Tomatoes are one of the most versatile fruits and are a staple in most Australian households, but not all tomatoes are created equal. Heirloom tomatoes are grown for their looks as much as their flavour, and pack so much more than any basic salad variety, or the modern cultivars you’ll find in shops.
In this article, we’ll share 30 of our favourite heirloom tomatoes, as well as tips on how to grow them in Australia.
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What are Heirloom Tomatoes?
Heirloom tomatoes are open-pollinated tomatoes that have been passed down from generation to generation without any genetic modification. They are grown for their flavour, texture, and appearance, and have a longer history than most commercial tomato hybrids.
Unlike hybrids, heirloom tomatoes are grown for flavour rather than an ability to withstand long transport and storage, and they tend to be harder to grow, with less resistance to blight and other common diseases.
If you’re up for the challenge though, you will never grow anything with as much flavour.
Different Types of Heirloom Tomatoes and How to Grow Them
Heirloom tomatoes, like any variety, can be split into two basic camps - cordon and bush. Before growing any type of tomato, check how it wants to grow, because it will have a huge impact on how you prune, and how to treat the plant throughout the year.
Cordon Heirloom Tomatoes
Cordon or indeterminate tomatoes grow as tall vines and need support to keep them from falling over. They produce tomatoes continuously throughout the growing season and require regular pruning to keep them under control.
When pruning, remove the side shoots (or suckers) that grow between the main stem and the lateral trusses, as these will slow down fruit ripening, and will only take away nutrients from the main plant.
Tip: You can use the suckers to take cuttings early in the season, and they will produce fruit and grow into an identical plant to their parent.
Bush Heirloom Tomatoes
Bush, or determinate, tomatoes grow as bushes and do not require much pruning. When your plants reach 30 to 60 cm tall, remove the lowest branches and keep pruning them out so there is about 5 inches between the soil and the lowest leaves (this will help to prevent disease).
Other than that, leave bush tomatoes well alone, and they will produce a large crop of tomatoes in mid-late summer.
30 Tastiest Heirloom Tomatoes to Grow in Australia
1. Pineapple TomatoThis large yellow beefsteak tomato has a sweet and fruity flavour, but above all else, it’s a stunningly beautiful fruit. The orange and red stripes down the side of each fruit are retained when cooked, and you’ll be lucky to find a better tomato for roasting whole, or BBQing in foil. |  |
2. Mortgage Lifter TomatoThis classic beefsteak tomato has a sweet and mild flavour and is great for slicing and using in sandwiches. Its deep red flesh, with a tint of orange on the skin is a clue to the sweet but slightly tart flavour, making it an ideal all-rounder in the kitchen. |  Source: The Diggers Club |
3. Amish Paste TomatoThis heirloom is a large, meaty plum tomato that’s great for making sauces or canning. Amish paste is one of the oldest plum varieties and is easy to grow outdoors, or in greenhouses in most parts of Australia. |  |
4. Cherokee Green TomatoCherokee Green is one of my favourite heirloom tomatoes for home growing. It’s not particularly exciting to eat but does have a notable tartness. Its main benefits are in being really quite easy to grow, and providing fruit slightly later in the season when most tomatoes have finished. |  Source: Pinetree Garden Seeds |
5. Chocolate Cherry TomatoChocolate Cherry tomatoes are an incredibly sweet and rich-tasting heirloom tomato, and are best eaten straight off the plant for a true taste of summer. They have a dark burgundy-brown colour and grow prolifically in most conditions. |  |
6. Yellow Brandywine TomatoThis yellow beefsteak tomato is a sweeter version of the pink brandywine tomato, and is great for slicing and using in salads or on sandwiches. A general rule with yellow tomatoes is that they are both sweeter and pastier, so while its firm flesh is good for slicing, it also makes beautiful sauces. |  Source: Minnetonka Orchards |
