31 Best Tomato Varieties for Pickling

Specific tomato varieties are selected for barrel pickling and canning. Each variety has its own distinctive characteristics, and these should be utilized to their maximum advantage. For example, for pickling, it's best to choose small tomatoes with thick skins. The fruits should be shelf-stable and meet a number of other essential criteria.

Differences in tomatoes for pickling

The product for preservation is selected based on a number of criteria:

• small size, easily passing through the neck of a jar;
• dense skin, pulp;
• small seeds;
• a sweetish taste that appears due to the increased concentration of carbohydrates;
• resistance to pathogenic microflora;
• ability to be stored for a long time.

When planting several varieties in a plot, pickling ones are placed separately, which will avoid confusion when harvesting.

Benefits of selecting seeds by planting region

To ensure high-quality fruit at harvest, select seeds based on the growing region. Plants bred for dry, high-temperature climates will not thrive in temperate climates, even when planted in a greenhouse and properly watered and fertilized. This will reduce the fruit's fruit set, reduce the time it takes to reach optimal maturity, and shorten the shelf life. Planting in a raised bed without additional cover is unsafe. Low nighttime temperatures will kill the crop.

The principle of seed selection

To obtain excellent tomato pickles, the seeds must be selected correctly:

1. Size. Vegetables should grow on the bushes with uniform shape, weight, and characteristics. This will simplify the process of forming the jars for preservation. When planning a whole-fruit arrangement, choose a product weighing no more than 100 g, for example: Lady fingers or Cherry.
2. Ripening period. In addition to the period before tomatoes are ready for harvest, the ripening cycle is also important to consider. For pickling, select varieties whose fruits are ready for harvest at the same time. This simplifies the winter preparation process.
3. Mold and mildew resistance. This will reduce the likelihood of vegetables spoiling before harvest.

When choosing a variety for pickling and canning, its characteristic features are taken into account.

The preferred choice remains with pickling materials with a higher concentration of carbohydrates (sugars). Such a preparation will be 100% successful in terms of flavor.

Varieties for northern regions

For cold-hardy varieties, the ripening time is important. When growing vegetables in regions with short summers, choose early-ripening and ultra-early varieties that ripen all at once. This will allow you to harvest before the first frost.

In northern regions with short summers, disease-resistant varieties are grown. Fruits are susceptible to fungal diseases such as late blight and brown spot, which can destroy a large portion of the produce.

Purpose: Production of lightly salted products or canning. Key features:

• fast maturation – 90 days;
• undemanding to maintenance conditions;
• Planting area – regions with unstable climate, located in the northern and western parts of the country, including the Far East, Siberia, and the Leningrad region.

Here are 11 of the best varieties:

1. Seagull. An ultra-early variety with excellent-looking, round, medium-sized fruits. The flesh is dense, and the skin is a rich red color.
2. F1 Doll. Fruits are round, pink, weighing up to 200 g.
   
3. Zabava. This unique plant variety produces oblong-shaped tomatoes within three months of the first sprout. The bushes are medium-sized, reaching a height of 70-100 cm, depending on the growing location. In a greenhouse, the plant grows and develops more rapidly.
   
4. GinaA distinctive feature is abundant fruiting, with tomatoes weighing up to 300 g. The harvest is tasty and aromatic. The skin is dense.
   
5. Far North. Ripens in just 85 days. Ripens evenly. Tomatoes weigh 60-70 g.
   
6. Don Juan. The fruits are oblong. They have a long shelf life, maintaining their flavor.
   
7. Children's sweetnessThe product has a sweet, pleasant taste. The plant is moderately branched, growing up to 100 cm. When growing, side shoots are always removed. The product is used in pickling, canning, and juice production.
   
8. Aphrodite F1. A universal determinate hybrid variety. Maturity occurs 80 days after planting.
   
9. Benito F1. A hybrid variety resistant to fusarium. Fruit weight 130-140 g. The tomatoes are fleshy and plum-shaped.
10. Valentina. Drought-resistant and hardy. Fruit ripens simultaneously. The tomatoes are resistant to cracking and weigh up to 80-100 g.
    
11. Explosion. Derived from White Naliv. Spreading bushes. Fruiting occurs 100 days after transplanting to the garden beds.
    

Varieties for the central zone and the Moscow region

Hybrid tomato varieties are often used in pickles. For temperate climates, several varieties with different characteristics can be combined in garden beds.

Best varieties:

1. De Barao Red is a classic choice for canning. It's a high-yielding, low-maintenance variety, suitable for greenhouse conditions. The bushes grow to 200 cm tall. The elongated fruits weigh 120 g each, making them ideal for pickling.
   
2. Adam's apple is a high-yielding variety. It ripens all at once. The fruits are small, round, and have a regular, even contour, and are arranged on complex clusters. The skin is smooth and dense. With proper care and proper maintenance, a single bush can yield approximately 5 kg of fruit.
   
