tomatoes – Extension Master Gardener Volunteers of Durham County

By Bev Tisci and Melinda Heigel, NC State Extension Master Gardener^SM volunteers of Durham County

Master Gardener volunteers take tomatoes seriously! You may remember our recent series “Tomatoes on Trial” and also caught more info on our social media pages recently about a scientific experiment where over 70 Durham locals rated tomatoes. In this post, we highlight our Extension Master Gardener volunteer growers and get their suggestions based on their blind taste testing.

As we bid farewell to summer, the results are in for our Seed Starters team’s best tomatoes for 2025. You may recall our blog post from 2024 that talked about this Durham County Extension Master Gardener volunteer group who grows, tests, and of course eats the tomatoes we feature in our annual Backyard Treasures Plant Sale each spring. (Mark your calendars now for the 2026 event scheduled on Saturday, April 11. You can also talk in person with members of the Seed Starters team on Saturday, March 28 at the annual Plant Festival.)

Seed Starters team members gathered for another blind taste test in late summer and the results are in! Take some notes in your garden journal now. These varieties were sure bets for our team of gardeners, and you just might want to grow them next season yourself!

A tray of sliced tomatoes, showcasing various types labeled numerically as Slicers 3 to 10. The tomatoes are in hues of red and yellow, with visible seeds and textures.

The contenders in the “slicer” category. Our Extension Master Gardener volunteer growers rate each tomato based on appearance, flavor, and texture. Is your mouth watering yet? Can you spot the winners? (Image credit: Bev Tisci)

Slicer Tomatoes

This year the Seed Starters evaluated 10 slicer tomatoes: Mountain Merit, Wonderstar Red, Green Zebra, Galahad, Defiant, Enrosa, Hot Streak, Big Beef, Marmalade Skies, and Damsel.

Clear plastic cups of sliced tomatoes on a white table, labeled as 'Slicer 4' and 'Slicer 5', with whole tomatoes in the background.

(Left to right) The showy orange Marmalade Skies and Hot Streak, ruby red with yellow stripes. (Image credit: Melinda Heigel)

The Winner: Hot Streak. Hot Streak was on a winning streak with the taste testers, who liked its deep flavor, light acidity, juiciness, and attractive appearance – deep red with yellow stripes. One commenter said this yummy tomato passed the ultimate tomato test: being “good on a sandwich.” Bev Tisci, leader of the Seed Starters team, said, “In addition to its outstanding flavor, this tomato has great disease resistance and will definitely be in my garden next year.”

Honorable Mentions: Tied for a close second were 3 tomatoes: Big Beef, Marmalade Skies, and Damsel.

Testers noted that Big Beef was fruity in taste. Several described it as actually tasting like watermelon. While this wasn’t all tasters’ cup of tea, it made a strong showing for its low acid and mildness. Marmalade Skies (a strong finisher in the 2024 testing) was noted for its striking yellow/orange color, medium acid, and texture. Tasters praised Damsel for an interesting flavor profile “bursting with flavor,” interestingly describing both high and low smokey notes.

Small Tomatoes

A table setup featuring a clear container with tomato samples, a single tomato, and a glass holding toothpicks. Signs labeled 'Small 1' and 'Small' indicate the tomato categories. The background shows a kitchen environment.

(Image credit: Melinda Heigel)

Two petite tomatoes duked it out in the small category: Mountain Magic and Queen of the Night.

The Winner: Mountain Magic. Several Extension Master Gardener volunteers described this tomato as mild in flavor and low in acid. In terms of texture, tasters noted that the skin was thick. From a production standpoint, the grower of this variety noted Mountain Magic was prolific. It’s a great salad tomato that continues to produce late in the season.

The Runner Up: Queen of the Night. The gardener who grew this variety noted they had challenges growing this tomato. Many commented on the smoothness in taste and acidity. The team gave it high marks in the appearance category.

Cherry Tomatoes

Four cherry tomatoes vied for first place this year as the team tested Sungold, Mochi, Honeybee, and Sweet Prince.