7. Green Zebra TomatoGreen zebra tomatoes are the most vibrant green heirlooms you’ll find. Their sour taste is ideal for preserves, and makes a shockingly good ketchup. It's a favourite among gardeners and chefs alike for its unique flavour and striking appearance. |  |
8. Lemon Drop TomatoLemon Drop tomatoes are cute little yellow tomatoes, with a plum-tomato shape, but a salad tomato flesh. They are packed with juice too, but do need to be eaten quickly after harvesting, as they tend not to last very well. |  Source: Brisbane Brugmansia |
9. Striped Cavern TomatoStriped Cavern tomatoes have yellow and red striped skin and a sweet, juicy flesh, but there’s only one way to eat them - stuffing! These hollow tomatoes have very little juice, and the seeds can be scraped out to create a beautiful fruit ready for stuffing with rice, or whatever grainy mix you fancy baking. |  |
10. Great White TomatoThis large, creamy white tomato has a sweet and mild flavour. It can be grown as a bush, but will become quite unruly, so is best treated as a cordon and grown with supports, and regularly pruned. |  Source: TomatoFest |
11. Tigerella TomatoTigerella tomatoes have gorgeous red and orange striped skin, and are one of the most gorgeously fragranced fruits you can grow, filling your garden with powerful tomato fragrances while the fruits are ripening in summer. |  |
12. Aunt Ruby’s German Green TomatoMost of us will be more familiar with green tomatoes as unripe fruits, used in chutneys and pickles, but there are some heirloom varieties that actually ripen to green. This large green tomato has a distinctly tangy flavour, and works best in salads. |  Source: Home For The Harvest |
13. Yellow Pear TomatoYellow Pear tomatoes are tiny pear-shaped fruits with a simple flavour, but a glorious juicy bite. They are best eaten whole, and added to salads with a tiny pinch of salt. They’re also, as far as we’ve found when growing them, fairly blight resistant, and will continue to ripen even if they are hit by blight. |  |
14. Black from Tula TomatoThis Russian heirloom tomato has a really deep flavour, and is surprisingly juicy. Like all black tomatoes, its sweetness is boosted as the sun intensifies on the dark skin to increase sugars within each fruit. |  Source: MIgardener |
15. Green Grape TomatoGreen Grape tomatoes are a green cherry heirloom variety with a fruity flavour. They are great for adding a pop of colour to chilies or chunky soups. Their firm texture holds up well in cooking too, and they last well either in the fridge or the fruit bowl. |  |
16. Marvel Stripe TomatoThese beautiful heirloom tomatoes have a yellow and red striped pattern and a mild, sweet taste that's perfect for salads and sandwiches. They have a meaty texture that makes them great for sauces, or using in chucky casseroles. |  Source: TomatoFest |
17. Cherokee Purple TomatoCherokee Purple tomatoes are a popular heirloom variety with a deep smoky flavour. Their skins are mostly deep red in colour but with a distinct greenish-brown shoulder. They are perfect for sandwiches or burgers, but work well as a substantial addition to salads. |  |
18. Old German TomatoOld German is a large, beefsteak variety with a bold sugary flavour, and firm flesh. It can be sliced thickly and grilled for delicious vegetarian burgers. They have a pink and yellow colour and are easy to grow, making them a popular choice for home gardeners. |  Source: Territorial Seed |
19. Black Cherry TomatoBlack Cherry isn’t just my favourite heirloom, it’s my favourite tomato full stop. Their dark black skins make their flesh the sweetest of any tomato variety, and they are incredibly easy to grow too. While they are technically a cordon, they can be left to bush out and will thrive outdoors in Australia. |  |
20. Purple Bumblebee TomatoThese small, purple, and red-striped tomatoes are perfect for snacking and adding to salads. They grow as cordons, so do need training and regular pruning to make the most of them, but that also means you'll have tons of fruit ripening through summer for regular harvests. |  Source: Dave's Seed |
