Thanks for the kind words! I really appreciate that! I figure if a person is kind enough to watch my video and leave a comment, I can be kind enough to respond to it.
Arin from Game Grumps pointed me to this video, and I’ve gotta say, your tomato opinions are excellent. My current favorite is the Pink Mortgage Lifter. The absolute best BLT tomato, especially with Kewpie mayo! Glad I made my way here.
Thanks for stopping by! Mortgage Lister is a pretty good tomato. A BLT sounds really good. We might just use some of our last tomatoes to make some BLTs this weekend.
One of my favorites is the German pink. My Dad started saving seeds from these in 1953. I’m still saving the seeds but I found an old medicine bottle of his that had some old seeds that he had saved so I thought I would give them a try. I now have 4 beautiful plants from those seeds.
I think that is awesome that you have some seeds that your dad saved! I wish I had some of my dad's seeds. I did get some flower seeds from my mom though. The nice thing about saving seeds in a family for that long is that you sometimes great a slightly different strain from the original. You might have something unique there.
That is a great tomato! I didn't do them this year and wish now that I had. I've got a pink brandywine that's making me giggle tho. I'll make it till next year. :)
One time I purchased some heirloom tomatoes. One was bright orange, meaty, and had almost a pumpkiny taste. Later that day I realized it was a persimmon.
1. Cherokee Purple - only grew well for me one year out of several in the Chicagoland area, but the taste is amazing 2. Brandywine - same as above lol 3. Amana Orange - grows large - not quite as balanced as the two above (more sweet than those), thin skin can be peeled by hand if you like. Wonderful flavor 4. White Tomesol - not much more to say than what you already mentioned - a pleasant surprise for all who try it 5. Black Krim - Dark tomatoes are so rich, and this one grows large fruit in a determinate fashion
That's a really nice list, Bill! Thanks for sharing it with us along with the additional information on each. I don't think you can go wrong with that list. Since we seem to have similar taste in tomatoes, you might try Rosella Purple and Boronia dwarf tomatoes. If I had to do this list again, I think Rosella Purple would make my top 5 for sure now.
I came here to scoff at your top tomato choice. Then I was surprised to find it was also my top choice. Congratulations on having the right opinion!I'm growing White Tomesol for the first time this year, so I'm glad to hear that someone with such good taste has endorsed it.
Lol, thanks :) The White Tomesol was amazing for us one year, and not so much the next. I hope yours does great for you, because the amazing taste coming from a white tomato kind of blew our minds.
Thank you, old-timer! This is what youtube needs more of! I plan on starting a youtube channel when I retire. I want to share the knowledge and life lessons I've learned in my life. I think it's the responsible thing to do for future generations. Thank you again! I love tomatoes!
Thanks for the discussion!! My wife and I just got into gardening and have been blown away by the flavor of home grown tomatoes and are looking for more varieties!
You're in for a very amazing journey, Jonathan. It might be late for this year, but I've really become interested in dwarfs from the dwarf tomato project. You and your wife might check those out. Two I really like are Boronia and Rosella Purple.
Got to try this, big slab of cherokee purple, slice of Vidalia, onion over thick cut bacon, mayo, little salt, lots of black pepper on toasted bread, absolutely delicious
My absolute favorite thus far is the Cherokee Purple. I grew one a few years ago and when I tasted it, it blew me away! They have just been a little temperamental and don't seem to produce as much as I would like.
Mine were very productive last year but i used organic liquid fertilizer with mostly phosphor and cutting all the succkers before they were inch long... this year i was not so attentive doing that and of course no yelds
Mushroom compost and minimizing fresh wood mulch (that can lock up nitrogen and other nutrients in the soil, making them inaccessible to the plants) is the key. Potassium (from Kelp, Algae, and Fish Emulsion) and Calcium (Bone and Fish meal) are also essential nutrients.
Love this video and reading through the comments! My favorite tomatoes by taste: 1. Big Rainbow 2. Cherokee Purple 3. Black Krim 4. Pineapple 5. Cherokee Pink
Thanks for sharing your favorites! That's a really nice list. It makes me want a ripe tomato. Yes, a lot can be learned in the comment section of this video.
Here is my list for this year: 5.Valencia, 4. Prudens Purple, 3. Cherokee Purple, 2. Brandywine Red, 1. Paul Robeson. My favorite cherry tomato is Sun Sugar.
Grew Sun sugar and cherokee last year. Growing them again this year and I added Brandywine. I think I'll pick up some german green seeds today. I passed on them, but after this video I'll go back and get them.
I have really enjoyed the Brandywine Reds. I think I need to add the Cherokee Purples to the rotation as I keep hearing them mentioned among peoples favorites. Thanks for posting.
I noticed also that Cherokee purple has a hard time setting fruit, possibly because the flowers are diploid or doubled. I started using the electronic toothbrush trick and quadrupled the fruit set. Very satisfying to see the puff of pollen and know it is producing a fruit.
@@glenbaird5304 I think I saw it on the rusted Gardner vlog. Just lightly touch the electric tooth brush to the blossom stems and watch a puff of pollen escape. Almost guaranteed to produce a fruit. Heirloom varieties often have double and triple blooms producing odd shaped tomatoes. This trick works on all types.
I went my entire life only eating Walmart tomatoes and was sworn I didn't like tomatoes. But then I met my current partner whose family is very into gardening so I got to try home grown tomatoes and I haven't had a full 5 year but my top two are the sun golden and tiny Tim.
I've tried Tiny Tim, but my favorite cherry tomato is a variety called Cherry Fountain. I grew it in a railing pot and it only got about 2' (just let it drape over the side), and had heavy yields of golf ball sized tomatoes
I'm in sw mo near joplin. Right now I have a dozen or so varieties in, that many to go. I usually settle around 200 plants with extremely high yields. My 2 year old daughter fell asleep on my lap watching this with me. She happens to be the biggest tomato fan I've even known. Soil construction will effect tomatoes as it does a good wine. Good well water and lots of conversations "mostly one way" with the plants lol; makes them grow well! Great vid..
Thanks a bunch, Russell. Awesome that your daughter was watching the video with you! That's a lot of tomatoes you grow. If I had that many, I wouldn't get anything else done, just looking at them, lol. Yep, those one way conversations don't hurt. I'm familiar with sw mo. I spent a bunch of summers south of you.....down the corner of the state. I still have some pretty special memories of the area.
Until I had tasted heirloom tomatoes I never realized how bad the store-bought crap really is. When you design your food product to be sold rather than eaten all the emphases goes into finding the best way to make a profit off it rather than what it tastes like... getting it to ripen at the same time, something that is similar in size and shape for packaging, something that won't sustain damage (loss) in transport. My favorites are Lucky Cross, Sun Gold, Mexico Midget, and Cherokee Chocolate. Stay safe.
Like you, we have too many favorites, and the annual variations in weather conditions has an affect on the production. Our top five have to be Cherokee Purple, Mortgage Lifter, German Pink, Black Krim and Yellow Pear (salad variety). This year we are getting some incredible Bradley’s and Rutgers, and we planted a non-heirloom called simply “Slicing” from Bonnie Plants. Almost every tomato from that fine is 120z to just over a pound. With a purplish red center, very tender but full “meat” with fairly low jelly and seed content, and with a nice thin skin, they are this years favorite sandwich tomato. I finally read up on pruning, proper soil care and amendments this year off season and spent the time to double dig in February and again in March before planting. I’m amending with a classic 5/1 browns to greens compost, with some ash and charcoal from our oyster pit, some coffee grounds and eggshell. Also adding some organic fertilizer to the soil mix before planting and adding about a 3tbls per plant during the initial fruiting cycle. And adding dried eggshell thats been ground in a mortar and pestle or a blender to the base of each plant around the drip line several times during the season. I prune aggressively to eliminate the suckers, and the bottom 14 inches of sun leaves. We did not mulch this year but will mulch with straw next year. We have been abundantly blessed with tons of tomatoes, sometimes 20 or more a day that are ripe or ripening. We have put up six big batches of marinara, several of meat sauce, and the best part, given so many bags away to friends. My wife loves to put three really nice tomatoes, a big bunch of fresh basil and a ball of mozzarella in a bag and take it to neighbors and friends for a “Caprese kit”. I could not find any Cherokee Purple starter sets until June, so we are watching that fruit grow and prepare to ripen now in early August. Can’t wait for the first slice, but we have not suffered while waiting. I love getting my hands in our nice soil, offering prayers of thanks and praise to our gracious Father in Heaven for his grace and providence and for each beautiful day, even while the world seems intent on tearing itself apart.
Thanks for sharing your list of favorites and how you care for them. Some sound care tips there. We love sharing our tomatoes too. It's always interesting to hear back from folks who have never tried heirlooms before. It can be an eye opening experience. I'm glad that you are thankful for your many blessing also :) Feeling pretty blessed here too.
Both my sister and I grew yellow pear tomatoes last year and our experiences were identical. We had extremely vigorously growing vines and plants that wanted to take over the whole tomato bed, with copious, extremely large productions of a fruit about an inch and a half long and the taste and texture were terrible. All of the fruit had almost no taste and were dry and pithy inside. I let most of mine rot on the vine because they weren’t even very good in pasta sauces since they didn’t break down at all and we’re just odd, flavorless chunks. It was a shame because multiple seed vendors describe the yellow pear as being insanely productive, and that was the only thing they got right about the variety. Sadly, I got almost no production out of two different Black Krims that I grew from seeds from two different suppliers, my Cherokee Purple, and both pink and regular Berkeley Tie-Dye varieties. I still have some black Krim and Cherokee purple seeds and I I am trying them again this year.
Missouri grower… 1. Sungold cherry tomato was my best tasting last year and there really was not a close second for flavor. Also prolific and no disease. Did tend to split after a hard rain. 2. Brandywine Pink was second. Fairly low yield and late disease pressure. 3. Cherokee Purple was ok but not real productive and lost to late blight. 4. Sugar Rush red cherry. Prolific, disease free and nice taste. 5. Japanese Black Trifle. Good production, disease tolerant, and produced late into season. A milder version of Cherokee purple but still good flavor.
I'm with you. Black Krim is tops. Following would be Cherokee Purple but I also got poor production. Before I found these my longtime favorite has been Belgian Giant
I like your list Charles. That Belgian Giant is a really good tomato too. I had about 6 or 7 that were just out of the top 5. It was really kind of hard to choose.
I grew a bunch of Giant Belgium Pink but we had late snows, Frost's and cold temps and couldn't get a lot of them planted. I do have a couple, though. Hope they're good. They grew big, fast!
I am growing about 20 different varieties this year, but some I grow year after year just because their taste is fantastic!! Favorites are: 1. Black from Tula, 2. Hillbilly, 3. Hawaiian Pineapple, 4. Boondocks, 5. Kellogg's Breakfast. Also love the oxheart varieties as they are so meaty for sauces. Good luck everyone with your harvests this year!!