The Winner: Sungold Going for a repeat of its 2024 top-place finish, Sungold again reigned supreme. The team lauded its bright flavor that was the perfect mix of sweet and tart, thinner skin, and superb golden color, hence its name. A feast for both the eyes and the palate.

The Runner Up: Honeybee Only a fraction behind Sungold, the late-season Honeybee impressed the Seed Starters with a mild sweet flavor, though some commented critically on its thick skin.

A group of eight individuals joyfully holding various tomatoes in a kitchen setting, smiling and engaging with each other.

Seed Starters team members putting in a long day to help determine what tomato plants they’ll grow for the spring 2026 Backyard Treasures Plant Sale. (Image credit: Melinda Heigel)

Resources and Additional Information

Basics on growing tomatoes in the home garden: https://extensiongardener.ces.ncsu.edu/2021/04/growing-tomatoes-at-home/

Pro tips on producing tomatoes on our blog, “Achieving Peak Tomato Performance,” by Kathryn Hamilton, Master Gardener volunteer of Durham Co. https://wp.me/p2nIr1-4BD

How to trellis and support tomatoes from the blog: https://wp.me/p2nIr1-2cb

Edited by Melinda Heigel, NC State Extension Master Gardener^SM volunteer of Durham County

Article Short Link: https://wp.me/p2nIr1-6ko

By Marcia Kirinus, NC State Extension Master Gardener^SMvolunteer of Durham County

(Left to right) Buff colored Brugmansia gracing a home in Coimbra, Portugal. Bright orange Brugmansia, ‘Charles Grimaldi’ in Durham, NC. Pink Brugmansia beginning to open up in Durham, NC. (Image credit: Marcia Kirinus)

Brugmansia, known by some sinister common names such as Angel’s Trumpet and Devil’s Breath, embodies high drama in the plant world. With its foot-long, pendulous blooms that sway in the evening breeze and its intoxicating fragrance, it lures both humans and night-flying pollinators from mid-summer to late October. Its scent is so powerful that it has found a place in commercial perfumery. The color palette of its flowers is equally alluring, with blooms ranging from pristine whites to buff, peachy pinks, pale golds, muted oranges, and salmon. In full bloom, mature specimens put on a spectacular display, becoming the star of the garden late in the season when most things have stopped blooming. However, these seductive flowers come wrapped in folklore, magic, and an unmistakable aura of danger.

Plant of the Night

The life cycle of Brugmansia’s flowers follows the rhythm of day and night. As the sun begins to set, its trumpet-shaped blooms unfurl, releasing a sweet and heady fragrance that fills the evening air. This gives Brugmansia another common name, the “Moonflower.” During the day, its flowers hang like sleeping bats, with their petals tightly closed, and no scent lingers. The timing of their bloom and fragrance production is under circadian control, which works well if you enjoy throwing cocktail or dinner parties on the back deck on a sultry autumn evening. It is also a welcome highlight on Halloween as trick-or-treaters come to your door and your orange Brugmansia is in full bloom. No other decoration needed!

(Left) Single orange Brugmansia planted at the front door greeting trick or treaters. It is next to a double flowered white Brugmansia. Planted below the orange tree is another plant in the same family; Nicotiana sylvestris. (Right) Single yellow flowering 30 foot Brugmansia tree on the back corner of the Melo House in Coimbra, Portugal. (Image credit: Marcia Kirinus)

Cloaked Pollinators

*Placidula euryanassa.*
(Image credit: Claudio Dias Timm CC BY-NC-SA)

When doing research for this article, I found conflicting information on pollinators. Most sources suggest something that flies around at night since that is when flowers open. Others say hummingbirds. Maybe all of the above depending on the species and geographical location, but it’s clear that we still don’t really know. A publication from the University of South Florida suggests that the dominant pollinators of B. suaveolens are most likely bats and night-flying moths. Butterflies also seem to play a role where B. suaveolens is a larval source for the butterfly Placidula euryanassa. Studies show that the caterpillars can consume the toxins without harm, storing the poisonous alkaloids in their bodies to ward off predators later in their life cycle.

