Tomato Empire

This family heirloom variety produces an abundance of deep pink tomatoes that are just huge and brimming with luscious flavor. The plant’s potato-leaved foliage may remind you of Brandywine, but this one matures fruit that are earlier, larger, and more plentiful than those of Brandywine. German Giant tomatoes are smooth in shape, 2 lbs. or more, and full of that rich but sweet taste that makes a tomato scrumptious. Indeterminate.

Very large plants have an excellent set of huge, dark pink fruits with outstanding taste. It is unusual to find a variety that bears such large fruit in generous numbers and maintains such superb taste. And to add to that, you can expect steady, continuous production of tomatoes that weigh more than 1 lb. throughout the growing season. This family heirloom was brought into the U.S. by a Mexican family living in the Midwest. Indeterminate.

This heirloom tomato is a stand-out in everyone’s garden. Bicolored red and yellow fruit grows very large, up to 2 lbs., and is streaked with red both inside and out. The flavor is wonderful, rich, fruity and sweet.

Beautiful bicolor fruit is golden yellow with ruby-colored streaking, earning this variety its name. Fruit size is somewhat variable from 6 ozs. up to 1 pound, but this is one of the most strikingly beautiful bicolors we have seen. It is simply gorgeous when sliced open to reveal the brilliant red marbling within. Rich, fruity taste is refreshing and almost melon-like but also nicely accentuated with acid.

This is among the darkest of the ‘black’ tomatoes that we’ve seen and one of the very best tasting tomatoes of any kind that we’ve sampled. Its flavor is exceptionally rich yet sweet and the essence of delicious summer tomato flavor. Medium to large, 8 to 12 oz. tomatoes are flattened round and smooth, without the cracking or blemishing that seems to plague some black tomatoes. They are dark purplish-brown on the outside with a deep brick-red interior.

Very productive plants bear loads of 10 to 12 oz fruit. dusky rose/purple fruit with deep brick red interiors. The tomatoes are absolutely delicious with a pleasantly sweet and rich flavor. With thin skin and soft flesh, the fruit is somewhat perishable, but they taste so good they will be eaten quickly anyhow. Heirloom from Tennessee.

This is a potato-leaved variety that takes the well-known sweet, spicy flavor of green varieties up to a new level. Tomatoes weigh from 12 to 18 ozs. and are ripe when they turn chartreuse green and soften slightly. They are smooth and beautiful with no cracking, but it is their taste that really sets them apart. It is a complex and delicious combination of sweet and spicy that is very rich, well-balanced and pleasing.

A unique and delicious salad tomato. 3 oz. green fruits ripen to amber-green with darker green stripes. The light green flesh is very flavorful, sweet yet zingy. This one is a real taste treat.

Beautiful, golden-orange tomatoes have one of the best flavors of all orange tomatoes. Average 5 in. diameter and between 1 and 2 lbs., quite meaty with few seeds.

Beautiful 6 to 8 oz. beefsteak tomatoes are uniquely colored, beginning as a stunning true blue where sunlight strikes the skin atop a bottom side of green. As they ripen fully, the purple deepens and eventually turns more reddish. That is when they develop their excellent flavor and are ready to harvest.

This variety offers some of the nicest shape and whitest color of any of the ‘white’ varieties. Beefsteak-type fruit weighs 8 to 12 ozs., and is smooth except for ribbed shoulders. Some fruit have a pink blush or streaks on their blossom ends and all ripen to pale creamy yellow with no cracking. Tomatoes are juicy and sweet with a well-balanced flavor. Heirloom variety.

Dependable large harvests of flavorful, solid 4 to 6 oz. fruit. Disease resistance is good, contributing to its excellent performance in almost any climate. A proven variety for delicious, early tomatoes.

This very early variety bears loads of 2 to 4 oz. red fruit with terrific flavor normally found only in a huge beefsteak. The fact that its fruit is ripe up to a full month earlier than many beefsteak varieties makes Matina really special. Potato-leaved plants put on large clusters of abundant tomatoes, and even though they start early, continue to bear throughout a long season. Heirloom from Germany.

