Our 11 Favorite Pole Tomato Varieties to Grow at Home
Pole tomatoes grow, and grow, and grow! They flourish while temperatures are warm and sunlight is abundant. Plant them in the garden, trellis them, and watch as their yellow flowers morph into green, yellow, and red fruits. Join tomato lover Jerad Bryant in discovering 11 favorite pole varieties you should grow at home.
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Pole tomatoes, or indeterminate tomatoes, are climbing, vining types that reach epic proportions. There are heirloom slicers, hybrids, and cherry tomatoes. This incredible variety provides dozens, if not hundreds, of tomatoes to choose from for the home garden!
Our favorites are high performers that grow well in a wide range of conditions. They resist drought, high heat, and excessive sunlight in the summer yard. Plant them in containers with stakes, grow a dozen in raised beds, or situate them together in your veggie plot. The possibilities are endless.
Pole tomato varieties work best in gardens with long, hot summers. They grow unlimited flowers and fruits while the weather is warm and frost-free. Treat them as warm-weather annuals. Start them from seeds indoors in late winter, or find potted seedlings at nurseries early in the growing season.
‘Brandywine’
Many growers think of ‘Brandywine’ when they think of juicy, heirloom tomatoes. It’s a classic variety that has stood the test of time. ‘Brandywine’ grows ridged, round fruits that reach up to two pounds in weight!
Two ‘Brandywine’ cultivars excel at home. Opt for ‘Yellow Brandywine’ if you like golden tomatoes. They’re sweet, tart, and delicious! ‘Red Brandywine’ is the classic heirloom with a unique flavor, texture, and color.
Choose your favorite color, or try them both! The ‘Brandywine Red & Yellow Blend’ has both types in one packet, so you don’t have to buy two packs of seeds.
‘Bumble Bee’
‘Bumble Bee’ varieties provide a wide range of striped and flavorful cherry tomatoes. They’re a part of the trademarked Artisan™ tomato series, which includes many different types that late breeder Fred Hempel created.
There are many “bee” types available. Opt for ‘Sunrise Bumble Bee’ if you like sweet flavor and yellow-red stripes. ‘Purple Bumble Bee’ has red and green stripes, while ‘Pink Bumble Bee’ features pink flesh with golden streaks.
Can’t decide on one? Why not have them all? Source the ‘Artisan Bumble Bee Blend’ to try all three pole tomato varieties.
‘Carbon’
‘Carbon’ tomato fruits are perfectly round, with incredible flavor and juicy flesh. They’re ideal for slicing, though you can use them to make sauces, soups, and marinades. Can or preserve them at summer’s end to enjoy their purple, tasty flesh all year long!
‘Carbon’ plants grow so long as the weather is mild, warm, and frost-free. Train the long-growing vines up stakes, trellises, or cages to give them support. With the upright backing, the vines will grow blemish-free tomatoes above the ground that are easy to harvest.
These fruits are some of the best-tasting of any variety. If you don’t believe me, consider the fact that they won the “Best Tasting Tomato Award” in 2005 at the Heirloom Garden Show! Their award-winning flavor stands out in the home kitchen.
‘Chadwick Cherry’
‘Bumble Bee’ tomatoes aren’t the only delicious cherry tomatoes you can grow at home. ‘Chadwick Cherry’ is another incredible variety with stunning cherry-sized fruits that have spectacular flavor. They’re sweet, tart, and tangy.
‘Chadwick Cherry’ plants resist diseases and harsh summer growing conditions. They’re ideal for hanging baskets and containers, where they’ll drape over the edges or grow along upright supports.
‘Cherokee Purple’
Like ‘Carbon,’ ‘Cherokee Purple’ fruits have delectable flesh and purple-red skin. Atop the fruits lie decorative patches of green. A true standout, ‘Cherokee Purple’ is a must-grow variety for tomato lovers.
Smoky, sweet, and not too tangy, this tomato variety is exceptional in the home kitchen. It tastes best fresh, though that doesn’t mean you can’t use it in sauces, preserves, and marinades.
