leave alone she says. NOPE, they'll bake in this heat.
Haha I feel your pain. If you can hold them out until September, start putting them outside at night as a way to harden them off.
I used the San Marzano. It marginally produce and died! I have husky cherry that are producing now but the bottom of the plant are already starting to die...all the leaves are dead!
DO YOU HAVE SEEDS TO SHARE ?
I did a free seed giveaway for Everglades last month in my monthly “what to grow” video but I’ll have to do another one with one of these. Stay tuned.
I don't understand - why are u picking them when green?
Pests, wildlife will eat them
Why do you pick the green tomatoes?
We just had a really big storm that dropped a lot of rain so I pick them green to avoid them splitting from the excessive water. Then I just let them ripen on the counter
The Italians say brusketta
I should know that, lol. My grandfather is disappointed in me right now 🤣
why arent you talking about tomatillio? arent they in the tomato family
They are in the same family but taste pretty different. They definitely grow really well right now. Mine are producing like crazy!
@Homegrown Florida I'm sooo jealous.. my plant is 6 weeks old...not mature yet!. you'll need to make a salsa dish...cant wait!
@@lmphashby I’m totally going to do that. I’m thinking about leaving it chunky versus blended like traditional salsa verde. So it’s more like a pico
@Homegrown Florida Yesssss! great idea I love it that way....its super good on breast of chicken or fish...
Not sure why you pick them green
In my area, pests are pretty extreme and splitting from the torrential downpours cause them to split so I always pull them early and let them ripen inside.
@@HomegrownFloridaZ9a I was wondering the same thing. Won’t they sweeten more on the vine? Or is that a myth?
@@MikeB_2112 yes, they will taste a bit better. Usually there isn’t a flavor difference if you let them get at least 50% ripe on the vine.
@@MikeB_2112It's a myth. Best is to let them start to turn maybe 30% pinkish and the rest green. Then pick. They will taste the same as fully vipe on the vine. If you wait, bird, bugs and weather will destroy them.
My red pears are flavorless
Have you been getting a lot of rain lately? That can sometimes be the cause.
Thank you so much! I'm feeling a lot more confident with my attempts to do gardening in central Fl. Wish you would write a book with a schedule of when, where and how to plant and grow in what soil in central Fl. I would be one of your very first buyers. 💯🍅🍍🫑🥕🍆🥒🧄🧅🥗 Oh, and maybe include some of your recipes too orrrr....write a recipe book as well.
Yay! I actually am working on a book now. It’s probably going to take me a bit to get it completed but it’s my goal to include all those things. I’ll keep you updated