Best Tomatoes of 2024: My Top 10 Varieties

By Real Farmer Jeff Back to the Garden Shed

Hey all! Real Farmer Jeff here.

As many of you may know, tomatoes are my favorite garden vegetable (I know it’s technically a fruit). In fact, I have grown more than 40 varieties of tomatoes in the last few years.

If you’re looking for the best tomatoes to grow or eat this year, you’re in the right place! After testing and tasting countless varieties, I’ve narrowed it down to my top 10 favorites of 2024.

Whether you’re after the juiciest heirlooms, the sweetest cherry tomatoes, or the most reliable producers for your garden, this list has something for every tomato lover.

So let’s dive in and find your next must-grow tomato!

Top 10 Tomato Varieties:

1. Fourth of July

This variety got its name because it generally ripens and is ready for harvest at the beginning of July. It ripens about a month before other mid-size varieties, which is why it is a must grow in my garden.

It has a vibrant, classic look. It’s a small to medium-sized, round fruit with bright, glossy red skin and a smooth, picture-perfect texture. Early Girl tomatoes are another very similar variety in my book.

Fourth of July tomatoes are great for fresh salads, sandwiches, and early summer eating since they ripen quickly and have a sweet, tangy flavor.

Fourth of July is the red tomato closest to the top.
Fourth of July tomatoes get their name because they’re one of the earliest-ripening tomato varieties, often producing ripe fruit by July 4th.

2. Old German

This is Kyrié’s favorite tomato variety, so I grow it every year for her. When I first grew it, I didn’t realize how big they get! I’ve grown many that are multiple pounds.

Apart from their impressive size, they are also beautiful – the color is gorgeous. Note that these are also sometimes called “Striped German.”

I love eating Old Germans for tomato sandwiches (as pictured). They’re best for slicing and enjoying fresh because of their large size, meaty texture, and sweet, fruity flavor.

3. Tasmanian Chocolate

This tomato is a dwarf variety, and they are truly incredible!

Dwarf varieties are new crosses that have the plant size of determinate varieties but produce fruit that are indeterminate-like heirloom tomatoes. There are so many other great dwarf varieties like Fred’s Tie Die or Emerald Green. Every one of these varieties that I’ve grown has always had a prolific harvest.

4. Super Sweet 100

This is the cherry tomato I recommend to anyone only planting one variety! They’re so sweet, they taste like garden candy. I could snack on these all day!

It’s also a very resilient plant and produces great harvest. It multiples like crazy. Both of the pictures below are from only one Super Sweet 100 plant!

5. Homestead

Of all my tomato plants, these produced the most classic and perfect looking red tomatoes. Every tomato looked even better than store-bought quality with very few cracks or imperfections.

Homesteads are a great mid-size tomato and taste like a classic garden fresh tomato. They’re very versatile and can be used for canning or sauces even though they are bigger than alternative paste tomatoes. Perhaps the best all-purpose tomato I typically grow!

This picture features a couple different varieties of tomatoes, but Homestead is the only perfectly circular one shown.

6. Black Cherry

This is Kyrié’s favorite cherry tomato variety. She describes them as tasting like a tomato and grape hybrid.

Black cherries have skin that is a deep mahogany to purplish-black hue, often with subtle hints of red. Inside, the flesh is juicy and dark, offering a sweet yet smoky, slightly earthy flavor that sets it apart from other cherry tomatoes. We have prolific harvests from these plants!

7. Jubilee

Jubilee tomatoes are a beautiful, golden-orange heirloom variety known for their smooth, round shape and medium to large size (typically 6–10 ounces).

Their firm, meaty flesh has a mild, sweet flavor with low acidity, making them perfect for fresh eating, slicing, and salads. They’re a bit more sensitive to high heat, but their incredible flavor makes it worth the risk.

In both of the photos below, Jubilee is the only bright yellow-ish orange tomato.

8. Aunt Ruby’s German Green

Green tomatoes are underrated! They may seem intimidating to grow since it can be trickier to know when they’re ripe. But it’s actually easy to tell – just go by how they feel!

Bonus Favorites: For my top 10 tomato varieties of 2024, I was torn between the Green Zebra, Dwarf Emerald Giant, or Aunt Ruby’s German Green because I love them all. These are all green tomato varieties.

Green tomatoes generally have more of a subtle, tart taste. Definitely worth growing at least one green tomato plant in your garden!

Unfortunately this is the only photo I could find of an Aunt Ruby’s German Green (bottom green tomato in the photo). But they’re beautiful – next season I’ll take more photos!

9. Ananas Noir

This tomato has a fun name. It means “Black Pineapple” in French (although it’s not black, nor does it look like a pineapple).

In my opinion, Ananas Noir is top 5 most stunning tomatoes. Its striking contrast of pink and green tones is absolutely gorgeous.

In addition to its appearance, its flavor is complex and memorable! Perfect for juicy tomato sandwiches.

Ananas Noir is the green tomato with a pink outer layer in the center of the photo.
The inside of Ananas Noir tomatoes are gorgeous! I love the contrasting colors.

10. San Marzano

This is the classic paste tomato that is popular in Neapolitan pizza sauce. Grown traditionally in the volcanic soil of the San Marzano region near Naples, Italy, these tomatoes are prized for their rich flavor and thick, meaty texture.

San Marzano tomatoes are similar in shape to Roma tomatoes but slightly thinner and more pointed at the tip.

They have fewer seeds and lower water content. Because of that, I highly recommend this tomato for sauces or pastes! Additionally, I prefer the taste to Roma tomatoes. San Marzanos are amazing for pico de gallo as well!

San Marzano’s are prized for pasta sauce and salsa because they have fewer seeds, low acidity, and a rich, sweet flavor that cooks down into a smooth, balanced sauce.
You can see the inside of these San Marzano’s have very few seeds.
We had so many San Marzano’s this year we decided to can some pasta sauce.

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Welcome!

We’re Kyrié and Jeff—a foodie and farmer sharing approachable recipes and fresh-from-the-garden inspiration.

3 Comments

  1. Noa Moyer

    I love how there are so many varieties of tomatoes! I also love Old Germans

    Reply
  2. Tanner

    I love any dark colored tomatoes!

    Reply
  3. Rory Fisher

    Love how detailed this was. Looking forward to a 2025 top 10 list.

    Reply

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Jeff has a deep passion for gardening. Each year, he cultivates hundreds of pounds of vegetables—along with the occasional fruit—turning his garden into a thriving and productive space. Combined with Kyrié’s cooking, together, they create exciting meals using Jeff’s harvest.

Real Farmer Jeff

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