We invite you to take a stroll through the colorful world of old tomato varieties. Get to know outstanding tomato oldies with unique shapes, bright colors and incomparable taste. But beware - after the first bite into the tempting apples of paradise, there is no going back to the bland world of commercial high-performance tomatoes.

Anyone who grows different types of tomatoes in the garden can taste for themselves: not all tomatoes are the same

Old beefsteak tomato varieties - Renaissance in the tomato bed

With up to 1,000 grams, beefsteak tomatoes are the heavyweights within the variety family, have many chambers and only ripen late in the year. With a growth height of up to 300 centimetres, the expansive plants have to be tied up in the bed or greenhouse. These old varieties bring tomato renaissance to your green kingdom:

variety name shape color Weight harvest time origin
marmande flat-round, slightly ribbed Red 200 to 500g from June France, Aquitaine, late 19th century
brandywine flattened, ribbed, voluminous light red to pink 250 to 500g from July America, since 1882
Black Prince flat-round, without ribs red-brown to black 150 to 350g from the end of July Siberia
ox heart heart-shaped, heavily to moderately ribbed bright red 300 to 500g from September America, since 1901
White beauty flat-round White 100 to 200g from Aug Germany

One of the oldest beefsteak tomatoes is called 'Yellow Ruffeld' and was bred in America. The history of the yellow, heavily ribbed tomato variety goes back to the 17th century. Gourmets among home gardeners appreciate the mild taste and serve the 200 gram hollow fruit with savory fillings.

Traditional bottle tomatoes - traditional varieties for the garden

Old bottle tomato varieties are more popular than ever. Due to their elongated shape, the fruits are perfect as pizza tomatoes. Their special advantage is an incomparable aroma, which turbo tomatoes from commercial cultivation cannot match. The following classics have particularly appealed to tradition-conscious home gardeners:

variety name shape color Weight harvest time origin
San Marzano elongated-slender Red 20 to 100g from the end of August Italy, since 1770
Amish Paste ovate to oblong Red 50 to 80g from the end of July America, Wisconsin 19th Century
Roma little sister of San Marzano Red 20 to 60g from the end of July Italy, 19th century
date vine tomato ovate, tapering yellow 20 to 40g from early/mid-August Germany, 18th century

One of the oldest and most authentic plum tomatoes found its way from South America to Europe as seed in the luggage of a French collector. The old variety 'Andenhorn' resembles a red pointed pepper and grows up to 18 cm long. The plant is very robust and not very susceptible to the dreaded late blight. However, she keeps the gardener in suspense with a long ripening period that stretches into autumn.

Old stick tomato varieties - treasures of the past

Stick tomatoes are among the most popular tomatoes worldwide with a total share of more than 70 percent in cultivation. Our forefathers really appreciated the handy fruits with the space-saving extension on the stick. The selection of historical variety treasures is correspondingly large. The following list introduces you to the top 5:

variety name shape color Weight harvest time origin
Golden Queen round to ovate, smooth golden yellow 30 to 60g from Aug Germany, since 1870
German diligence spherical, smooth, 4 to 6 cm in size bright red 60 to 80g from the end of July Germany, since the beginning of the 20th century
Bern rose oval, slightly ribbed light red to pink 50 to 100 g, rarely up to 300 g from mid-August Switzerland, since the end of the 19th century
Black Crimea flat-round dark red-brown-violet 50 to 150g from the end of July Russia, since the late 19th century
Quendlinger early love round, smooth shell Red 40 to 60g from mid-July Germany, 19th century

Rediscovered cherry tomatoes - sweet varieties for the balcony

Old cherry tomato varieties create an ingenious bridge to modern urban gardening on the balcony. The small plants thrive vigorously and productively in large tubs and provide bite-sized mini tomatoes that even vegetable-resistant children can happily grab. The following selection presents you with outstanding variety hits:

variety name shape color Weight harvest time origin
whippersnapper round, smooth, 2 to 3 chambers pink 10g from June America
Yellow Pear pear shaped yellow 10 to 15g from July England, since the 16th century
sugar grape spherical deep red 10 to 15g from June/July Mexico, was presumed missing
Gardener's Delight cherry-sized, smooth Red 10g from June England or Germany, very old variety
Yellow Plum oval, cherry-sized yellow 5 to 10g from July America, since 1898

tips

In the small home garden and on the balcony, the area under cultivation is limited. Keep an eye out for suitable company for old tomato varieties, focus on native wild strawberries. The wildly romantic character of both plant species makes them the perfect duo, so you can plant vintage tomatoes and wild strawberries together without hesitation.

Category:

Vegetable garden