We tend to focus a lot on tomatoes for slicing and fresh eating and on tomatoes for canning and saucing. But the fact of the matter is that there are many tomato varieties that can do double duty – or more. Dual-purpose and/or multi-purpose tomatoes can fill all your tomato needs, from salads to sauces.
Jump to:
- Multipurpose Tomatoes are Time and Space Savers
- 14 Fabulous Dual-Purpose Tomatoes
- 1. Amish Paste
- 2. Celebrity
- 3. Rutgers
- 4. Comstock Sauce and Slice
- 5. Speckled Roman
- 6. Bonny Best
- 7. Hungarian Heart
- 8. San Marzano
- 9. Costoluto Genovese
- 10. Gold Medal
- 11. Cherokee Purple
- 12. Black Krim
- 13. Gill’s All-Purpose
- 14. Supremo
- Make the Most of Your Tomato Growing Efforts
Multipurpose Tomatoes are Time and Space Savers
Growers with huge fields or oversized gardens might have the luxury of growing a different type of tomato for every single use, but home gardeners need to be more efficient in their garden growing. Choosing a multi-purpose tomato is one of the best ways to do that.
Tomatoes take up more space than almost anything else that we grow in a home garden. They can easily consume all your available growing space. So, the more use you can get out of a single plant or variety, the better.
You can save a lot of space, a lot of time, and a lot of work by choosing one or two efficient, multipurpose tomato varieties instead of trying to plant the whole tomato world.
There are great options in dual- and multi-purpose tomatoes, no matter what your growing situation is. These include heirloom varieties, low acid types, attractive, uniquely colored tomatoes, and tomatoes that are small enough for containers and raised beds or small gardening spaces.
Make the most of your space, your efforts, and your tomato crop by choosing a variety that can work all ways.
14 Fabulous Dual-Purpose Tomatoes
When we use a label like “dual-purpose tomatoes,” most people mean tomatoes that can be used for fresh eating and tomatoes that can also be used for canning and preserving.
Of course, each of those uses has a myriad of other uses. So, really, any dual-purpose tomato is a multi-purpose tomato. After all, that slicer might go on your salad, cut into chunks, and be sliced on your sandwich later. And the tomato you use for sauce might be the same one you use to make diced or stewed canned tomatoes.
But with a good selection, that sandwich slicer can make an impressive tomato sauce, too.
Here, we’ve gathered 14 of the most promising and proven multipurpose tomato varieties – for all your sauces and sandwiches, and whatever else strikes your tomato fancy!
1. Amish Paste
| Flavor: | Very good: sweet, meaty, juicy, classic tomato flavor |
| Type: | Multi-purpose paste/canning tomato |
| Color: | Red |
| Size: | 8 to 12 ounces (largest canning type) |
| Uses: | Multi-purpose: canning, paste, sauces, soup, fresh eating, slicing, salads |
| Climate Notes: | Suitable for all regions, developed in the northern U.S./Midwest |
| Disease Resistance: | Good, resilient from blight with treatment |
| Growing Conditions: | Full sun, fertile soil, slightly acidic, needs support (stakes or cages, trellising) |
| Days to Harvest: | 75 to 85 days |
| Yield: | High; continuous production through frost |
| Determinate or Indeterminate? | Indeterminate |
Where to Buy Amish Paste Tomato Seeds:
Ask gardeners for recommendations for dual- and multi-purpose tomatoes, and Amish Paste tomatoes will always be mentioned. They have proven themselves to be reliable producers with good disease resilience. They are productive (one of the highest-yielding tomatoes) and versatile for any fresh eating, canning, or preserving. Amish Paste is big enough to slice but meaty enough to yield buckets of sauce and preserves. It is also open-pollinated, so you can collect its seeds.
