Top New Tomato Plants for 2014

Indigo Rose Tomato

Here is something extra for tomato-lovers! Beauty, taste, and a boost of extra nutrition. The Indigo tomato series are bred to contain high levels of anthocyanin (an antioxidant found in blueberries). Two-inch round fruit bears blue skin in areas exposed to light; the shaded areas start out green and turn deep red when mature. The flesh is red with multifaceted tomato flavor. Indeterminate plants have an upright growth habit and grow 36-60 inches tall and 36 inches wide. A very vigorous producer! Grow from seed and harvest in 80 days. You can buy 'Indigo Rose' as a bumper crop grafted tomato or by seed.

Name: Solanum lycopersicum 'Indigo Rose'
Season of Harvest: Midsummer, indeterminate vines bear until frost

Indigo Ruby Tomato

Lipstick red and plum-shape tomato, 'Indigo Ruby' has brilliant, violet-blue tops and deep red flesh. Weighing in at 1-2 ounces each, Indigo Ruby is flavorful and sweet with a tempting aroma. If you like to can tomatoes or make sauces, try this determinate tomato. The fruit matures at the same time; just step out into your garden, harvest, and get cooking. For the best flavor and texture, harvest when the colors have deepened and the fruit is soft to the touch. The plants produce clusters of four to six tomatoes. The extra nutritious Indigo tomato series contains high levels of the antioxidant anthocyanin. Grow from seed and harvest in 80 days. You can buy 'Indigo Ruby' as a bumper crop grafted tomato or by seed.

Name: Solanum lycopersicum 'Indigo Ruby'
Season of Harvest: Midsummer

Indigo Sun Tomato

Sunny yellow cherry tomatoes are colorful additions to salads and pasta dishes. ‘Indigo Sun’ is a yellow cherry tomato with a little extra color and nutrition—the indigo coloring on its shoulders and crown adds the antioxidant anthocyanin (also found in blueberries). ‘Indigo Sun’ tastes great, having a delicious balance of sugars and acid. This tomato has an upright growth habit, growing 36-60 inches tall. It spreads to 36 inches wide. You can buy ‘Indigo Sun’ as a bumper crop grafted tomato or by seed.

Name: Solanum lycopersicum ‘Indigo Sun’
Season of Harvest: Midsummer

Indigo Starburst Tomato

'Indigo Starburst' is a yellow cherry tomato with light indigo touches around the shoulders and crown of the fruit—the blue color adds the antioxidant anthocyanin. 'Indigo Starburst' is one of the new Indigo series from Ball seed, which combines great taste with superior nutrition. You can buy this tomato as a grafted plant, which means it will pump out healthy fruits all summer. 'Indigo Starburst' has a sweet taste and grows in attractive clusters of up to six tomatoes. This tomato has an upright growth habit, growing 36-60 inches tall. It spreads to 36 inches wide. You can buy 'Indigo Starburst' as abumper crop grafted tomato or by seed.

Name: Solanum lycopersicum 'Indigo Starburst'
Season of Harvest: Midsummer

Fantastico Tomato

Can tomato season ever start too early? Early-maturing ‘Fantastico’ is a swell little grape tomato that will deliver up to 12 pounds of tomatoes per plant. Although the fruits are small (just a half-ounce), there are lots of them—up to 350 tomatoes per plant.  ‘Fantastico’ is an All-America Selection winner for 2014, so it’s been proven to excel in gardens all over the United States. It also has built-in late blight tolerance, so it will stay healthy and productive. ‘Fantastico’ was bred for small gardens, ‘Fantastico’ grows well in hanging baskets, container gardens, and small-space gardens where it grows best in a cage that can provide some support. Plants are bushy and spreading, growing more than 24 inches tall. This determinate bush tomato produces long clusters of sweet, tasty fruits that are positioned toward the outside of the plant, making for easy harvest. ‘Fantastico’ also has good crack resistance.

Name: Solanum lycopersicum 'Fantastico' F1
Season of Harvest: Midsummer
Growing Conditions: Full sun

Chef's Choice Orange Tomato

If you love the flavor of heirloom tomatoes, you'll flip over 'Chef's Choice Orange' tomato. This award-winning hybrid has the taste and color of the heirloom variety 'Amana Orange', but it's more productive and disease-resistant. 'Chef's Choice Orange' is an indeterminate variety that produces large, delicious fruit on 5-foot-tall plants. Individual tomatoes can weight up to 1 pound, and the intense color does not fade or discolor when cooked. It's an All-America Selections winner for 2014, so you know it will thrive in your garden.

Name: Solanum lycopersicum 'Chef's Choice Orange'
Season of Harvest: Mid to late summer
Growing Conditions: Sun