A tall grower, ‘Cherokee Purple’ needs support to grow its best. Attach the vines to cages or tie them to upright bamboo stakes to help them grow tall and strong.
‘Oxheart’
‘Oxheart’ tomatoes are unlike any other variety on this list! They resemble oxen’s hearts—their deep ridges and oblong shapes create heart-like structures. Eat them like apples by taking chunks out of them, or slice them thinly to enjoy their unique shapes.
When you slice ‘Oxheart’ tomatoes, you create star-like slices that wow onlookers. Pair them with cheese, nuts, and bread on a charcuterie board to show them off. Delicately add salt and pepper to the slices to subtly enhance their rich flavors.
‘Oxheart’ is an Italian heirloom that also goes by ‘Cuore Di Bue,’ which is Italian for “ox heart.” Grow this variety at home to partake in its long history of cultivation.
‘Pineapple’
Maybe you’re tired of traditional red tomato types, or you’re looking for a unique kind to add to your growing roster. ‘Pineapple’ is a perfect pole tomato variety to shake things up. It features orangish fruits with creamy splashes of yellow and red.
A low-acid tomato, ‘Pineapple’ tastes sweet, fresh, and slightly tart. It’s ideal for eating fresh, and it’s perfect in sweet sauces.
If you like tomato juice, consider growing this pole variety. Its fruits create a tangy, sweet, and healthy fresh drink that quenches thirst in the summer months. Use the extra juice to make homemade Bloody Marys on a Sunday morning!
‘Pink Berkeley Tie Dye’
This heirloom is my favorite pole tomato variety. Its large fruits resemble ‘Purple Bumble Bee’ except they’re large, wrinkled, and variable. No two of these tomatoes will grow the same!
This long-vining type is one of the longest-growing varieties. It needs support. Use stakes, trellises, or cages to help the stems grow above the ground.
‘Pink Berkeley Tie Dye’ is susceptible to cracking and splitting with infrequent watering. Ensure you keep the garden moist, but not soggy, throughout the growing season. Consistent moisture prevents cracks and splits from occurring.
‘San Marzano’
Roma tomato lovers should try growing ‘San Marzano!’ It’s a long-time favorite pole tomato for sauce and paste makers across the world. A single plant will produce bushels of oblong tomatoes with more flesh than juice inside them.
Because of their high-flesh-to-juice ratio, ‘San Marzano’ and other Roma tomatoes work exceptionally well in prepared meals and recipes. They’re less useful for fresh eating, as they tend to have less flavor than heirloom slicers and cherry tomatoes.
If you can’t decide on a tomato, consider growing multiple varieties. Plant a ‘San Marzano’ for sauce making, grow cherry tomato varieties for fresh eating, and cultivate a slicer type for sandwiches and meals.
‘Tropical Sunset’
Rounding out this list are two yellow cherry tomatoes that are high performers in home gardens. ‘Tropical Sunset’ is the first—it features round, sweet cherry-sized fruits that reach an inch and a half across. They contain juicy flesh with sweet, tart, and tangy flavors.
‘Tropical Sunset’ is one of the sweeter tomatoes that lends itself well to fresh eating. The small fruits store well in the refrigerator, allowing you to keep them for many days after you pick them.
If you can’t eat all of the dozens of cherry tomatoes that’ll grow off ‘Tropical Sunset’ vines, consider storing them long term. Freeze them, make sauces, or create a unique and flavorful tomato jelly with pectin, sugar, and calcium.
‘Yellow Pear’
‘Yellow Pear’ is my all-time favorite cherry tomato. It’s a pole type that grows long, rambling stems and pear-shaped yellow fruits. I love it because my grandmother grew it in her home garden. She’d have bowls full of the pear-shaped fruits for fresh eating in summer!
Although other cherry tomatoes fill the market nowadays, ‘Yellow Pear’ stands out from the rest. It’s an heirloom tomato, meaning you can save its seeds each year for free starts the next spring.
A versatile tomato, ‘Yellow Pear’ fruits work well in both preserves and fresh dishes. Mash and cook them into sauces, or keep them on your kitchen counter for fresh eating.
