Types of Tomatoes: Learn about the most cultivated tomato varieties

Hello to all agrohuerters! In today’s article we are going to learn how to identify the different types of tomatoes that are most commonly grown in the garden. We will focus mainly on tomatoes for fresh consumption, which are those that can be eaten in slices, in sauces, salads, purees, etc. In this way, we can get the best out of each one!

The most cultivated types of tomatoes

As you know, the tomato belongs to the Solanaceae family and what we consume is its fruit. It is characterized by having a short main root and a large network of secondary roots.

You must take this into account when making crop rotations and associations. There are more than 60 tomato varieties currently consumed. However, today we will focus only on the most important ones.

CHERRY TOMATO

Cherry tomatoes (also known as cherry tomatoes), are those little tomatoes that cannot be missing in our gardens.

It is an annual plant that needs to be staked to prevent it from falling due to the weight of the tomatoes. A distance between plants of 35 cm and a distance between rows of approximately 80 cm is recommended.

The main advantage of cherry trees is that they can be grown in a pot or planter as long as they have a minimum size of 30cm wide x 30cm long x 30cm high.

YELLOW PEAR CHERRY TOMATO

A few years ago we have begun to see another variety of cherry tomatoes in supermarkets, but this time yellow and pear-shaped. It has its origin in the Andean region of Chile and Peru. They are tomatoes with a very pleasant flavor and very productive. Therefore, they are ideal to add to salads.

It is recommended to plant after the last spring frost and it is necessary to leave space between them because otherwise they can become very tangled.

PINK TOMATO

The pink tomato or «maiden skin» is characterized, as its name suggests, by having a pink skin instead of reddish. Their skin is so thin that it even tears when they start to ripen. Another difference from other tomatoes is its large size and irregular shape when cut in half.

This variety comes from a town in Huesca called Barbastro and is currently booming due to its organoleptic quality.

RAF TOMATO

The Raf tomato, also known as » pata negra «, is a variety whose origin is located in the Vega de Almería. It is an ideal tomato for salads due to its fleshy, sweet and tasty fruits. It has a greenish appearance with small cracks and is somewhat flattened.

The size is not uniform and can vary from one tomato to another. It has been shown that this type of tomato grows best in conditions of high salinity in the water.

Its name refers to the diseases of R esistante a l Fusarium (RAF), one of the main tomato diseases. It is because of this resistance that Raf tomatoes are so successful.

MUCHHONEY TOMATO

It is a native variety from a town in Alicante called Mutxamel where it has been cultivated for many years. It is characterized by its red color, with a green neck and a ribbed shape.

Sowing is done from December to May and in spring it is transplanted to the orchard. It resembles the Raf tomato but the Muchamiel variety is less resistant to Fusarium disease.

OX HEART TOMATO

As you can imagine, it receives this name due to the shape and size it reaches (often exceeding 500 grams!). They have a very thin, bright red skin. Its meat is delicious, with very few seeds, ideal to take it with a little olive oil and salt.

The cultivation of these types of tomatoes is very simple and very productive. You can also put it on cultivation tables together with other vegetables such as peppers, lettuce or onions.

OTHER VARIETIES OF TOMATOES

ROMA TOMATO

The Roma tomato is ideal for frying, making preserves, grating it,… since it has few seeds and its pulp is fleshy. Its fruits are usually pear-shaped and it is a creeping type variety. It is a very simple crop, since it does not require excessive care and does not need to be tutored.

ANDINE CORNUE TOMATO

It is a very curious variety because the fruits are pepper-shaped and have an intense red coloration. Tomatoes are small in size and their early behavior stands out.

Here is a link to an article I wrote about how to prune a tomato plant: « How to prune a tomato plant step by step. The best tips and tricks! »

I hope you liked the article and you can leave us in the comments the varieties that you grow the most in the garden.

Have a nice day!