Tomato varieties at a glance
Hardly any vegetable is as diverse as the tomato: from the tiny, sweet wild tomato to the heavy beefsteak tomato, from red through yellow and orange to green, brown and almost black. This diversity makes choosing a variety exciting – but also confusing. This overview helps you find the right tomato for your garden.
Two things are especially important when choosing: the growth habit (cordon or bush tomato) and the fruit type.
In short
- By growth: cordon tomatoes (trained, pinched out) and bush tomatoes (compact, no pinching).
- By fruit: cocktail/cherry, salad, beefsteak and plum/Roma tomatoes.
- For beginners and balcony, robust cocktail and bush tomatoes are ideal.
- Old, open-pollinated varieties offer special flavour and can be propagated yourself.
By growth habit
Cordon tomatoes grow upwards on a single main stem, are trained and pinched out – they bear many fruits over a long period. Bush tomatoes stay compact, branch by themselves and are not pinched out – ideal for balcony, container and bed without much effort.
The most important fruit types
| Type | Feature | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Cocktail/cherry tomato | small, very sweet, aromatic | snacking, salads |
| Salad tomato | medium, round, juicy | salads, raw |
| Beefsteak tomato | very large, fleshy, little juice | topping, stuffing, frying |
| Plum/Roma tomato | elongated, firm-fleshed | sauces, preserving |
| Old/wild tomatoes | diverse in shape & colour | special flavour, robust |
Which tomato for whom?
- For beginners: robust cocktail and bush tomatoes forgive care mistakes.
- For the balcony: compact bush and trailing tomatoes in containers.
- For the greenhouse: cordon and beefsteak tomatoes ripen especially well under protection.
- For the open ground: blight-tolerant, robust varieties with rain protection.
Frequently asked questions
Which tomato is the most robust?
Small-fruited cocktail and wild tomatoes are considered especially resilient and reliable croppers.
What does "open-pollinated" mean?
Open-pollinated varieties can be propagated yourself – the offspring are true to type, unlike F1 hybrids.
Tip
Plant different types: a sweet cocktail tomato for snacking, a salad and a beefsteak tomato for the kitchen – so you have the right fruit for everything.
Caution
When buying, mind the growth habit: cordon tomatoes must be pinched out and supported, bush tomatoes not – anyone who confuses this ends up with either wild growth or cutting off too much.
In our range you will find many tomato young plants with the growth habit and type stated – strongly pre-grown and ready to plant.