21. Brandywine TomatoBrandywine tomatoes are a popular heirloom variety, best known for their large size. They have a rich pinky skin, and grow well indoors or out, and can be cooked or sliced and eaten raw with equally bold results. |  |
22. Snow White TomatoSnow White is a small, creamy white tomato with a delicate flavour that's perfect for salads. If you’re after something a little bit different and want to show off with a platter of multicoloured heirloom tomatoes, Snow white is an absolute must. |  Source: Ball Australia |
23. Sun Gold TomatoSun Gold tomatoes are a small, golden orange variety, known for their fruity punch - slightly acidic, but with a light sweetness, quite similar to cooking apples. They are perfect for salads, but for me, they are best roasted whole with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of thyme to enhance their natural sweetness. |  |
24. Pink Brandywine TomatoPink Brandywine tomatoes are chunky beefsteaks with deep ridges. They suffer a lot from blossom end rot, but adding crushed eggshells to the soil when you plant them will usually add enough calcium to reduce the risk. Like most Brandywine varieties, they are a challenge for some growers in warmer regions, but by avoiding watering their leaves and growing them in ventilated greenhouses you can generally have good success. |  Source: Seed Street |
25. San Marzano TomatoSan Marzano tomatoes are a popular Italian variety. Like most Italian tomatoes, they have a luxurious meaty texture and a sweet, slightly acidic flavour. These tomatoes are perfect for canning and preserving. |  |
26. Striped German TomatoStriped German is a large, yellow, and red variety that's known for its sweet and tangy flavour. Most packets will show pictures of distinctly striped fruits, but our experience is a much gentler skin, with reds and yellows bleeding into each other, and I much prefer the real-world results to the ones that are advertised! |  Source: Saanich Organics |
27. Black Krim TomatoBlack Krim tomatoes are often described as smoky. I tend to disagree with that with almost all types apart from Black Kirm, whose stunningly rich texture is matched only by its deep smoky flavour, that will define anything you cook with it. |  |
28. Golden Jubilee TomatoGolden Jubilee tomatoes are large, golden yellow salad tomatoes with a simple flavour. They are generally grown for appearance more than flavour, but if you’re going to grow a salad tomato, Golden Jubilee is probably your best option. |  Source: Totally Tomatoes |
29. German Johnson TomatoThe distinctive pink skins of German Johnson tomatoes are thin, but hold in some of the meatiest tomato flesh you could imagine. They can be served raw or roasted whole, but however you use them, they will add a gorgeously rich acidity to your food. |  |
30. Banana Legs TomatoBanana Legs hold a dear place in my heart, but the seeds can be pretty hard to get hold of. They are a yellow plum tomato, with thick, pasty flesh, and you will, if you can find them, never taste a zestier tomato with the smoothness of banana legs. |  |
30 Tastiest Heirloom Tomatoes to Grow in Australia
1. Pineapple Tomato
This large yellow beefsteak tomato has a sweet and fruity flavour, but above all else, it’s a stunningly beautiful fruit. The orange and red stripes down the side of each fruit are retained when cooked, and you’ll be lucky to find a better tomato for roasting whole, or BBQing in foil.
2. Mortgage Lifter Tomato
Source: The Diggers Club
This classic beefsteak tomato has a sweet and mild flavour and is great for slicing and using in sandwiches. Its deep red flesh, with a tint of orange on the skin is a clue to the sweet but slightly tart flavour, making it an ideal all-rounder in the kitchen.
3. Amish Paste Tomato
This heirloom is a large, meaty plum tomato that’s great for making sauces or canning. Amish paste is one of the oldest plum varieties and is easy to grow outdoors, or in greenhouses in most parts of Australia.
4. Cherokee Green Tomato
Source: Pinetree Garden Seeds
Cherokee Green is one of my favourite heirloom tomatoes for home growing. It’s not particularly exciting to eat but does have a notable tartness. Its main benefits are in being really quite easy to grow, and providing fruit slightly later in the season when most tomatoes have finished.
