How Big Is A Tomato?

Tomatoes are a timeless staple in many kitchens that provide a healthful tangy flavor to many traditional dishes. Suppose you are a home cook or a seasoned professional; you probably have tried several varieties of tomatoes over the years. Perhaps you have wondered what the average size of a tomato is? What variety is the smallest or largest? We've researched these questions and have found solid information to share with you!

The Drop tomatoes hybrid variety is the world's smallest tomato; it is the size of a blueberry. Cherry tomatoes range from the size of a quarter to a golf ball. Medium-sized tomatoes like Red Racer and Simplicity hybrids are the quintessential round juicy tomatoes that range from 1 to 3 inches in diameter and weigh 2 ounces to 1/2-pound. The largest varieties like Beefsteak and Big Zac range from 1 pound to 7 pounds. 

Are you interested in learning more about tomato varieties? Which ones are the meatiest? How difficult is it to grow tomatoes? Is there a tomato variety that is simple to grow on a patio? If you have pondered any of these questions. Please continue reading to learn more about these interesting topics!

The world of tomato varieties

Worldwide there are over 10,000 unique varieties of tomatoes ranging from the size of small Drop cherry tomatoes the size of a blueberry to a Big Zac weighing several pounds. The standard globe tomatoes like Early Girl and Simplicity are somewhere in the middle of those extremes. Scientists, home gardeners, and the course of evolution have created many tomato varieties around the world.

Although thousands of varieties exist, they are categorized into five simple categories based on appearance, size, and weight. Another way to categorize the varieties is whether the tomato plant is an heirloom, hybrid, determinate, or indeterminate. Also, the color and consistency of the peel are secondary methods of categorization.

Standard Globe Tomatoes

Standard globe tomatoes are 2 to 2.5 inches across and almost always bright red, slice easily, and melds well with most recipes. These tomatoes were bred to have a longer shelf life to withstand being shipped worldwide. Usually, these tomatoes are raised in hot-houses and sold directly to supermarkets.

Beefsteak Tomatoes

Beefsteak tomatoes are cherished for their large size 3 to 4 inches wide and weigh a pound or more! Beefsteaks are considered the best slicer tomato --excellent for sandwiches and salads. Generally, these varieties are grown by small farms and hobby gardeners. Rarely are these mass-produced due to their thin skins, long growing seasons, and short shelf lives.

Cherry Tomatoes

Cherry tomatoes are a healthy snack favorite that ranges in size from blueberry to a golf ball. Most varieties of cherry tomato plants have a long growing season and produce several different colors and shapes of small tomatoes that are perfect for grilling and making wraps.

Plum Tomatoes

Plum tomatoes are known as the "paste" tomato, bred to contain less water and have thicker skins with easy-to-remove seeds. Usually 2 to 2.5 inches long and are oval-shaped, these tomatoes are the best choice for making sauces or pastes.  Plum tomatoes work well as sliced pizza toppings because they contain little water that could leak into the pizza. Also, a good choice for sun-dried tomatoes because of the high pulp content levels.

Oxheart Tomatoes

Oxheart tomatoes live up to their names sporting odd shapes and some in the likeness of a rustic heart shape. The tomato sizes vary from a large cherry tomato to a medium-sized beefsteak. These unique varieties are available via farmers' markets, rarely in supermarkets because of their short shelf lives.

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What Is The Largest Tomato Variety?

The circumference and height of tomatoes vary greatly from several factors--climate, heirloom versus hybrid, genetics, growing conditions, and weather. According to Burpee, Steakhouse hybrid is currently the largest tomato variety, even larger than the former largest tomato, Big Daddy. A steakhouse is a hardy tomato with robust, tangy flavors and mammoth growth potentials. A pairing, sure to please both the cook and the gardener.

Big Zac is deemed the largest heirloom variety, which averages 4 pounds per tomato. However, some tomatoes have grown to 5 or 7 pounds. Big Zac grows meaty tomatoes in all climates with full sun and an ample water supply.

What Is The Meatiest Tomato?

According to the Garden Channel, the Beefsteak tomato varieties are the meatiest tomatoes that serve several culinary purposes. There are 17 different types of Beefsteak heirloom tomatoes, which are great slicer tomatoes that are ideal for making BLTs and other sandwiches. Also, the Beefsteak tomatoes work fabulously for garden-fresh salsas and cold or hot sauces.

Click here to read our article for finding the best knife for cutting tomatoes. 

What Tomato Plant Produces The Most Fruit?

The well-known French variety, Carmello, is one of the world's most prolific fruit bearers. Also, it has been considered one of the most abundant and disease-resistant tomato plants in the world. Carmello plants are indeterminate and produce crack-resistant, red-deep, juicy tomatoes that work well in sauces or as the mainstay of any dish.

Sun gold tomatoes produce the most of any cherry tomato plant due to their prolific nature and long growing season. The small pale yellow cherry tomatoes are great for snacks or added into salads and soups.

Click here to view Sun Gold cherry tomato seeds on Amazon. 

Generally, hybrid varieties consistently produce more fruits than heirlooms. Because scientists have altered the genetics of these plants to become resistant to diseases, insect infestations and have modified how the plants produce fruit, a hybrid tomato plant will produce fruit for a longer growing season with more tomatoes that are consistent in flavor and size. Heirloom tomatoes will yield many fruits, but the production season is shorter, and the size of the fruits varies.

Click here to read an article regarding how to microwave tomatoes. 

What Is The Easiest Tomato Variety To Grow?

According to Good House Keeping, cherry tomato plants are the easiest variety to grow in a garden or a pot on your patio. Most cherry tomatoes varieties are indeterminate, which means the plant will continue growing throughout the entire season. Once the cherry tomato plants have started bearing fruits, they will continue producing until the seasons' first deep freeze. Also, these small but mighty tomato plants are fairly disease-resistant and compatible in most gardening zones.

Super Sweet is a hybrid variety that grows beautiful tendrils of cherry tomatoes that makes picking the small tomatoes a breeze.

Click here to view Super Sweet seeds at Amazon. 

Tiny Tim cherry tomatoes are an heirloom variety that grows to 12 to 18 inches in height, perfect for patio gardeners. The tomatoes are usually 1 inch in diameter and have a sweet flavor.

Click here to view Tiny Tim cherry tomato seeds at Amazon. 

If you are planting your tomatoes on a patio, you may want to acquire a planter that offers a trellis for the plants to grow upwards. The tomatoes plants will grow quicker, and picking the tomatoes is much easier as well.

Click here to view a grow system for indoor/outdoor use at Amazon.

In closing

Growing one's own tomatoes can be a rewarding experience to watch the tomatoes grow from small seeds to fruit-bearing plants and then enjoying the fruits of your labors in a garden-fresh meal!  Also, growing your own foods improves the quality of your meals and helps you and your family save hard-earned dollars.  We hope you have enjoyed this article! Please visit kitchenseer.com soon for more helpful information!