2. Celebrity
| Flavor: | Very good: meaty, flavorful |
| Type: | Slicer, multi-purpose |
| Color: | Red |
| Size: | 7 to 8 ounces |
| Uses: | Slicing, sandwiches, salads, juicing, sauces, freezing |
| Climate Notes: | Does well in all climates |
| Disease Resistance: | Excellent: Anthracnose, Fusarium wilt, Verticillium wilt, Root-knot nematodes, Gray leaf spot, Tobacco mosaic virus, Crack resistant |
| Growing Conditions: | Full sun, fertile soil, slightly acidic, yields best with support (stakes or cages) |
| Days to Harvest: | 70 to 72 |
| Yield: | High |
| Determinate or Indeterminate? | Determinate |
Where to Buy Celebrity Tomato Seeds:
Celebrity produces high yields of round seven-ounce tomatoes. The plants are determinate, which is great for big canning and preserving sessions, but if you want continued production for fresh eating, that is a factor to consider. One thing Celebrity is known for is its disease resistance. That alone is a top reason why many gardeners grow it as their go-to tomato.
3. Rutgers
| Flavor: | Sweet, full flavor, meaty |
| Type: | Slicing, canning |
| Color: | Red |
| Size: | 6 to 12 ounces |
| Uses: | Multi-purpose, good for salads and slicing, soups, saucing, canning, freezing |
| Climate Notes: | Suitable for all climates, developed in mid-coast eastern U.S., performs in northern regions |
| Disease Resistance: | Very good: Anthracnose, Fusarium wilt, Gray leaf spot, Verticillium wilt, Crack resistant |
| Growing Conditions: | Full sun, fertile soil, slightly acidic, needs support (stakes or cages) |
| Days to Harvest: | 73 days |
| Yield: | High |
| Determinate or Indeterminate? | Determinate, but some show semi- and indeterminate characteristics |
Where to Buy Rutgers Tomato Seeds:
Rutgers is one of the varieties developed in New Jersey in the U.S., and it was bred specifically for the Campbell’s Soup company. It is meaty with good juice and flavor and versatile for all sorts of uses, from fresh eating to juicing, canning, saucing, preserving, and more. Rutgers is a round tomato, too, which makes it nice for slicing and fresh eating. Early maturing.
4. Comstock Sauce and Slice
| Flavor: | Very good; fruity when fully ripe |
| Type: | Plum, multi-purpose |
| Color: | Red |
| Size: | 16 ounces |
| Uses: | Excellent multi-purpose use: slicing, fresh eating, all canning and preserving |
| Climate Notes: | Suited to all climates |
| Disease Resistance: | Not well documented; some reviewers note leaf curl |
| Growing Conditions: | Full sun, fertile soil, slightly acidic, needs support (stakes or cages) |
| Days to Harvest: | 85 to 90 days |
| Yield: | High |
| Determinate or Indeterminate? | Indeterminate |
Where to Buy Comstock Sauce and Slice Tomato Seeds:
Comstock Sauce and Slice was introduced in the 1980’s by Comstock, Ferre, and Company. The seeds were brought to them by a customer who brought them from Italy. The plant grows large plum tomatoes weighing up to one pound. They do have more seeds than most plum-type tomatoes, but they are large with plenty of meat and the seeds are easy to remove. It is known for excellent flavor and fresh and preserved dual-purpose versatility. Customer reviews do note some odd-shaped (rounder) tomatoes that randomly appear (fine in flavor but diverging from the norm). Some reviewers also suspect this tomato of having susceptibility to leaf curl, though that is not well documented. The biggest issue is that it is a long-maturing variety, but it is indeterminate, which is a nice feature of a dual-purpose tomato.
5. Speckled Roman
| Flavor: | Excellent |
| Type: | Paste |
| Color: | Red with Orange Stripes |
| Size: | 6 ounces |
| Uses: | Drying, dehydrating, canning, saucing, preserving |
| Climate Notes: | Suited to all climates; may experience disease in wet, cool locations |
| Disease Resistance: | Fair/Good: Few issues reported, but cold, wet seasons can cause disease |
| Growing Conditions: | Full sun, fertile soil, slightly acidic, needs support (stakes or cages) |
| Days to Harvest: | 80 to 85 days |
| Yield: | Very high |
| Determinate or Indeterminate? | Indeterminate |
Where to Buy Speckled Roman Tomato Seeds:
Speckled Roman is primarily a paste tomato, but it has good flavor for fresh eating, and it is also an attractive fruit. Its color is red with orange striping, so if you like unique colors in your salads and fresh dishes, this is one to consider that will also give you many fruits for preserving, canning, and dehydrating. Feedback varies somewhat on disease resistance, but in average years the plant does well.
