Top Tomato Varieties of 2020: Taste, Yield, and Growing Guide

Germination Quality: 10
Vigor: 10
Productivity: 10
Flavor: 8
On the list for 2021: Yes

Barry’s Crazy Cherry is popular for good reason: vigorous vines that set massive clusters of small, yellow, very sweet fruit. These tomatoes are excellent fresh in salads, and they blister beautifully for toppings — try them over hummus, baba ganoush, or simple toast with cheese.

Germination Quality: 10
Vigor: 10
Productivity: 8
Flavor: 9
On the list for 2021: Yes

Citrine is an orange cherry similar to Sungold but noticeably less prone to splitting. The fruits are round, tender-skinned, and very sweet—an easy recommendation for next season.

Germination Quality: 8
Vigor: 9
Productivity: 7
Flavor: 8
On the list for 2021: Yes

Edox produces small, round red fruits with generally even ripening. Despite a supplier claim that trusses ripen simultaneously, my experience over two seasons showed some variation. Still, the tomatoes have thin but firm skins and meaty flesh, great fresh or roasted into quick sauce.

Germination Quality: 7
Vigor: 8
Productivity: 8
Flavor: 9
On the list for 2021: Yes

Blueberries set attractive red-purple fruits with a bright tangy-sweet flavor. The downside is very thin skins and a tendency to soften fast after picking, so use them quickly or they can get squashed in storage. Despite that, they’re worth growing again for flavor and looks.

Germination Quality: 5
Vigor: 4
Productivity: 5
Flavor: 5
On the list for 2021: No

After two seasons of poor germination and weak, slow-growing seedlings, I’ve abandoned Brad’s Atomic Grape. When they did grow they required excessive care and still underperformed. Not one I’ll try again.

Germination Quality: 6
Vigor: 5
Productivity: 4
Flavor: 8
On the list for 2021: No

I love the look and flavor of Blush fruits, but the plants struggled with local pest and disease pressure and didn’t remain healthy. They might do better in a greenhouse, but for my outdoor garden they’re not a fit this year.

Germination Quality: 6
Vigor: 7
Productivity: 7
Flavor: 9
On the list for 2021: Yes

Lucky Tiger surprised me: although germination and early seedlings were weak, transplanted plants flourished. They set torpedo-shaped fruits that stay greenish and can be tricky to judge for ripeness; touch and feel help. They do split easily, but early picking reduces that. I’ll grow them again.

Germination Quality: 10
Vigor: 10
Productivity: 10
Flavor: 9
On the list for 2021: YES!

Juliet is “old faithful” for me. This grape-type produces mini-paste fruits that are meaty, flavorful, and perfect for roasting or quick pasta sauces. The vines are extremely productive — I’ve grown Juliet for several years and will keep it in the line-up.

Germination Quality: 8
Vigor: 8
Productivity: 8
Flavor: 5
On the list for 2021: No

Black Vernisage produces attractive fruits and solid vines, but the flavor didn’t appeal to me as a fresh tomato. I’ve used it blended in sauces with other varieties instead of eating it raw.

Germination Quality: 8
Vigor: 9
Productivity: 7
Flavor: 7
On the list for 2021: Yes

A classic heirloom with beautiful, fleshy fruits. Costoluto Genovese worked well for sauces, galettes, and pies. Skins were a bit firm, but that didn’t detract from its usefulness for cooking and preserving.

Germination Quality: 9
Vigor: 10
Productivity: 10
Flavor: 10
On the list for 2021: YES

Black Krim was one of this season’s top performers — juicy, flavorful, and richly colored with an excellent flesh-to-seed ratio. It’s a reliable favorite I’ll keep growing.

Germination Quality: 6
Vigor: 7
Productivity: 7
Flavor: 7
On the list for 2021: No

Black Beauty used to be a favorite but this season it felt less impressive next to other standouts. It performed adequately, but I’m ready to try different varieties.

Germination Quality: 8
Vigor: 8
Productivity: 7
Flavor: 8
On the list for 2021: Yes

Large Barred was a successful new variety for me. The fruits are large with attractive red-and-green streaking and make excellent slicers for sandwiches and tomato toast. I wouldn’t recommend them for saucing because they can make a sauce watery and change its color.

Germination Quality: 8
Vigor: 9
Productivity: 9
Flavor: unknown
On the list for 2021: No

Moksvich started promisingly but ultimately every fruit developed blossom end rot. All other varieties in the same bed were fine, so this felt like a seed or variety-specific issue. Because of that total failure, I won’t grow it again.

Germination Quality: 8
Vigor: 5
Productivity: 5
Flavor: 8
On the list for 2021: Yes (but from a different seed source)

I’m a fan of oxheart tomatoes for sauce and fresh eating because they’re fleshy with small seed cavities. Hungarian Heart has performed well in the past, but this season it underdelivered. I suspect the seed source and will try an oxheart again from a different supplier.

Germination Quality: 8
Vigor: 8
Productivity: 9
Flavor: 9
On the list for 2021: Yes

Paisano was my primary paste tomato this season. The plants produced large fruits ideal for roasting and saucing. They’re determinate and compact, but highly productive for sauce-making. Next season I’ll grow more Paisano plants to increase my sauce yield.