New Tomato Varieties

We are growing four new tomato varieties this year. For customers who are passionate about their tomatoes, these crops will be of major interest. Our goal is to bring heritage tomatoes forward into today’s market, as well as to highlight important innovations within the new work being done by modern breeders.

INDIGO ROSE

One new variety we are growing this year is ‘Indigo Rose’, a Hort Couture selection grown in 12cm pots. Here, old school meets modern times. Breeders from Oregon took some of the older cultivars and bred them for a dark purple skin—as dark as eggplant. When you cut it open, the fruit has bright orange flesh like a persimmon. Now that is dinner plate drama.

The dark skin comes from purple anthocyanin, an antioxidant that is purportedly quite healthy. Flavor-wise, it offers a pleasant balance between sugar and acid. The anthocyanin has no flavor, so this is not a case of something tasting bad simply because you know it’s good for you. ‘Indigo Rose’ has to ripen completely on the vine to achieve that perfect mix of sugar and acid, so it has no commercial value; you’ll have to wait to the very end if you want the perfect flavor.

Watch for this one, because we are only growing it for our readers. It is not listed in our catalogs.

BRANDYWINE

‘Brandywine’ is a famous heirloom tomato that we grow in the 1801 trays. It has been grown since 1885 and is consistently ranked among the top varieties for homegrown flavor. Pink tomatoes are considered to be more flavorful by tomato connoisseurs, and ‘Brandywine’ is considered the best of the pinks.

Pink tomatoes don’t have a thick skin, so they don’t ship well. That’s why you don’t see them grown commercially in today’s market. ‘Brandywine’ presents a nice contrast between sweet and acid flavors. Its main sell is that it is more flavorful, and the skin is not so tough that it’s like biting through leather to get to the meaty part of the fruit.

PURPLE RUSSIAN

‘Purple Russian’ is a 12cm Hort Couture cultivar we added to our Heritage line of vegetables. Cincinnati is the melting pot of the Midwest, and our grandparents brought with them an incredible treasure trove of interesting vegetables that we have nearly lost. They grew vegetables for flavor in the kitchen and on the dinner plate, and our gardens still offer us that same advantage over commercially harvested foods.

The color of ‘Purple Russian’ is what really struck us—again, this is a very eye-catching tomato; plus, the flavor is admired among many in the heirloom movement. It is a plum variety, so it works well in salads, sauces and home canning—a versatile tomato for the home chef.

SUN SUGAR

‘Sun Sugar’, grown in 1801 trays, is a yellowy-orange cherry-style tomato. We’re not sure where the line is drawn between cherry tomatoes and grape tomatoes—this one is somewhere in-between the two. It is another cultivar that is grown for flavor and not for shipping.

Our vegetable grower recommended this variety personally—she grows it in her own garden. Its taste comes from its high sugar content and the additional tang you’d expect from a tomato that announces its flavor. This one has a thin skin and some complex characteristics that make it a special choice for salads.

Lately, commercial cherry tomatoes have become marbles that are ripened fast by ethylene right in the train cars on their way to the store. These tomatoes don’t have time to develop any flavor at all, so it’s up to our garden tomatoes to provide what’s missing from the mass-market varieties.

For garden centers, tomatoes are strategically important. Yes, they are popular, so they are a good source of cash. But they are also the gateway garden crop: teach the young gardeners to grow tomatoes and you will expand your customer base.

Growing tomatoes is easy, and it enhances the kitchen and the dinner table. With a little encouragement, a gardener of tomatoes will become a gardener of other vegetables, and from there, a garden enthusiast in general—the garden center’s natural customer.