We love growing and eating tomatoes at the Suburban Homestead. Our friends at Green Patch Seeds have us stocked with 21 different varieties of tomatoes - green, red, yellow, big, small and round. Take a closer look at each variety below and select your faves to germinate in your upcoming spring season.
1. Brandy Wine Pink
Brandy Wine Pink Tomato is a large tomato with excellent flavour and a tough growing habit. Fruited consistently through extreme heat and dry growing conditions. A traditional American heirloom beefsteak variety with pink flesh.
- Sow Spring and Summer
- Tall stalking variety to 1.5 meters
- Large round fruit, smooth skin, excellent flavour.
- Early maturing, Heavy cropping
Likes good well drained soil in a sunny position. SOW in pots and transfer seedlings to the garden when matured and the stem is starting to purple or SOW directly into the garden 40cm apart, cover seeds with 5mm of soil.
2. Clark Aesley
Clark Aesley Tomato produces good sized red cherry tomatoes to 5cm across. They have an excellent flavour with main uses eaten fresh in salads, cooked dishes and sauces.
- Sown Spring and Summer
- Staking variety to 1.5 meters
- Small, very tasty red cherry fruit.
- Early maturing, will continue to produce throughout the warmer months
Likes good well drained soil in a sunny position. SOW in pots and transfer seedlings to the garden when matured and the stem is starting to purple or SOW directly into the garden 50cm apart, cover seeds with 5mm of soil.
3. College Challenger
College Challenger tomato produces medium/large red fruit with an excellent sweet juicy flavour. This variety has great keeping properties with it being an ex commercial variety. Great Australian heirloom variety.
- Sow Spring and Summer
- Staking type that grows to 2 meters
- Produces medium sized red fruit to 7cm
Likes good well drained soil in a sunny position. SOW in pots and transfer seedlings to the garden when matured and the stem is starting to purple or SOW direct into the garden 50cm apart, cover seeds with 5mm of soil.
4. Flora Lou
Flora Lou Tomato produces large round red fruit with good flavour. Flora Lou is a nice all round tomato that can be used for slicing, salads and in cooking. Also suitable market variety
- Sow Spring and Summer
- Produced large round red fruit to 12cm
- Staking variety
Likes good well drained soil in a sunny position. SOW in pots and transfer seedlings to the garden when matured and the stem is starting to purple or SOW directly into the garden 40cm apart, cover seeds with 5mm of soil. 
5. Golden Sunrise
Golden Sunrise produces an abundant crop of medium sized golden fruit. Add some colour to salads with this early producer. Low acid content.
- Sow Spring and Summer
- Produces golden yellow fruit to 5cm
- Annual Staking variety that grows to 1.5 meters
Likes good well drained soil in a sunny position. SOW in pots and transfer seedlings to the garden when matured and the stem is starting to purple, Sow 50cm apart, cover seeds with 5mm of soil.
6. Graf Zeppelin
Graf Zeppelin tomato is a strong grower. Bushy habit producing rich red medium sized fruit in abundance, delicious flavour. Heirloom variety adds a burst of sweetness to salads.
- Sow Spring and Summer
- Tolerant of wet summer conditions
- Produces rich red medium fruit in abundance
- Staking variant that grows to 1.5 meters
Likes good well drained soil in a sunny position. SOW in pots and transfer seedlings to the garden when matured and the stem is starting to purple, Sow 40cm apart, cover seeds with 5mm of soil.
7. Green Zebra
Green Zebra has dark green stripes amongst splashes of yellow. Interesting addition to salads bringing colour variation and a little tart flavour. Yellow colour indicates it is ripe and ready to pick. Early producer.
- Sow Spring and Summer
- Tasty round green to yellow fruit
- Spreading bush to 1 meter
Likes good well drained soil in a sunny position. SOW in pots and transfer seedlings to the garden when matured and the stem is starting to purple, Sow 45cm apart, cover seeds with 5mm of soil.
8. Grosse Lisse
Heirloom Grosse lisse produces extremely rich flavour fruits that are large in size. They crop over a long period keeping your kitchen full of ripe heirloom tomato's. Eaten fresh or cooked and an excellent source of vitamins.
- Sow Spring and Summer
- Annual staking type to 2 meters
- Large round red fruit, very tasty
Likes good well drained soil in a sunny position. SOW in pots and transfer seedlings to the garden when matured and the stem is starting to purple, Sow 40cm apart, cover seeds with 5mm of soil.
9. Oxheart Large
Oxheart Large Tomato is a special heirloom variety that was sourced local to Greenpatch Organic Nursery in NSW. A once common cultivar of oxheart producing very large fruit 600g in weight. This tomato is a beautiful tasting tomato with very little seed and water content.
- Sow Spring and Summer
- Popular old annual staking variety that grows to 2 meters
- Produces medium sized pink flesh fruit.
- Tolerates cooler conditions and less disease prone.
Likes good well drained soil in a sunny position. SOW in pots and transfer seedlings to the garden when matured and the stem is starting to purple, Sow 40cm apart, cover seeds with 5mm of soil.
10. Red Cherry Cocktail
Red Cherry Cocktail Tomato is a red cherry producing masses of round fruit the size of a 10 cent piece. These cherry's are the perfect size to put into salads whole!
- Sow Spring and Summer
- Spreading annual to 60cm
- Produces small red fruit in abundance, good flavour
Likes good well drained soil in a sunny position. SOW in pots and transfer seedlings to the garden when matured and the stem is starting to purple or Sow directly into the garden 50cm apart, cover seeds with 5mm of soil.
