Tomatoes are one of the most popular vegetables grown in home gardens, offering a wide range of flavours, colours and uses.
With so many tomato varieties available, choosing the right type for your garden, climate and cooking needs can make a big difference to your harvest.
This guide outlines the main types of tomato varieties commonly grown in Australian gardens, helping you select the best tomatoes for fresh eating, cooking, preserving or growing in small spaces.
Determinate vs Indeterminate Tomatoes
Before choosing a tomato variety, it helps to understand the two main growth habits:
Determinate tomatoes
- Grow to a set height
- Produce fruit over a shorter period
- Ideal for pots, small gardens and preserving
Indeterminate tomatoes
- Continue growing and fruiting throughout the season
- Require staking or trellising
- Best for extended harvests
Early Season Tomato Varieties
Early season tomatoes mature quickly and are ideal for gardeners wanting an early harvest or those with shorter growing seasons.
Popular early season varieties include:
- Grosse Lisse – A classic Australian favourite with medium to large fruit
- Burnley Surecrop – Reliable cropping with good disease resistance
- Rouge de Marmande – Flattened fruit with excellent flavour
Best suited to:
- Cooler climates
- Short growing seasons
- Early planting
Mid to Late Season Tomato Varieties
Mid to late season tomatoes take longer to mature but often produce heavier yields and richer flavour.
Common varieties include:
- Big Beef – Large fruit with good disease resistance
- Apollo – Heavy cropping and consistent shape
- Mortgage Lifter – Large fruit with traditional flavour
Best suited to:
- Longer growing seasons
- Garden beds with room for staking
- Continuous harvesting
Cherry Tomato Varieties
Cherry tomatoes are easy to grow, productive and ideal for snacking or salads. Many varieties perform well in pots and containers.
Popular cherry tomato varieties include:
- Sweet Bite – Small, sweet red fruit
- Tommy Toe – Vigorous growth with heavy yields
- Sungold – Orange fruit with exceptional sweetness
Best suited to:
- Pots and containers
- Balconies and small gardens
- Fresh eating
Heirloom Tomato Varieties
Heirloom tomatoes are open-pollinated varieties known for their unique colours, shapes and rich flavours. They may require extra care but reward growers with outstanding taste.
Common heirloom tomatoes include:
- Brandywine – Large fruit with excellent flavour
- Black Russian – Dark coloured fruit with a rich taste
- Green Zebra – Green and yellow striped fruit with a tangy flavour
Best suited to:
- Gardeners focused on flavour
- Traditional and organic gardens
Salad Tomato Varieties
Salad tomatoes are grown primarily for fresh eating. They typically have good flavour, firm flesh and a balanced level of acidity, making them ideal for slicing, salads and sandwiches.
These varieties are usually eaten fresh rather than cooked and perform well in home vegetable gardens.
Common salad tomato varieties include:
- Periforme Abruzzese – A traditional Italian pear-shaped tomato with firm flesh and excellent flavour. Suitable for fresh salads, slicing and light cooking. Performs well in warm Australian growing conditions.
- Grosse Lisse – A popular and reliable salad tomato producing medium to large round fruit. Well suited to slicing and fresh use, and widely grown across Australian gardens.
- Rouge de Marmande – A flattened, ribbed tomato with rich flavour and juicy flesh. Commonly used fresh in salads and sandwiches and well suited to cooler climates.
- Black Russian – A darker-coloured tomato with a balanced, slightly sweet flavour. Suitable for fresh eating and salads, with a softer texture than standard red varieties.
Best suited to:
- Fresh eating and slicing
- Home vegetable gardens
- Garden beds or large pots with support
Sauce and Cooking Tomato Varieties
These tomatoes have thicker flesh and lower water content, making them ideal for sauces, pastes and preserving.
Recommended cooking varieties include:
- Roma – Classic plum tomato for sauces
- San Marzano – Highly regarded for Italian cooking
- Principe Borghese – Suitable for drying
- KY – Also known as Scoresby Dwarf, an all rounder for salads, cooking, sauces, and preserving.
Best suited to:
- Preserving and bottling
- Cooking and sauces
Coloured Tomato Varieties
Tomatoes come in a wide range of colours beyond red, each offering slightly different flavour profiles.
Examples include:
- Yellow Pear – Mild, low-acid fruit
- Black Cherry – Dark fruit with rich flavour
- Green Zebra – Tangy and firm texture
Coloured varieties add visual interest to the garden and plate.
Choosing the Right Tomato Variety
When selecting tomato varieties for your garden, consider:
- Your local climate and growing season
- Available space (garden bed vs pots)
- Intended use (fresh eating, cooking, preserving)
- Disease resistance and reliability
Growing a mix of early, mid and late season tomatoes can help extend your harvest throughout the warmer months.
Growing Tips for Best Results
- Plant tomatoes in full sun
- Use well-drained, nutrient-rich soil
- Stake or trellis indeterminate varieties
- Water consistently to prevent fruit splitting
- Harvest regularly to encourage continued production