The Weedy Side of Brugmansia

While Brugmansia’s flowers are dramatic, the plant itself can look weedy and unkempt when not in bloom. It is hardy in USDA Zones 7–10 and grows quickly, often reaching heights of 15 to 35 feet. It works well as a background shrub or small tree in garden design. Although Brugmansia is said to prefer full sun, I’ve had more success growing it in partial shade in my Durham, NC (Zone 8a) garden. Like most members of its family, Solanaceae, it likes water, which could be a reason to grow it in some shade. This plant only emerges when the soil warms, so it works well to plant spring and early summer-blooming flowers in front of it until it takes center stage in late summer through autumn.

Growing Brugmansia in My Garden

I first encountered Brugmansia on the roadsides of subtropical Brazil, growing under larger tree canopies. Its large, bell-shaped flowers in shades of white, pink, and orange captivated me instantly. Later, I saw it thriving in northern California gardens and decided to try it in my own garden in Durham, NC.

That was years ago when Durham, NC, was considered USDA Zone 7. Brugmansia is borderline hardy in Zone 7, making each winter a gamble. I eventually started planting the rootstock deeply, below the frost line, to protect it from frost. This delayed its emergence even more, but when the plant finally came up in late summer, it rewarded me with a spectacular display.

Today, I have two dependable Brugmansia plants—a double white and a single orange—that return each year. Interestingly, the orange one blooms earlier, just in time to avoid the first frost, which can otherwise cut short the flowering season. The white one is hit or miss depending on weather conditions. I hear the same from others that have these plants growing in Durham, NC. Apparently the flowers need a very long growing season to fully open.

A Freaky Family

Brugmansia is a member of the Solanaceae family. This family blurs the lines between food, poison, and magic, with plants like Solanum lycopersicum (tomato), Capsicum (pepper), Solanum tuberosum (potato), Nicotiana (tobacco), Atropa belladonna (belladonna), and Hyoscyamus niger (henbane).
The family brews a veritable chemical cauldron of both desirable and deadly compounds referred to as tropane alkaloids. These include nicotine (Nicotiana), solanine (Solanum), capsaicin (Capsicum), atropine (Atropa), scopolamine (Datura), and hyoscyamine (Hyoscyamus)—chemicals that have been used as healing drugs in small doses, misunderstood or abused as addictive substances, and used as pesticides and warfare agents (e.g., sarin) in toxic doses.

(Left to right) Other relatives of Brugmansia that belong in the Solanaceae family: Nicotiana sylvestris, tomato fruit Solanum lycopersicum, Atropa belladonna flower; Datura wrightii. (Image credit: NCSU Plant Toolbox– peganum CC-BY-SA 2.0; Böhringer Friedrich CC BY-SA 2.5; Puusterke CC BY-SA 4.0; Kenraiz CC BY-SA 4.0)

Dangerous Beauty

Every part of Brugmansia is toxic. It contains dangerous alkaloids, like scopolamine, which can induce hallucinations and, in larger doses, have fatal effects. These alkaloids have historically been used in rituals to induce altered states of consciousness or to connect with the divine.

Shrouded in Shadowy Lore

Brugmansia is steeped in mystery and legend. Its downward-pointing flowers are said to serve as a bridge to the afterlife, with folklore suggesting they can draw spirits from graves. In a haunting twist, legend has it that sleeping under a Brugmansia plant may summon angels to claim your soul before you wake. The fragrance is reputedly narcotic. How true any of the stories are is questionable but perhaps telling. Embedded in the legends are nuggets of truth around the toxicity of the plants.

Brugmansia, an intoxicating beauty with folkloric connections, makes it a fitting plant for the Halloween season. Its nocturnal habits, eerie association with spirits, and dramatic blooms bring mystery and enchantment to any garden, especially under the October moon. However, don’t forget the danger of its deadly properties. Inhale its perfume, but keep your distance—it can kill you.

Resources and Additional Information

US Forest Service, The Powerful Solanaceae: www.fs.usda.gov/wildflowers/ethnobotany/Mind_and_Spirit/solanaceae.shtml

Kew Gardens, University of Chicago press: A horticultural, botanical and ethnobotanical tour-de-force: the first comprehensive monograph on this genus: https://www.brugmansia.us/huanduj/