I’m new to tomato & pepper growing. I experimented this year with hydroponics. So I started most everything in it. Then planted out. 1)Yellow pear-3 growing & fruiting. 2)lemon drop-3 growing & fruiting 3)Sunsugar 4)Pink Brandywine 4)Purple Cherokee 5)Black Krim 6)Red Cherry I’ve eaten lots of lemon drops n yellow pear and love them. Have red, yellow, purple & green bell plants out. Jalapeños too. I’m growing in-ground/upside down in bottles & in soil/containers. Just assuming failures or disease. Cucumbers have been good. Also zucchini. The heat is intense this year.
In my two decades of gardening or so, I've grown more varieties than I can remember, but every year I grow some familiar varieties as well as try out a few new ones. Every year I grow red cherry and yellow pear because they are much hardier usually and yield more fruit for less work than the big tomatoes. I love the taste of Cherokee purple, but the plants seem disease prone and heat-intolerant with low yield. Black Krim and Black from Tula have that really nice salty taste that enhances the perception of the sugars, and I think that, similar to you, Black Krim has been the best tasting tomato I've grown. I only grew it 2 or 3 years though, because it also doesn't take heat well, and yields seemed low. Last year, I had great success with a local Carolina heat-tolerant variety called Marion, great yields really early, sometimes 25-30 tennis ball size fruits from each plant in just a 5 gal bucket. The one downside is that they are determinate, but I just try to plant them in succession as they are heat tolerant and produce through the summer. I also tried black cherry, which was really pretty but took forever to produce and ripen. I love green zebra, but the seed seems expensive and or uncommon. Crimson Cushion beefsteak is beautiful and delicious, prob ranks as my number 3 in taste behind Krim and Cherokee. I also tried a microtom variety last year, the plants were kinda wild looking with thin stems that reached 10-12 feet in length and produced literally a thousand or more tomatoes on one plant, but they were all the size of blueberries and I decided it was just too much work to pick them, so I won't be growing those again. Pineapple pole tomatoes were supposed to be my new experimental variety this year. Currently, I just have red cherry and yellow pear, and have been losing a lot of plants to flooding recently, so it's looking like not a lot of tomatoes this year. Maybe I'll try some in the fall, but usually disease pressure is too high until late October or so, so the fall season for tomatoes is really short for me. Tomatoes are pretty hard to grow in my swampy humid garden, so I tend to focus on disease resistance, heat tolerance, and yield more than taste, just because I'd rather have a lot of any homegrown tomato rather than a small amount of the caviar of tomato. Even the worst tasting varieties of homegrown tomato are still an order of magnitude better than the best tasting store bought tomatoes. Not to mention, I've been trying to do this zen thing where I don't eat any tomatoes or tomato products after my last harvest in December, that way when my first tomatoes are ready to harvest in April, I'm really really hungry for them and they all just taste great! Looking forward to seeing more of your videos! have a good May! cheers
Thanks a bunch for all of the detailed information. I really do appreciate that! Not only do I find it interesting, but my guess is that lots of other folks who find this video will find it interesting too. Of the ones you mentioned, the Marion peaked my interest the most. We get some pretty serious heat some summers here. We had one year here when we had over 50 days that got over 100 degrees. That is the only year that I ever had as a gardener when I just gave up on my garden. I hope we don't have a year like that again any time soon. I might have to read up on the Marion variety and put that on my list of tomatoes to maybe grow some day.
@@MidwestGardener Wow, 50 days over 100 F, that does sound awful. There's some modern hybrid tomato varieties out of Florida that might tolerate those conditions. We had 100 degree days in May last year and a few 90 degree days in March this year. When it starts getting over 100, I don't bother with tomatoes. But no need to give up on the whole garden. There's folks in Phoenix that garden all summer and I've watched some of their videos about cultural practices like shade planting and heavy irrigation and mulch. There's some varieties of peppers, eggplant, cowpea, noodle beans, yardlong beans, watermelon, cucumber, flour corn, and okra that, while they won't be happy at 100 F, they will handle it and still produce as long as there's consistent watering. Okra is really the king of the triple digit temperatures. Also, some tropical plants that are grown in India and Africa can do well in those temperatures, like malabar spinach. Hopefully this year will be less extreme! Thanks and cheers
Yep, you just have to roll with whatever comes to your area. You're right about okra. That stuff love the heat. I planted some malabar spinach just a few days ago. I'm with you, hoping for no extremes. Here's to hoping we both have a great gardening year!
Last year was my first year as a gardener. I only grew Chadwick Cherry. This year My journey to find my favorite tomato, pepper, okra and spinach substitute begins. I’m so excited. I can’t wait to taste everything. For tomatoes I’ll be growing Barry’s Crazy Cherry, Isis Candy, Mexico Midget, Paul Robeson, Wyche’s Yellow, Hillbilly Potato Leaf, Orange Paruche, Japanese Trifele & Cherokee Purple. I’m going to eat my weight in Tomatoes, time to get serious about cardio 3x a week, haha. It’s gonna be awesome. BTW, I love the way you describe the tomatoes and your reasoning for your likes.
Thanks a bunch! If you're new to gardening, I would say that you are going to be in tomato heaven this summer, judging by your list. There are some really nice ones on there. Enjoy!!
the best tomato I ever had was growing randomly in a landscaped area next to a college cafeteria in western NC. it was bright pink and was like nothing I've ever had. one of my biggest regrets in life is not saving seeds from that plant. I can't really describe it but it was next level from any other tomato's I've ever had. the plant was loaded with extremely pink and fragrant super sweet fruits at about a pound and a half a piece. Anyway, I was young and foolish and let it slip away. With that said my 5 favorite tomato varieties are the following, specifically when they are at their peak performance. 1) German pink 2) pineapple 3) Paul Robeson 4) German Johnson 5) Cherokee purple honorable mention: coyote is my favorite cherry tomato but I do think of cherry and grape tomatoes much different than the beefsteaks which are more of what we are discussing here.
Thanks for sharing your list and the story of a great one lost, Rodney! That makes me wonder how many great tasting tomatoes have been lost over just the last few decades from just not saving a few seeds.....oh well, water under the bridge. That's a nice list you have!
@@carolschedler3832 I grow pink brandywine a every year and yes they are absolutely delicious; however, whatever I found growing back in 1999 was different than anything I've seen.
Rodney, you know you've led a pretty trouble free life if one of your biggest regrets is not having saved seeds from a particularly delicious tomato variety! I also suspect the growing conditions at that place and time were a big contributor to the success that plant experienced. I grew some cherry tomatoes this year called Bronze Torch. They are a beautiful variegated color, coppery red and green streaks when ripe which look a little like a flame paint job. They were far and away my best producers this year (2022). Happy I planted them, and will definitely bring them back next year. I definitely saved seeds from this variety.
My favorite tomato for the past 20 years has been Dr. Wyche's Yellow. Big, meaty yellow beefsteak slicers that are low acid, but still have that great, old-fashioned tomato flavor. Absolutely the best for BLTs and tomato and mayonnaise sandwiches.
Thank you for the video. Black krim has been my favorite for taste and yield in 7a. I would love to see an additional video with cherry tomatoes. Happy gardening.
I tried growing some of your favorites this summer. Loved the Black Krim, Brandy Wine and German Green. Brandy Wine was not a big producer for me but good. I think Black Krim is my new favorite close second is a Pineapple tomato. Thank you for your suggestions.
My favorite tomatoes so far: Brandywine, Pruden's purple, Matt's Wild Cherry, Sungold, Carbon, Virginia Sweet, Suncherry, Red currant, New Big Dwarf, Big Beef, Dr. Wychee's Yellow
I grew Black Krim for maybe three years. The first year it wasn't very productive but the flavor was just the perfect balance of sweet, tart, and fruity. The next couple of years, the weather and the varmints didn't cooperate and I didn't get a one. Might be worth trying again.
Yes, it sure might be worth another try. At least you know what to expect if you do get one. We had quite a time with opossums eating our tomatoes this year.
@@micah1754 There's no black creme tomatoes. The black Krim seeds are selling widely on Ebay, and it's inexpensive. Even the Green zebra variety that someone said on here its seeds expensive, is selling cheaply on Ebay and Amazon, only a few bucks each package. The only tomato variety that's expensive and hard to find is the hybrid honeycomb, an improved version of the Sun gold variety, since unlike Sun gold, this honeycomb variety is crack resistance. The honeycomb seeds only selling by one or 2 sellers on Ebay and they are probably fake seeds.
This is the first year that I have grown the Black Krim, and it replaced Cherokee Purple as my favorite tomato. I'm definitely going to save some seeds.
What is the difference between the two and which was more prolific and disease -resistant.for you? I grew Cherokee Purple this year and they are STILL not ripe. Looks like I will end the season with only 5 or 6 ripened in the end. 😢. Am starving for good tomatos. Only my cherry tomatos did well. I learned a lot, am grateful for what I got, counting on 2024 to be a MUCH better year. 😊
5. Big Boy (It grows well in my garden) 4. Burpees Black Cherry (One year I grew these and it produced a lot of very tasty tomatoes. I grew it one time since then, and I basically grew it for the wildlife 😄) 3. Celebrity 2. Rutgers (My grandfather’s favorite) 1. Cherokee Purple I will try some different varieties next year. Your list gave me some good ideas. Thanks.
You're welcome! I'm glad that you're growing one that your grandfather liked. I grow a few things because of family too. I try to grow a few new ones every year, but I'm finding some that I might stick with for a while.
Back in the sixties, it seemed like everyone grew Rutgers and Roma around here in Nebraska. It was not until Beefsteak showed up that gardeners around here started paying attention to other varieties.
I save seed except my canner variety celebrity . Unfortunately the see i ordered is not celebrity so im outta luck . it's easy tk save seed.. wish i had the celebrity last year.
My mouth runs in water when I see your beautiful tomatoes in the test. So juicy and beautiful. I have been growing tomatoes for years, but have not yet found my favorite. I have tried hundreds of varieties. They often taste good one year, but disappoint the next. The taste, as you say, depends a lot on the weather conditions you have and not least it is about watering. My favorite when it comes to cherry tomatoes is quite clear. It's Sungold. I always grow Brandywine. Last year the Virginia Sweet tasted good. New varieties are being tried out this year. Next year I will try to get hold of some of your 5 favorites. Thanks for a lovely video. Best wishes for your tomatoes this season.
Thanks Benni! Thanks for sharing some of your favorites! And the search continues. I've heard about sungold from lots of folks, so I have a couple of seedlings started of that one that I will be planting outside soon. I hope you find your favorite, or one that will do until you find it.
the ol school ox heart love them. a lady that i know has been saving seeds from her dad, and she is 86 years old. bought some ox heart now a days taste way different then hers. hers are awsome
Thanks for sharing that with us! I've heard similar stories. That is one thing that is really cool about saving seeds. If you keep them going long enough in your own family, you can actually develop your own strain of a variety.
