15 Disease-Resistant Tomato Varieties For Your Garden

I’m able to plan out my tomato plots for 2024, and as I flip by my seed catalog to make my alternatives, I’m extremely contemplating the disease-resistant varieties.

It may be slightly overwhelming trying by a number of crop sections when attempting to recall what all of the codes imply, what’s new in the marketplace, how a lot house you’ve got, and so on., so I’ve gone by this yr’s choices and chosen 15 disease-resistant tomato varieties so that you can strive. I’ve additionally included a listing of all of the totally different codes and which ailments every selection is immune to. I hope this helps you whenever you’re planning your backyard. 

First, I’ll record out all of the codes in your comfort, after which we’ll get into every of the varieties we advocate. Let’s get began. 

Our Prime Picks

Sungold Pole Tomatoes 

Indigo Rose Tomatoes

Ace 55 Tomatoes

Illness-Resistance Codes 

Seed corporations present codes for every sort of tomato illness resistance for comfort to the potential buyer and grower. For reference, beneath, I’ve listed out all of the codes you would possibly see and what illness they seek advice from, in addition to the precise pathogen that causes it. There are fairly just a few extra, however these are particular to tomatoes. 

*There are presently three races of fusarium wilt (F), that are known as F(1), F(2), and F(3). Some tomatoes are resistant to 1 or two races whereas nonetheless being inclined to others. F infects different crop households in addition to common weeds and lives within the soil for as much as ten years with no host.

HR=excessive resistance

IR=intermediate resistance 

My high decide in every class is listed first and has a be aware indicating such. Spacing relies on your trellising system and indeterminate versus determinate sorts. 

Cherry Tomatoes 

Cherry tomatoes are usually spherical in measurement, about 1 ½ to 2 inches round, and fluctuate in coloration. Because of their measurement, they’ll be one of many first kinds of tomatoes to ripen. 

1. ‘Sungold’

TOP PICK

There’s nothing higher than the juicy pop of the primary ripe cherry tomato in the summertime. Sungolds by no means disappoint; we have now clients, relations, and buddies alike who stay up for occasions when the pints of those golden beauties develop into obtainable in mass. 

Preserve Sungolds pruned beginning on the backside and take away all suckers to maintain them from turning into unruly. A stringed trellis system that means that you can clip the vine up each week works finest because of its means to develop very tall.  

Sometimes, one of many first cherry tomatoes to ripen, harvest them just a few days earlier than they’re totally ripe to forestall splitting. 

2. ‘Sakura’

TOP PICK

This small, crimson cherry tomato selection gives you with plenty of clusters stuffed with juicy fruits. Get your trellises prepared as a result of ‘Sakura’ vines attain six ft or longer. Apply the lower-and-lean methodology you probably have the house to increase the season and make it simpler to reap from tall vegetation. 

‘Sakura’ is extraordinarily candy and has low charges of splitting. Crops might be spaced tightly with a stringed trellis system and constant pruning. It produces massive trusses of superbly shiny fruits. 

This selection retains going late into the season because of its intensive disease-resistance bundle. Pair it with Sungolds for a scrumptious duo. 

3. ‘Indigo Rose’

These candy and barely acidic cherry tomatoes had been developed at Oregon State College. They vary in measurement from six to eight ounces and boast a shiny violet-blue-brownish hue that dulls with ripeness with inside crimson flesh. 

The darkish blue pigments of those tomatoes are an indication of their excessive ranges of anthocyanins. These function antioxidants in our our bodies which will forestall irritation, enhance reminiscence, and battle off infections when consumed repeatedly. 

Permit the open-pollinated fruits of ‘Indigo Rose’ to totally ripen on the vine earlier than harvesting.

Small-Fruited Tomatoes 

These tomatoes get to three to 4 inches in diameter and about three to 6 ounces in weight.

4. ‘Mountain Magic’ 

TOP PICK 

This extraordinarily candy cocktail is like nature’s sweet. Greatest eaten straight from the vine and sliced in half in a salad, ‘Mountain Magic’ fruits are juicy and vibrant crimson. The trusses are packed stuffed with uniformly two-ounce fruits that hardly crack. 

Should you’re rising to promote your tomatoes, harvest the entire truss and promote it that means. It makes fairly an announcement on a farmers’ market desk. 

