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UC Master Gardeners of Santa Clara County

Spring Garden Fair Tomatoes

We offer a wide selection of delicious tomato seedlings, from huge beefsteaks to bite-size cherry tomatoes, both heirloom and modern varieties, in a rainbow of colors. All have been trialed by UC Master Gardeners and chosen for great flavor, productivity, and vigor.

Public Tomato Trial

In addition to the varieties listed below, we are inviting members of the public to join us in growing and evaluating three new tomato varieties. Your input will help us decide whether to add one or more of these to our tomato line up. Learn more about the exciting proposed varieties and how to participate in the Public Tomato Trial.

2024 Trial Results: Bronze Torch, one of our 2024 trial tomatoes, was highly ranked across the board for flavor, vigor, and productivity. We are pleased to add this beautiful and tasty tomato to our Spring Garden Fair tomato line up.

Additional information:

Please understand that some varieties may sell out quickly or not be available due to germination difficulties.

Explanation of terms

Classic — Medium-small to medium-large, round & smooth
Beefsteak —Large to very large, somewhat irregular shapes
Cherry — Small & bite-size
Paste — Elongated & meaty

Determinate — Short, typically 4' or less
Indeterminate — Tall, 5' or more, continues growing until frost
Semi-determinate — In between

OP — Open pollinated (saved seed should be true unless cross pollinated)

Disease resistance
V — Verticillium wilt 
F — Fusarium wilt 
FF — Fusarium wilt (races 1 & 2)  
N — Nematode (root knot) 
T — Tobacco mosaic virus 
TSWV — Tomato spotted wilt virus

Tomatoes

Tomato-Akers-West-Virginia-MG-Bracey-Tiede

Beefsteak: Aker’s West Virginia
Vigorous plants produce big harvests of delicious 1 lb tomatoes with sweet, rich flavor and very little cracking or other blemishes. Family heirloom from West Virginia. Taste test winner! Red, indeterminate, OP, 80 days

Tomato-Aunt-Rubys-German-Green-MG-Bracey-Tiede

Beefsteak: Aunt Ruby’s German Green
Beautiful, large juicy light bright green fruit with pink blush, tender skin. Deliciously sweet and slightly spicy taste. Keeps on bearing and bearing. One of our favorites every year. Green, indeterminate, OP, 80 days

Tomato-Aussie-MG-Don-Bollinger

Beefsteak: Aussie
Huge red tomatoes, 1–2 lbs. Borne abundantly on large, vigorous plants. Full old-fashioned tomato taste. Heirloom variety from Australia. Red, indeterminate, OP, 85 days

Tomato-Big-Rainbow-MG-Donna-Lee

Beefsteak: Big Rainbow
Beautiful, very large bi-color fruit, golden yellow with pinkish red swirl inside and out. Mild sweet flavor, juicy, and productive. Gorgeous when cut into slices on a plate. Bi-color, indeterminate, OP, 90–100 days

Tomato-Brandywine-OTV-MG-Sue-Zaslaw

Beefsteak: Brandywine OTV
Vigorous, sturdy, highly productive plant with huge potato leaves, huge thick stems. Rich complex flavor, huge tomatoes. A favorite! Red, indeterminate, OP, 85 days

Tomato-Brandywine-from-Croatia-MG-Jim-Maley

Beefsteak: Brandywine from Croatia
Productive, large, meaty pink tomato with delicious, complex flavor. Very tender skin. Regular leaf. Rare, only available from Santa Clara Master Gardeners. Pink, indeterminate, OP, 85 days

Tomato-Caspian-Pink2-MG-Jacqueline-Bogard

Beefsteak: Caspian Pink
Very heavy producer of large, flattened sweet pink delicious fruit. Curly leaves, healthy plants. Must clip fruit as does not detach. Taste test winner! Pink, indeterminate, OP, 80 days

Tomato-Cuostralee-MG-Esther-Mantelli

Beefsteak: Cuostralee
Very large 1–2 lbs. 4" across, blemish free, deliciously intense and balanced flavor. Taste test winner! Red, indeterminate, OP, 85 days

Tomato-Eds-Millennium-MG-Carolyn-Leni

Beefsteak: Ed’s Millennium
Highly productive Brandywine-type that is a top taste winner. One of our very favorites. Saved by Master Gardener Ed Lo. Red, indeterminate, OP, 85 days

Tomato-Galahad-MG-Candace-Simpson

Beefsteak: Galahad (Hybrid) F N TSWV V
*NEW* Great flavor, excellent disease resistance, and early production on a short, vigorous plant. 7–12 oz red fruits. Red, determinate, hybrid, 69 days

Tomato-Hillbilly-MG-Rosalie-Shepherd

Beefsteak: Hillbilly
Huge fruit, 1–2 lb, sweet, delicious, very productive. Gorgeous yellow with red streaking throughout flesh. Slicing reveals its striking beauty. Bi-color, indeterminate, OP, 85 days

