The 12 Highest-Yield Tomato Varieties (For More Tomatoes!)
Many gardeners provide their tomato plants with absolute care and yet sometimes the yields are still so low! Are there any tomato varieties with higher yields? How can we increase it? Continue reading to find out!
The tomato varieties with the highest yield are:
- Black krim
- Gold nugget
- Celebrity
- San Marzano
- Black cherry
- Pozzano
- Supersweet 100
- Tomatoberry
- Sun gold
- Red currant
- Early girl
- Grape tomatoes
Despite their finicky nature, you can probably find tomatoes in millions of gardens around the world. In this article, we’ve compiled a list of the highest-yield tomatoes you can grow at home!
1. Black Krim
Black krim tomatoes can produce more than 15 pounds of 5-inch fruit from a single plant. Regular watering is required to prevent the tomatoes from splitting.
Maturity Rate: 75–80 days
Tomato Size: 5-inches
Average Tomatoes per Plant: 40+
Black Krim tomatoes are usually 5 inches and often dark red and maroon.
Faring from Crimea, these tomatoes are a favorite of many gardeners for their large harvests. You can harvest up to 15 pounds (6.8 kg) or more of Black Krim tomatoes in each growing season!
Black Krim tomatoes can be grown in every season save for winter, making them wonderful for steady harvests. Grow it in an area where it has a minimum of 6-8 hours of sun and water established plants once a week.
Splitting or cracking of tomatoes can be a common struggle with these tomatoes but this can be prevented with regular watering.
2. Gold Nugget
Gold nugget is a heavy-producing variety of cherry tomatoes. Grow this variety in a bright area with at least 6 hours of sun to encourage continuous clusters of 1-inch globular fruit.
Maturity Rate: 65–85 days
Tomato Size: 1-inch
Average Yield per Plant: 50+
Gold nuggets are a charming variety of golden cherry tomatoes that produce generous clusters of 1-inch fruit.
They may be small compared to large, beefsteak tomatoes but they quickly build up to more than 50 fruits per harvest!
Be certain this plant receives around 6 hours of sun daily to help promote the growth of flowers and fruit. Watering is the same as other tomato plants and can be done daily if it is especially hot.
With thinner and more fragile skin than other tomatoes, it would be a good idea to check up on these tomatoes every day to make sure the fruit is not damaged.
3. Celebrity
More than 15 pounds of fruit can be harvested from celebrity tomatoes. With a high resistance to Verticillium and Fusarium wilt, celebrity tomatoes are regularly 4-inch large and can be seen after a minimum of 70 days.
Maturity Rate: 70 days
Tomato Size: 3–4 inches
Average Yield per Plant: 40+
A popular hybrid among gardeners, celebrity tomatoes can grow more than 15 pounds (6.8 kg) of fruit per plant. Plump and uniform tomatoes can be seen and enjoyed throughout the growing season.
Its fruits are typically 4 inches wide in diameter and are highly resistant to most diseases other tomato plants die off, such as Fusarium and Verticillium wilt.
But like many other tomatoes, they cannot tolerate colder climates and need at least 6–8 hours of light. Provide your celebrity tomato plants with at least 1 inch of water per week.
4. San Marzano
Commonly used for making pastes, a single San Marzano plant can yield more than 20 pounds of tomatoes. Each San Marzano tomato typically weighs an average of 4 ounces and can be harvested roughly 3 months after planting.
Maturity Rate: 80+ days
Tomato Size: 3–4 inches
Average Yield per Plant: 40+
Deep in flavor and filled with juice, it’s no wonder why San Marzano tomatoes are so frequently used for paste and sauces. These tomatoes have their own unique and elongated shape that is much different from typical orb-like tomatoes.
What’s even better is that some say they regularly receive over 20 pounds (9.07 kg) of fruit per San Marzano plant!
San Marzano tomatoes are also open-pollinated. This means you can plant the fruits’ seeds and grow the same plant. However, the fruits of this variety are often seedless.
Keep it in a bright spot with over 6 hours of sun and ensure the soil is well-drained to prevent root rot when you water it daily in high heat.
5. Black Cherry
The black cherry variety is known to bear over a hundred tomatoes per plant. This vining plant can be grown in containers and requires support from cages or trellises.
Maturity Rate: 65–70 days
Tomato Size: 1-inch
Average Yield per Plant: 100+
These peculiar tomatoes are low in acid and taste almost like berries with how sweet they are.