Really happy I saw this video. I'll have to try the Cherokee Purple and the White Tomesol next year. I was at my local gardening store and saw a potted Black Krim plant. I had never heard of it nor tried it before and picked it up. You rated it number 1 so I'm really excited for what it produces. As of now it's doing better than all of my other tomato plants which is a good sign for me that the conditions are right. I live in Pennsylvania so I image the weather and temperature are pretty similar to someone from the Midwest. What's surprising me now is that it's not even mid June and I already have about 7 or so fruits already growing and they'll probably be ripe before the end of the month! Super excited for them!
That's awesome, Bart! I hope it sets on more tomatoes too. Yes, if you can find Cherokee Purple and White Tomesol, those are definitely two worth trying. In recent years, I've kind of fell in love with dwarf tomatoes from the dwarf tomato project. Two of those that I really like are Rosella Purple, and Boronia. Good luck with your Black Krim!
@@MidwestGardener Thank you much! I've already ordered seeds for the Cherokee Purple and White Tomesol for next year! I can't wait to try them! I don't want to sound ignorant but what are dwarf tomatoes? I grow cherry/grape tomatoes every year alongside the rest, but I'm assuming these are different. For cherry tomatoes, have you ever grown Yellow Pears? Can't say it was the best taste, but the harvest was unbelievable! I've never seen so many tomatoes on one plant.
@@MsBartSampson Dwarf tomatoes grow tomatoes much like indeterminate types, but on a much smaller plant. Some indeterminate tomatoes can grow to be 8 feet tall or taller. Many dwarf tomatoes only grow to be about 4 feet tall....some a little taller, some a little less. They have been developed by a team of dedicated tomato breeders who are still working on new types.
I grow all of these for selling at the local farmers market. Our customers love them. My favorites are Cherokee purple, big beef, orange oxheart, isis candy and artisan tiger blush
I've never tried the last 3 on your list. There are just so many great ones out there to try. I guess that is one of the things that makes gardening so fun.
So Far you’re the only person who mentioned the big beef! Yes! That’s a top favorite of mine,. Along with better boys, best boys & best girls, etc! I just found this channel!!! So excited! Ha! Can’t wait to try So Many different varieties!!! Can’t remember for sure,. Think I’ve had the Cherokee purple! Almost Certain I have,. Hopefully can still get some planted this year!!! Happy Growing!!! Stay Safe & Happy Memorial Day!!!
My dad had always grown brandywine tomatoes, he always kept his seeds, when he past I made damn sure to keep the seeds from some of his tomatoes he had growing. I know I could just go buy brandywine plants but then they wouldn't be "DADS" TOMATOES.
My Dad has been gone 28 years and I have often felt sick because I could not find his tomato seeds. This year I found it! It was in a jar in a box of things from the house after Mom passed. I'll bet they aren't good but I'll keep them anyway.
I make it a mission to grow Pink Brandywine every year. I love the creamy texture! I'm going to try the Black Krim that you recommend this year. Thanks!
Thanks for sharing your favorite! It's always good to have a favorite that keeps you coming back. Good luck with the Black Krim! I hope you like it as much as we have.
@@Laura-os4qe after looking at heirloom seeds, grocery store produce is so boring. Mary's heirloom seeds, Annie's heirloom seeds, and TattGardner on etsy have fantastic stuff
My best tasting tomato ever is the Black Krim. I grow it every year. Nothing compares to it. I am in Ohio and I have talked to some who have problems growing it but I put it in my raised garden beds and they grow great. Nothing compares to the Black Krim.
I've been growing the Black Krim for 4 years in a row now. It's definitely on the top of my list too! Couldn't believe when you had it at number one! I save my seeds from these plants every year. They get huge, the quantity is amazing, and I've grown many fruits over a pound. On top of it all, like you said, the taste is fantastic!
Thanks for your video because it reminded me that I have Carbon seeds; and you are absolutely correct that it is a great tasting tomato. My favorite are; Black Pineapple, Big Rainbow, Japanese Black Trifele and Paul Robeson.
growing in the phoenix area, i have to stick to the smaller to mid size tomatoes because of the intense sun. my plants go in the ground at the end of january, and are finished by the first week of june. abe lincoln, black prince, celebrity have done well for me. i am going to get some cherokee p seeds for next years planting. thx for posting MG !
You're welcome! If you like growing smaller to mid sized tomatoes, you might check out dwarf tomatoes from the dwarf tomato project. I like Boronia and Tasmanian Chocolate from last year, and this year, I'm grow several that I've never tried before....plus the two I mentioned.
I have a very limited range, but I loved the yellow-pear variety, the smaller ones that grow like little pears or bulbs. I made the best homemade pizza sauce with it.
I have been putting in 8 tomato plants every year for 20+ years. The only varieties that I plant every year are 2 Black Krims and a single Sun Gold. Both are amazing. San Marzanos may be getting added to that list after I tried them last year and loved the flavor of the sauce they made. Also the production was unbelievable. Looking forward to trying the Saldackis this year as I picked up some seeds after having heard them mentioned in a couple of best of lists. Thanks for the video. Really enjoyed it.
Nice list Steve! I tried Sun Gold for the first time last year and really like it a lot. I try a few new ones each year because I've been finding some really good ones the last few years. Hope you have a great growing season!
Very nice I have never grown the black krim before but have started the seeds this year hoping for a really good tomato. I also love the super sweet 100 cherry tomatoes
@@MidwestGardener I agree with your choice of Black Krim; some years the flavour is better than other years, but at it's best, smokey and salty, it knocks your socks off.
Paul Robeson, Cosmonaut Volkov, Moskvich, Black Krim, Black from Tula, Brandywine, and Carmello are my favorites. There’s just something special about the “black” tomatoes.
Thanks for sharing your list! I agree with you, Stephen. I just really like the darker tomatoes. I found a new one that I really like too. It's called Boronia. It's a dwarf from the dwarf tomato project.
Midwest Gardener I grew Rosella Purple from the dwarf tomato project this year. It grew really well until our heat and humidity rose and the fruit quality went down quickly. Unique flavor and different flavor from other dark tomatoes. I really liked the first two or three fruits, but then they started getting mushy texture and the flavor went generic.
Interesting list. I agree with you on number 1 for sure. I grow Black Krim every year. Narrowing a list down to five would be hard for me. Enjoyed your list!
Great video! I can grow 6 plants each year, plus 2 cherry tomato types in bags. After 25 years of experimenting in the Midwest with probably over 100 varieties, I have narrowed my top 6 to: Carbon, Gold Medal, Caspian Pink, Black from Tula, Carmella, and Thessaloniki.
YEA! Black Krim is my number one! Old German, Ferris Wheel, Italian Heirloom and Bison are my top 5 so far but yes I LOVE my Black Krim....if you want some seeds I would be happy to send you some! Mike 🇨🇦👍
Thanks Michael! I appreciate the offer, but even though all of the tomatoes in my top 5 are indeterminate types, I've become very interested in dwarf tomatoes from the dwarf tomato project. I even found 1 that I would put in my top 5 if I redid it right now.
Thanks for the backup, Cindy! It is a good one for taste. There are lots of good ones out there though. I'm trying some new ones this year, so who knows what the list would look like next year.
Hello, I grow tomatoes in my vegetable garden in Italy (in the mountains, at 850 meters). My favorite varieties are: 1) Montserrat; 2) Oxheart from Albenga; 3) Belmonte; 4) Piennolo del Vesuvio red; 5) Rose of Sorrento. However, I grow several other varieties of tomatoes ... From your posts I have seen many preferences for Cherokee purple, Brandywine and Paul Robeson. This year I will try to plant them because they intrigue me! Thank you!
You're welcome! Thanks for sharing your list of favorites, Marco. Be sure to check back in and let us know what you think of Cherokee purple, Brandywine and Paul Robeson if you try them.
@ Marco Odasso - Mosto interessante! Anch' Io vivo sulla collina dove acqua è un problema. Anno scorso non c'era nessuna pioggia durante tutto estate... Ed io pianto no meno di 20 pianti nel orto. Quest' anno il clima è differente: sta piovendo tutto il tempo. Io vivo vicino a Columbia fiume in Nord-Oveste degli Stati Uniti. Scusi per molti errori: ho appreso italiano da solo... E buon giorno per Lei!
The new hybrid cross of Cherokee Carbon is AMAZING! Won our large tomato taste test last year and even beat out Brandywine Pink. Sun Sugar is by FAR the best cherry tomato! Belgian Giant is sweet and delicious. Also trying the new Marzinera cross paste this year and Dr. Wyches which is supposed to be a great yellow tomato.
Thanks for sharing you list! Yes, that Cherokee Carbon cross has to be a good one. I found one that I really like a lot this year. It's called Boronia, and is a dwarf.
Thanks for posting! I'm big on the Cherokee Purple, so id definitely love to try that cross! I'm also a big advocate for the Sun Sugar. Actually, I've converted my entire family and everyone I know into planting them now. I only planted the Sun Sugar as my cherry tomatoes this year, because they just make all others taste terrible in my opinion. Lol 😆
I love mortgage lifters! Course I'm from WV and love the story of how radiator Charlie developed them. As long as they have tall sturdy cages they produce well. They have a good flavor and are good for canning, sauce, juice, or fresh eating. I usually throw another variety or two in but they remain my fav thus far.
I'm up in Ontario Canada and this is my top 5 list: 1) Caspian Pink 2) Carbon 3) Chocolate Cherry 4) Golden Cherry 5) Amana Orange Looking to try Kellogg Breakfast and, now thanks to your review, Aunt Ruby's German Green. Great channel and thanks for sharing your experiences with us!
Thanks a bunch for sharing your top 5 list with us, and for the kind words, Robert! Seeing your list makes me want to go make a tomato sandwich :) We just happen to have a few ripe ones ready.
This was just recommended to me and now I’m sooooo hungry. This is going to be my first year growing multiple varieties so I am so grateful for your top 5 and all the top fives listed in the comments.
I know exactly what you mean. It's hard to talk about tomatoes without wanting one. Good luck with growing multiple varieties. I hope you have a great year with them!
I'm trying to learn to make the absolute best possible gourmet ketchup. Obviously experimenting with tomatoes and learning about them is a major part of this. Really love your channel. And yes, so calming too. 🥺
I like an heirloom called Pineapple the best. I also like Green Zebra for a tangier tasting tomato. I also love the Cosmonaut Volkov because they grow the biggest and heartiest plants. I am trying Mountain Merit for the first time this season and am very happy with the production. It's a very hearty determinate plant. The Sun Gold is my favorite cherry tomato- very sweet. I'm experimenting with a plum tomato, but it's not very productive.I forget the variety but it's a San Marzano type. The fruits are developing nicely -just not very many of them.
One of my hobbies is growing and collecting heirloom tomato seeds. I live in East Tennessee and have had great luck with many varieties. My favorite tomatoes are the German Pink, Carbon and Georgia Streak varieties. I am experimenting with the Cherokee Green this year. My mother’s favorite was the green zebra because of the taste. So happy to find this channel.