5. Chocolate Cherry Tomato
Chocolate Cherry tomatoes are an incredibly sweet and rich-tasting heirloom tomato, and are best eaten straight off the plant for a true taste of summer. They have a dark burgundy-brown colour and grow prolifically in most conditions.
6. Yellow Brandywine Tomato
Source: Minnetonka Orchards
This yellow beefsteak tomato is a sweeter version of the pink brandywine tomato, and is great for slicing and using in salads or on sandwiches. A general rule with yellow tomatoes is that they are both sweeter and pastier, so while its firm flesh is good for slicing, it also makes beautiful sauces.
7. Green Zebra Tomato
Green zebra tomatoes are the most vibrant green heirlooms you’ll find. Their sour taste is ideal for preserves, and makes a shockingly good ketchup. It's a favourite among gardeners and chefs alike for its unique flavour and striking appearance.
8. Lemon Drop Tomato
Source: Brisbane Brugmansia
Lemon Drop tomatoes are cute little yellow tomatoes, with a plum-tomato shape, but a salad tomato flesh. They are packed with juice too, but do need to be eaten quickly after harvesting, as they tend not to last very well.
9. Striped Cavern Tomato
Striped Cavern tomatoes have yellow and red striped skin and a sweet, juicy flesh, but there’s only one way to eat them - stuffing! These hollow tomatoes have very little juice, and the seeds can be scraped out to create a beautiful fruit ready for stuffing with rice, or whatever grainy mix you fancy baking.
10. Great White Tomato
Source: TomatoFest
This large, creamy white tomato has a sweet and mild flavour. It can be grown as a bush, but will become quite unruly, so is best treated as a cordon and grown with supports, and regularly pruned.
11. Tigerella Tomato
Tigerella tomatoes have gorgeous red and orange striped skin, and are one of the most gorgeously fragranced fruits you can grow, filling your garden with powerful tomato fragrances while the fruits are ripening in summer.
12. Aunt Ruby’s German Green Tomato
Source: Home For The Harvest
Most of us will be more familiar with green tomatoes as unripe fruits, used in chutneys and pickles, but there are some heirloom varieties that actually ripen to green. This large green tomato has a distinctly tangy flavour, and works best in salads.
13. Yellow Pear Tomato
Yellow Pear tomatoes are tiny pear-shaped fruits with a simple flavour, but a glorious juicy bite. They are best eaten whole, and added to salads with a tiny pinch of salt. They’re also, as far as we’ve found when growing them, fairly blight resistant, and will continue to ripen even if they are hit by blight.
14. Black from Tula Tomato
Source: MIgardener
This Russian heirloom tomato has a really deep flavour, and is surprisingly juicy. Like all black tomatoes, its sweetness is boosted as the sun intensifies on the dark skin to increase sugars within each fruit.
15. Green Grape Tomato
Green Grape tomatoes are a green cherry heirloom variety with a fruity flavour. They are great for adding a pop of colour to chilies or chunky soups. Their firm texture holds up well in cooking too, and they last well either in the fridge or the fruit bowl.
16. Marvel Stripe Tomato
Source: TomatoFest
These beautiful heirloom tomatoes have a yellow and red striped pattern and a mild, sweet taste that's perfect for salads and sandwiches. They have a meaty texture that makes them great for sauces, or using in chucky casseroles.
17. Cherokee Purple Tomato
Cherokee Purple tomatoes are a popular heirloom variety with a deep smoky flavour. Their skins are mostly deep red in colour but with a distinct greenish-brown shoulder. They are perfect for sandwiches or burgers, but work well as a substantial addition to salads.
18. Old German Tomato
Source: Territorial Seed
Old German is a large, beefsteak variety with a bold sugary flavour, and firm flesh. It can be sliced thickly and grilled for delicious vegetarian burgers. They have a pink and yellow colour and are easy to grow, making them a popular choice for home gardeners.
