The best tomato seeds for greenhouses and open ground in 2025

Varieties for greenhouses

The seeds should be selected based on the following criteria:

• productivity and fertility;
• resistance to frost and damage by viruses and bacteria;
• taste;
• appointments;
• ripening speed;
• conditions of detention;
• climatic features and soil type.

Choosing the perfect tomatoes for a greenhouse is not easy, and when purchasing seeds, every gardener relies on their own knowledge and experience, as well as recommendations from renowned collectors, such as Valentina Redko and Vladimir Popenko. Many prefer indented varieties, which are characterized by constant growth and fruit production until frost. These are often early-ripening hybrids, resistant to pests, and grow well both under plastic covers and in glass and plastic greenhouses.

Most indents are tall, making them ideal for small spaces. They ripen early, don't take up much space despite their large number of flowers, and produce fruit throughout the season.

Among the successful varieties, gardeners highlight:

• Evpator F1 is a round tomato of a rich red color, weighing up to 160 g, with a pleasant taste;
• Sprinter F1 is an early maturing hybrid with round, flat fruits weighing about 200 g;
• Alexia F1 is a large variety with fruits up to 200 g, grown all year round;
• Kronos F1 – a hybrid for film greenhouses, dense red tomatoes, weighing up to 180 g;

• Cosmonaut Volkov is an easy-to-care-for variety with bushes up to 2 m and sweetish fruits, weighing 200–600 g, of a bright red-orange color with a fragrant aroma;
• Orange strawberries are early ripening tomatoes that are chosen for short, cool summers. They are distinguished by their compact bush size and juicy yellow fruits, weighing up to 500 g;
• Polno-polno is a productive variety with small, round fruits that grow in the middle zone;
• De-barao is a series of “cream of different colors – red, yellow, pink, black or striped, weighing up to 100 g;
• Airleaf is a tall, mid-season variety from Valentina Redko's collection with pink, sweet, elongated tomatoes that are very productive and grainy;
• Sweet Cherry F1 is a beautiful decorative tomato, a tall bush up to 4 m, each brush contains about 20 red fruits with a wonderful taste.

When there's no time for constant care and watering, which leads to crop loss, low-growing greenhouse tomatoes come to the rescue. They are easy to maintain and often don't require pinching. Among the new arrivals this season:

• Raja is an early variety with large burgundy fruits weighing up to 300 g;
• Yellow Delicacy – tomatoes that can be grown in an unheated greenhouse, have fairly large fleshy fruits and are well suited for salads;
• Paradise is a high-yielding tomato, with up to 8 fruits weighing up to 200 g ripening in one bunch;
• Hermitage is an ideal choice for cold summers, characterized by its resistance to temperature changes, rich flavor and small size of fruits;
• Russian Troika is an excellent hybrid for beginning gardeners, with large, fleshy tomatoes weighing up to 200 g.

Growing large-fruited tomatoes requires careful attention, especially when training the bush. They ripen later, but produce a good harvest and continue to bear fruit until the autumn cold. So-called "beef tomatoes" are not used for canning; their sweet flesh and unique flavor make them a perfect addition to many salads and dishes. The most popular and proven varieties include:

• King of Giants – tomatoes with large red fruits, the size of which reaches 1 kg;
• Bull's Heart – pink tomatoes of a characteristic shape, weighing up to 900 g on the lower inflorescences and up to 400 g on the upper cluster;
• Mazarini is a salad variety with sweet heart-shaped fruits weighing 600 g;
• Belmonte Cuor is a popular tomato in Valentina Redko’s store with red fleshy fruits weighing up to 600 g;
• Scorpio – raspberry or pink tomatoes, weighing up to 800 g;
• Pink Honey is a unique tomato that grows on low bushes up to 70 cm high and produces fruits up to 1.5 kg in size;
• The Pink Accordion from V.D. Popenko's catalog of rare collectible tomatoes is an original, corrugated variety native to Mexico, with sweet, flat fruits that housewives love to add to salads or use in stuffing.