Vigorous plants produce loads of delicious 10 to 12 oz. fruit, even when conditions are not ideal. This one was a winner in our trials for its high yields, good disease resistance, mid-early maturity, and great flavor. First fruit mature early and low on the plant, which continues to bear tomatoes over a long season.

Large, juicy pinkish-red heart-shaped tomatoes consistently weigh 1 lb. or just under. Flavor is superb. This oxheart-type tomatoes is distinctive for its size, earliness, and juicy outstanding taste.

This is one of the best paste tomatoes we know, primarily because it makes sauce so good and sweet that you wouldn’t even have to add flavoring to it. Tomatoes are large, at least 5 inches long, and shaped like a banana pepper with a pronounced tip on the bottom. The fruit has very few seeds and is extremely meaty with a rich, sweet flavor. Although they make outstanding sauce, these tomatoes are good enough to eat fresh. Heirloom variety originally from Poland.

Truly special paste tomato is about 5 inches long and red with jagged golden stripes. Meaty, 6 to 8 oz. tomatoes are great for processing into sauce and paste, but are so flavorful that you will also want to enjoy some fresh in salads. Vigorous plants produce heavily. This variety was developed by John Swenson, a member of Seed Savers Exchange. Indeterminate. 85 days.

Tiny cherry tomatoes, only about 1/2-inch diameter, are packed with an amazingly large tomato flavor. When you bite into these delightful morsels, they literally burst with intense, rich tomato flavor, perfectly balanced with sweetness. It is quite a wonderful taste sensation. Bright, deep red fruit load up on long trusses and are just right for snacking or tossing into salads. Originally from Mexico, where these tomatoes grow wild.

This delightful variety produces yellow-gold cherry tomatoes with red marbling. Marbling varies from just a red blush to extensive streaking inside and out. What is consistent, however, is the sweet taste that is also rich and fruity, and very delicious. Tomatoes are about 3/4 inch across and are round to oblate in shape.

This is the first truly black cherry tomato we’ve found. It is not a plum, but a perfectly round cherry with classic black tomato flavor, sweet yet rich and complex. These cherries are irresistibly delicious and a unique addition to the color spectrum of cherry tomatoes now available.

Yellow-gold cherry tomatoes start out as amethyst purple before they ripen to a glowing golden with a hint of purple remaining at their tops. They have a delicious sweet yet acid flavor and are visually stunning. This variety started out as a selection out of Indigo Blue Berries, and was bred by Brad Gates.

Delightful little cherry tomatoes are creamy ivory with hints of yellow and an absolutely unforgettable taste. The flavor is not only sweet but is also marked by a fruity complexity. They are so irresistible that you won’t want to stop eating them at harvest time. Plants are large and quite prolific, bearing long clusters of these 1/2-inch delicious little treats. Heirloom variety originally from Mexico.

Pretty little green cherry fruit have fabulous flavor, making Green Doctors a favorite new green variety. Small tomatoes are about 3/4-inch and borne on long trusses. This variety originated as a green variation of the white Dr. Carolyn tomato growing in the garden of Amy Goldman. Compared to Green Grape, Green Doctors is smaller and sweeter with a nice balance of tartness mingled in.

This unique little tomato is a plum-shaped version of Green Zebra and was found as a naturally occurring variant. It has the same beautiful chartreuse green background and bright yellow streaks as Green Zebra, but offers a sweeter taste. The variety was originally named “Michael Pollan.”

Very early, colorful bell peppers start out as ivory, turn persimmon orange, then finally mature to red. Fruit is typically in all 3 color stages at one time, making for a striking appearance in the garden. Peppers are 4 to 5 inches long and very sweet. Great production and continuous fruiting on short, compact plants. 60 days.

Vigorous plants bear gorgeous 2 to 3-lobed peppers that turn bright orange quickly. The fruit is 3 to 4-inches long and 1 1/2-inches wide with a very sweet flavor, providing early harvests of delicious peppers just right for cutting into salads or for use in cooked dishes. Plants are vigorous and highly disease resistant. 65-70 days.