Leaves of ‘Mountain Magic’ conveniently cowl the fruits, defending them from sunscald. Prune spent and decrease leaves and empty trusses from the underside up as you begin to harvest. 

5. ‘Golden Jubilee’

This vibrant yellow stunner is the right cross between ‘Tangerine’ and ‘Rutgers’ which was launched in 1943 and gained the All-America Choices award that very same yr! Producing the occasional inexperienced shoulder, ‘Golden Jubilee’ fruits get to be six to eight ounces and about three inches round in diameter. 

This selection doesn’t have any resistance to chill or chilly temperatures, so it’s finest for gentle climates. Germinate on warmth mats set to 70-80°F (21-27°C) and transplant as soon as soil temperatures attain not less than 60°F (16°C). Area them at 1 ½ to 2 ½ ft. 

‘Golden Jubilee’ has a pleasant agency texture and holds up nicely after being harvested. Additionally they have small seed cavities, making them good for caprese salads or sandwiches. Harvest once they have just a bit give when squeezed and are vibrant orange.

6. ‘Early Lady’

This has been our go-to for a persistently productive, medium-sized slicing tomato. ‘Early Lady’ is pale crimson and performs nicely each outdoors or underneath cowl in a excessive tunnel. Most research conclude the advantages of rising in a excessive tunnel embrace extending the season and rising extra marketable fruits. That’s as a result of they get fairly banged up outdoors from pests and varied climate circumstances. 

‘Early Lady’ is broadly adaptable, and it’s one of many earliest slicers to ripen. Though not as juicy or flavorful as another choices, it’s dependable and uniformly sized. When we have now an abundance of those tomatoes, we freeze them and add them to soups and stews within the winter. 

Professional tip: If dry farming, ‘New Lady’ will produce extremely acidic, very candy fruits. 

7. ‘Lemon Boy Plus’ 

This candy and tangy slicer provides a singular brightness to the backyard and the dinner desk, particularly together with vibrant reds, blushes, or greens. With an in depth disease-resistance bundle, the vegetation maintain going sturdy into the late season.

At all times deep water your tomatoes with drip irrigation and harvest the day earlier than to maintain them from cracking. At all times monitor soil moisture ranges and water extra throughout scorching spells and when no rain has fallen.  

Should you want these “lemons” a bit extra on the acidic facet, harvest them early and underripe. In any other case, snag them once they’re vibrant to golden yellow with a slight blush coloration on the blossom finish. 

Beefsteak/Giant Slicing Tomatoes 

Beefsteak and enormous slicing tomatoes have a large form, providing you with persistently sized slices, good for sandwiches, and meaty, juicy insides. They’re about six inches in diameter and weigh as much as one pound or extra every. 

8. ‘Mountain Benefit’

DETERMINATE TOP PICK 

‘Mountain Benefit’ vegetation are compact, solely rising to be about three ft tall. They produce fruits of eight to 10 ounces. With an ideal disease-resistance bundle, together with safety from late blight, your vegetation ought to nonetheless be wholesome in late summer season. 

With correct staking, this determinate selection can simply be grown in containers. It’s additionally good for gardeners with little house or solely a patio to develop on. To persistently have tomato provides in bulk all through the season, sow new successions each 4 to 6 weeks. 

Harvest once they’re vibrant crimson and have a slight give whenever you (gently!) squeeze them on the vine. Professional tip: Harvest tomatoes the day earlier than you irrigate them to keep away from cracking because of extreme water. 

9. ‘Huge Beef Plus’ 

INDETERMINATE TOP PICK 

With improved taste, coloration, and extra illness resistance, ‘Huge Beef Plus’ is even higher than the unique ‘Huge Beef’ that all of us knew and cherished. 

‘Huge Beef Plus’ is juicy and meaty and is a superb producer of medium to massive fruits good for BLTs. The insides of this tomato are a traditional tomato crimson with a pleasant, spherical form. 

Should you’re rising tomatoes to promote, this can be a good, dependable, and engaging choice.

10. ‘Pink Pleasure’

‘Pink Pleasure’ reliably produces ten-ounce, vibrant crimson fruits which might be just about blemish-free. The flavour is nice, virtually heirloom high quality, and germination charges are persistently excessive. 

