The Short Answer: Thousands of Varieties, But Only a Few Categories That Matter for Your Garden
There are thousands of tomato varieties in existence—seed catalogs list hundreds, and heirloom breeders have preserved thousands more. But for a home gardener, what matters is not the total count. What matters is understanding the growth habit (determinate or indeterminate), the fruit size (cherry, slicing, paste), and the days to maturity (early, mid-season, late). These three things determine whether a tomato will work in your space and your growing season.
The confusion happens because tomato types overlap. A single variety can be both an heirloom and a cherry tomato. Another can be both determinate and a paste tomato. The categories are not mutually exclusive—they describe different properties of the same plant.
Key Takeaways
- Determinate tomatoes grow to a fixed size and produce most fruit at once, making them ideal for canning or small spaces; indeterminate tomatoes grow all season and produce continuously until frost.
- Fruit size categories—cherry, slicing, paste, and beefsteak—describe what you harvest, not how the plant grows, and a single variety can belong to more than one.
- Days to maturity (typically 55 to 90 days) matters more than variety name if you live in a short growing season.
- Heirloom, hybrid, and open-pollinated describe how the seed was bred, not how the plant performs in your garden.
- Seed catalogs organize by all these categories at once, so reading the fine print tells you what you are actually getting.
Determinate vs. Indeterminate: The Growth Habit That Changes Everything
Determinate tomatoes are bred to grow to a set height (usually 3 to 4 feet), flower all at once, and produce most of their fruit within a narrow window—often two to three weeks. Once they finish, they are done. This makes them useful for canning, because you get a large harvest at one time. They also work well in containers and small spaces because they do not sprawl.
Indeterminate tomatoes are vines. They grow continuously until frost kills them, reaching 6 feet or taller if you let them. They flower and set fruit throughout the season, so you harvest steadily from mid-summer until the first freeze. They require staking or caging and more pruning, but they produce more total fruit over the season. Most heirloom varieties are indeterminate.
The seed packet or catalog listing will say "determinate" or "indeterminate" explicitly. If it does not, assume indeterminate—that is the default for most home varieties. This choice matters more than the variety name when you are deciding what to plant.
Fruit Size: Cherry, Slicing, Paste, and Beefsteak
These categories describe the tomato you eat, not the plant that grows it. A single variety can fit multiple categories, and the same size tomato can come from a determinate or indeterminate plant.
Cherry tomatoes are small (about 1 inch across), sweet, and prolific. They ripen quickly and are forgiving of inconsistent watering. 'Sungold' and 'Sweet 100' are popular indeterminate cherries; 'Tiny Tim' is a determinate cherry for containers. Cherry tomatoes are the easiest to grow and the hardest to stop picking.
Slicing tomatoes are the standard sandwich tomato—2 to 4 inches across, with few seeds and a good balance of acid and sugar. 'Brandywine', 'Early Girl', and 'Mortgage Lifter' are well-known slicing varieties. Some are determinate (good for canning), others indeterminate (good for continuous harvest).
Paste tomatoes are dense, with thick flesh and few seeds. They are bred for sauce and canning, not eating fresh. 'San Marzano' and 'Roma' are the classic paste varieties, and most are determinate so you can process them all at once. If you want to make sauce, start with a paste variety rather than trying to reduce slicing tomatoes.
Beefsteak tomatoes are the largest—4 inches or more across—and often irregular in shape. They have more water and fewer seeds than paste tomatoes, so they are best eaten fresh. 'Brandywine' and 'Cherokee Purple' are heirloom beefsteaks. They take longer to mature and need consistent care, but the flavor is worth it if you have the space and time.
Days to Maturity: Why Your Growing Season Matters More Than Variety Name
Every seed packet lists days to maturity—the number of days from transplanting (not from seed) until you pick ripe fruit. This number is more important than the variety name if you live where summers are short. A 90-day tomato planted in late May will not ripen before frost in a place where frost arrives in mid-September.
Early varieties mature in 55 to 70 days. 'Early Girl' and 'Siberia' are reliable early tomatoes. Mid-season varieties take 70 to 80 days. Late varieties need 80 to 95 days and are best for long, warm growing seasons. If you have a short season, stick to early and mid-season varieties, even if you want to grow a famous heirloom that takes 90 days. You will not get ripe fruit otherwise.
The days-to-maturity clock starts when you transplant a seedling into the garden, not when you plant the seed indoors. If you start seeds indoors 6 to 8 weeks before your last frost date, you will have transplant-ready seedlings by the time the soil warms.
Heirloom, Hybrid, and Open-Pollinated: How the Seed Was Bred
These terms describe the breeding history of the seed, not how the plant performs. They matter if you want to save seed for next year, but they do not tell you whether the tomato will grow well in your garden.
