Discover the sweetest and tastiest tomato varieties

The tomato is one of the most popular crops grown here in the Czech basin. It is no wonder, then, that gardeners proudly show off their fruit with great delight and compete over who has the better harvest. Tomatoes are tasty and contain plenty of vitamins. This makes them one of the healthiest vegetables, too. What is more, eating them affects appetite and the function of the liver and kidneys, and they boost the body’s resistance to viruses. Besides, you can make plenty of tasty dishes from tomatoes.

How to grow tomatoes

The most important thing is choosing the site and preparing the soil where your tomatoes will grow. Remember that they thrive in places where the sun shines on them all day. Protect them from cold winds. Sow the seeds in March, ideally in a planter, or put them in a warm cold frame or a garden greenhouse. Prepare a suitable growing medium as well. Once the plants have their first leaf, move them into a plastic cup. Try to plant out the tomato seedlings by May. Also make sure there is enough air circulation, as this affects the occurrence of mould.

Tomato diseases

The worst tomato disease is late blight, but various viral diseases are also a problem. In summer, during wet weather, brown to black rotting spots may appear. Never put affected plants on the compost heap; burn them straight away. Pay attention to correct planting, too. Never plant them in soil where potatoes or peppers grew before, as they could easily become infected, since they share the same diseases. Spacing is also important, which means you should not plant them close together. Remember that diseases are spread by insects, aphids in particular are a nuisance.

What are the sweetest tomato varieties?

So which tomatoes taste best? We have picked a few tips to make choosing your seedlings easier.

San Marzano

This is a variety for true connoisseurs. It loves sunshine and warmth and is grown mainly in Italy at the foot of Vesuvius. It is not entirely suited to our conditions, but if you put it in a greenhouse, you are onto a winner. Its elongated fruits are beautiful, well coloured and full of flavour. They also have fewer seeds. They are ideal for cooking and drying.

Goldkrone

This tomato variety is also superb. It is wonderfully juicy and has firm flesh. It is sweet as well. Be sure to plant this variety in your garden or under a polytunnel. The fruits reach 2 to 3 centimetres. A big advantage is that these tomatoes do not crack as much as others. Give it a try!

Roma

A classic fleshy tomato, suitable for cooking, drying or making popular ketchups. It has less juice, but it is aromatic and has more flesh. When cooked, the skin peels off easily, too. This variety is best grown in a greenhouse.

Koralik

This is a semi-wild bush tomato, and it is grown without removing side shoots. As a result, it forms a really abundant little bush with small fruits. Picking them is fiddly, but nothing beats the taste. However, do not let them overripen, as they are then hard to pick.

Yellow Stuffer

This variety has yellow fruit and looks a bit like a pepper. It is suitable for stuffing with meat and rice. The walls of the fruit are drier and cope better with higher cooking temperatures. The variety is very high-yielding, with 100 to 150 fruits on a single stem.

Stupické polní rané

A typical Czech classic. A staked tomato that is beautifully red, sweet and excellent both eaten raw and for cooking. Unfortunately, it is not resistant to blight.

Growing tomatoes can be fun. Before you start, just get some inspiration from someone more experienced.