Crops keep compact and are adaptable to climates throughout North America, and their massive leaves defend the fruits from harsh solar. Fertilize them about six weeks after planting with a well-balanced liquid feed. When flowering begins, change to a fertilizer larger in potassium.

Pruning just isn’t mandatory for determinate varieties. Stake them with a fence or a cage. 

11. ‘Geronimo’

Should you’re on the lookout for a persistently formed, sized, and great-flavored slicing tomato, give ‘Geronimo’ a shot. It has agency, eight to ten-ounce fruits and a powerful disease-resistance bundle. 

It is a nice selection if you happen to’re rising it in a protected atmosphere. Greenhouse trials present it holds up nicely to powdery mildew. Crops develop balanced and stay wholesome even into the autumn. 

Whereas another related varieties have come onto the scene, Geronimo remains to be an ideal choice. 

12. ‘Caiman’

‘Caiman’ is a conventional beefsteak selection in measurement, form, coloration, and taste. It’s a bit sooner than ‘Geronimo’ and holds collectively extremely nicely when sliced. Fruits keep clear and engaging. 

It’s a powerful performer in a tunnel and has nice resistance to all of the heavy-hitter ailments.

Professional tip: Basically, when beginning tomatoes from seed, don’t begin them too early. Pay shut consideration to your zone’s final frost date, learn the suggestions for every selection you choose, and begin them accordingly so that they don’t develop into leggy or rootbound within the greenhouse. 

13. ‘Harvest Moon’

I’d be remiss if I didn’t embrace a marbled magnificence. ‘Harvest Moon’ is paying homage to a golden and red-orange heirloom however provides excessive resistance to late blight, not like heirlooms. Many of the physique is golden-yellow, and the blossom finish is a crimson blush. 

These vegetation persistently present uniformly formed and sized seven to ten-ounce virtually unblemished fruits. They proceed to set fruit up the trellis, providing you with contemporary tomatoes all season lengthy. 

Harvest whenever you discover coloration on the stage, known as “first blush” and permit them to ripen at room temperature. 

Paste/Plum/Roma Tomatoes 

These sorts are often present in determinate choices since many individuals develop them to make sauce in bulk at a sure time of the yr. 

14. ‘Granadero’

TOP PICK 

This natural plum tomato is extraordinarily prolific, producing uniformly formed 4 to five-ounce vibrant crimson fruits. ‘Granadero’ has a low price of blossom finish rot, which is especially widespread in a majority of these tomatoes, due to its thick skins. 

‘Granadero’ has nice taste, good for making and freezing or canning home made sauces and salsas. 

Though it’s an indeterminate selection, ‘Granadero’ is sort of compact, so staking might or is probably not mandatory. 

15. ‘Plum Regal’

You gained’t see any sunscald on these plums because the vegetation supply loads of depart protection for his or her four-ounce fruits. Tomatoes are completely blocky, deep crimson, and have nice pasta taste. 

With each early and late blight resistance, ‘Plum Regal’ could be the star of the plum tomato present. 

Attempt planting some indeterminate and a few determinate plums so that you don’t really feel the strain to make a sauce with all of them once they begin to are available in. Attempt freezing them on a cookie sheet you probably have an abundance. As soon as they’re frozen strong, retailer them in an hermetic bag and label them with the date. 

Heirlooms

Heirlooms are chosen every year by gardeners all over the place for his or her intense juicy flavors, unusual magnificence, pure pollination, and to hold on traditions from a whole lot of years in the past. Sadly, heirloom varieties don’t supply a lot illness resistance. In in the present day’s world, ailments rapidly damage an ideal patch of tomatoes if you happen to don’t supply them any safety. 

Enter rootstock and the world of grafting. Should you’re not prepared to leap into the world of hybrids or GMO tomatoes, strive the age-old methodology of grafting to lower pest and illness strain, improve yields, and proceed to benefit from the flavors of heirlooms. They’ll be extra vigorous, mature sooner, and stand up to inclement temperatures and varied climate patterns. 

Our favourite heirlooms to graft are Striped German, Cherokee Inexperienced, and Abigail. Some seed corporations have additionally launched hy-loom varieties, which supply the style and funkiness of heirlooms with the productiveness and disease-resistance of hybrids. We’ve been grafting all kinds of tomatoes for 3 seasons on our farm, and we’ve by no means seemed again!