Some of my favorites are... - Brandywine - Norma - This was a variety I got from a friend from Norma Italy. It tastes good but is poor on disease resistance here in NY so it might be retired from my rotation - Standard Beefsteak from the garden is still better than the store but will be trying out some new types this year. - I think will try a darker Cherokee Purple or Black Krim after seeing this. Thanks!
Yes, Cherokee Purple and Black Krim are definitely worth a try, Ken. I also would add Rosella Purple and Boronia if I had to do this video over again. Those two are dwarfs.
This is my first year growing my own tomatoes and I'm growing a variety. Haven't had any harvests yet, but I can name my favorite tomato from the grocery store and if I ever find this video again, I'll let you know how my harvest went. The only tomato that I know the name of that I like a lot is the flavor bomb cherry tomato. I love cherry tomatoes just because I tend to cut into bigger ones and never really finish them. Lovely video, btw!
Thanks! If you are used to eating only grocery store tomatoes, you are in for a treat, Jayden! I hear from a lot of folks who love Sungold cherry tomatoes. Yep, check back in later on if you can. I would like to hear how it went.
Hi! I always appreciate your videos! I replied to you some years ago about the Indian Stripe tomato-a cousin to the Cherokee Purple but more productive and uniform. I'm growing them side by side this year, and I much prefer the Indian Stripe! It isn't cracking nearly as much and is twice as productive this year. It's always the best or second-best-tasting tomato I grow! I save my seed, but originally got the seed from Heritage Harvest Seeds in Manitoba, Canada. The Stripe ( as I call it) works very well in our BC climate.
Thanks for sharing that with us. I know lots of people read the comments for this video, so I'm sure others will appreciated it too. It's always great to find a variety that words really well for your area.
Where I live (Finger Lakes area, south of Lake Ontario in New York State) we have 'consistently unusual' weather. I have found some tomatoes that have better flavor in a dry, hot summer and some that are better in damp, cooler summers, so I grow some of a few types each year. As far as the consistently best flavor in all weather conditions, I'd have to say Glaciers. I've been using saved seeds for about ten years. One of a very few toms I can grow from direct seeding in the garden in this area. I generally direct seed some and transplant some for early harvest. I love the flavor of Black Krims and Cherokee Purples, but the splitting and blight problems.....I'm trying Carbons and Paul Roebsons next.
Thanks for sharing the details of your location and the weather you have to deal with. I'm sure those who are in a similar situation will really appreciate that. Glacier is another one that I've never tried. Yep, blight can be a problem with a lot of heirlooms, and that splitting does get pretty old, especially in those rainy summers. I hope the Carbon or Paul Robeson works better for you. I'm ready for that first tomato of the summer. It's been a long wait.
@ Ken Simmons - That's a very good observation! This season, I'm going to be as observant as you are with regards to weather conditions and the tom. plants growing and tasting...
I love that folks are sharing favorite flavor or favorite variety. I have grown limited varieties but best flavor so far is a Red Brandywine. Super limited production, and late producing but my best tasting tomato so far. Also an old fashioned beefsteak tomato I grew from seeds saved from a delectable tomato from my daughter’s “one-year only” garden. She had a super neglected patch with super tomatoes when everyone else here was flooded out. Lol.
My favorite cherry is Orange Paruche. Instead of pure sugar like some cherries such as Sungold, it retains a distinct tomato taste and is nearly as sweet, and the skin's not as thick. Though others carry them, I've gotten mine from Territorial Seeds. I will be trying White Tomesil this year on your advice. I agree with Cherokee Purple and Pink Brandywine is also a fave. I had good luck with Pink Berkeley Tie-Dye though the second year was not quite as good. I'm also trying one this year called the Garden Gem that comes from a UF program where they're trying to develop a great tasting one that is highly productive.
Thanks for sharing some of your favorites! Keep us posted on how that Garden Gem works out for you. We are about a week or two from being able to put some in the ground here.
The Arkansas traveler was my favorite until I planted the Cherokee purple last year, it was absolutely wonderful. I love a juicy tomato with a good acidic taste. I am planting the black krim for the first time this year so my favorite may change again.
For the past 3 years I have been producing my own tomatoes in France (USDA zone 8a) I have found Tobolk and Brad's Black Heart (from Brad's Gate farm) the best over a dozen varieties. Tobolsk is quite early producing and lasts until late in the year
Thank you so much for this video! I really want to try different varieties next year and seeing other people’s choices really helps! Especially when you see the same ones, that tells you something.
You're welcome Kim! You are exactly right. Everybody had their own opinion on things, but when there seems to be a lot of people of the same opinion, there might be something to it. I'm guessing that some folks get as much out of reading the comments as watching the video.
This is our first year for a garden. Our two favorites are a cherry tomato called Super Sweet and a slicing tomato called German Johnson. Though narly in shape, the flavor is so sweet and the texture meatier than some. We’re saving seeds for both as well as Roma which did well and Juliette which we think is a paste-type tomato but smaller in size.
My fav right now for slicing and eating..is without a doubt Cherokee purples...it def does a dance on my tongue..and Cherokee purple did well early..in 8a growing
2,222 Comments and 4 years later, and your still answering posts. Now thats a testament to a great channel and it's poster!!!
Thanks for the kind words! I really appreciate that! I figure if a person is kind enough to watch my video and leave a comment, I can be kind enough to respond to it.
Arin from Game Grumps pointed me to this video, and I’ve gotta say, your tomato opinions are excellent. My current favorite is the Pink Mortgage Lifter. The absolute best BLT tomato, especially with Kewpie mayo! Glad I made my way here.
Thanks for stopping by! Mortgage Lister is a pretty good tomato. A BLT sounds really good. We might just use some of our last tomatoes to make some BLTs this weekend.
One of my favorites is the German pink. My Dad started saving seeds from these in 1953. I’m still saving the seeds but I found an old medicine bottle of his that had some old seeds that he had saved so I thought I would give them a try. I now have 4 beautiful plants from those seeds.
I think that is awesome that you have some seeds that your dad saved! I wish I had some of my dad's seeds. I did get some flower seeds from my mom though.
The nice thing about saving seeds in a family for that long is that you sometimes great a slightly different strain from the original. You might have something unique there.
That is a great tomato! I didn't do them this year and wish now that I had. I've got a pink brandywine that's making me giggle tho. I'll make it till next year. :)
My mom's marigolds I've replanting for about 15 years and planning to keep them running on my watch ⌚
i wish my parents could give me heirloom veg seeds... all they give me is weed seeds
Hi Nathan I would love to buy some of those seeds from you if I could please?
Covid got me watching Top 5 tomatoes
I'm not sure if you mean you caught covid. If so, I hope you get well soon.
@@MidwestGardener I think he mean the covid lockdown got him so bored that he watched top 5 tomatoes
@@NugGet-xh7oh Thanks! That makes sense now that I read it again.
@@corbinachilles789 I think u are a bot
Hahaha, you got your time worthy
One time I purchased some heirloom tomatoes. One was bright orange, meaty, and had almost a pumpkiny taste. Later that day I realized it was a persimmon.
I guess they do look a little like a tomato.
For people, I prefer lighter skin, for tomato, I prefer darker ones. It is political incorrect, and I just said it.
😂
😀😀😀
🤣
I could listen to his voice all day. It is so soothing.
Thank you!
@@MidwestGardener You should consider reading bedtime stories to all of us. :)
@@tinamb5178 Lol, I've actually heard that before....several times.
5. Aunt Ruby's German Green
4. Carbon
3. White Tomesol
2. Cherokee Purple
1. Black Krim
I discovered Cherokee a few years ago and it instantly became my favorite.
This man's voice is relaxing as hell
I know, right? I could listen to him talk about gardening for hours.
I was just thinking the same thing.
1. Cherokee Purple - only grew well for me one year out of several in the Chicagoland area, but the taste is amazing
2. Brandywine - same as above lol
3. Amana Orange - grows large - not quite as balanced as the two above (more sweet than those), thin skin can be peeled by hand if you like. Wonderful flavor
4. White Tomesol - not much more to say than what you already mentioned - a pleasant surprise for all who try it
5. Black Krim - Dark tomatoes are so rich, and this one grows large fruit in a determinate fashion
That's a really nice list, Bill! Thanks for sharing it with us along with the additional information on each. I don't think you can go wrong with that list. Since we seem to have similar taste in tomatoes, you might try Rosella Purple and Boronia dwarf tomatoes. If I had to do this list again, I think Rosella Purple would make my top 5 for sure now.
@@MidwestGardener Wow, never even heard of those 2 tomatoes. I will look them up
@@billbuckner22 They are definitely worth a try. I got my seeds at Victory seeds.
Cherokee Purple did grow well for me in Chicagoland either.
Thank you Bill. Where were you when we planted our early girls 😢
I came here to scoff at your top tomato choice. Then I was surprised to find it was also my top choice. Congratulations on having the right opinion!I'm growing White Tomesol for the first time this year, so I'm glad to hear that someone with such good taste has endorsed it.
Lol, thanks :) The White Tomesol was amazing for us one year, and not so much the next. I hope yours does great for you, because the amazing taste coming from a white tomato kind of blew our minds.
Thank you, old-timer! This is what youtube needs more of! I plan on starting a youtube channel when I retire. I want to share the knowledge and life lessons I've learned in my life. I think it's the responsible thing to do for future generations. Thank you again! I love tomatoes!
You're welcome! You could always start one now. It's hard to beat home grown tomatoes.
Black Krim.Aunt Ruby's German green.Cherokee Purple. Arkansas Traveler. We love the heirlooms. Sweet 100.
Thanks for sharing your list! I'm with you. Those heirlooms are hard to beat for flavor.
Try a Bradley.
Nice list!
Thanks for the discussion!! My wife and I just got into gardening and have been blown away by the flavor of home grown tomatoes and are looking for more varieties!
You're in for a very amazing journey, Jonathan. It might be late for this year, but I've really become interested in dwarfs from the dwarf tomato project. You and your wife might check those out. Two I really like are Boronia and Rosella Purple.
@@MidwestGardener we'll check it out, thank you!
@@j0nrages You're welcome!
Got to try this, big slab of cherokee purple, slice of Vidalia, onion over thick cut bacon, mayo, little salt, lots of black pepper on toasted bread, absolutely delicious
Oh man, that sure sounds good!
My absolute favorite thus far is the Cherokee Purple. I grew one a few years ago and when I tasted it, it blew me away! They have just been a little temperamental and don't seem to produce as much as I would like.
Yes, I agree. That is the main problem I had with them....they just weren't productive enough for me.
Mine were very productive last year but i used organic liquid fertilizer with mostly phosphor and cutting all the succkers before they were inch long... this year i was not so attentive doing that and of course no yelds
Yes best tasting by far love them
Mushroom compost and minimizing fresh wood mulch (that can lock up nitrogen and other nutrients in the soil, making them inaccessible to the plants) is the key. Potassium (from Kelp, Algae, and Fish Emulsion) and Calcium (Bone and Fish meal) are also essential nutrients.