19. Black Cherry Tomato
Black Cherry isn’t just my favourite heirloom, it’s my favourite tomato full stop. Their dark black skins make their flesh the sweetest of any tomato variety, and they are incredibly easy to grow too. While they are technically a cordon, they can be left to bush out and will thrive outdoors in Australia.
20. Purple Bumblebee Tomato
Source: Dave's Seed
These small, purple, and red-striped tomatoes are perfect for snacking and adding to salads. They grow as cordons, so do need training and regular pruning to make the most of them, but that also means you'll have tons of fruit ripening through summer for regular harvests.
21. Brandywine Tomato
Brandywine tomatoes are a popular heirloom variety, best known for their large size. They have a rich pinky skin, and grow well indoors or out, and can be cooked or sliced and eaten raw with equally bold results.
22. Snow White Tomato
Source: Ball Australia
Snow White is a small, creamy white tomato with a delicate flavour that's perfect for salads. If you’re after something a little bit different and want to show off with a platter of multicoloured heirloom tomatoes, Snow white is an absolute must.
23. Sun Gold Tomato
Sun Gold tomatoes are a small, golden orange variety, known for their fruity punch - slightly acidic, but with a light sweetness, quite similar to cooking apples. They are perfect for salads, but for me, they are best roasted whole with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of thyme to enhance their natural sweetness.
24. Pink Brandywine Tomato
Source: Seed Street
Pink Brandywine tomatoes are chunky beefsteaks with deep ridges. They suffer a lot from blossom end rot, but adding crushed eggshells to the soil when you plant them will usually add enough calcium to reduce the risk.
Like most Brandywine varieties, they are a challenge for some growers in warmer regions, but by avoiding watering their leaves and growing them in ventilated greenhouses you can generally have good success.
25. San Marzano Tomato
San Marzano tomatoes are a popular Italian variety. Like most Italian tomatoes, they have a luxurious meaty texture and a sweet, slightly acidic flavour. These tomatoes are perfect for canning and preserving.
26. Striped German Tomato
Source: Saanich Organics
Striped German is a large, yellow, and red variety that's known for its sweet and tangy flavour. Most packets will show pictures of distinctly striped fruits, but our experience is a much gentler skin, with reds and yellows bleeding into each other, and I much prefer the real-world results to the ones that are advertised!
27. Black Krim Tomato
Black Krim tomatoes are often described as smoky. I tend to disagree with that with almost all types apart from Black Kirm, whose stunningly rich texture is matched only by its deep smoky flavour, that will define anything you cook with it.
28. Golden Jubilee Tomato
Source: Totally Tomatoes
Golden Jubilee tomatoes are large, golden yellow salad tomatoes with a simple flavour. They are generally grown for appearance more than flavour, but if you’re going to grow a salad tomato, Golden Jubilee is probably your best option.
29. German Johnson Tomato
The distinctive pink skins of German Johnson tomatoes are thin, but hold in some of the meatiest tomato flesh you could imagine. They can be served raw or roasted whole, but however you use them, they will add a gorgeously rich acidity to your food.
30. Banana Legs Tomato
Banana Legs hold a dear place in my heart, but the seeds can be pretty hard to get hold of. They are a yellow plum tomato, with thick, pasty flesh, and you will, if you can find them, never taste a zestier tomato with the smoothness of banana legs.
How to Propagate Heirloom Tomatoes
Propagating heirloom tomatoes is an easy and cost-effective way to grow your own plants, and is exactly the same as propagating any other variety:
- Start by making sure your outdoor temperatures are ready for tomatoes. They need constant temperatures above 10°C to develop healthy true leaves, so should be started in early spring.
- Fill a module tray with seed compost, mixed with 50% perlite to reduce the chances of damping off (a fungal disease that causes seedlings to wilt and flop over).
