Heirloom Tomato Varieties for 2012

Because of the overwhelming demand for tomatoes (we often sell out of heirlooms in the first 15 minutes of the sale), the Garden Club has decided to sell more tomato plants and fewer varieties. Instead of 300 plants consisting of 12 different varieties, this year we will be selling 400 plants and only 8 different varieties. All photos and descriptions courtesy Totally Tomatoes.

Bloody Butcher

A sensational, multi-purpose tomato, very early and high-yielding. Strong tomato flavor in medium, round, 4 oz. fruits that are a deep, dark red inside and out. Potato-leaved plants are fast growing.

Black Krim

A most unusual novelty. Fruits are a dark, deep red (almost a shiny black) with heavy green shoulders. Interior is a deep, reddish-green color. Sweet and tasty. Matures extremely early.

Cherokee Purple

A reliable producer of unusual, medium pink-purple fruits that appear brown in color, and average 8 to 12 oz., apiece. Fruits are round to oblate, with no cracking. Exhibits tolerance to mild drought as well as to common diseases.

Chocolate Cherry

Extremely flavorful, uniform, round fruits in trusses of 8, measure 1" in diameter. Fruits hold stems very well, don't crack and can be picked several days before completely mature and allowed to ripen off the vine without sacrificing quality. Great variety for the home gardener or for packing into pints for market.

Cuore de Toro

This Italian heirloom, a huge, pink Oxheart type, weighs in at a gigantic 2 lbs. or more! Abundant, 4" fruits on vigorous plants are a colorful pinkish-red with a wonderful sweet flavor.

John Baer

Widely grown by both home and market gardeners, this heirloom variety is renowned for its earliness, enormous productivity and long bearing season. Bright red, meaty, smooth fruits weigh 4 to 5 oz. and have very good flavor. Great for fresh eating and canning.

Lillian’s Yellow

Magnificent, clear-yellow, globe-shaped fruits of the beefsteak-type, weighing up to 16 oz. each. Mild flesh is so rich in flavor, it actually has a creamy taste on the tongue. Vigorous, potato-leaved plants are unique in such a large-fruited, yellow variety, and provide cover for heavy yields. Local heirloom from Manchester, Tennessee.

Martino’s Roma

You can't go wrong with this Italian heirloom, no matter what you have in mind: sauces, salsas, pastes, farmer's market--bring it on! Richly flavored, meaty, pear-shaped fruits set heavily on compact plants with rugose, dark green foliage. So heavily productive, the 2 oz., 3" fruits tend to drop from the vine when ripe. Most often used for cooking, but perfectly suited to eating fresh.