6. Bonny Best
| Flavor: | Excellent, heirloom tomato flavor |
| Type: | Flattened round, canner, slicer |
| Color: | Red |
| Size: | 6 to 8 ounces |
| Uses: | Canning, sauce, salsa, fresh eating |
| Climate Notes: | Particularly well suited to cool growing and northern climates |
| Disease Resistance: | Very good: Fusarium wilt, Root-knot nematodes, Verticillium wilt; crack resistant |
| Growing Conditions: | Full sun, fertile soil, slightly acidic, needs support (stakes or cages) |
| Days to Harvest: | 72 days |
| Yield: | High |
| Determinate or Indeterminate? | Indeterminate |
Where to Buy Bonny Best Tomato Seeds:
Bonny Best used to be considered the best tomato for home gardens in the early 1900s because it is high-yielding and boasts excellent heirloom flavor in a multi-purpose tomato. It only fell out of the spotlight when hybrids pushed it out. The seeds are still available, though, and well worth your time, especially as a multipurpose tomato. It will produce well for all your needs without having to overplant several varieties of tomatoes in limited garden space. Bonny Best is noted as a great selection for growing in cool locations and has good disease resistance.
7. Hungarian Heart
| Flavor: | Excellent; traditional sweet heirloom tomato flavor |
| Type: | Oxheart |
| Color: | Reddish-pink |
| Size: | Large, 16+ ounces |
| Uses: | Sauces, salsa, fresh eating, canning (multi-purpose) |
| Climate Notes: | Suited to all climates. Originated in Hungary |
| Disease Resistance: | Good; Crack resistant |
| Growing Conditions: | Full sun, fertile soil, slightly acidic, needs support (stakes or cages) |
| Days to Harvest: | 80 days |
| Yield: | High |
| Determinate or Indeterminate? | Indeterminate |
Where to Buy Hungarian Heart Tomato Seeds:
Hungarian Heart shines as both a fresh-eating and cooking variety, making it an ideal multi-purpose tomato for all dishes, roasting, fresh, or preserved. The large oxheart-shaped tomatoes are nearly coreless, have few seeds, and plenty of meat. There is little waste and lots of tomatoes to work with. It’s been called a “cook’s dream” because it serves all purposes in the kitchen.
8. San Marzano
| Flavor: | Very good; classic Italian flavor |
| Type: | Italian canner |
| Color: | Red |
| Size: | 4 to 5 ounces |
| Uses: | Cooking, saucing, stewing, canning, dehydrating, sun drying, paste, salsa |
| Climate Notes: | Suitable for all climates |
| Disease Resistance: | Good; not specifically bred for resistance, but displays resistant tendencies |
| Growing Conditions: | Full sun, fertile soil, slightly acidic, needs support (stakes or cages, trellises) |
| Days to Harvest: | 80 days |
| Yield: | High |
| Determinate or Indeterminate? | Indeterminate |
Where to Buy San Marzano Tomato Seeds:
San Marzano, known as the quintessential Italian cooking and sauce tomato, may seem like an unlikely choice for a list of multi-purpose tomatoes; however, this tomato has that classic, old-world Italian flavor that is so loved and works across any number of dishes, fresh or cooked. It shines in a salad, in fresh bruschetta, salsa, Pico de Gallo, sauces, and juice. But it also makes an excellent tomato for drying and dehydrating (arguably “the” original sun-dried tomato). And clearly, it’s a top choice for saucing and preserving.
San Marzano is highly prized by chefs because it has an excellent yield with little waste. The flesh is meaty with few seeds, and the tomatoes are coreless.
