When it comes to tomatoes, it’s not always about Beefsteaks and Sweet Millions! There are close to 10,000 different varieties of tomatoes around the world. We’re immensely proud of our robust selection of tomatoes at Van Luyk’s, not just because of the breadth of choices at your fingertips, but because we’ve rigorously trialled all of the tomatoes we offer to ensure only the best cultivars for our area are grown. Tomatoes are such a significant part of our summer palette in Ontario that it’s worth taking a closer look at what exists beyond the staples – there’s a tomato out there for everyone!

When deciding on what tomato variety to grow, you need to ask yourself a few basic questions. Firstly: what’s your end goal? Do you want to grow flavourful tomatoes for fresh eating on a sandwich? Generally, large heirloom varieties such as Black Krim (Brenda’s favourite!) or Brandywine Pink are good for fresh eating and sandwiches.

Perhaps you will mostly be adding your tomatoes to fresh salads or on the grill. In that case, use cherry or grape tomatoes, which are better-suited for salads and shish kebab. (What’s the difference between the two, you ask? Grape tomatoes are oblong, durable, and keep much longer, while cherry tomatoes are more flavourful.)

Or perhaps you plan on making your own tomato sauce from scratch! For tomato sauce, the varieties Health Kick and especially Roma are good choices. Roma is a meaty tomato – lots of flesh and fewer seeds – which is ideal for making sauces.

It’s also good to determine how much room you have to work with in your garden before deciding on a tomato variety. Tomatoes are divided into two major categories: Indeterminate and Determinate. Indeterminate tomatoes usually grow large and ramble, while Determinate tomatoes (generally) stay more compact.

Finally, you should establish just how much time you have to care for them. Hybrid varieties are lower-maintenance, owing mostly to their increased disease resistance. However, this resistance comes at the expense of flavour. Heirloom varieties, conversely, have superior flavour at the expense of disease resistance.

There’s a tomato for everyone! A little bit of planning and forethought can go a long way to ensure a bountiful and healthy tomato patch.

For more information about the care and maintenance of tomatoes, consult our Growing Tomatoes Tip Sheet.