Cool tolerant tomato varieties

What are the best cool tolerant tomato varieties – the tomatoes that grow well in damp climates?

Cool, wet areas present special challenges for the tomato gardener.

Mostly because tomatoes love the heat!

If possible, choose small-fruited varieties since larger tomatoes often turn out watery and mealy in cool weather.

But creative breeders have helped us out quite a bit.

They’ve found or developed special types of tomatoes that can flourish even when days are less-than-warm and particularly damp.

Now you can grow cool-tolerant tomatoes by using a few special techniques - and by choosing appropriate varieties. Check these out.

Cool tolerant hybrid tomatoes

Better Boy Tomato
Hybrid, indeterminate, 75 days, red, beefsteak (12-16 ounces), resistance: VFN
Guinness World Record holder, producing 342 lbs of tomatoes from one plant

Dona Tomato
Hybrid, indeterminate, 65 days, red, globe (6 ounces), resistance: VFFNT
Gourmet tomato from France

Early Cascade Tomato
Hybrid, indeterminate, 55 days, red, globe (2 ½ inches), resistance: VFA
Dependable even in the Pacific Northwest’s wet weather

Early Girl Tomato
Hybrid, indeterminate, 50-52 days, red, globe (8 ounces), resistance: VFF

Oregon Spring Tomato
Hybrid, determinate, 58-60 days, red, globe (5 ounces)
Developed by Oregon State University for short-season gardens

Quick Pick Tomato
Hybrid, indeterminate, 66 days, red, globe (5 ounces)< resistance: VFNTA
Prone to sunscald in hot weather

Sun Gold Tomato
Hybrid, indeterminate, 55-58 days, gold/orange, cherry (1 inch), resistance: FVNT
From England. Known for its sweetness.

Sweet 100 Tomato
Hybrid, indeterminate, 65 days, red, cherry (1/2 ounce)
High vitamin C content

Cool tolerant heirloom tomatoes

Anna Russian TomatoHeirloom, indeterminate, 65-70 days, red, oxheart (up to 16 ounces)
Seeds brought to Oregon by a Russian immigrant

Black Prince Tomato
Heirloom, indeterminate, 70 days, red/black, globe (2 ounces)
Introduced from Irkutsk, Siberia. Grows well in cooler climates. Offers considerable health benefits.

Persimmon Tomato
Heirloom, indeterminate, 79 days, golden/orange, beefsteak (12-32 ounces)
Reliable, rich-tasting though not a huge producer. Variety from Russia.

Principe Borghese Tomato
Heirloom, determinate, 78 days, red, plum (1-2 ounces), resistance: cracking
A variety from Italy. Known as one of the best drying tomatoes. Grows well in cool weather.

Stupice Tomato
Heirloom, indeterminate, 55 days, red, small slicing tomatoes (2-3 inches)
Extremely early, cold-tolerant variety from Czechoslovakia

Cool tolerant open-pollinated tomatoes

Bellstar Tomato
OP (open-pollinated), determinate, 70 days, red, plum (4-5 ounces), resistance: V, cracking
Larger and earlier than other plum tomatoes. Excellent for sauce, puree, paste, juice, and canning. Developed by Dr. Jack Metcalf in Ontario, Canada. Tolerates cool temperatures well.

Black Cherry Tomato OP (open-pollinated), indeterminate, 65 days, black/purple, cherry (1 inch)
Classic black tomato taste

Cold Set Tomato
OP (open-pollinated), indeterminate, 65 days, red, globe (4 inches)
Tolerates light frost

Oroma Tomato
OP (open-pollinated), determinate, 70 days, red, plum (5 inches long), resistance: V
Excellent for canning, paste, sauce, and ketchup

Santa Cruz Kada tomato
OP (open-pollinated), indeterminate, 85 days, red, plum, resistance: VF
Grows well in foggy, cool areas