One of the great things about True Leaf Market is its variety of plants. Even when talking about tomatoes, they have a vast selection. Finding the best varieties can be hard and with the 12 seasons that we have in West Virginia, it can be hard to find the right varieties that will hold up to HOT summers, cool nights, and rainy times.
Over the last few years, we have purchased several of the varieties, and every year, we find new ones we love!
True Leaf offers organic seeds, and more importantly, every seed is non-GMO. It allows you to grow really good vegetables.
Unfortunately, we wanted to keep this blog short and sweet but we easily could have made it a top 25 list!
Without further ado, let's get into the rankings.
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When I was growing up, my grandparents used to grow huge amounts of tomatoes, each one with a purpose! In the mountains of West Virginia, we weren't able to walk to McDonalds, even though that what a delicacy.
Yellow tomatoes were the “fine dining” of tomatoes. Something to keep in mind is my grandparents were not wealthy and were retired when I was growing up with them.
The yellow tomato was a staple of a mid-day snack after making hay or tending to the cows. Slapping a slice of yellow tomato, some Walmart American cheese, and some salad dressing (Mayo) was common at my “Grams” for lunch.
The Brandywine Yellow tomato is an excellent choice for a small or large homestead garden. These bad boys can grow to be a pound or more. They are also disease-resistant!
I have a confession to make: Up until about 25 years old, I HATED tomatoes. The texture of the inside of a tomato was so off-putting that I would spit it out! Just something about it made me heeve! For whatever reason, this all changed about 8 years ago (I’m 36). I started having a liking to tomatoes and it quickly grew into a love for them!
With that, I started eating cherry and grape tomatoes like they were...cherry or grapes. Tending to the garden in the evening would turn into snack time. Lord knows it would make my wife furious cause she loves cherry tomatoes too. Now that my 2-year old is walking, he joins me in the garden and he picks them right off the vine!
True leaf sells a Chadwick Cherry tomato that is soooo delicious. Since we plant basil with our tomatoes, one of these and a piece of basil make a great snack!
In 2015, I met my wife and we started dating. We all know those awkward moments when we decide to meet our families. When I met my wife’s sister, I also met her husband. We’ve become close since my wife and I have been together so we always have dinners at each others house and our kids play together.
My brother-in-law has a unique stomach issue that restricts his diet when it comes to pepper and acid. This can cause issues while cooking for each other.
In 2020, I found the Ace 55 tomato on True Leaf and it help my brother-in-law eat my delicious spaghetti sauce. This tomato is low in acid and makes some delicious sauce. It’s best on two pieces of bread, some mayo, and a slice of cheese. Sprinkle some salt and...OMG! Nothing beats a tomato and cheese sandwich on a hot summer day!
I don’t want to sound climactic or dramatic, but picking #1 was VERY tough. Trying to choose the best tomato is a lot harder than it sounds. Tomato connoisseurs across the world would tell you that choosing the best variety is difficult and impossible, and coming from a nobody gardener,
I would agree. For me, it's about overall versatility and how you can use the tomato.
My #2 in my Top 5 Tomato Varieties for West Virginia is the beefsteak. Oh yeah, you go to any nursery or hardware store in late April
or May, and you will find this plant sitting on the stands, begging you to buy it. This is for good reason!
These bad boys are impeccable when it comes to tomato sandwiches. You can ask anyone...ANYONE what kind of tomato they want on a tomato sandwich and I can guarantee you....its gonna be a Beefsteak!
This variety is a staple in any garden.
Well, I guess I should thank you! You’ve stuck with me through the story telling and the mumbo jumbo of this blog. I guess I owe you my top tomato! Now you can hear my winner for the Top 5 Tomato Varieties for West Virginia
HANDS DOWN......Its the Amish Paste tomato. The taste is unmatched. The texture is smooth. The resistance to disease is amazing. The Amish Paste tomato is the tomato that is in my garden every year.
Do you want to make sauce...Check!
You want to make salsa....Check!
You want a tomato sandwich...Check!
You want to can diced tomatoes...Check!
If you could give this tomato a different name, I would call it the Swiss Tomato because it does it all!
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