Love this video and reading through the comments!
My favorite tomatoes by taste:
1. Big Rainbow
2. Cherokee Purple
3. Black Krim
4. Pineapple
5. Cherokee Pink
Thanks for sharing your favorites! That's a really nice list. It makes me want a ripe tomato. Yes, a lot can be learned in the comment section of this video.
This is like, tomato ASMR. Lol!
Lol, thanks I guess :)
@@MidwestGardener it's a compliment for sure! Ha
@@noomwa Thanks :)
@@MidwestGardener it's a good thing lol
@@BeeMusic2024 :)
Here is my list for this year: 5.Valencia, 4. Prudens Purple, 3. Cherokee Purple, 2. Brandywine Red, 1. Paul Robeson. My favorite cherry tomato is Sun Sugar.
Thanks for sharing your top 5. Nothing wrong with that list.
Prudens purple has been a favorite of mine for almost 30 years. You're the first person other than me that 've ever heard mention it.
@@jblglw it’s definitely underrated! Makes a spectacular tomato sandwich 🙂
Grew Sun sugar and cherokee last year. Growing them again this year and I added Brandywine. I think I'll pick up some german green seeds today. I passed on them, but after this video I'll go back and get them.
I have really enjoyed the Brandywine Reds. I think I need to add the Cherokee Purples to the rotation as I keep hearing them mentioned among peoples favorites. Thanks for posting.
I’m growing black Krim for the fist time this year and was really excited that you made it number one.
Awesome! Be sure to drop back in later and let us know what you think.
@@MidwestGardener I'm trying Black Krim this year too
Me also...cant wait to my taste test.🍅❤👍
I noticed also that Cherokee purple has a hard time setting fruit, possibly because the flowers are diploid or doubled. I started using the electronic toothbrush trick and quadrupled the fruit set. Very satisfying to see the puff of pollen and know it is producing a fruit.
Nice! Thanks for the tip, Ken. I've seen lots of folks do that, but I actually haven't tried it yet. I do tap and shake the blooms.
May I ask, what is the old electronic toothbrush trick ?.
@@glenbaird5304 I think I saw it on the rusted Gardner vlog. Just lightly touch the electric tooth brush to the blossom stems and watch a puff of pollen escape. Almost guaranteed to produce a fruit. Heirloom varieties often have double and triple blooms producing odd shaped tomatoes. This trick works on all types.
I always pinch off or snip off the the megablooms because they turn out to be oversized, deformed fruit.
I went my entire life only eating Walmart tomatoes and was sworn I didn't like tomatoes. But then I met my current partner whose family is very into gardening so I got to try home grown tomatoes and I haven't had a full 5 year but my top two are the sun golden and tiny Tim.
It's great that your partner introduced you to homegrown tomatoes. There's nothing like them. I love sungold. I have one growing right now.
I've tried Tiny Tim, but my favorite cherry tomato is a variety called Cherry Fountain. I grew it in a railing pot and it only got about 2' (just let it drape over the side), and had heavy yields of golf ball sized tomatoes
His voice is so calming
Thanks, Joshua.
I'm in sw mo near joplin. Right now I have a dozen or so varieties in, that many to go. I usually settle around 200 plants with extremely high yields. My 2 year old daughter fell asleep on my lap watching this with me. She happens to be the biggest tomato fan I've even known.
Soil construction will effect tomatoes as it does a good wine. Good well water and lots of conversations "mostly one way" with the plants lol; makes them grow well! Great vid..
Thanks a bunch, Russell. Awesome that your daughter was watching the video with you! That's a lot of tomatoes you grow. If I had that many, I wouldn't get anything else done, just looking at them, lol. Yep, those one way conversations don't hurt. I'm familiar with sw mo. I spent a bunch of summers south of you.....down the corner of the state. I still have some pretty special memories of the area.
@ Russell the Muscle - One of the best! 👋❤️
Until I had tasted heirloom tomatoes I never realized how bad the store-bought crap really is. When you design your food product to be sold rather than eaten all the emphases goes into finding the best way to make a profit off it rather than what it tastes like... getting it to ripen at the same time, something that is similar in size and shape for packaging, something that won't sustain damage (loss) in transport. My favorites are Lucky Cross, Sun Gold, Mexico Midget, and Cherokee Chocolate. Stay safe.
Thanks for sharing your favorites with us, Brian! Yes, those store bought ones are nothing like a tomato should taste. All valid points you made!
Until I had tasted heirloom tomatoes I never realized how bad the store-bought crap really is
@@dracoarawn4002Nice sunrise/sunset clips man. Start shooting for more than 30 seconds. Stay safe.
Interesting. Where do heirloom come from? I don't want any gmo. This video was awesome though. I like beefsteak and Roma.
@@honeybee2356 Ask the real expert Miss. I believe they are mother nature's unblemished gems passed down through time. Stay safe.
Like you, we have too many favorites, and the annual variations in weather conditions has an affect on the production. Our top five have to be Cherokee Purple, Mortgage Lifter, German Pink, Black Krim and Yellow Pear (salad variety). This year we are getting some incredible Bradley’s and Rutgers, and we planted a non-heirloom called simply “Slicing” from Bonnie Plants. Almost every tomato from that fine is 120z to just over a pound. With a purplish red center, very tender but full “meat” with fairly low jelly and seed content, and with a nice thin skin, they are this years favorite sandwich tomato. I finally read up on pruning, proper soil care and amendments this year off season and spent the time to double dig in February and again in March before planting. I’m amending with a classic 5/1 browns to greens compost, with some ash and charcoal from our oyster pit, some coffee grounds and eggshell. Also adding some organic fertilizer to the soil mix before planting and adding about a 3tbls per plant during the initial fruiting cycle. And adding dried eggshell thats been ground in a mortar and pestle or a blender to the base of each plant around the drip line several times during the season. I prune aggressively to eliminate the suckers, and the bottom 14 inches of sun leaves. We did not mulch this year but will mulch with straw next year. We have been abundantly blessed with tons of tomatoes, sometimes 20 or more a day that are ripe or ripening. We have put up six big batches of marinara, several of meat sauce, and the best part, given so many bags away to friends. My wife loves to put three really nice tomatoes, a big bunch of fresh basil and a ball of mozzarella in a bag and take it to neighbors and friends for a “Caprese kit”. I could not find any Cherokee Purple starter sets until June, so we are watching that fruit grow and prepare to ripen now in early August. Can’t wait for the first slice, but we have not suffered while waiting. I love getting my hands in our nice soil, offering prayers of thanks and praise to our gracious Father in Heaven for his grace and providence and for each beautiful day, even while the world seems intent on tearing itself apart.
Thanks for sharing your list of favorites and how you care for them. Some sound care tips there. We love sharing our tomatoes too. It's always interesting to hear back from folks who have never tried heirlooms before. It can be an eye opening experience. I'm glad that you are thankful for your many blessing also :) Feeling pretty blessed here too.
Both my sister and I grew yellow pear tomatoes last year and our experiences were identical. We had extremely vigorously growing vines and plants that wanted to take over the whole tomato bed, with copious, extremely large productions of a fruit about an inch and a half long and the taste and texture were terrible. All of the fruit had almost no taste and were dry and pithy inside. I let most of mine rot on the vine because they weren’t even very good in pasta sauces since they didn’t break down at all and we’re just odd, flavorless chunks.
It was a shame because multiple seed vendors describe the yellow pear as being insanely productive, and that was the only thing they got right about the variety. Sadly, I got almost no production out of two different Black Krims that I grew from seeds from two different suppliers, my Cherokee Purple, and both pink and regular Berkeley Tie-Dye varieties. I still have some black Krim and Cherokee purple seeds and I I am trying them again this year.
Thanks for your comments and tips. I think your best advice is offering prayers of gratitude to our Father! God is good, all the time!
Missouri grower…
1. Sungold cherry tomato was my best tasting last year and there really was not a close second for flavor. Also prolific and no disease. Did tend to split after a hard rain.
2. Brandywine Pink was second. Fairly low yield and late disease pressure.
3. Cherokee Purple was ok but not real productive and lost to late blight.
4. Sugar Rush red cherry. Prolific, disease free and nice taste.
5. Japanese Black Trifle. Good production, disease tolerant, and produced late into season. A milder version of Cherokee purple but still good flavor.
Nice list. Thanks for sharing it. I tried Sungold for the first time last year. That is a good one.
I'm with you. Black Krim is tops. Following would be Cherokee Purple but I also got poor production. Before I found these my longtime favorite has been Belgian Giant
I like your list Charles. That Belgian Giant is a really good tomato too. I had about 6 or 7 that were just out of the top 5. It was really kind of hard to choose.
I grew a bunch of Giant Belgium Pink but we had late snows, Frost's and cold temps and couldn't get a lot of them planted. I do have a couple, though. Hope they're good. They grew big, fast!
I am growing about 20 different varieties this year, but some I grow year after year just because their taste is fantastic!! Favorites are: 1. Black from Tula, 2. Hillbilly, 3. Hawaiian Pineapple, 4. Boondocks, 5. Kellogg's Breakfast. Also love the oxheart varieties as they are so meaty for sauces. Good luck everyone with your harvests this year!!
Thanks for sharing your list with us! I can't wait to get our first ripe one this year. 20 varieties....that's tomato heaven.
They are my favorites to grow and eat, too!
What about Japanese Tomato Cherry?
Very excited to taste my first black krim later this summer.
Thanks for your assessment and the heads up to save the seeds!
Nice! I hope you enjoy the taste as much as I did!
I’m new to tomato & pepper growing. I experimented this year with hydroponics. So I started most everything in it. Then planted out.
1)Yellow pear-3 growing & fruiting.
2)lemon drop-3 growing & fruiting
3)Sunsugar
4)Pink Brandywine
4)Purple Cherokee
5)Black Krim
6)Red Cherry
I’ve eaten lots of lemon drops n yellow pear and love them.
Have red, yellow, purple & green bell plants out.
Jalapeños too.
I’m growing in-ground/upside down in bottles & in soil/containers. Just assuming failures or disease. Cucumbers have been good. Also zucchini. The heat is intense this year.
Looks like you have plenty going on for someone who is new to growing them. You picked some pretty good ones to grow!