Tomato-Kelloggs-Breakfast-MG-Karen-Schaffer

Beefsteak: Kellogg’s Breakfast
Vibrant orange 1 lb beefsteaks, very good flavor. Quite meaty with few seeds. Juice has the same bright color as orange juice and is delicious. Orange, indeterminate, OP, 80 days

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Beefsteak: Magnum
Superbly flavored 1+ lb beefsteak with outstanding production. The result of several years of selection of a volunteer. Disease resistance is super. Red, indeterminate, OP, 80 days

Tomato-Marvel-Striped-MG-Emily-Maslyn

Beefsteak: Marvel Striped
Medium to large-sized fruits are streaked with beautiful orange, yellow and rose swirls. Sweet and juicy with few seeds. Bi-color, indeterminate, OP, 90–110 days

Tomato-Paul-Robeson-MG-Jim-Maley

Beefsteak: Paul Robeson
Large fruits with beautiful mahogany color. Wonderful, complex flavor. Taste test winner! Black, indeterminate, OP, 80 days

Tomato-Pomodoro-Red-Pear-MG-Carolyn-Leni

Beefsteak: Pomodoro Red Pear Selezione
Huge red, pear-shaped fruits. Old North Italian variety specially selected by Franchi Sementi. Very tasty. (This is a totally different tomato from the small red pear cherry.) Red, indeterminate, OP, 80 days

Tomato-Stump-of-the-World-MG-Sushma-Pandey

Beefsteak: Stump of the World
Dark pink 1 lb beefsteaks, outstandingly rich, complex flavor, healthy potato-leafed plants. From the Ben Quisinberry Collection, which also contributed Brandywine. Taste test winner! Pink, indeterminate, OP, 80 days

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Beefsteak: True Black Brandywine
Dense, richly colored tomatoes weighing up to a pound. Flavor is sweet and deep with a good acid balance. Gorgeous sliced for a salad. Medium-sized plants are productive. Potato leaf. Black, indeterminate, OP, 80–90 days

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Beefsteak: Virginia Sweets
Healthy, vigorous plants produce big harvests of huge, 1 lb+ fruits. Beautiful heirloom tomatoes are golden yellow streaked with red inside and out. Very sweet, low acid, a favorite for slicing. Bi-color, indeterminate, OP, 80 days

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Cherry: Beam’s Yellow Pear
Produces an abundance of cherry-sized, pear-shaped, brilliant yellow tomatoes. Sweet, mild and fresh flavor. Yellow, indeterminate, OP, 80 days

Tomato-Black-Cherry -MG-Jim-Maley

Cherry: Black Cherry
The first truly black cherry with classic black tomato flavor; sweet and complex. Heavy producer of large cherry tomatoes on tall vigorous vines. A hit for everyone who grew it! Black, indeterminate, OP, 65 days

Tomato-Bronze-Torch-MG-Karen-Schaffer

Cherry: Bronze Torch (F1 Hybrid) 
Large grape tomatoes are a brick red color with greenish-bronze stripes. Early and productive, delicious flavor, crack resistant, performs well even under heavy disease pressure. Bi-color, indeterminate, 65 days

Tomato-Chadwick-MG-Mildy-Weinstein

Cherry: Chadwick
Heavy producer of delicious, red 1–1½" fruits. Highly rated. Red, indeterminate, OP, 65 days

Tomato-Chocolate-Cherry-MG-Rosalie-Shepherd

Cherry: Chocolate Cherry
Delicious mahogany-colored cherry tomatoes have that wonderful complex black tomato flavor. Round, 1" fruits are borne in trusses on healthy, vigorous vines Black, indeterminate, OP, 70 days

Tomato-Elfin-MG-Tina-Dinitz

Cherry: Elfin
Same wonderful sweet flavor, size, and shape as the original Grape tomato, with the advantage of shorter plants. Red, determinate, OP, 55 days

Tomato-Fox-Cherry by Holly Henry for MGs

Cherry: Fox Cherry
Delicious large red heirloom cherry tomatoes. Sweet and juicy, firm texture, perfect for salads. May be wilt resistant. Red, indeterminate, OP, 80 days

Tomato-Galina's-MG-Rosalie-Shepherd

Cherry: Galina’s
Flavor is delicious, complex, and sweet with good acid balance. Fruit size is ½–1" and a beautiful yellow. A favorite of many. Yellow, indeterminate, OP, 75 days

Tomato-Gardeners-Delight-MG-Rosalie-Shepherd

Cherry: Gardener’s Delight
Tasty red cherry tomato of German origin. Grow in grape-like clusters on a vigorous, attractive plant. Good acidity. Red, semi-determinate, OP, 72 days