11. Red Cherry Currant
Red Cherry Currant is a vigorous bush, small red round fruit. Good flavour. Prolific producer over a long period. Great for garnishes and salads. Red Cherry Currant easily self sows in the garden for the following summers crop
- Sow Spring and Summer
- Compact bush variety
- Produces small round red fruit in clusters over a long period
Likes good well drained soil in a sunny position. SOW in pots and transfer seedlings to the garden when matured and the stem is starting to purple, Sow 50cm apart, cover seeds with 5mm of soil.
12. Red Cloud
Red Cloud Tomato has dark red skin bursting with flavour. Early producer over a long period. Fruit is small to medium with a rich flavour. Perfect for bottling, sauces and eating fresh. Heirloom variety.
- Sow Spring and Summer
- Bush staking variety that grows to 2 meters
- Produces large full flavoured red fruit to 7cm across
Likes good well drained soil in a sunny position. SOW in pots and transfer seedlings to the garden when matured and the stem is starting to purple, Sow 40cm apart, cover seeds with 4mm of soil. Provide Support for the tree
13. Roma
Roma Tomato is a popular variety used widely in cooked foods, eaten fresh, sun dried tomato, making sauces and bottled. Eaten fresh or cooked Roma is an excellent source of vitamins. Bush variety, red pear-shaped fruit that is low in moisture content. Lower chance of getting fruit fly due to the bushing habit and fruit is closer to the ground.
- Sow Spring and Summer
- Popular annual bush variant that grows to 50cm
- Red pear shaped fruit.
- Used fresh or excellent for bottling and drying.
- Tolerates dryer conditions
Likes good well drained soil in a sunny position. SOW in pots and transfer seedlings to the garden when matured and the stem is starting to purple, Sow 40cm apart, cover seeds with 5mm of soil.
14. Rouge de Marmande
Rouge de Marmande is an early maturing variety withstanding colder conditions and disease resistance. Staking type, large ribbed fruit with outstanding flavour. A French heirloom.
- Sow Spring and Summer
- Produces large red ribbed fruit of good flavour
- Staking variant
Likes good well drained soil in a sunny position. SOW in pots and transfer seedlings to the garden when matured and the stem is starting to purple, Sow 40cm apart, cover seeds with 5mm of soil.
15. Santorini
Santorini Tomato produces red tomatoes 6cm across with distinctive ribs. This is an incredibly fast producer and crops heavy all at once. A Greek variety that is rich in flavour, excellent eaten fresh in salads, dried, cooked dishes and sauces.
- Sow Spring and Summer
- No staking needed.
- Popular variant for tomato paste, bottling and drying
- Dry rich flavoured red fruit to 6cm in size
Likes good well drained soil in a sunny position. SOW in pots and transfer seedlings to the garden when matured and the stem is starting to purple or SOW directly into the garden 40cm apart, cover seeds with 5mm of soil.
16. Siberian Winter
Siberian Winter Tomato is a medium sized round fruit. Ideal for short season cooler climates, it produces a large crop of sweet flavoured tomatoes suitable for slicing or cooking.
- Sow Spring and Summer
- Medium sized round red fruit
- Annual bush variety
- Ideal for cooking
Likes good well drained soil in a sunny position. SOW in pots and transfer seedlings to the garden when matured and the stem is starting to purple. Sow 40cm apart, cover seeds with 5mm of soil.
17. Stupice
Stupice Tomato is Ideal for short season cool climate areas or grows during winter in warmer climates. Produces early crop of medium sized red fruit with a rich flavour.
- Sow Spring and Summer
- Staking variant
- Produces medium sized red fruit
Likes good well drained soil in a sunny position. SOW in pots and transfer seedlings to the garden when matured and the stem is starting to purple, Sow 40cm apart, cover seeds with 5mm of soil.
18. Tigerella
Tigerella is well known for it's large cropping ability. A strong grower with a bushy habit producing orange fruit with darker red stripes of medium sized. Eaten fresh or cooked and an excellent source of vitamins.
- Sow Spring and Summer
- Staking variety
- Produces orange fruit with darker red stripes of medium size with a great flavour
Likes good well drained soil in a sunny position. SOW in pots and transfer seedlings to the garden when matured and the stem is starting to purple, Sow 50cm apart, cover seeds with 5mm of soil.
19. Tommy Toe
Tommy Toe Tomato is a popular tomato in use today. Eaten fresh or cooked and an excellent source of vitamins. Produces masses of bite size red fruit over a long period. Larger cherry that is still not affected by fruit fly. Fruit are sweet and perfect for use is salads and bottling.
- Sow Spring and Summer
- Produces masses of bite size red fruit 2.5cm size
- Excellent producer
- Can be grown along the ground in a bushy habit, or stake, reaching around 1.5m.
Likes good well drained soil in a sunny position. SOW in pots and transfer seedlings to the garden when matured and the stem is starting to purple, Sow 50cm apart, cover seeds with 5mm of soil.
20. Tropic
Tropic Tomato is excellent for warm humid climates with some resistance to leaf diseases. Staking type with large, firm red fruit with rich flavoursome taste. Is also disease hardy.
- Sow Spring and Summer
- Heavy bearing variant
- Produces red fruit to 8cm
- Can tolerate wet summer conditions
Likes good well drained soil in a sunny position. SOW in pots and transfer seedlings to the garden when matured and the stem is starting to purple, Sow 40cm apart, cover seeds with 5mm of soil.
21. Yugoslav
Yugoslav tomatoes are heavy cropping, thick pink/red skin, pear shaped fruit medium/large. Lower water content and perfect as a slicing tomato. Low acid, good flavour.
- Sow Spring and Summer
- -Strong growing staking variety.
- Rare heirloom variety
- Produces heavy crops of large pink pear shaped fruit
Likes good well drained soil in a sunny position. SOW in pots and transfer seedlings to the garden when matured and the stem is starting to purple, Sow 45cm apart, cover seeds with 5mm of soil.
