The Best Kinds Of Tomatoes To Grow If You Live In A Hot Climate

There's nothing like slicing, dicing, biting, or juicing fresh garden tomatoes, especially when grown in your own little sunny patch of vine-climbing deliciousness. Sunny is the operative word here, as 'maters thrive in six to eight hours of direct daily sunlight, rewarding growers with a full bounty of plump, juicy flavor. However, there's such a thing as too much heat, so caution is advised if you live in a particularly hot location.

To understand the best kind of tomatoes for planting in high-temp climates, we got some insider intel from The Young Nonno, a garden coach and consultant, as well as the creator of his namesake website. As he explains, it helps to first understand why heat matters so much. "In high heat, plants get stressed and pollen within the tomato flowers doesn't dislodge. So, instead of setting fruit, the plant drops it's flowers." That makes it crucial to grow heat-tolerant tomato plants, and many varieties fall into that category. But there are still several things to keep in mind when choosing ones for your own garden experience.

When considering hot climates, The Young Nonno first explains that it matters whether you're growing determinate versus indeterminate tomatoes. For those of us who need a quickie tutorial on the difference between the two, a determinate tomato plant tends to be bushy and compact, delivering their fruits (yes tomatoes are fruits, not vegetables) fairly quickly and all at once. Indeterminate tomato plants are instead the classic vine climbers we love to watch when draping their glory in a blaze of color over a larger fruit-bearing span of time. 

Successfully growing tomatoes of both types is possible in hotter climates, says The Young Nonno. "One solution is to grow more 'determinate' tomato varieties," he says, "as they tend to put all of their fruit out in a shorter period of time — which can be before the peak heat of summer." They're also considered the hands-down best tomatoes to grow in container gardens. For everyday home gardeners, plenty of determinate tomato varieties exist, including Romas, Bush Early Girls, Celebrities, Rutgers, Amish Paste, Tasmanian Hot Chocolate, Homestead, Gold Nuggets, and many more. 

"When considering indeterminates," he notes, "the smaller tomato varieties (like cherry or grape) produce better in heat because the plant puts out a higher volume of flowers over a longer period, and the fruit doesn't take as much time to develop — this means a better chance at getting harvests." Then there's the common category of tomatoes known as hybrids, many of which were purposefully designed to withstand high-heat conditions, according to The Young Nonno. 

He also notes that hybrid tomatoes, unlike what's commonly assumed, can still be organically grown. And they still fall into the well-established determinate/indeterminate categories. For example, determinate hybrids include Candy Bell hybrids, Cherry Blast hybrids, and ones with names like Divinity, Daytona, Better Bush, Early Doll, and Fantastico.

After choosing the best type of tomato for hot environments, there are ways to make sure they thrive. The Young Nonna says to start with sufficient, deep, morning-time watering at the plant's base two to three times a week. It helps to "add a thick layer of organic mulch (straw or shredded leaves) around the base of the plants during the hottest months," he shares, which keeps the soil moist and cool. 

Once they start to flower, feed with a balanced fertilizer, and harvest when they start ripening, at about 40% color change. Finally, he addresses extra-hot conditions. "In extreme circumstances, consider shade cloth to help protect the plants from excessive sun exposure and overall stress due to heat." To learn more about how hot climates (and other factors) affect tomato growing, check out these five reasons why your tomatoes get mealy, and how to avoid them. And discover these 17 absolute best tips and hacks for growing the juiciest tomatoes.