Golden-yellow at full maturity, these peppers are thick-walled, meaty and really sweet and tasty. Square shaped fruits are about 4 inches long and wide, and grow upright on healthy plants, making harvesting easy. Expect great production and beautiful, very sweet tasting peppers, perfect for enjoying fresh, cooked, or stuffed. 73 days.

A pepper with flavor as sweet as apples. Oblong fruit grows up to a huge 12 inches long and is produced in great abundance. Delicious in salads, stuffed, stir-fried or roasted and peeled. Can be enjoyed at the light green stage, but is sweetest when fully ripened to red. 70 days.

This is a long, fleshy pepper shaped like a bull’s horn, and very similar to Corno di Toro Red. Smooth, thick-walled fruit is 6 to 8 inches long and about 2 inches wide at the shoulder, then tapering to a blunt point. The peppers are sweet when still green, or can be left to ripen fully red. They are popular for roasting or grilling, but are equally good eaten fresh in salads. This hybrid offers increased yields, better uniformity and resistance to tobacco mosaic virus. 76 days.

High yields and extra-large fruit have made this probably the most popular open-pollinated bell pepper for market and home gardeners alike. Dark green peppers are mostly 4-lobed and blocky, about 4 1/2 inches long and 4 inches wide, with crisp, thick walls and sweet taste. Fruit eventually ripens to bright red. Tall plants are tobacco mosaic virus resistant and produce an abundance of peppers over a very long season. 75 days.

Hot cherry peppers start out dark green but turn to bright red when they are ready for harvest. Disease resistant plants produce abundant harvests of these round to slightly pointy peppers. With a Scoville rating just above 1000, these cherry peppers pack a pleasant heat that can be enjoyed as pickled peppers or as appetizers stuffed with cheese. 65 to 70 days.

4 inch long, slightly wrinkled peppers taper to a blunt, lobed end and are very popular for pickling. They have a mildly hot but exciting flavor and are commonly jarred for use in Greek salads and salad bars. Expect an abundant harvest. 62 days.

This bright red version of Habanero is one hot pepper – a staggering 285,000 Scoville units! The fruit shape and size are much like the regular Habanero, wrinkled 1 inch to 1-1/2 inch long peppers with a tapered end. These peppers turn a brilliant red upon maturity and grow in abundance on 3-1/2 foot tall plants. Hot enough to suit even the most dedicated chile lover. 85 days.

Large to extra-large jalapeno produces high yields of uniform, smooth peppers with the classic jalapeno shape ending in blunt tips. Peppers have a high pungency rating and are reliably hot. Large, vigorous plants are widely adaptable to a variety of climates and highly resistant to Potato Y virus and Bacterial Spot races 0-3 and 7-8. 75 days.

Awarded for its unique qualities and excellent performance, this variety offers miniature bell peppers with a spicy flavor that is a tasty blend of heat and sweet. Peppers are mostly 3-lobed, 2 inches wide and 3 inches long, turning from green to scarlet and finally to deep red. Expect abundant harvests of these peppers to use in salsas, Cajun cooking, or any recipe where you want a little kick. Compact plants are about 2 feet tall and wide, making them just right for optional container growing. 60 days.

Also known as the Ghost Pepper, this is one of the hottest peppers in the world, bearing extremely hot red fruit about 2 ½ inches long. In 2007, Guiness World Book of Records named it the hottest pepper and listed it as 1,002,304 Scoville Units. It has since been surpassed, but it’s still plenty hot and should be handled with great care. Germination may take up to one month. 100 days to maturity.

When fresh and still green, these mildly hot, heart-shaped peppers are stuffed and made into chiles rellenos. When mature they are dark, rust red, richly flavored, and often dried and ground into chili powder. Peppers become 4 inches long, tapering to a blunt point. Wrinkled skin takes on even more character when dried. May be strung into long ropes or made into wreaths. 76 to 80 days.

Also know as the ‘New Mexican Chile,’ this moderately pungent fruit is deep green, but turns red at full maturity. Very smooth peppers are 7-1/2 inches long and 2 inches wide and borne on tall, productive plants that offer good foliage cover for the fruit. Tobacco mosaic virus resistant. Excellent for canning, freezing or drying. 75 days.