Cherry tomatoes are also a popular choice for greenhouses this year. Weighing just 25 grams, they produce colorful clusters of 16 to 20 tomatoes. Besides greenhouses, cherry tomatoes are also great grown in hanging pots on balconies or directly in planters. New greenhouse varieties include:

• Bonsai;
• Minibell;

• Marishka;
• Red cherry and yellow cherry;
• Golden bunch and rowan beads by Valery Popenko.

Video "Practical Tips for Gardeners"

A demonstration video with practical recommendations for gardeners on preparing seeds for planting.

Varieties for open ground

Tomato seeds for outdoor cultivation are generally in high demand in the southern and central regions, where summers are hot and long, but there are also tomato varieties that thrive in colder climates. Outdoor cultivation requires a highly individualized approach, including proper seedling preparation and cultivation. Early, high-yielding tomatoes are best suited for outdoor cultivation:

• Red Cheeks from Valentina Redko are delicious tomatoes that bear fruit abundantly in any weather conditions, with smooth, dense fruits weighing up to 200 g;
• Dinar is an early ripening variety with small, light-weight fruits that cover the entire bush;
• Sub-Arctic – exclusive tomatoes from Popenko, considered champions in fruit ripening, have a small weight of up to 50 g and an increased vitamin content;
• Junior F1 is a juicy ribbed hybrid with red fruits weighing up to 100 g;
• Amber is a frost-resistant early tomato with small yellow fruits;
• Red Fang from the Redko catalogue is an excellent early variety for canning and beautiful serving, long red fruits with a dense skin and weighing up to 40 g;

• Amber Heart is a new yellow hybrid, the heart-shaped fruits contain a lot of carotene, the average weight is about 150 g;
• Medok is an undemanding domestic variety with original red fruits that resemble cucumbers.

Low-growing tomatoes are also ideal for growing in the garden, preferred by many experienced gardeners for their ease of care and compact size. Among the many options available, the following are worth mentioning:

• Iceberg – tasty tomatoes that grow on bushes up to 50 cm high and do not require stem shaping or pinching;
• Renet from V. Popenko’s catalogue is a collection variety which, at a height of only 40 cm, produces juicy fruits weighing up to 100 g;
• Cherry Fingers F1 – tomatoes especially for children: small in size with a pleasant sweet taste;
• Mongolian Dwarf and Pink Stella are squat tomatoes, often grown for pickling and winter preparations, with small, elongated fruits and thick skin;
• Compliment is a variety that does not require gartering, with direct sowing of seeds into the soil and very juicy sweet fruits weighing about 120 g.

With proper care, tall tomatoes also thrive in open ground; they often ripen later but produce fruit throughout the season. Here, you can consider both varieties that have proven themselves over the years and new varieties for 2025:

• Tsarskoye Selo is a universal tomato with large fruits that, with proper watering, will delight you all summer long;
• Kangaroo Heart is a rare, time-tested tomato, often found in the collections of experienced collectors, such as Valentina Redko. The soft and sweet fruits, weighing up to 1 kg, contain few seeds;
• Commissar F1 is a disease-resistant hybrid, rarely below 2 m in height, round fruits are consumed both fresh and in whole canning;
• Admiral F1 is a mid-season hybrid that requires forming into a single stem, is easily transported and retains its flavor;
• White Vincent is an interesting exotic variety from the Popenko collection with unusual flat white fruits with pink veins, weighing up to 300 g.
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Regardless of the tomato variety you choose, it's recommended to buy seeds only from reputable stores or collectors. This will help you avoid unpleasant surprises and introduce you to interesting discoveries from breeders. Valentina Redko from the Kurgas region has the largest seed collection, boasting over 1,000 varieties. If you're interested in trying seeds of rare or exotic tomatoes, check out Valery Popenko's catalog.

Video: "Which Seeds to Choose in 2025"

An informational video to help you choose the right fruit plant variety for 2025.