My 2023 Tomato Grow List

This is my tomato grow list for this year. Some are seeds that I had already, like all of the Baker Creek seeds and the Heinz from Yonder Hill Farm.

How do I chose what goes on my grow list?

I like to make sure that I have ripe tomatoes throughout the entire summer by ordering early, mid, and late season varieties. Sometimes they are listed by season but most often, the seed sellers tell you how many days till maturity.

The shorter your season, the earlier your dates should be. The only issue with ordering just early birds is that they rarely have that deep, rich, tomato flavour that we dream about all winter long. They need heat for that to develop, so order from all seasons.

I also order both determinate and indeterminate types for a constant supply from early summer to late.

Determinates put on all their flowers at the same time so the tomatoes are all ready to pick over a two to three week period of time, and then they are done for the year. You cannot get determinates to produce more flowers or fruits throughout the season as they have a determined life span. This make them perfect for canning so one can get them all done in a couple of busy canning days.

Indeterminates continue to flower and fruit till the weather takes them down. I top them (nip off the tops of the main leaders) in mid to late August so they stop producing more flowers and instead finish ripening the tomatoes already on the vines.

The determinate mid-season paste tomatoes on my list are for canning, a must have to fill the pantry and maybe the freezer, as well. I need a whole lot of food in my store room next winter. Use paste tomatoes or canning tomatoes for processing as they are meaty, have less juice and pulp. Yes, I absolutely still use other tomatoes if I have a glut of them, they work just fine, just take longer to cook down.

The indeterminate late paste tomatoes are even meatier and less pulpy than the determinate ones are but they produce fruits and flowers all season long rather than all at once. Therefore, unless one has room to grow a bunch of them, it will take time till you have enough harvest to can. We use these for fresh eating, salads, fresh and canned salsas, bruschetta.

The two early determinates are for fresh eating tomatoes in early summer, to keep us going till the array of mid seasons are ready.

I have a whole lot of late tomatoes on my grow list again this year, which is dicey in my new climate. Most of these seeds, I had left over from last year, so I am going to grow them and see how they do. Beefsteaks have always been my most favourite type to grow. They make me happy. The others I grow for practicality but there is no better feeling than growing great big, juicy whoppers!

The two late storage tomatoes (Mystery Keeper and Red Fig) are for fresh eating in winter. Isn't that mind blowing?

The lates will be grown in the greenhouse or under shelter to extend the season. My fancy, heated She-She/Garden House will not be finished until mid to late summer so unless they are growing in a pot, it will not be of much help.

Elizabeth	Red, Ind, Paste	Early Season - 60 days	T&T Seeds
Heinz 2653	Red, Det, Paste	Mid Season - 73 days	Yonder Hill Farm
Martino's Roma	Red, Det, Paste	Mid Season - 70 days	Baker Creek Seeds
San Marzano Redorta	Red, Ind, Paste	Late Season - 78 days	TomatoFest
Tondino Di Monduria	Red, Semi-Det, Paste	Late Season - 80 days	TomatoFest
Black Prince	Black, Ind, Slicer	Mid Season - 70 days	?
Bloody Butcher	Red, Ind, Slicer	Early Season - 54 days	TomatoFest
Dw. Hannah Prize	Red, Tree, Slicer	Mid Season - 75 days	TomatoFest
Dw. Purple Heart	Purple, Tree, Slicer	Mid Season - 75 days	TomatoFest
Early Annie	Red, Det, Slicer	Early Season - 60 days	Heritage Harvest
Mystery Keeper (storage)	Red, Ind, Slicer	Late Season - 80 days	Heritage Harvest
Gardener's Sweetheart	Red, Ind, Cherry	Mid Season - 70 days	Heritage Harvest
Lucky Tiger	Bi-Colour, Ind, Cherry	Mid Season - 70 days	?
Red Fig (storage)	Red, Ind, Cherry	Late - 85 days	Heritage Harvest
Ananas Noir	Bi-Colour, Ind, Beef	Late Season - 80 days	Heritage Harvest
Aunt Ginny's Purple	Pink, Ind, Beefsteak	Late Season - 80 days	TomatoFest
Aunt Ruby's Green	Green, Ind, Beefsteak	Late Season - 80 days	Baker Creek Seeds
Chianti Rose	Pink, Ind, Beefsteak	Late Season - 79 days	TomatoFest
Oxheart	Red, Ind, Beefsteak	Late Season - 80 days	Heritage Harvest
Paul Robeson	Black, Ind, Beefsteak	Late Season - 85 days	Baker Creek
Pink Berkeley Tie-Dye	Bi-Colour, Ind, Beef	Mid Season - 65 days	Baker Creek

A bit of information about the varieties I chose.

(the ones in yellow on the chart are seeds that I do not yet have ordered).

The Elizabeth paste tomato is a new one for me but as soon as I read about it, I had to have it. It makes loads of small, meaty tomatoes on vines that can grow up to 10 feet tall! I mean, I just have to try this one! And it is early, starts fruiting at just 60 days. Sounds like a winner. Will let you know how she does.

Heinz and Martino are for canning. They will be ready in early August so that we can do up a bunch of jars of sauce and diced tomatoes. At the acreage, I used to grow 80 plants for canning but only have room for about 35 plants in total at the new house. Therefore, I am hoping to put some out at my brother's farm. He does not yet have the beds and works long days so will see if we can get in the beds in spring.

Tondino di Monduria is an Italian paste tomato that is grown with little to no irrigation, is drought tolerant. Growing with less water makes for a richer, deeper, tomato flavour so that is a win and I am all about being thrifty with water.

The tree-form tomatoes are from the Dwarf Tomato Project by Craig LeHoullier. They are essentially short stocky indeterminate vines, very thick and sturdy like tree trunks. Instead of growing to 8 feet tall, they only grow 3 to 5 feet tall, depending on the variety. These tomatoes are all open-pollinated, not hybrids. I have been growing them for the past 5 years or so, and these two on my list are my favourites. I also like Uluru Ochre but decided to stick with my trusty Ananas Noir this year instead. Both are bi-colours with a similar taste and colour profile.

I already mentioned the storage tomatoes a bit above. The Mystery Keepers are picked in late summer, popped on a beer flat and stored in a cool pantry/store room for homegrown tomatoes till Easter. The Red Fig vines will be hung on a nail or hook in the store room to be be picked as needed. Might get a bit wrinkly but will still be yummy tasting, and organic. Better than anything at the shops.

I have a bunch of beefsteak tomatoes on the roster. I've been growing Chianti Rose well over a decade now. It puts out a bunch of big, pink tomatoes that everyone loves. I, personally, prefer the green and the black ones as they are richer and sweeter tasting. I always say that the black/purple tomatoes are like a dark roast coffee, just have a bit deeper, richer flavour than the others.

Pink Berkeley Tie-Dye is just a total winner; produces earlier, makes big, tasty, juicy tomatoes, has won a great many taste tests all around the world, and was a best seller at my wee greenhouse.

So, those are the tomatoes on my grow list for 2023. I am excited to start growing in my new yard, to see where the microclimates are, to grow in my new greenhouse, and watch the garden cottage go up. Lots to look forward to this spring. I hope this list helps you make your own 2023 tomato list, whether you buy the seeds or the plants.

The rest of my garden veggies and flowers are coming very soon, plus tons of garden planning information for new and established gardens.

January is for planning and dreaming!

Happy 2023~ Tanja