In my two decades of gardening or so, I've grown more varieties than I can remember, but every year I grow some familiar varieties as well as try out a few new ones. Every year I grow red cherry and yellow pear because they are much hardier usually and yield more fruit for less work than the big tomatoes. I love the taste of Cherokee purple, but the plants seem disease prone and heat-intolerant with low yield. Black Krim and Black from Tula have that really nice salty taste that enhances the perception of the sugars, and I think that, similar to you, Black Krim has been the best tasting tomato I've grown. I only grew it 2 or 3 years though, because it also doesn't take heat well, and yields seemed low. Last year, I had great success with a local Carolina heat-tolerant variety called Marion, great yields really early, sometimes 25-30 tennis ball size fruits from each plant in just a 5 gal bucket. The one downside is that they are determinate, but I just try to plant them in succession as they are heat tolerant and produce through the summer. I also tried black cherry, which was really pretty but took forever to produce and ripen. I love green zebra, but the seed seems expensive and or uncommon. Crimson Cushion beefsteak is beautiful and delicious, prob ranks as my number 3 in taste behind Krim and Cherokee. I also tried a microtom variety last year, the plants were kinda wild looking with thin stems that reached 10-12 feet in length and produced literally a thousand or more tomatoes on one plant, but they were all the size of blueberries and I decided it was just too much work to pick them, so I won't be growing those again. Pineapple pole tomatoes were supposed to be my new experimental variety this year. Currently, I just have red cherry and yellow pear, and have been losing a lot of plants to flooding recently, so it's looking like not a lot of tomatoes this year. Maybe I'll try some in the fall, but usually disease pressure is too high until late October or so, so the fall season for tomatoes is really short for me. Tomatoes are pretty hard to grow in my swampy humid garden, so I tend to focus on disease resistance, heat tolerance, and yield more than taste, just because I'd rather have a lot of any homegrown tomato rather than a small amount of the caviar of tomato. Even the worst tasting varieties of homegrown tomato are still an order of magnitude better than the best tasting store bought tomatoes. Not to mention, I've been trying to do this zen thing where I don't eat any tomatoes or tomato products after my last harvest in December, that way when my first tomatoes are ready to harvest in April, I'm really really hungry for them and they all just taste great! Looking forward to seeing more of your videos! have a good May! cheers
Thanks a bunch for all of the detailed information. I really do appreciate that! Not only do I find it interesting, but my guess is that lots of other folks who find this video will find it interesting too. Of the ones you mentioned, the Marion peaked my interest the most. We get some pretty serious heat some summers here. We had one year here when we had over 50 days that got over 100 degrees. That is the only year that I ever had as a gardener when I just gave up on my garden. I hope we don't have a year like that again any time soon. I might have to read up on the Marion variety and put that on my list of tomatoes to maybe grow some day.
@@MidwestGardener Wow, 50 days over 100 F, that does sound awful. There's some modern hybrid tomato varieties out of Florida that might tolerate those conditions. We had 100 degree days in May last year and a few 90 degree days in March this year. When it starts getting over 100, I don't bother with tomatoes. But no need to give up on the whole garden. There's folks in Phoenix that garden all summer and I've watched some of their videos about cultural practices like shade planting and heavy irrigation and mulch. There's some varieties of peppers, eggplant, cowpea, noodle beans, yardlong beans, watermelon, cucumber, flour corn, and okra that, while they won't be happy at 100 F, they will handle it and still produce as long as there's consistent watering. Okra is really the king of the triple digit temperatures. Also, some tropical plants that are grown in India and Africa can do well in those temperatures, like malabar spinach. Hopefully this year will be less extreme! Thanks and cheers
Yep, you just have to roll with whatever comes to your area. You're right about okra. That stuff love the heat. I planted some malabar spinach just a few days ago. I'm with you, hoping for no extremes. Here's to hoping we both have a great gardening year!
Hopefully you are managing well this year with all the abnormal heat waves.
Last year was my first year as a gardener. I only grew Chadwick Cherry. This year My journey to find my favorite tomato, pepper, okra and spinach substitute begins. I’m so excited. I can’t wait to taste everything. For tomatoes I’ll be growing Barry’s Crazy Cherry, Isis Candy, Mexico Midget, Paul Robeson, Wyche’s Yellow, Hillbilly Potato Leaf, Orange Paruche, Japanese Trifele & Cherokee Purple. I’m going to eat my weight in Tomatoes, time to get serious about cardio 3x a week, haha. It’s gonna be awesome.
BTW, I love the way you describe the tomatoes and your reasoning for your likes.
Thanks a bunch! If you're new to gardening, I would say that you are going to be in tomato heaven this summer, judging by your list. There are some really nice ones on there. Enjoy!!
the best tomato I ever had was growing randomly in a landscaped area next to a college cafeteria in western NC. it was bright pink and was like nothing I've ever had. one of my biggest regrets in life is not saving seeds from that plant. I can't really describe it but it was next level from any other tomato's I've ever had. the plant was loaded with extremely pink and fragrant super sweet fruits at about a pound and a half a piece. Anyway, I was young and foolish and let it slip away. With that said my 5 favorite tomato varieties are the following, specifically when they are at their peak performance.
1) German pink
2) pineapple
3) Paul Robeson
4) German Johnson
5) Cherokee purple
honorable mention: coyote is my favorite cherry tomato but I do think of cherry and grape tomatoes much different than the beefsteaks which are more of what we are discussing here.
Thanks for sharing your list and the story of a great one lost, Rodney! That makes me wonder how many great tasting tomatoes have been lost over just the last few decades from just not saving a few seeds.....oh well, water under the bridge. That's a nice list you have!
May have been pink brandywine. They get big and are my very fav.
Maybe a Brandywine! There is a pink Brandywine variety that is absolutely delicious! Also, the weather or soil likely made a difference too.
@@carolschedler3832 I grow pink brandywine a every year and yes they are absolutely delicious; however, whatever I found growing back in 1999 was different than anything I've seen.
Rodney, you know you've led a pretty trouble free life if one of your biggest regrets is not having saved seeds from a particularly delicious tomato variety! I also suspect the growing conditions at that place and time were a big contributor to the success that plant experienced. I grew some cherry tomatoes this year called Bronze Torch. They are a beautiful variegated color, coppery red and green streaks when ripe which look a little like a flame paint job. They were far and away my best producers this year (2022). Happy I planted them, and will definitely bring them back next year. I definitely saved seeds from this variety.
My favorite tomato for the past 20 years has been Dr. Wyche's Yellow. Big, meaty yellow beefsteak slicers that are low acid, but still have that great, old-fashioned tomato flavor. Absolutely the best for BLTs and tomato and mayonnaise sandwiches.
Thanks James. That is one that I have never tried. It sure sounds good though.
Dr Wyche is our hands down fav too, but every year we trial 6-8 new varieties as well. You can never have too many right?
Thank you for the video. Black krim has been my favorite for taste and yield in 7a. I would love to see an additional video with cherry tomatoes. Happy gardening.
You're welcome! I'll give that other video some thought.
Growing tomatoes for the first time. Planning to grow 36 varieties to hopefully find what I like. Thank you for the great video!
You're welcome! You should be able to find a few you like out of that many. You are going to have a fun year.
I tried growing some of your favorites this summer.
Loved the Black Krim, Brandy Wine and German Green.
Brandy Wine was not a big producer for me but good. I think Black Krim is my new favorite close second is a Pineapple tomato.
Thank you for your suggestions.
You're welcome! Thanks for letting us know how they did for you, Alex. It's always great to find some new favorites.
German Greens were a fave of mine for the first year.. not so much after that .. Early Girl here in Oregon is just amazing.
Thanks for sharing your favorites, Bill! It's always great to hear what works well in other parts of the country.
My favorite tomatoes so far: Brandywine, Pruden's purple, Matt's Wild Cherry, Sungold, Carbon, Virginia Sweet, Suncherry, Red currant, New Big Dwarf, Big Beef, Dr. Wychee's Yellow
That's a nice list of tomatoes! Thanks for sharing them with us!
I’ve never had anything quite like Sungold. They’re so sweet and rich.
Ty this is an AWESOME channel! You have such a nice calming voice and no commercials ❤️😘😘😘😘😘
Thanks Denise!
I grew Black Krim for maybe three years. The first year it wasn't very productive but the flavor was just the perfect balance of sweet, tart, and fruity. The next couple of years, the weather and the varmints didn't cooperate and I didn't get a one. Might be worth trying again.
Yes, it sure might be worth another try. At least you know what to expect if you do get one. We had quite a time with opossums eating our tomatoes this year.
@@MidwestGardener is black creme the same as black krim? I can't find anything online about a black creme variety
@@micah1754 There's no black creme tomatoes. The black Krim seeds are selling widely on Ebay, and it's inexpensive. Even the Green zebra variety that someone said on here its seeds expensive, is selling cheaply on Ebay and Amazon, only a few bucks each package. The only tomato variety that's expensive and hard to find is the hybrid honeycomb, an improved version of the Sun gold variety, since unlike Sun gold, this honeycomb variety is crack resistance. The honeycomb seeds only selling by one or 2 sellers on Ebay and they are probably fake seeds.
This is the first year that I have grown the Black Krim, and it replaced Cherokee Purple as my favorite tomato. I'm definitely going to save some seeds.
What is the difference between the two and which was more prolific and disease -resistant.for you?
I grew Cherokee Purple this year and they are STILL not ripe. Looks like I will end the season with only 5 or 6 ripened in the end. 😢. Am starving for good tomatos. Only my cherry tomatos did well. I learned a lot, am grateful for what I got, counting on 2024 to be a MUCH better year. 😊
5. Big Boy (It grows well in my garden)
4. Burpees Black Cherry (One year I grew these and it produced a lot of very tasty tomatoes. I grew it one time since then, and I basically grew it for the wildlife 😄)
3. Celebrity
2. Rutgers (My grandfather’s favorite)
1. Cherokee Purple
I will try some different varieties next year. Your list gave me some good ideas. Thanks.
You're welcome! I'm glad that you're growing one that your grandfather liked. I grow a few things because of family too. I try to grow a few new ones every year, but I'm finding some that I might stick with for a while.
Back in the sixties, it seemed like everyone grew Rutgers and Roma around here in Nebraska. It was not until Beefsteak showed up that gardeners around here started paying attention to other varieties.
Do the big boy put out alot I planted those this year
Grew Black Krim this year, was spectacular & I am saving seed from it too!
Great plan on saving the sees, Tina. You can have great tasting tomatoes for years to come.
I save seed except my canner variety celebrity . Unfortunately the see i ordered is not celebrity so im outta luck .
it's easy tk save seed.. wish i had the celebrity last year.
My mouth runs in water when I see your beautiful tomatoes in the test. So juicy and beautiful. I have been growing tomatoes for years, but have not yet found my favorite. I have tried hundreds of varieties. They often taste good one year, but disappoint the next. The taste, as you say, depends a lot on the weather conditions you have and not least it is about watering.
My favorite when it comes to cherry tomatoes is quite clear. It's Sungold. I always grow Brandywine. Last year the Virginia Sweet tasted good. New varieties are being tried out this year. Next year I will try to get hold of some of your 5 favorites.
Thanks for a lovely video.
Best wishes for your tomatoes this season.