Heirloom tomatoes are varieties that have been grown for at least 50 years (the exact cutoff varies by source) and are open-pollinated. They are prized for flavor and diversity of color and shape. 'Brandywine', 'Cherokee Purple', and 'Mortgage Lifter' are heirlooms. The downside: many heirlooms are indeterminate, take a long time to mature, and are more prone to disease than modern hybrids.
Hybrid tomatoes are the result of crossing two different parent varieties to combine desirable traits—early maturity, disease resistance, high yield. 'Early Girl' and 'Big Beef' are hybrids. If you save seed from a hybrid, the next generation will not be identical to the parent plant. Hybrids are often more reliable and disease-resistant than heirlooms, but some gardeners feel they lack flavor.
Open-pollinated tomatoes are pollinated by insects or wind, not by human hand. Heirlooms are open-pollinated, but not all open-pollinated tomatoes are heirlooms. If you save seed from an open-pollinated variety and grow it in isolation from other tomato varieties, the seed will produce plants identical to the parent. This matters only if you plan to save seed.
How to Read a Seed Catalog or Packet to Find What You Actually Need
A good seed listing will tell you the growth habit, fruit size, days to maturity, and breeding type. Here is what to look for:
- Growth habit: Look for "determinate" or "indeterminate" in the description. If it is not stated, assume indeterminate.
- Fruit size and use: The listing will say "slicing", "cherry", "paste", or "beefsteak". Some varieties fit multiple categories.
- Days to maturity: This is usually near the top of the listing. Compare it to your frost dates. If the number is higher than the days between your last frost date and your first frost date, the variety will not ripen in your climate.
- Disease resistance: Look for letters like "V", "F", "N", or "T" after the variety name. These indicate resistance to verticillium wilt, fusarium wilt, nematodes, and tobacco mosaic virus. If you have had disease problems, choose varieties with the relevant letters.
- Breeding type: The listing will say "heirloom", "hybrid", or "open-pollinated". This matters only if you want to save seed or care about flavor tradition.
A complete listing might read: "Early Girl (Hybrid, Indeterminate, Slicing, 62 days, VFN)." That tells you everything you need to decide whether to plant it. A vague listing that says only "Early Girl tomato" is not giving you enough information.
Common Tomato Varieties and Where They Fit
Here are some widely available varieties and their key traits, so you can see how the categories overlap:
| Variety | Growth Habit | Fruit Size | Days to Maturity | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Early Girl | Indeterminate | Slicing | 62 | Hybrid |
| Sungold | Indeterminate | Cherry | 70 | Hybrid |
| Brandywine | Indeterminate | Slicing/Beefsteak | 80 | Heirloom |
| San Marzano | Determinate | Paste | 75 | Heirloom |
| Roma | Determinate | Paste | 76 | Hybrid |
| Cherokee Purple | Indeterminate | Slicing/Beefsteak | 85 | Heirloom |
| Tiny Tim | Determinate | Cherry | 60 | Hybrid |
Notice that 'Brandywine' is both a slicing tomato and a beefsteak tomato—the categories are not rigid. Also notice that determinate varieties are more common among paste tomatoes (because you want to harvest all at once for canning), while indeterminate varieties are more common among heirlooms (because they were bred for flavor, not convenience).
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between a heirloom tomato and a regular tomato?
Heirloom tomatoes are varieties that have been grown for at least 50 years and are open-pollinated, meaning they breed true from seed. Regular tomatoes are usually hybrids bred for yield, disease resistance, or early maturity. Heirlooms are often prized for flavor and color diversity, but many take longer to mature and are more prone to disease.
Can I grow a beefsteak tomato in a container?
Beefsteak tomatoes are usually indeterminate and grow large, so they need a big container (at least 20 gallons) and sturdy support. Determinate cherry or slicing varieties are better for containers. If you want a large tomato in a pot, choose a determinate paste variety like 'Roma' or a determinate slicing variety if one is available.
Why does my seed packet say 75 days but my tomatoes took longer to ripen?
Days to maturity are counted from transplanting, not from planting seed. Also, the count assumes ideal conditions—consistent warmth, water, and sunlight. Cool weather, inconsistent watering, or shade will slow ripening. The number on the packet is a baseline, not a may provide.
If I want to make tomato sauce, which variety should I grow?
Grow a paste tomato like 'San Marzano' or 'Roma'. These varieties have thick flesh, few seeds, and less water than slicing tomatoes, so they reduce down to sauce more efficiently. Most paste tomatoes are determinate, so you get a large harvest at once, which is ideal for processing.
Can I save seed from a hybrid tomato?
Yes, but the seed will not produce plants identical to the parent. Hybrids are crosses of two parent varieties, and the seed will revert to traits of one or both parents. If you want to save seed and grow the same variety next year, choose an open-pollinated or heirloom variety instead.