Choosing Heirloom Tomato Varieties

With hundreds of varieties of heritage tomato varieties to choose from, narrowing down the selection to a reasonable and manageable number is a real challenge for me!

Earlier this week I watched an episode of Vision TV's Recreating Eden about Montreal gardener Gwynne Basen, self-proclaimed “Tomato Queen.” In the episode, Gwynne travels to France to visit the Loire Valley to attend an annual tomato festival at the Conservatoire de Tomate, home of over 600 varieties of heirloom tomatoes. 600 varieties!

Over the past couple of years I have grown approximately 35 different varieties of tomatoes in my back yard garden. Each year I tell myself that I am going to cut back a little on the tomato plants. Although they are my absolute favourite plant to cultivate for the vegetable garden, it has been a challenge to keep up with the harvest. I have given away almost as many tomatoes as I have roasted and preserved and eaten in my own kitchen.

In my article, How to Grow Heirloom Tomatoes, my recommendation is to select a range of tomato varieties for growing in the home or community garden plot. I’ve been trying to follow my own advice, but it’s been difficult to stick to a plan, since trying a new and exciting variety of tomato is hard to resist.

I believe I’ve narrowed down my selections for the 2008 growing season:

• Red Currant, a tomato that is about the size of a marble, packed with flavour, and perfect for tossing into salads.
• Black Plum, a beautiful plum tomato that I have already started in seed trays in my dining room.
• Paul Robeson, a black tomato. It has a marvelous, rich, tomato flavour that cannot be beaten.
• Amana Orange has been my beefsteak of choice, and will be again this season.

Now, whether I am able to resist trying some other varieties remains to be seen!