9. Costoluto Genovese
| Flavor: | Excellent; Old-world Italian |
| Type: | Round, Slicer, Canner, Multi-purpose |
| Color: | Red |
| Size: | 8 ounces |
| Uses: | Fresh eating, preserving, cooking, canning, saucing, juicing |
| Climate Notes: | Excellent in hot climates but also does very well in cool weather |
| Disease Resistance: | Very good: Botrytis, Bacterial Leaf Spot |
| Growing Conditions: | Full sun, fertile soil, slightly acidic, needs support (stakes or cages) |
| Days to Harvest: | 70 to 80 days |
| Yield: | Very high |
| Determinate or Indeterminate? | Indeterminate |
Where to Buy Costoluto Genovese Tomato Seeds:
Old Italians relied on this tomato because it served all their needs for both fresh eating and saucing and preserving. The tomato has a fun, knobby, fluted look with deep lobes over an irregular round shape. The plants are indeterminate, and they produce early, so this is a reliable multi-purpose variety that has the ability to produce and fill your needs all season long. It is also noted for producing well in hot climates and through periods of high heat or heat waves.
10. Gold Medal
| Flavor: | Very good; mild, sweet, low acid, heirloom flavor |
| Type: | Beefsteak |
| Color: | Yellow with orange blush |
| Size: | Very large, 1 to 3 pounds each |
| Uses: | Multi-purpose slicing, fresh eating, roasting, sauces, salsa |
| Climate Notes: | Suited to all regions; continues to produce well when nighttime temperatures cool |
| Disease Resistance: | Excellent; Excellent resistance to Early and Late Blight, and reviewers report performance through other diseases, too |
| Growing Conditions: | Full sun, fertile soil, slightly acidic, needs support (stakes or cages) |
| Days to Harvest: | 75 days |
| Yield: | High |
| Determinate or Indeterminate? | Indeterminate |
Where to Buy Gold Medal Tomato Seeds:
Truth be told, as a dual-purpose tomato, there are others that perform better on the canning and cooking end, and this tomato is known primarily as a fresh-eating and slicing tomato, but Gold Medal is one to consider as a multi-purpose tomato for a variety of reasons. It has meaty flesh, is low in acid, and has a sweet heirloom flavor. It is a beautiful yellow to orange tomato that looks lovely in different dishes, sliced, and in salads. It works well as a roasting tomato and for sauces and salsas, too. Best of all, it has excellent resistance to both early and late blight and is known for producing for a month or two after other varieties have succumbed to these diseases.
11. Cherokee Purple
| Flavor: | Excellent: sweet, juicy, rich, full tomato flavor |
| Type: | Slicer, beefsteak |
| Color: | Dark purple-brown, dark green on shoulders, brick-red flesh inside |
| Size: | 10 to 13 ounces (5 by 3 inches, average) |
| Uses: | Slicing, fresh eating, salads, sandwiches, toppings, juicing |
| Climate Notes: | Suitable to all climates, resilient in cold |
| Disease Resistance: | Good; concentric cracking is expected; avoid pruning to prevent sun scald |
| Growing Conditions: | Full sun, fertile soil, slightly acidic, needs support (stakes or cages) |
| Days to Harvest: | 80 to 85 |
| Yield: | High |
| Determinate or Indeterminate? | Indeterminate |
Where to Buy Cherokee Purple Tomato Seeds:
Cherokee Purple finds its way onto many tomato “lists” because of its multi-purpose ability, deep heirloom flavor, great looks (a dark, purple-brown color), and high-yielding nature (it is one of the highest-yielding tomato varieties). Cherokee Purple is a meaty slicing variety that performs well in salsas, sauces, and more.
Cherokee Purple hails from the indigenous Cherokee tribes in the U.S. It is a much-loved heirloom with a nice, dark color, deep flavor, and high yields. In recognition of this fact, Fedco Seeds pays royalties to indigenous peoples when Cherokee Purple seeds are purchased through them.