Black cherry tomatoes grow fast and produce a large amount of fruit. With the right care, it can easily grow over a hundred black cherry tomatoes!
Provided it can receive at least 6 hours of sun, black cherry tomatoes make an excellent container plant. These tomatoes are not bushy and will need a cage to support their hard-working vines.
Be sure this plant receives at least 1 inch of water per week.
6. Pozzano
Pozzano tomatoes are a hybrid of the San Marzano variety and can produce over 12 pounds of oblong 3-inch tomatoes. Pozzano tomatoes require less time to mature and are resistant to Fusarium wilt.
Maturity Rate: 70+ days
Tomato Size: 3-inches
Average Yield per Plant: 50+
As a hybrid of San Marzano, these tomatoes can also be seen growing long. What makes them different, however, is their shorter maturity rates.
Pozzano tomatoes are usually a decent 4.5 ounces each and are known to easily yield over around 50+ tomatoes.
These tomatoes even have great resistance to Fusarium wilt! This makes them even easier to care for and encourages them to grow over 10–12 pounds of tomatoes.
Water daily in the summer and ensure it has a minimum of 5-6 hours of light.
7. Supersweet 100
Supersweet 100 tomatoes are typically cultivated for their ability to bear mass quantities of fruit within a shorter time. This variety requires at least 6 hours of direct sun to produce its fruit clusters early.
Maturity Rate: 60+ days
Tomato Size: 1-inch
Average Yield per Plant: 80–100+
This classic hybrid is often grown for its tendency to grow numerous clusters bearing 15–20+ tomatoes each.
It also matures at a much faster rate than other varieties and produces an abundance of tomatoes early on.
The bright red orbs of supersweet 100 tomatoes are gorgeous but must not be overwatered. These smaller tomatoes have a habit of splitting and will benefit from being grown in full sun.
8. Tomatoberry
The tomatoberry variety can produce up to a hundred bite-sized tomatoes in less than 3 months from transplant. It is a vining plant and therefore requires a stake or trellis to support its many vines.
Maturity Rate: 60–70 days
Tomato Size: 1-inch
Average Yield per Plant: 70–90+
This plant needs plenty of support to hold up its productive vines to grow its adorable heart-shaped fruit.
Similar to strawberries, with the sweetness to match, tomatoberries weigh only 2 ounces each but have a higher resistance to cracking compared to other cherry tomatoes.
Tomatoberries must be watered daily in hot weather and grown in soil with plenty of compost and at least 6 hours of sun.
9. Sun Gold
A minimum of 100 tomatoes can be harvested from sun gold tomato plants throughout the summer. This variety grows fast and grows prolifically. However, it requires at least 6 hours of direct sun for higher yields.
Maturity Rate: 60 days
Tomato Size: 1-inch
Average Yield per Plant: 100+
Multiple gardeners have noticed harvesting at least 100 tomatoes for every sun gold plant they grew!
Sun gold tomatoes grow on trusses similar to grapes and have multiple clusters with 10–20 fruits each.
They do crack sometimes, but this is not such a problem with how many tomatoes are produced in such a short amount of time.
Make sure to support this productive plant with trellises and give it at least 6 hours of direct sun for better success. Water generously in the heat.
10. Red Currant
Red currant is the smallest edible tomato variety available and is known to yield over 150 fruits per plant. Ensure the fruit does not burst before ripening by watering it regularly.
Maturity Rate: 60–70 days
Tomato Size: 1/2 inch
Average Yield per Plant: 150+
How cute is this tomato variety? As the name suggests, these tomatoes look similar to red currant plants.
Less than an inch wide, they may be tiny but this sun-loving plant produces a ridiculous amount of fruit up until winter. They grow best in the summer and prefer moist soils, but do not overwater.
Due to how small these tomatoes are, however, any damage inflicted by disease or pests like aphids is more likely to be severe. If left unchecked, this can easily lower tomato yields.
Consider growing these miniature tomatoes in a container with a careful watering schedule, as overwatering can lead to these tiny fruits swelling up and popping due to the excess moisture.
11. Early Girl
A well-known hybrid variety with medium-sized fruit, over 10 pounds of fruit can be harvested from a single early girl tomato plant. This plant is commonly cultivated using the dry-farming method and produces tomatoes in an average of 2 months.
