Tomatoes: Beefsteak
Beefsteak tomatoes are aptly named as they are large, thickly fleshed fruits. Growing beefsteak tomatoes requires a heavy cage or stakes to support the often 1 lb fruit. Beefsteak tomato varieties are late maturing. The beefsteak tomato plant produces classic slicing tomatoes that your family will love.
Tomatoes: Slicer
What could taste better than a perfect red garden tomato still warm from the sun? Tomatoes are the most popular homegrown vegetable for good reason. Tomatoes need heat, water, and fertile soil to grow their best. Wait until after danger of frost has passed to set out transplants, provide regular water throughout the growing season, and fertilize monthly to ensure abundant harvests.
Tomatoes: Heirloom
Heirloom tomatoes are any tomato variety that has been open pollinated propagated for more than 50 years. Heirloom tomatoes can be almost any color imaginable (including white and black) and many varieties have wild shapes, color combinations and markings. You can get heirloom tomato varieties that are hollow inside, shaped like sausages, as small as your pinky nail and even multi-lobed so they can be torn apart.
Tomatoes: Plum
If you are a fan of fresh tomato sauce, you should be growing plum pomatoes in your garden. Plum tomatoes are a paste tomato. These tomatoes generally have a thicker fruit wall, fewer seeds and a denser but more grainy flesh. Plum tomatoes tend to be oblong in shape and heavy for their size. The also tend to be more firm than a non-plum or paste tomato.
Tomatoes: Cherry
Cherry tomatoes (sometimes called grape or saladette tomatoes) are small and great for making salsas or for using in salads. Although the fruit is small, cherry tomatoes are still full-sized tomato plants, so be prepared to grow them as such. Most of these tomatoes will require staking or caging to do well. Spacing should be 24-36" apart (in all directions) and stakes or cages should support the plant and individual stems as needed. Once tomatoes begin to appear, they begin to really crowd in there, so be ready for a large harvest.