Thanks Benni! Thanks for sharing some of your favorites! And the search continues. I've heard about sungold from lots of folks, so I have a couple of seedlings started of that one that I will be planting outside soon. I hope you find your favorite, or one that will do until you find it.
the ol school ox heart love them. a lady that i know has been saving seeds from her dad, and she is 86 years old. bought some ox heart now a days taste way different then hers. hers are awsome
Thanks for sharing that with us! I've heard similar stories. That is one thing that is really cool about saving seeds. If you keep them going long enough in your own family, you can actually develop your own strain of a variety.
Really happy I saw this video. I'll have to try the Cherokee Purple and the White Tomesol next year. I was at my local gardening store and saw a potted Black Krim plant. I had never heard of it nor tried it before and picked it up. You rated it number 1 so I'm really excited for what it produces. As of now it's doing better than all of my other tomato plants which is a good sign for me that the conditions are right. I live in Pennsylvania so I image the weather and temperature are pretty similar to someone from the Midwest. What's surprising me now is that it's not even mid June and I already have about 7 or so fruits already growing and they'll probably be ripe before the end of the month! Super excited for them!
That's awesome, Bart! I hope it sets on more tomatoes too. Yes, if you can find Cherokee Purple and White Tomesol, those are definitely two worth trying. In recent years, I've kind of fell in love with dwarf tomatoes from the dwarf tomato project. Two of those that I really like are Rosella Purple, and Boronia. Good luck with your Black Krim!
@@MidwestGardener Thank you much! I've already ordered seeds for the Cherokee Purple and White Tomesol for next year! I can't wait to try them! I don't want to sound ignorant but what are dwarf tomatoes? I grow cherry/grape tomatoes every year alongside the rest, but I'm assuming these are different. For cherry tomatoes, have you ever grown Yellow Pears? Can't say it was the best taste, but the harvest was unbelievable! I've never seen so many tomatoes on one plant.
@@MsBartSampson Dwarf tomatoes grow tomatoes much like indeterminate types, but on a much smaller plant. Some indeterminate tomatoes can grow to be 8 feet tall or taller. Many dwarf tomatoes only grow to be about 4 feet tall....some a little taller, some a little less. They have been developed by a team of dedicated tomato breeders who are still working on new types.
Sun gold, Cherokee purple, costoluto genovese. I'm looking forward to trying the black krim ☺️ thank you!
You're welcome! Yes, the Black Krim is definitely worth trying.
I grow all of these for selling at the local farmers market. Our customers love them. My favorites are Cherokee purple, big beef, orange oxheart, isis candy and artisan tiger blush
I've never tried the last 3 on your list. There are just so many great ones out there to try. I guess that is one of the things that makes gardening so fun.
So Far you’re the only person who mentioned the big beef! Yes! That’s a top favorite of mine,. Along with better boys, best boys & best girls, etc! I just found this channel!!! So excited! Ha! Can’t wait to try So Many different varieties!!! Can’t remember for sure,. Think I’ve had the Cherokee purple! Almost Certain I have,. Hopefully can still get some planted this year!!! Happy Growing!!! Stay Safe & Happy Memorial Day!!!
Love your videos, just stumbled upon them. I think my favorite is the Red Brandywine but I also really like the Striped German.
Glad you found my channel! Thanks for sharing your favorite with us!
My top two are the same as yours 😊. I also do not get great production from the Cherokee purple, but I grow it anyway because of its taste 😊
Great minds think alike, Vicki 😀 I hope you have a great tomato year!
My dad had always grown brandywine tomatoes, he always kept his seeds, when he past I made damn sure to keep the seeds from some of his tomatoes he had growing. I know I could just go buy brandywine plants but then they wouldn't be "DADS" TOMATOES.
Oh and I'm also growing black prince this year, it's supposed to be a taste test winner, we'll see.
Nice! Having some of your dad's seeds makes them pretty special.
Let us know how that black prince works out for you.
Do you know there are near 60 different Brandywine to got with..
Look" 45 Seeds " Earl has all of them.
My Dad has been gone 28 years and I have often felt sick because I could not find his tomato seeds. This year I found it! It was in a jar in a box of things from the house after Mom passed. I'll bet they aren't good but I'll keep them anyway.
I make it a mission to grow Pink Brandywine every year. I love the creamy texture! I'm going to try the Black Krim that you recommend this year. Thanks!
Thanks for sharing your favorite! It's always good to have a favorite that keeps you coming back. Good luck with the Black Krim! I hope you like it as much as we have.
Black krim is a good Choice
Love, Love LOVE the black Krim - makes a good addition to tomato sauce too!
I know what you mean, Laura. It's making my mouth water just thinking about it.
Why, OH WHY do we not see the plants more available retail is beyond me. This variety was a good producer and my ... the tastiest!
@@Laura-os4qe after looking at heirloom seeds, grocery store produce is so boring. Mary's heirloom seeds, Annie's heirloom seeds, and TattGardner on etsy have fantastic stuff
My best tasting tomato ever is the Black Krim. I grow it every year. Nothing compares to it. I am in Ohio and I have talked to some who have problems growing it but I put it in my raised garden beds and they grow great. Nothing compares to the Black Krim.
I'm glad it works so great for you. It's a great tasting tomato for sure.
I adore the pink and yellow varieties of Brandywine, they were so sweet and delicious!
Thanks Alina. You're not alone on being a fan of Brandywine types.
Black Krim, Tennessee Sweet, Carbon, Cherokee Purple and HillBilly yellow are my top 5 and all in my garden.
That's a nice top 5. Those would make some find BLTs!
MrThemortgage is Hillbilly yellow is the one who he shows @ 0:41 ? I like to find out and plant it .
I've been growing the Black Krim for 4 years in a row now. It's definitely on the top of my list too! Couldn't believe when you had it at number one! I save my seeds from these plants every year. They get huge, the quantity is amazing, and I've grown many fruits over a pound. On top of it all, like you said, the taste is fantastic!
Sounds like it's working out great for you. I love the fact that you save seeds too! Enjoy this growing season!
@@MidwestGardener Thank you. You too!
If you have a good strain of black Kremlin save the seeds and sell them, I cannot seem to find decent seeds it is good to save the best strain!
Hoss sells great seeds for Black Krim. They did great for me.
Thanks for your video because it reminded me that I have Carbon seeds; and you are absolutely correct that it is a great tasting tomato. My favorite are; Black Pineapple, Big Rainbow, Japanese Black Trifele and Paul Robeson.
That's a nice list. Carbon would fit well with those.
growing in the phoenix area, i have to stick to the smaller to mid size tomatoes because of the intense sun. my plants go in the ground at the end of january, and are finished by the first week of june. abe lincoln, black prince, celebrity have done well for me. i am going to get some cherokee p seeds for next years planting. thx for posting MG !
You're welcome! If you like growing smaller to mid sized tomatoes, you might check out dwarf tomatoes from the dwarf tomato project. I like Boronia and Tasmanian Chocolate from last year, and this year, I'm grow several that I've never tried before....plus the two I mentioned.
I have a very limited range, but I loved the yellow-pear variety, the smaller ones that grow like little pears or bulbs. I made the best homemade pizza sauce with it.
Sounds great!
This is the first year I've had a garden of my own. I've only grown a couple varieties. Cherokee Carbon, I like pretty well.
Thanks for sharing that. You're starting out with a good one!
I have been putting in 8 tomato plants every year for 20+ years. The only varieties that I plant every year are 2 Black Krims and a single Sun Gold. Both are amazing. San Marzanos may be getting added to that list after I tried them last year and loved the flavor of the sauce they made. Also the production was unbelievable. Looking forward to trying the Saldackis this year as I picked up some seeds after having heard them mentioned in a couple of best of lists. Thanks for the video. Really enjoyed it.
Nice list Steve! I tried Sun Gold for the first time last year and really like it a lot. I try a few new ones each year because I've been finding some really good ones the last few years. Hope you have a great growing season!
you got an incredibly relaxing voice ! thank you for this informative video
You're welcome Julie! Glad you enjoyed it!
Very nice I have never grown the black krim before but have started the seeds this year hoping for a really good tomato. I also love the super sweet 100 cherry tomatoes
Thanks! I have a feeling you will really like the Black Krim. They are in a league of their own.
Your voice is so calming. Thank you for the content!
Thank you Zoya! I'm glad you think so.
A mid season, medium sized russian Tomato Lyana Rozovyy , Pink Liana. It has such well balanced flavor, great producer too.
Thanks for the tip on those!
@@MidwestGardener I agree with your choice of Black Krim; some years the flavour is better than other years, but at it's best, smokey and salty, it knocks your socks off.
Paul Robeson, Cosmonaut Volkov, Moskvich, Black Krim, Black from Tula, Brandywine, and Carmello are my favorites. There’s just something special about the “black” tomatoes.
Thanks for sharing your list! I agree with you, Stephen. I just really like the darker tomatoes. I found a new one that I really like too. It's called Boronia. It's a dwarf from the dwarf tomato project.
Midwest Gardener I grew Rosella Purple from the dwarf tomato project this year. It grew really well until our heat and humidity rose and the fruit quality went down quickly. Unique flavor and different flavor from other dark tomatoes. I really liked the first two or three fruits, but then they started getting mushy texture and the flavor went generic.
Midwest Gardener how about paste or sauce tomatoes? Do you have any favorites there?
Yes... Cosmonaut volkov... also a favorite..
Where did you get the seed for the white one? I have not heard of that one before. My favorite is Giant Belgium.
I think I got the seeds for White Tomesol from Baker Creek.
Interesting list. I agree with you on number 1 for sure. I grow Black Krim every year. Narrowing a list down to five would be hard for me. Enjoyed your list!
Thanks! I agree, it's hard to narrow a list like this down to 5. If I had it to do over again, the list would be a little different.
OMGosh those tomatoes look so good I can hardly wait till harvest. I like cherokee purple and the little sugar sweet tomatoes,they just taste so good.
I know what you mean. Just looking at the thumbnail for this video makes my mouth water.
@@MidwestGardener Ikr
Great video! I can grow 6 plants each year, plus 2 cherry tomato types in bags. After 25 years of experimenting in the Midwest with probably over 100 varieties, I have narrowed my top 6 to: Carbon, Gold Medal, Caspian Pink, Black from Tula, Carmella, and Thessaloniki.
Nice list! Thanks for sharing it with us, Mary!
YEA! Black Krim is my number one! Old German, Ferris Wheel, Italian Heirloom and Bison are my top 5 so far but yes I LOVE my Black Krim....if you want some seeds I would be happy to send you some!
Mike 🇨🇦👍
Thanks Michael! I appreciate the offer, but even though all of the tomatoes in my top 5 are indeterminate types, I've become very interested in dwarf tomatoes from the dwarf tomato project. I even found 1 that I would put in my top 5 if I redid it right now.
I want some seeds! :p
One hundred percent agree with you on your number 1 pick. Black Krim is my favorite too. Great choice!
Thanks for the backup, Cindy! It is a good one for taste. There are lots of good ones out there though. I'm trying some new ones this year, so who knows what the list would look like next year.