12. Black Krim
| Flavor: | Very good; sweet, rich, juicy, classic tomato |
| Type: | Beefsteak |
| Color: | Dark red/maroon with green-tinged shoulders |
| Size: | 8 to 10+ ounces |
| Uses: | Fresh eating: salads, slicing, sandwiches, toppings, juicing |
| Climate Notes: | Good for all regions; well suited for hot areas; heat tolerant |
| Disease Resistance: | Fair: crack resistant |
| Growing Conditions: | Full sun, fertile soil, slightly acidic, needs support (stakes or cages) |
| Days to Harvest: | 80 |
| Yield: | High |
| Determinate or Indeterminate? | Indeterminate |
Where to Buy Black Krim Tomatoes:
Black Krim is an heirloom that hails from Russia originally. It is another unique and attractive-looking tomato. It comes with a rich heirloom flavor, red to green-brown color, and with a meatiness that is ideal for all uses across the board. It is also high-yielding, crack-resistant, and an excellent heat-tolerant tomato. It is indeterminate, which makes it a good choice for fresh uses because the tomatoes will continue to come throughout the season. Yields will still be high enough for processing, though.
13. Gill’s All-Purpose
| Flavor: | Very good, rich |
| Type: | All-purpose round |
| Color: | Red |
| Size: | 3 to 3.5 inches, 4 to 5 ounces |
| Uses: | Multipurpose fresh and preserving |
| Climate Notes: | Suited to all climates, developed in the northwest U.S., handles cool seasons and moisture |
| Disease Resistance: | Very good |
| Growing Conditions: | Full sun, fertile soil, slightly acidic, needs support (stakes or cages) |
| Days to Harvest: | 70 to 80 days |
| Yield: | High |
| Determinate or Indeterminate? | Semi-determinate |
Where to Buy Gill’s All-Purpose Tomato Seeds:
The name says it all. This is a tomato made for multi-purpose use. It produces three-inch tomatoes weighing around five ounces each that are meaty and have few seeds. The tomatoes are round, so they are ideal for slicing, but they also make an excellent paste tomato for juicing, saucing, and canning. These tomatoes were developed by a seed company in the 1940s in the Pacific Northwest region of the U.S., where the climate is changeable and moist. It displays very good disease resistance. Plants are semi-determinate, which is ideal because you get a steady lower harvest throughout the season for fresh eating and larger flushes for canning and preserving. However, the plants don’t get too big and don’t outgrow short cages or trellises.
14. Supremo
| Flavor: | Very good |
| Type: | Plum |
| Color: | Red |
| Size: | 5 to 6 ounces |
| Uses: | Sauces, canning, salsa, salads, fresh eating |
| Climate Notes: | Does well in all types of climates, heat tolerant, handles cold and temperate climates well, too |
| Disease Resistance: | Excellent: Bacterial Speck, Fusarium wilt, Verticillium wilt, Root-knot nematode, Tomato spotted wilt virus, Leafspot |
| Growing Conditions: | Full sun, fertile soil, slightly acidic, compact, and ideal for containers and patio planting/raised beds |
| Days to Harvest: | 68 days |
| Yield: | Very high |
| Determinate or Indeterminate? | Determinate |
Where to Buy Supremo Hybrid Tomato Seeds:
Supremo produces blocky, meaty, large plum tomatoes on compact plants that make good container-growing tomatoes. Ideal for raised beds and limited growing space, too. The fruits hold well on the vine after ripening, which helps you to stagger and extend the harvest and use. Supremo has excellent disease resistance and makes good, versatile use of limited tomato growing space. It is also an early-maturing variety.
Make the Most of Your Tomato Growing Efforts
When you find the right multipurpose tomato, you’ll be glad you did. Having a tomato variety or two that can fill all your needs makes much better use of your time and space – whatever type of growing you’re doing.
The fact is that a lot of the tomatoes that farms and markets sell as canners are a mix of leftovers and slightly blemished tomatoes that don’t present perfectly for fresh sales. All tomatoes can be used for any type of fresh eating or cooking, technically speaking, but you will be happier with your results –fresh, canned or preserved – if you choose a multipurpose tomato that is well suited to multiple methods of eating and preparation.