Maturity Rate: 50–60 days
Tomato Size: 2–4 inches
Average Yield per Plant: 50+
A favorite since the 70s, early girl tomatoes can bear more than 10 pounds (4.54 kg) of tomatoes if they are given proper care.
As the name suggests, this is an early-season crop and grows faster than other tomatoes!
Early girl tomatoes are also often grown with the dry-farming method, where the plant is not watered after transplanting and is forced to grow deeper roots and juicier fruit.
Provide this variety at least 6 hours of sun and water well. These hybrid tomatoes come in bold, uniform globes with full and concentrated flavors.
12. Grape Tomatoes
Another cherry tomato variety, grape tomatoes can produce more than 60 fruit in each growing season. Grape tomatoes are oval and must be watered regularly to prevent splitting.
Maturity Rate: 70 days
Tomato Size: 1–2 inches
Average Yield per Plant: 60+
Although similar in appearance, grape tomatoes are vastly different from cherry tomatoes. They still require the same amount of sun, however, and require at least 6 hours of light.
Grape tomatoes are typically longer and can frequently be seen growing in crowds on vines.
With the right conditions, you can easily grow more than 60 tomatoes per plant!
Never let the soil of this plant completely dry out and be certain its watered every other day during the summer.
For tomatoes that are as purple as grapes, check our article here on purple tomatoes.
3 Easy Ways to Increase Tomato Yields
Gardeners can increase the yield of tomato plants in 3 ways:
- Remove suckers
- Avoid nitrogen fertilizers
- Provide support
1. Remove Suckers
Vining tomato varieties will benefit from having suckers pruned. Suckers are extra shoots between the primary stem and leaves. However, the removal of suckers can lower the yield of determinate or bushy tomatoes.
Suckers typically grow between the leaf branch and the main stem. This can be removed to help the plant focus more on setting fruit rather than growing leaves.
However, pruning suckers is best done only with vigorously growing indeterminate plants. Removing suckers can lower the yield of determinate plants or even kill them.
[quote] Determinate tomatoes are bushy and have a predetermined life span and will die shortly after bearing fruit. Indeterminate tomatoes grow in vines and produce fruit continuously until frost.
If you’re unsure what type your tomato plant is, check the seed packets and the specific variety you planted.
2. Avoid Nitrogen Fertilizers
Nitrogen-rich fertilizer should not be fed to tomato plants. Nitrogen will promote leaf growth but will not increase tomato yield. Nutrients like potassium and phosphorus are better suited for tomatoes and will encourage more fruit growth.
While nitrogen may be beneficial for some plants, like spinach, it isn’t ideal for tomatoes.
Fertilizers that are rich in nitrogen should be avoided, as this will only encourage the plant to grow leaves rather than produce fruit. This, combined with heavy pruning, can easily lead to a tomato plant producing fewer fruits.
Try to aim for fertilizers containing more phosphorus and potassium. These nutrients will help encourage the plant to produce more flower buds, which will increase the overall yield!
3. Provide Support
Tomato plants must be supported with trellises or cages to grow more fruit and increase overall yield.
Tomatoes are a lovely, rapidly growing plant. But they can easily topple over from their weight and snap in a storm.
Determinate tomatoes will benefit from having a stake to support their stout, bushy growth. Meanwhile, the use of cages and wire support systems will work wonderfully for indeterminate or vining tomatoes.
FAQs
How many tomatoes can one plant produce?
Tomato plants can typically be seen producing 20–100 fruits per plant, producing at least 8 pounds minimum. However, the total yield will ultimately depend on watering, the environment, and other growing factors.
What variety produces tomatoes the fastest?
The tomatoes of the Early Girl hybrid variety can be harvested in as early as 50 days. Many other available varieties produce tomatoes fast. Most tomato plants are generally ready for harvest after 70 days.
Summary of Highest Yield Tomato Varieties
Most tomato varieties that have the highest yield are tomato hybrids designed to produce numerous fruits and natural varieties of cherry tomatoes.
The tomato varieties that produce the most tomatoes would be black krim, gold nugget, celebrity, San Marzano, black cherry, pozzano, supersweet 100, tomatoberry, sun gold, red currant, early girl, and grape tomatoes.
Tomato yields can be increased by pruning energy-sapping suckers, providing support to the tomato plant, and ensuring the plant is not given high amounts of nitrogen-rich fertilizer.
Sources
- “Growing Tomatoes in a Home Garden” by n/a in University of Maryland
- “Low Yields or Undersized Vegetables” by n/a in University of Maryland