- Sow one seed per module, then lightly sprinkle 1-2 mm of sieved compost or perlite over the top.
- Place the module tray in a tray of water until the surface looks slightly damp.
- Lift out and leave to drain. This creates good contact between the soil and the seed and provides enough moisture for the seeds to germinate.
- Germination will take about a week.
- After germination, keep the soil moist, and store the module tray in a bright, warm place, with plenty of natural light.
- When seedlings develop true leaves, and the roots have filled their modules, prick them out into 10cm pots to grow on.
- When the roots have filled those pots, move them into the ground, pots field with compost, or grow bags, and begin feeding as soon as their first flower buds appear.
Be sure to check out our in-depth guide on how to grow tomatoes in Australia.
Where to Buy Heirloom Tomato Seeds in Australia
There are several reputable seed suppliers in Australia that sell a wide range of heirloom tomato seeds. Here are a few of our top picks:
The Lost Seed
The Lost Seed is a family-owned business based in Tasmania specialises in heirloom and open-pollinated seeds, including a large selection of heirloom tomato varieties.
Green Harvest
Green Harvest, a Queensland-based seed supplier offers a range of organic and non-hybrid seeds, including many heirloom tomato varieties.
Diggers Club
Diggers Club, a Melbourne-based gardening club and seed supplier is dedicated to preserving heirloom and heritage varieties of fruits and vegetables, including a wide selection of heirloom tomatoes.
Eden Seeds
Eden Seeds, a seed supplier based in Queensland, offers a variety of heirloom and open-pollinated seeds, including many unique and unusual tomato varieties.
Heirloom Tomatoes Frequently Asked Questions
Do heirloom tomatoes taste better than regular tomatoes?
Heirloom tomatoes have a richer, firmer flesh in most cases, but there are some incredibly flavourful modern varieties, like romello (a tiny cross between heirloom romas, and cherry tomatoes,).
What I can say for sure though, is that heirloom tomatoes offer a much wider variety of flavour than modern cultivars.
Which is better, heirloom or hybrid tomatoes?
Depending on why you're growing them, choosing between heirloom and hybrid tomatoes should be pretty simple. If you’re growing because you want a good-looking basket of tomatoes, grow heirlooms.
If you’re growing because you want flavour, grow both. If you’re looking for easy varieties with disease resistance, grow modern hybrids or F1 tomatoes.
What are the disadvantages of heirloom tomatoes?
Heirloom tomatoes are gorgeous fruits, and packed with flavour, but they do have their disadvantages. The disadvantages of heirloom tomatoes are that they are more susceptible to pest damage, disease, as well as generally being less fruitful.
Why are heirloom tomatoes so expensive?
Like most things, if you want the best tomatoes, they tend to come at a price. And because heirloom tomatoes are lovingly grown, and their seeds are saved in stricter conditions, the process of getting seeds from the ground to your packet is more time consuming, and time equals money.
Wrapping Up Our List of the Tastiest Heirloom Tomatoes to Grow in Australia
Growing heirloom tomatoes is a rewarding and enjoyable experience that allows you to savour the delicious and unique flavours of these ancient varieties. With a little planning and preparation, you can successfully grow a wide range of heirloom tomatoes in your own backyard, whether you're an experienced gardener or a beginner.
Not your traditional tomato but you may want to consider growing some Australian native bush tomatoes for a totally different experience and taste to the delicious heirloom tomatoes mentioned above.
So why not try your hand at growing one or more of these 30 tastiest heirloom tomatoes in Australia and experience the joy of harvesting your own fresh, flavourful fruit?
Published on May 9, 2023 by Maisie Blevins
Last Updated on November 24, 2023
interesting tomato varieties.
Thanks Russell, we wanted to provide tasty tomatoes that aren’t regularly grown to expand the palet of Australians to the wonderful tastes that tomatoes can provide.
Have you selected any from our list to grow?
Cheers,
Nathan