Tomato-Isis-Candy-MG-Susan-Holmer

Cherry: Isis Candy
¾" cherry with orange-yellow marbled coloration and translucent skin. Winner at Carmel TomatoFest. Bi-color, indeterminate, OP, 67 days

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Cherry: Koralik
Heavy yields of 1" sweet red cherry tomatoes. An early heirloom variety from Russia. Foliage is sparse but healthy. Production is heavy and consistent. Red, determinate, OP, 61 days

Tomato-Sugary-MG-Nami-Takatsu

Cherry: Sugary (F1 Hybrid)
Very sweet and delicious, reddish pink oval-shaped cherry tomatoes in clusters on high yielding, compact plants that produce over a long season. Reddish pink, semi-determinate, hybrid, 60 days

Tomato-Sun-Sugar-MG-Mildy-Weinstein

Cherry: Sun Sugar (F1 Hybrid) F T
Incredibly sweet golden cherry size tomatoes, high in Vitamin A. Vigorous vines produce hundreds of fruit. Crack resistant. Gold, indeterminate, hybrid, 62 days

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Cherry: Sweet Chelsea (F1 Hybrid) V FF N T 
Medium-large cherry tomato with excellent sweet flavor. Displays high crack-resistance, as well as drought tolerance. Low in acid. Red, indeterminate, hybrid, 67 days

Tomato-Ananas-Noir-MG-Sue-Zaslaw

Classic: Ananas Noire (Black Pineapple)
Multi-colored fruit is green, yellow, and red outside and green with pink and red streaks inside. Juicy and sweet, great acid balance. Not a black tomato, despite the name. Taste test winner! Bi-color, indeterminate, OP, 85 days

Tomato-Black-Zebra-MG-Rosalie-Shepherd

Classic: Black Zebra
Stunningly beautiful bi-colored tomato, rich mahogany brown with green stripes. 1½" diameter fruits have a sweet, complex flavor with hints of smoke. Bi-color, indeterminate, OP, 85 days

Tomato-Black-From-Tula-MG-Donna-Lee

Classic: Black from Tula
Rose brown with green shoulders, this very beautiful and very delicious Russian heirloom is highly productive. One of our favorites. Black, indeterminate, OP, 80 days

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Classic: Box Car Willie
High yielding, reliable producer of medium large round, juicy red fruit, with very good tomato flavor. Red, indeterminate, OP, 80 days

Tomato-Carbon-MG-Emily-Maslyn

Classic: Carbon
Smooth, 8–12 oz tomatoes, deep reddish purple with greenish shoulders, free from cracking and blemishes. Exceptionally complex, sweet, full flavor. Great producer and beautiful too. Black, indeterminate, OP, 80 days

Tomato-Carmello-MG-Tina-Dinitz

Classic: Carmello
Medium to large round red juicy tomatoes with tender skin and excellent flavor, consistently productive. Good disease resistance. Open pollinated version from original French hybrid. Red, semi-determinate, OP, 70–75 days

Tomato-Cherokee-Carbon-MG-Brian-Okamoto

Classic: Cherokee Carbon
*NEW* Cross between Cherokee Purple and Carbon produces delicious purple fruit on a stronger, more productive plant. Black, indeterminate, OP, 75 days

Tomato-Cherokee-Purple-MG-Mildy-Weinstein

Classic: Cherokee Purple
Beautiful rose-purple fruit has sweet, rich, complex flavor. Consistently productive. Often found at farmers markets. Cherokee Indian origin Purple, indeterminate, OP, 75–85 days

Tomato-Copia-MG-Donna-Lee

Classic: Copia
Medium size yellow fruit with striking hand-painted red stripes. Firm and juicy, sweet and fruity. A natural cross between Green Zebra and Marvel Stripe. Bi-color, indeterminate, OP, 80–90 days

Tomato-Costoluto-Genovese-MG-Laura-Westley

Classic: Costoluto Genovese
Large, flattened red fruit with a fluted profile, deeply ridged and heavily lobed of Italian origin, good disease resistance, meaty, full flavored with good acidity, great for sauces and gorgeous sliced. Red, indeterminate, OP, 80–85 days

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Classic: Dona
French variety, prolific producer, excellent flavor, small to medium size fruit, meaty with few seeds. A winner! Red, semi-determinate, OP, 80 days

Tomato-Glory-of-Moldova-MG-Allison-Heisch

Classic: Glory of Moldova
Gorgeous deep orange globes grow in clusters of 4–6. Flesh is deep golden orange and flavor is fruity and sweet. Highly rated in taste tests. Early and consistently productive throughout the season. Orange, semi-determinate, OP, 80 days