3. Adelina is a mid-early variety that's best planted outdoors without a greenhouse. It produces small, oblong-shaped fruits. The skin is bright red and has a pleasant tomato aroma. The flesh is sweet and juicy. Adelina's advantage is that it grows vigorously even in unfavorable conditions, as it is resistant to diseases and pests.
   
4. Aquarelle is planted outside the greenhouse. This variety is completely unpretentious and grows no more than 100 cm. It produces good fruit regardless of the season, and the tomatoes are small, juicy, and sweet, perfect for canning and making homemade juice.
   
5. The Scarlet Mustang stands out from other varieties with its unique color and is suitable for greenhouses and hothouses. The plant produces large, pepper-shaped fruits. Gardeners report increased yields. To prevent the plants from breaking, they are tied to a support. Its unusual shape makes it ideal for pickling.
   
6. CountrymanA hybrid with a cluster-shaped form. The fruits are red and plum-shaped.
   
7. Amulet is grown in a greenhouse and in a bed without a hotbed. Ripening takes 120 days. This variety is characterized as a cluster variety and suitable for pickling, with plum-shaped fruits. The fruits have red skin and an average weight of no more than 100 g. They have been shown to be resistant to cracking during pickling.
8. Irina. An improved variety. Low-growing bushes, fruit weight up to 200 g.
   
9. This pickling delicacy boasts excellent characteristics and a high yield. The bushes are small and planted in open ground. This type of vegetable does not require side shoots. The drawbacks are the small yield and lack of resistance to late blight. The bushes are non-hybrid, determinate, standard, and reach a height of no more than 1 meter. They do not require support, and the ripening period is 100 days. They are resistant to late blight, but the yield is low, reaching up to 3.5 kg. The tomatoes are medium-sized, weighing 100 grams, with an elongated plum-like shape and a thick skin that provides protection from fungus and prevents cracking during pickling.
   
10. Alicante. Scarlet fruit of traditional shape. Resistant to fungal diseases.
    

Varieties for southern regions

The southern part of the country also has a selection of equally interesting tomato varieties that can be grown for winter preserves.

The following have proven themselves well:

1. De Barao Orange. This variety is suitable for all types of pickling and preserving. The product weighs 110 g, and when ripe, the color turns deep orange. The bush, not a standard type, can grow for a long time and has no height limit, but it usually reaches no more than 2 m. Therefore, it bears fruit almost until frost. During cultivation, it is tied to a support and trained into two stems. The average yield is 8 kg.
   
2. Donskoy F1. Recommended by the breeder, it is used for canning. The vegetables are round and large, weighing 100-120 grams. The skin is firm, the flesh is juicy, and absorbs the flavor of the marinade well. The plant does not grow more than 60 cm tall, and ripens uniformly in 95-100 days. This variety was specifically bred for the southern part of the country and is also suitable for cultivation in Moldova and Ukraine.
   
3. Vesyoly Gnome is a mid-early variety. Growing it produces plum-shaped fruits weighing no more than 80 grams on plants no taller than half a meter. When ripe, they turn red. The fruits are unlikely to crack or become smaller by the end of the growing season.
   
4. Ladies' manA high-yielding, early-ripening variety grown in hotbeds, greenhouses, and open beds. The bushes are large and require pinching and tying to a support. The 60-gram fruit is elongated, with firm flesh and excellent flavor.
   
5. Pinocchio Produces cylindrical tomatoes with a distinctive spout and a sweet and sour flavor. They weigh 150 grams and have tender, uniform flesh. They are suitable for home pickling. The skin does not crack when boiled and then pickled.
   
6. Verlioka is an early-ripening, low-maintenance variety with a high yield. This hybrid variety was bred in laboratory conditions. Bushes up to one and a half meters tall bear dense, rounded fruits. They ripen early. Each tomato weighs 90 grams. Its positive qualities include increased immunity to diseases that cause reduced fruiting and that primarily occur late in the season.
   
7. Summer resident – a vigorous, evenly ripening crop. It grows in greenhouses and in garden beds without the use of a hotbed. The red tomatoes are round, with a firm skin and even contours. Their pleasant sweet and sour flavor gives pickles an unusual appeal. They weigh up to 150 g.
   
8. Asvon F1. Necropny, dense tomatoes, weighing 70-90 g. Disease-resistant.
   
9. Golden Fingers. This is an original option for pickling vegetables for the winter. Its distinctive features include an oblong shape, high yield, bright yellow skin, and a small size. The skin is quite thick, preventing cracking during canning. The flesh is juicy and delicious with a slightly sweet flavor.
   
10. Banana legs – one of the best yellow tomato varieties for winter pickling. Its distinctive features include a rich skin tone and an unusually sweet flavor with citrus notes. Ripening is uniform, and the fruits grow on large clusters.
    

We've provided descriptions of the best options that can produce excellent results and fully justify the effort. When selecting varieties, we consider daylight conditions, air temperature, humidity, and diseases that can affect the fruit and the plants they grow.