Tomatoes That Tolerate the Florida Heat

Indeterminate Tomatoes with Large Fruit

• James M. Stephens of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences recommends some specific cultivars. Indeterminate tomatoes require staking. These varieties produce large fruits, according to Stephens: Better Boy, Bonnie Best, Bragger, Floradel, Manalucie, Manapal and Tropic. Floradel, Manalucie, Manapal and Tropic are "old" Florida varieties, while Better Boy is a nationally known favorite.

Determinate Tomatoes with Large Fruit

• If you prefer determinate tomatoes, which grow with a bush or semi-vine habit, never fear: Stephens suggests large-fruit determinate varieties, as well: Celebrity, Duke, Flora-dade, Floramerica, Solar Set, Suncoast, Sunny and Walter. Most of these are resistant to wilts and other tomato maladies, including Suncoast, which was developed by the University of Florida. Solar Set is the most heat-tolerant of these cultivars.

Tomatoes with Small Fruit

• Small tomatoes are not only attractive on the plate, but they are also particularly well-suited for some dishes, such as pasta sauces and salads. Stephens recommends these cherry-sized indeterminate varieties: Red Cherry, Sweet 100, Sweet Chelsea, and Sweet Million. Determinate small-fruit tomatoes good for Florida include Cherry Grande, Castlette, Floragold, Florida Basket, Florida Lanai, Florida Petite, Patio and San Marzano, as well as the widely popular Roma. As the names "lanai" and "patio" suggest, these bush-type tomatoes are particularly well-suited to container growing.

Specialty Tomatoes

• Stephens singles out some cultivars of extra-large tomatoes as being suitable in the state: Abe Lincoln, Beefmaster, Beefsteak, Bragger, Giant Belgium, Giant Oxheart, Holmes Mexican, Mortgage Lifter, Ponderosa, and Wolford's Wonder. The Florida state record for largest tomato is held by the nationally popular Delicious. If color variety appeals to you, try the yellow Sun Ray or the orange Jubilee. Both are indeterminate. The Burgess Stuffing tomato with its hollow cavity, also recommended by Stephens, has been bred specifically for stuffing.

Other Options

• There are a few other cultivars that Stephens recommends as additional alternatives. They include some indeterminate varieties --- Big Boy, Champion, Four-Way Hybrid and Oxheart --- and some determinate ones --- Hayslip, Horizon, Homestead, Pirate and Stakeless. Although not true tomatoes, tomatillos and husk tomatoes are closely related crops that grow under similar conditions to tomatoes and can thrive in Florida.