Tag: tomatoes

Seed Starters’ 2025 Tomato Recommendations

On By durhammastergardenersIn gardening NC, taste testing, tomatoes, Uncategorized, vegetable gardening

By Bev Tisci and Melinda Heigel, NC State Extension Master GardenerSM 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.
A plate of small tomatoes with a sign labeled 'Small 2' in the background, indicating the tomato variety being tasted.

(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.

An orange cherry tomato labeled 'Cherry 3' on a table, with a plastic container of other cherry tomatoes in the background.

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 GardenerSM volunteer of Durham County

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

2024 Seed Starters Taste Test: And the Winners Are…!

On By durhammastergardenersIn cherry tomatoes, Durham NC, edibles, gardening, Gardening information, gardening NC, growing tomatoes, growing vegetables from seed, paste tomatoes, Seed Starters, seed starting, slicing tomatoes, small tomatoes, taste testing, tomato varieties, tomatoes, Uncategorized, urban garden, urban gardening, vegetable gardening

By Bev Tisci and Melinda Heigel , NC State Extension Master GardenerSM volunteers of Durham County

The actual scorecards the Seed Starter team members used for their blind taste testing to determine the best tomatoes they grew over the summer of 2024. (Image credit: Melinda Heigel)

Do you remember a previous post that described how members of the Extension Master GardenerSM volunteer team known as the Seed Starters conducted scientific and delicious taste tests to determine the most flavorful, disease-resistant tomatoes? Click here to revisit that July 31 blog post.1

Well the results are in! Extension Master Gardener volunteer and Seed Starter team leader Bev Tisci studied the comments and compiled the data from their July blind taste test. What were the best tomatoes?

Scenes from the “laboratory,” featuring one clear standout: (left) Chef’s Choice Orange. (Image credit: Melinda Heigel)

Best Slicer Tomato

In the slicers category the top choice was Chef’s Choice Orange. Tasters praised its mild and good flavor, appearance, nice acidity and called it a “Big winner.” Following close behind were Big Rainbow and Marmalade Sky.

Best Paste Tomato

In the paste category the winner was Italian Roma. Keep in mind this was the only entry in the category. Could future testing reveal a tastier contender? The judges noted that Italian Roma was meaty and firm, and Tisci commented that this variety makes great oven-roasted tomatoes.

Best Small Tomato

Taking honors in the small category was Mountain Magic followed closely by Ella Bella. Seed Starters noted the winner’s balanced acidity, sweet taste, firm consistency, and manageable small size.

Best Cherry Tomato

Finally, in the cherry category, Sungold was the winner as the team noted great flavor. Sunrise Bumblebee were also high in the ranking.

Be sure to follow announcements for the 2025 Durham Master Gardener volunteer Backyard Treasures Plant Sale2 where it is likely that you can purchase and grow some of these winners in your own backyard!

Notes

1–https://durhammastergardeners.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=18574&action=edit.

2–To see some pictures and additional information on what tomato varieties the Seed Starters grew for the 2024 Backyard Treasures Plant Sale, check out the list of offerings. Unfortunately, many of the tomatoes that were grown for the 2024 sale did not make it to the taste testing, so no comparison could be made with all of the new tomatoes.

https://www.backyardtreasuresplantsale.org/veggies

Resources and Additional Information

Follow along with another ongoing Master Gardener Program volunteer tomato trial in collaboration with NC State University.

Tomatoes on Trial: The 2024 Tomato Project

Article Short Link https://wp.me/p2nIr1-53H