15 Varieties Of Tomato Plants You Can Be Growing In The Fall

Just because the days are getting shorter does not mean that it's time to retire your tomato-growing dreams. While tomatoes are often associated with the warm and sunny summer months, fall can be a fantastic time to mature and harvest some varieties like the Sungold cherry tomato or Amelia heirloom. Whether you're hoping to fit in one last harvest before winter or if you live in a region with a warm fall, there are plenty of fast-maturing, cool-weather tomatoes that you can try your hand at.

But don't take this as an excuse to procrastinate. When we're talking about growing tomatoes in the fall, we don't mean that you should plant them in the fall. Most tomato varieties, even the strongest ones, are not made to resist frost and cold snaps. It's often best to get your plants in the ground when the soil is warmer, in August. That way, you'll give your tomatoes some time to mature and set fruit before temperatures drop and winter kills the plants. Timing is everything when it comes to a fall harvest, so think of it as growing tomatoes into the fall, rather than growing them in the fall. To nail the timing, make sure to look at average temperatures in your area and allocate yourself enough time based on expected frosts. Some of the best species to grow in the fall are determinate varieties, cherry tomatoes, and cool-weather varieties.

'Bush Early Girl' is a determinate variety of tomatoes, so it grows quickly (about 50 to 60 days to maturity), and the fruits ripen all at once. By choosing this kind of determinate tomato plant, you're making it a whole lot easier to work with, as it has a short harvesting period and avoids wasting any fruits when frost and cold weather cut the season short. You can plant 'Bush Early Girl' tomatoes at the end of summer and still squeeze in a harvest as long as you give yourself enough time for the fruits to mature before frost arrives. 

Another great variety of determinate tomatoes is the 'Amelia' tomato plant. This variety is full of flavor and can mature in under 75 days, giving you plenty of time to grow a full harvest into the fall, as long as you start early enough. Depending on when the first frosts tend to happen in your region, count back two and a half months to know when to plant — usually when the soil is still pretty warm in the summer. 

The 'Abraham Lincoln' heirloom tomato, also called the 'Abe Lincoln' heirloom, is a wonderfully rich and slightly decadent variety of tomato. While this variety can be harvested until September, October, and even in some cases, November, it's important to note that they have a slightly longer maturing period of around 80 days. Give yourself enough time by planting these earlier rather than later so that they can grow to their full size before frost stops them in their tracks by killing the plant. 

The 'Sungold' cherry tomato is a small orange cherry tomato variety that's quite sweet but also acidic. These, like some other cherry tomatoes, are a great bet that can be harvested from July to October, giving you ample opportunity to produce fruit in the first half of fall. Many cherry and grape tomato varieties are a wonderful choice for fall harvests because the plants tend to produce their fruit quickly (50 to 60 days), and they're able to thrive in cooler fall temperatures. However, remember to pick almost ripe fruits from cherry tomato plants before a storm. 

The 'Juliet' tomato is another small cherry variety that can grow quickly and last until the fall. The fruits are medium-sized and with an elongated oval shape, instead of the small sphere that other cherry tomatoes can have. These grow on vines in summer or fall and can produce a full harvest in less than two months until the first frosts inevitably kill the plant. Depending on where you live and when temperatures start to drop, this could mean a steady supply of cherry tomatoes into the fall. 

Think of the 'Sweet 100' tomatoes as your picture-perfect, bright red, cherry-shaped tomatoes. These are an unbelievably productive variety of tomato plants, where each cluster can produce up to 100 cherry tomatoes (you read that right, cluster, not plant). As the name implies, this variety is loved for its sweet taste and its hundreds of fruits. You can harvest these cherry tomatoes throughout the summer and the fall, up until the first frosts arrive. 

If you'd like to try something a bit more unique, consider the 'Indigo Rose' tomato. This is a variety of larger cherry tomatoes that can grow through September, giving you plenty of fruit to eat until the beginning of fall. These are unlike any other cherry tomatoes because of their dark purple-black color and because they're a bit bigger than traditional cherry tomatoes like the 'Sungold' or 'Sweet 100.' These ripen towards the end of summer, so they're a good choice for early fall but won't last quite as long into the season as some other varieties. 

In addition to determinate and cherry varieties, another type of tomato to look for when seeking a fall harvest is cool-season tomatoes. These are both determinate and indeterminate varieties that thrive in cool regions, like Russia or Canada. One great example is the 'Sub-Arctic Plenty', an heirloom tomato that can grow in colder conditions than most other varieties. This makes it a great choice for gardeners throughout the United States looking to harvest fruit during the fall. 

Another heirloom tomato variety to consider for a fall harvest is the 'Quedlinburger Frühe Liebe.' The name probably gave it away, but this is a German tomato variety, and it's quite unique in its ability to produce fruits incredibly quickly. All you need is a short 40 days after transplanting to get your tomatoes, making it an excellent choice for last-minute harvests in the fall. This variety fares well in cooler climates, but it will die with frost, so adapt your schedule depending on how cold or short autumn is in your neck of the woods. 

The 'Beaverlodge Slicer' tomato plant is a cold-weather variety that is a great choice for fall weather. It was developed by researchers in Alberta, Canada, so no wonder it's resistant to colder conditions. In addition to being able to sustain cooler fall temperatures, this variety has the benefit of maturing relatively quickly. In just 54 days, you'll be able to harvest some tasty fruits before the first frost.

Another variety of tomatoes that both grow quickly and can survive milder temperatures is the 'Stupice' tomato. These can grow to maturity in just 50 to 60 days, which is quick enough for a fall harvest even if you plant a little late. These can tolerate cool climates, so you can harvest them well into November. It's an interesting one to add to your fall harvest because of its unique flavor that's a bit sharp and tangy.

One of the handiest hacks to remember when growing tomatoes is to choose your varieties wisely. The 'Legend' tomato is known for its ability to survive, and even thrive, in cooler climates. It's also known for being able to survive mildew, which can be helpful when dealing with fall rainstorms. It's one of the best tomato varieties to grow in cool climates, and it produces seedless, juicy tomatoes that can get fairly large in diameter. This one never disappoints, and it's worth trying out for your autumnal tomato harvest. 

As their name implies, 'Siberian' tomatoes are able to survive under low temperatures. These tomatoes have been observed in weather as cold as 38 degrees Fahrenheit, which is about as cold as it gets. OK, maybe not as cold as Siberia, but in the world of tomatoes, it's still pretty impressive. Of course, warmer weather is always best for tomatoes, but in many cases, they can give you plenty of fruit until mid-November.

While 'Northern Lights' tomatoes probably wouldn't be able to grow in the freezing temperatures of the Auroral Oval, where actual northern lights happen, they're still a good cold-resistant crop to try out in the fall. These are large, yellow, and sometimes orange tomatoes that are packed with flavor. They can grow up until frost comes in, so you're probably going to be able to get one final harvest in the fall before temperatures drop.

Finally, a beloved determinate tomato plant that's fantastic for a fall harvest is the 'Celebrity' tomato. You can harvest this one until the start of November, and it will only take 60 to 70 days for the fruit to fully mature. It can grow in soil that's as cold as 60 degrees Fahrenheit, which in many parts of the country is suitable for a fall harvest. You can also try the 'Celebrity Plus' version of these, which is a bit more resistant to disease.