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The results are in! Last season (2021) we counted and weighed every tomato that came off the vine and was harvested. Totals reflect equal number of plants per variety. If you’re looking for varieties that produce a multitude of blossoms and tomatoes, then this is YOUR LIST to grab. We will also include links to each tomato variety if you’re interested in getting homegrown seed grown using organic methods. All of this tomatoes were grown hydroponically meaning the tomato plants received the perfect pH level and ideal nutrients throughout the season.
If you have any questions, feel free to ask in the comments below. (But remember, our data is propiertary and we cannot share specific weights.) So here we go… ready? And the top ten biggest producers out of 75+ varieties (by weight) are…
#10 MOST PRODUCTIVE 2021 SLICER TOMATO VARIETY:
GREEN ELF
(AKA: WAGNER’S LIME GREEN SALAD
Green Elf Tomato (also known as Wagner’s Lime Green Salad Tomato) is one of Owner and Lead Grower of Grow Your Health Gardening, “Erin’s Top Tomato Picks” Seed Collection from the 2021 growing season. In fact, Green Elf Tomato was #10 in highest production by weight of ALL slicers varieties in our 2021 trails!
It was originally bred by Tom Wagner and is a determinate variety. It only gets a couple of feet tall and needs only a little support making it ideal for containers and small space gardening. It grows nicely in 5 gallon felt containers or Bato Bucket systems and is a heavy producer — boy does it produce blooms! Wowza! If you plant this variety every two weeks in the first part of the growing season, you will have a bushel load of tomatoes that can be used for slicing, salsa, salad, sandwiches, canning, drying, Fried Green Tomatoes… you name it! This is one I can’t wait to grow again!
#9 MOST PRODUCTIVE 2021 SLICER TOMATO VARIETY:
BIG RAINBOW TOMATO
We were drawn to this tomato for it’s beautiful coloration when sliced open! Big Rainbow Tomato is a beautiful bi-color slicer tomato variety with early tomatoes weighing 2+ pounds with very little cat facing or deformities. It has good resistance to foliar disease and is an indeterminate.
Big Rainbow Tomato variety will ripen with color shades showing green on the should, yellow in the center, and red towards the bottom. When cut open, it will have bi-color shading of yellow and red making it a beautiful slice on the plate or sandwich. It has more flesh than seed ratio, so also serves well for using to make sauce.
We have adapted this seed to grow in a hydroponic system using organic methods and so even though it will grow in soil just fine, it is especially suited for hydroponic home growers using a Tower Garden, Bato Bucket system, or the Farmstand.
#8 MOST PRODUCTIVE 2021 SLICER TOMATO VARIETY:
THORNBURNS TERRA COTTA HEIRLOOM TOMATO
Thornburn’s Terra Cotta Heirloom Tomato is a joy to grow! Not only does it taste wonderful, but it’s color looks beautiful mixed in with other sliced standard red tomatoes. It’s outer skin and inside flesh of the tomato has a most unique color — it’s a mix of a chartreuse green and terra cotta — some call it a honey-brown shade, but our trials seemed to be more colorful than that.
If you especially love history, you’ll want to grow this tomato to preserve the seed for future generations because it is now 129 years old! It was originally introduced in Thornburn’s 1893 Seed Catalog. This is one easy slicer you won’t find in the grocery store aisle and will want to try!
#7 MOST PRODUCTIVE 2021 SLICER TOMATO VARIETY:
POMODORO FARINA GIGANTE TOMATO
In all fairness to Pomodoro Farina Gigante Tomato, we were pruning this plant to get an exceptionally large tomato, so the overall weight for production may have been affected as it didn’t put out as many blossoms as it would have normally produced. With that said, this cultivar still weighed in making the Top 10 and is definitely a BIG TASTY classically robust Italian tomato!
This line of Pomodoro Farina Gigante Tomato seed DNA comes from the work of Mario Quattrocchi from Cuneo, Italy and originally from Remo Farina, a retired truck driver originally from Bleggio, Italy. Mr. Farina holds the record for the largest tomato in Italy and worked tirelessly for years to acheive his record breaking tomato. Our trials produced a 2 pound, 6 ounce tomato and others that followed ranged from 1.5-2 pounds. If you want to grow a large tomato, then this variety is the one to try!
