Types of tomatoes: 8 categories explained
Tomatoes (*Solanum lycopersicum*) are sold in a bewildering number of categories, sizes, shapes, and colors. Most of the categorical terms you see on seed packets and plant tags are marketing descriptions rather than botanical classifications, but they reflect real differences in use, flavor, and.
Tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum) are sold in a bewildering number of categories, sizes, shapes, and colors. Most of the categorical terms you see on seed packets and plant tags are marketing descriptions rather than botanical classifications, but they reflect real differences in use, flavor, and growth habit that matter for home gardeners.
Per NC State Extension, tomato varieties are classified by: fruit size (cherry to large beefsteak), flesh-to-seed ratio (slicing vs. paste), whether they are determinate (bush) or indeterminate (vining), and hybrid vs. open-pollinated (including heirloom) status.
Category 1: Beefsteak tomatoes
Per Penn State Extension, beefsteak tomatoes are the large-fruited (6 oz to 2 lbs per fruit) slicing tomatoes sold as whole tomatoes for sandwiches and salads. They are almost all indeterminate. Classic examples: 'Brandywine' (heirloom), 'Big Boy' (hybrid), 'Mortgage Lifter' (heirloom), 'Better Boy' (hybrid).
Characteristics:
- Fruit weight: 8 oz–2 lbs typical
- Season: 70–90 days to maturity
- Flesh: meaty, low-acid in many types, high water content
- Growth: indeterminate (most varieties)
- Best use: fresh slicing, caprese, BLTs
Beefsteak types require the longest growing season of any tomato category. In zones 5–6, start seeds 8 weeks before transplant date for best results.