Hello, I grow tomatoes in my vegetable garden in Italy (in the mountains, at 850 meters). My favorite varieties are: 1) Montserrat; 2) Oxheart from Albenga; 3) Belmonte; 4) Piennolo del Vesuvio red; 5) Rose of Sorrento. However, I grow several other varieties of tomatoes ...
From your posts I have seen many preferences for Cherokee purple, Brandywine and Paul Robeson. This year I will try to plant them because they intrigue me!
Thank you!
You're welcome! Thanks for sharing your list of favorites, Marco. Be sure to check back in and let us know what you think of Cherokee purple, Brandywine and Paul Robeson if you try them.
@ Marco Odasso - Mosto interessante! Anch' Io vivo sulla collina dove acqua è un problema. Anno scorso non c'era nessuna pioggia durante tutto estate... Ed io pianto no meno di 20 pianti nel orto. Quest' anno il clima è differente: sta piovendo tutto il tempo. Io vivo vicino a Columbia fiume in Nord-Oveste degli Stati Uniti. Scusi per molti errori: ho appreso italiano da solo... E buon giorno per Lei!
The new hybrid cross of Cherokee Carbon is AMAZING! Won our large tomato taste test last year and even beat out Brandywine Pink. Sun Sugar is by FAR the best cherry tomato! Belgian Giant is sweet and delicious. Also trying the new Marzinera cross paste this year and Dr. Wyches which is supposed to be a great yellow tomato.
Thanks for sharing you list! Yes, that Cherokee Carbon cross has to be a good one. I found one that I really like a lot this year. It's called Boronia, and is a dwarf.
Thanks for posting! I'm big on the Cherokee Purple, so id definitely love to try that cross! I'm also a big advocate for the Sun Sugar. Actually, I've converted my entire family and everyone I know into planting them now. I only planted the Sun Sugar as my cherry tomatoes this year, because they just make all others taste terrible in my opinion. Lol 😆
I love mortgage lifters! Course I'm from WV and love the story of how radiator Charlie developed them. As long as they have tall sturdy cages they produce well. They have a good flavor and are good for canning, sauce, juice, or fresh eating. I usually throw another variety or two in but they remain my fav thus far.
It's great that you found a tomato that works for you! I agree about the story. I love learning about the history of some heirlooms.
Black krim is my favorite #1 too.
Yep, it's a good one.
My son's favorite.
Thanks for sharing your videos and keep them coming please.
Thanks a bunch for watching!
I'm up in Ontario Canada and this is my top 5 list:
1) Caspian Pink
2) Carbon
3) Chocolate Cherry
4) Golden Cherry
5) Amana Orange
Looking to try Kellogg Breakfast and, now thanks to your review, Aunt Ruby's German Green.
Great channel and thanks for sharing your experiences with us!
Thanks a bunch for sharing your top 5 list with us, and for the kind words, Robert! Seeing your list makes me want to go make a tomato sandwich :) We just happen to have a few ripe ones ready.
This was just recommended to me and now I’m sooooo hungry. This is going to be my first year growing multiple varieties so I am so grateful for your top 5 and all the top fives listed in the comments.
I know exactly what you mean. It's hard to talk about tomatoes without wanting one. Good luck with growing multiple varieties. I hope you have a great year with them!
I'm trying to learn to make the absolute best possible gourmet ketchup. Obviously experimenting with tomatoes and learning about them is a major part of this.
Really love your channel. And yes, so calming too. 🥺
Thank you very much! And good luck in your gourmet ketchup endeavors. That sounds interesting.
I like an heirloom called Pineapple the best. I also like Green Zebra for a tangier tasting tomato. I also love the Cosmonaut Volkov because they grow the biggest and heartiest plants. I am trying Mountain Merit for the first time this season and am very happy with the production. It's a very hearty determinate plant. The Sun Gold is my favorite cherry tomato- very sweet. I'm experimenting with a plum tomato, but it's not very productive.I forget the variety but it's a San Marzano type. The fruits are developing nicely -just not very many of them.
Thanks for sharing some of the ones you like. I have my first Sun Gold getting ripe now. Can't wait to try it.
I'm growing Pineapple and Green Zebra for the first time this year! Can't wait to see how they turn out!
I love aunt Ruby’s German green!. I am trying carbon and black Krim I got all three this year
Sounds like you are going to have a very good tomato year.
One of my hobbies is growing and collecting heirloom tomato seeds. I live in East Tennessee and have had great luck with many varieties. My favorite tomatoes are the German Pink, Carbon and Georgia Streak varieties. I am experimenting with the Cherokee Green this year. My mother’s favorite was the green zebra because of the taste. So happy to find this channel.
Thanks for sharing your favorites with us! That's my kind of hobby, Gale!
you won't regret planting cherokee green, that I promise
you won't regret planting cherokee green, that I promise
Some of my favorites are...
- Brandywine
- Norma - This was a variety I got from a friend from Norma Italy. It tastes good but is poor on disease resistance here in NY so it might be retired from my rotation
- Standard Beefsteak from the garden is still better than the store but will be trying out some new types this year.
- I think will try a darker Cherokee Purple or Black Krim after seeing this.
Thanks!
Yes, Cherokee Purple and Black Krim are definitely worth a try, Ken. I also would add Rosella Purple and Boronia if I had to do this video over again. Those two are dwarfs.
This is my first year growing my own tomatoes and I'm growing a variety. Haven't had any harvests yet, but I can name my favorite tomato from the grocery store and if I ever find this video again, I'll let you know how my harvest went.
The only tomato that I know the name of that I like a lot is the flavor bomb cherry tomato. I love cherry tomatoes just because I tend to cut into bigger ones and never really finish them. Lovely video, btw!
Thanks! If you are used to eating only grocery store tomatoes, you are in for a treat, Jayden! I hear from a lot of folks who love Sungold cherry tomatoes. Yep, check back in later on if you can. I would like to hear how it went.
cherokee purple is my favorite when grown right
You are not along with that one.
Hi! I always appreciate your videos! I replied to you some years ago about the Indian Stripe tomato-a cousin to the Cherokee Purple but more productive and uniform. I'm growing them side by side this year, and I much prefer the Indian Stripe! It isn't cracking nearly as much and is twice as productive this year. It's always the best or second-best-tasting tomato I grow! I save my seed, but originally got the seed from Heritage Harvest Seeds in Manitoba, Canada. The Stripe ( as I call it) works very well in our BC climate.
Thanks for sharing that with us. I know lots of people read the comments for this video, so I'm sure others will appreciated it too. It's always great to find a variety that words really well for your area.
Great video. My top three for taste: Missouri Love Apple, Black Krim, Cherokee Purple.
Thanks Lori! Nice list!!!
My favorite 5 tomato varieties: Kellogg's Breakfast , Chef's choice orange, Pink Belgium, Brandy Black, Mr. Stripey
Thanks for sharing your list with us. Those are some nice ones. I wish I had some fresh ones right now.
Growing black Krim for the first time im so excited
You're in for a treat, Kyle!
Be sure to keep them evenly watered and mulched. They tend to crack.
Same 🙂
Black Krim are everywhere this year. I'm growing some. I grew black prince last year.
Where I live (Finger Lakes area, south of Lake Ontario in New York State) we have 'consistently unusual' weather. I have found some tomatoes that have better flavor in a dry, hot summer and some that are better in damp, cooler summers, so I grow some of a few types each year. As far as the consistently best flavor in all weather conditions, I'd have to say Glaciers. I've been using saved seeds for about ten years. One of a very few toms I can grow from direct seeding in the garden in this area. I generally direct seed some and transplant some for early harvest. I love the flavor of Black Krims and Cherokee Purples, but the splitting and blight problems.....I'm trying Carbons and Paul Roebsons next.
Thanks for sharing the details of your location and the weather you have to deal with. I'm sure those who are in a similar situation will really appreciate that. Glacier is another one that I've never tried. Yep, blight can be a problem with a lot of heirlooms, and that splitting does get pretty old, especially in those rainy summers. I hope the Carbon or Paul Robeson works better for you. I'm ready for that first tomato of the summer. It's been a long wait.
I love the Finger Lakes area. I could pretty much live at the Corning museum for a week and be very happy.)
@ Ken Simmons - That's a very good observation! This season, I'm going to be as observant as you are with regards to weather conditions and the tom. plants growing and tasting...
I love that folks are sharing favorite flavor or favorite variety. I have grown limited varieties but best flavor so far is a Red Brandywine. Super limited production, and late producing but my best tasting tomato so far. Also an old fashioned beefsteak tomato I grew from seeds saved from a delectable tomato from my daughter’s “one-year only” garden. She had a super neglected patch with super tomatoes when everyone else here was flooded out. Lol.
Thanks for sharing your favorites with us, Carol! Red Brandwine has quite a few fans.
My favorite cherry is Orange Paruche. Instead of pure sugar like some cherries such as Sungold, it retains a distinct tomato taste and is nearly as sweet, and the skin's not as thick. Though others carry them, I've gotten mine from Territorial Seeds. I will be trying White Tomesil this year on your advice. I agree with Cherokee Purple and Pink Brandywine is also a fave. I had good luck with Pink Berkeley Tie-Dye though the second year was not quite as good.
I'm also trying one this year called the Garden Gem that comes from a UF program where they're trying to develop a great tasting one that is highly productive.
Thanks for sharing some of your favorites! Keep us posted on how that Garden Gem works out for you. We are about a week or two from being able to put some in the ground here.
The Arkansas traveler was my favorite until I planted the Cherokee purple last year, it was absolutely wonderful. I love a juicy tomato with a good acidic taste. I am planting the black krim for the first time this year so my favorite may change again.
I hope that Black Krim works for you. Drop back in an let us know what you think of it.
@@MidwestGardenerOk👍🍅
For the past 3 years I have been producing my own tomatoes in France (USDA zone 8a) I have found Tobolk and Brad's Black Heart (from Brad's Gate farm) the best over a dozen varieties. Tobolsk is quite early producing and lasts until late in the year
Thanks for sharing those, Nicolas! I hadn't heard of Tobolk. Brad's Black Heart sounds like a tomato I might like.
Thank you so much for this video! I really want to try different varieties next year and seeing other people’s choices really helps! Especially when you see the same ones, that tells you something.
You're welcome Kim! You are exactly right. Everybody had their own opinion on things, but when there seems to be a lot of people of the same opinion, there might be something to it. I'm guessing that some folks get as much out of reading the comments as watching the video.
This is our first year for a garden. Our two favorites are a cherry tomato called Super Sweet and a slicing tomato called German Johnson. Though narly in shape, the flavor is so sweet and the texture meatier than some. We’re saving seeds for both as well as Roma which did well and Juliette which we think is a paste-type tomato but smaller in size.
Thanks for sharing your favorites with us! I love that you are already going to start saving seeds!
My fav right now for slicing and eating..is without a doubt Cherokee purples...it def does a dance on my tongue..and Cherokee purple did well early..in 8a growing
Thanks Jennifer. That is by far the most mentioned here as favorite.