Hot Tomato! 4 Heat-Tolerant, Heirloom Tomato Varieties

If you live in a humid, hot part of the world, we have four heat-tolerant, heirloom tomatoes that will keep you fruitful company in the summertime. Sure, tomatoes need heat, but not all of them fruit well in high humidity. Academics at the University of Florida studied the topic (there is no reported data about how many tomato sandwiches they ate during their research). These four tomatoes made their list of the best performing heirlooms for Florida. Use these heirloom tomatoes wherever you have hot and steamy summers. Pink Brandywine This tomato grows fruits that can be as large as 2 pounds a piece. Pink Brandywine is famous for its excellent flavor, creamy texture, and exceptional quality. This pink is the original Brandywine tomato, from which the others were developed. Cherokee Purple Legend has it that this tomato was grown by the Cherokee tribe. The tomatoes have a flattened shape with a distinctive purple-pink-brown color, on relatively short vines. Sweet, rich flavor is another reason this tomato is so beloved. Grow 'Cherokee Purple' yourself, since the thin skin and soft flesh make the tomatoes hard to transport. Prudens Purple This rediscovered early-producing vine bears fruits up to 1 pound each, with dark-pink skin and crimson flesh. The tomatoes have delicious flavor, firm flesh, and few seeds. The vines, with leaves similar to a potato, are vigorous and productive. San Marzano The large, indeterminate vines produce elongated fruit. The fruits grow to about 4" long and 2" in diameter and are borne in clusters. They are crack resistant and hold well on the vine or in storage. A processor favorite due to high solids, this is the standard Italian pear tomato, aka the Italian Canner. Use it also for tomato paste or puree. Have more tomato questions? We have videos and articles about: Tomato Pruning and Tomato Diseases Vertical Gardening with Tomatoes