Tomato-Gold-Medal-MG-Laura-Westley

Classic: Gold Medal
Large, golden yellow fruit, streaked red; firm and smooth. Very little acid. The sweetest tomato you ever tasted. Taste test winner! Bi-color, indeterminate, OP, 90 days

Tomato-Green-Zebra-MG-Jim-Maley

Classic: Green Zebra
Sweet sprightly flavor. Beautiful, yellow-green with dark green stripes. Small fruit (1¾"–2"). Very unusual and ornamental on plate. Wow your dinner guests. Green, indeterminate, OP, 78 days

Tomato-Japanese-Black-Trifele-MG-Donna-Lee

Classic: Japanese Black Trifele
Medium-sized pear-shaped tomatoes are a deep mahogany brown with rich, intense flavor, very productive. A taste test winner. “Trifele” is Russian for “truffle”. Black, indeterminate, OP, 90 days

Tomato-Kootenai-MG-Rene-Prupes

Classic: Kootenai
Stocky plant with dark-green leaves. Fruits are 2–3" across, thin-skinned and tasty. Abundant yields all summer. Red, determinate, OP, 70–75 days

Tomato-Lime-Green-Salad-MG-Laura-Westley

Classic: Lime Green Salad
Delicious, tangy, small fruit, chartreuse inside, excellent for a container. Beautiful compact plant, only 1 to 1½' tall (but a small cage or stake is still recommended). Green, determinate, OP, 58 days

Tomato-Mary-Robinson-German-Bi-Color-MG-Karen-Schaffer

Classic: Mary Robinson’s German Bi-Color
Large, meaty, golden fruits have even more red streaking than most bi-colors. Delicious, productive and beautiful. Bi-color, indeterminate, OP, 80 days

Tomato-Orange-Strawberry-MG-Sue-Zaslaw

Classic: Orange Strawberry
Beautiful bright orange, strawberry-shaped fruit with rich, very sweet, fruity flavor and succulent texture. Great sliced, excellent for sauces. Almost no seeds. A favorite. Orange, indeterminate, OP, 80 days

Tomato-Orange-You-Glad-MG-Rene-Prupes

Classic: Orange You Glad
Medium-sized orange fruits are sweet, balanced with a little acidity. Wonderful! Bushy, productive plants reach 4–5' tall. Orange, determinate, OP, 60 days

Tomato-Palo-Alto-MG-Jeanne-Paris

Classic: Palo Alto
Extremely large, vigorous vine giving a heavy crop (to 70 lbs from one plant) of large, meaty (small seed cavities), full-flavored red tomatoes from mid-season into November. Red, indeterminate, OP, 70–80 days

Tomato-Santa-Clara-Canner-MG-Liz-Brinkman

Classic: Santa Clara Canner
Delicious, large fruit, very prolific. Juicy yet solid. Big robust healthy plant. Historically used in CA canning industry. Red, indeterminate, OP, 80 days

Tomato-Southern-Night-MG-Laura-Clark-Moore

Classic: Southern Night
Russian heirloom. Delicious pinkish/purple fruit with vertical green striping and rich, complex flavor. Tender flesh. Use narrow (18) diameter cage as plant is not aggressive. Purple, semi-determinate, OP, 84 days

Tomato-Stupice-MG-Brian-Okamoto

Classic: Stupice
Czech origin, very early, cold tolerant, highly productive, small very flavorful fruit. Holds well. Red, indeterminate, OP, 52 days

Tomato-Amish-Gold-MG-Laura-Westley

Paste: Amish Gold
Beautiful brilliant golden color 1½–2" long, oblong with pointy end fruit. Flavor and color of Sungold, but denser meatier flesh good for sauces. A favorite. Gold, semi-determinate, OP, 80 days

Tomato-Amish-Paste-MG-Mildy-Weinstein

Paste: Amish Paste
Sweet flavor is great for canning, sauce/paste, or slicing fresh. Paste tomatoes are excellent for salads and salsas because they're firm and flavorful, and won't leak a lot of juice. Red, indeterminate, OP, 75 days

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Paste: Jersey Devil
4–5" long, bright red fruits are shaped like banana peppers. Prolific, very meaty and sweet, few seeds. Excellent for canning as well as eating fresh. Taste test winner! Red, indeterminate, OP, 80 days

Tomato-Principe-Borghese-MG-Sharon-Kirsch

Paste: Principe Borghese
Excellent for drying, little juice, good acidic old-fashioned tomato flavor with few seeds. Prolific producer. Red, determinate, OP, 70 days

Tomato-Speckled-Roman-MG-Jacqueline-Bogard

Paste: Speckled Roman
Gorgeous 3" wide by 5" long fruits with jagged orange and yellow stripes, red inside. Meaty, great taste, especially cooked. Very productive, few seeds. Cross of Antique Roman and Banana Legs. Bi-color, indeterminate, OP, 85 days