#6 MOST PRODUCTIVE 2021 SLICER TOMATO VARIETY:
PAUL ROBESON HEIRLOOM TOMATO
Paul Robeson Heirloom Tomato is a nice slicer variety with a low seed count making it ideal for BLT sandwiches or it can even be used for making tomato paste. It has less acidity than traditional past varieties and a mild sweetness to it (though not as sweet as Cherokee Purple in our opinion). If you love Cherokee Purple, then you’ll enjoy this very similar, but more productive tomato variety. (At least grow the two varieties side-by-side and decide for yourself which one you like the best and share your opinion in the comments below.) Want to learn more about who Paul Robeson was in history? Click here
#5 MOST PRODUCTIVE 2021 SLICER TOMATO VARIETY:
GERMAN JOHNSON HEIRLOOM TOMATO
German Johnson Heirloom Tomato is a highly productive and excellent tasting pink heirloom. It is slightly smaller than a Brandywine and it has a deep acidic classic tomato flavor. It is a gorgeous tomato on and off the vine! This is a regular-leaf strain which can tend to come in earlier and is more productive than the potato-leaf strain. Can be used as a slicer or as a paste tomato. Very versatile and one of our favorites from this past growing season!
#4 MOST PRODUCTIVE 2021 SLICER TOMATO VARIETY:
NOSTRANO GRASSO ITALIAN HEIRLOOM TOMATO (RARE IN THE U.S.)
Nostrano Grasso Italian Heirloom Tomato is a very rare heirloom from Italy and mainly unheard of in the United States. It produces medium-sized tomatoes and is duo-purposed as a smaller slicer, but also a great sauce tomato. It has superb tomato flavor with a hint of sweetness. It just kept pumping out the tomatoes and didn’t get flower drop even in higher Hotlanta summer temps here in the Southeast. If you’re looking for authentic Italian flavor and a good producer, this is your tomato! Such a pretty tomato on the vine and on the plate!
#3 MOST PRODUCTIVE 2021 SLICER TOMATO VARIETY:
COSTOLUTO GENOVESE ITALIAN HEIRLOOM TOMATO
This variety pleasantly surprised us as well with it’s consistent production and final weigh-in totals. Costoluto Genovese Italian Heirloom Tomato is popular with chefs and a standard in Italy for both eating and preserving and we can see why! It has beautiful ruffled ribbing, so when it’s sliced, it looks pretty on the plate. Classic intense Italian tomato flavors. It was productive all season long no matter the temp. Definitely a keeper!
#2 MOST PRODUCTIVE 2021 SLICER TOMATO VARIETY:
OLGA’S ROUND CHICKEN TOMATO
Olga’s Round Chicken Tomato is a heavy producer of almost perfectly round globe-shaped tennis-ball sized tomatoes. Not only does this tomato variety have a funny name (which truth be told is what drew us to explore and grow it), but it’s also super tasty and looks great diced in salsa or sliced on a sandwich!
#1 MOST PRODUCTIVE 2021 SLICER TOMATO VARIETY:
APRICOT BRANDYWINE HEIRLOOM TOMATO
I can see why Brandywine cultivars are a favorite among many tomato grower enthusiasts! They consistently produce big slicers through high heat when other cultivars wane. Apricot Brandywine Heirloom Tomato is a wonderful yellow-orange beefsteak type of slicing heirloom tomato. It has a leaf that mimics a potato leaf and produces beautiful apricot-colored tomatoes that weight a pound or so. This variety is perfect for sandwiches and has a fantastic aroma as well! It’s a gorgeous and tasty tomato that produces all season long. Check out what the inside of this tomato looks like in the video below:
If only we could also let you taste it! If you want a lot of big juicy tomatoes, this is one to try!
And that’s how the slicer-type tomato trials went last growing season! We will tuck away this data and refer back to as we continue to grow out and adapt other cultivars in growing seasons to come.
If you like trying unique tomatoes you can’t find in any grocery store or Farmer’s Market, we’ve put together a collection and discounted it for our customers. Be sure to check out “The Tomato Lovers” Collection and as well as “Erin’s Top Picks” in the shop! Which new variety will you choose to grow this coming year?
