Large Tomatoes

• Large or beefsteak tomatoes have a dense, meaty texture that makes them ideal for slicing for sandwiches. Beefsteak tomatoes ripen later in the growing season and are more prone to cracking because of their large size and weight. Better Boy is a hearty tomato plant that produces a firm, rounded fruit in approximately 75 days. Big Beef varieties of beefsteak tomatoes are less likely to crack, have a full, rich flavor and are ready to harvest in about 73 days. Other varieties of beefsteak tomatoes include Giant Belgium, Evergreen, Goliath F1 and Ponderosa Pink.
  
  

Paste Tomatoes

• The lack of a central seed core and thick flesh, which allows them to maintain their shape during cooking, makes paste tomatoes ideal for canning. Paste tomatoes, sometimes known as Roma tomatoes, have a plum-like shape, are less juicy than other varieties and quickly cook down into stews and sauces. Jumbo Roma is one of the larger paste tomatoes and commonly weighs between 6 to 12 ounces; the fruit is ready for harvest in 85 to 90 days. Highly tolerant of hot weather, Orange Roma bears yellow-orange fruit that matures quickly and is ready to harvest in 65 days. San Marzano, Principe Borghese, Amish Paste and Napol' are other varieties of paste tomatoes.
  
  

Dwarf and Cherry Tomatoes

• Dwarf and cherry tomatoes are perfect for home growers who don't have a lot of garden space. They can be grown in containers on your deck or apartment balcony; they also make ideal garden border plants. These smaller tomatoes are sweet and are best eaten fresh as snacks or served in salads. The Super Sweet 100 has a high crop yield and is ready to harvest early in the season. Considered an old time favorite, Sweet Million produces a red cherry tomato in approximately 65 days. Other small tomato varieties include Yellow Pear, Matt's Wild Cherry, Sun Gold, Red Grape and Black Cherry.
  
  

Heirloom Tomatoes

• Older, high-quality varieties of tomatoes are classified as heirloom tomatoes. Heirloom tomatoes come in all shapes, colors and sizes. In most cases, you will not find heirloom tomatoes available at your local market or garden center, but you can find heirloom seeds in seed catalogs. The Big Rainbow variety of heirloom tomato is a large, yellow beefsteak that was grown in the United States in the 1900s. The Green Zebra is an heirloom tomato known for its sweet, tangy flavor and green and yellow stripes. It is ready for harvest in 72 days. Indian Moon, Black Krim, Golden Girl and Pink Grape are other types of heirloom tomatoes suitable for home growing.