Pink tomato varieties

Pink is where the large heirlooms live. Every one of the 18 pink varieties in this catalogue weighs at least 5 oz (140 g), two of them start at 16 oz (450 g) and reach 32 oz (900 g), and the group contains no cherry, grape or snacking tomato at all. That is unusual: most colour groups here span the full size range, and pink simply does not. Brandywine, Mortgage Lifter, Marianna's Peace and Giant Oxheart are all on this page, which is another way of saying that if you picture the archetypal heirloom slicer, you are picturing a pink tomato. The season runs 70 to 88 days from transplant, and 17 of the 18 are indeterminate.

Varieties
18
Days to harvest (from transplant)
70–88
Fruit weight
5–32 oz (140–900 g)
Growth habit

17 Indeterminate

1 Dwarf

Compare all 18 side by side

All 18 pink tomato varieties

Anna Russian tomatoes ripening on the vine under cover Anna Russian An early pink oxheart, unusual in a class that normally needs a long season. 70 days (estimated) 10–16 oz (280–450 g) (estimated) Indeterminate
Arkansas Traveler tomatoes ripening on the vine under cover Arkansas Traveler Pink slicer bred for southern heat and humidity, crack-tolerant. 85 days5–8 oz (140–220 g)Indeterminate
Brandy Boy tomatoes ripening on the vine under cover Brandy Boy A hybrid take on Brandywine's soft, tangy-sweet heirloom flesh, on a more compact and productive plant. 75 days13–14 oz (370–410 g)Indeterminate
Brandywine tomatoes ripening on the vine under cover Brandywine The heirloom benchmark: huge pink potato-leaf beefsteak with dense, sweet flesh. 85 days (estimated) 12–20 oz (340–570 g) (estimated) Indeterminate
Cuor di Bue tomatoes ripening on the vine under cover Cuor di Bue The Italian oxheart: a premium slicer across southern Europe, dense enough for sauce. 80 days (estimated) 8–14 oz (230–400 g) (estimated) Indeterminate
German Johnson tomatoes ripening on the vine under cover German Johnson A meaty, low-seed old-time heirloom beefsteak with excellent flavor. 80 days7–18 oz (200–500 g)Indeterminate
German Pink tomatoes ripening on the vine under cover German Pink Pink potato-leaf beefsteak, large slicing fruit. 85 days10–16 oz (280–450 g)Indeterminate
Giant Oxheart tomatoes ripening on the vine under cover Giant Oxheart Heart-shaped heirloom with dense flesh and a sparse set. 88 days (estimated) 8–18 oz (230–510 g)Indeterminate
Goliath tomatoes ripening on the vine under cover Goliath Pink heirloom beefsteak with large slicing fruit. 80 days10–16 oz (280–450 g)Indeterminate
Hungarian Heart tomatoes ripening on the vine under cover Hungarian Heart Large pink oxheart: dense, nearly seedless, and equally at home raw or cooked. 85 days (estimated) 14–24 oz (400–680 g) (estimated) Indeterminate
Marianna's Peace tomatoes ripening on the vine under cover Marianna's Peace Czech potato-leaf pink beefsteak that rivals Brandywine in blind tastings. 85 days (estimated) 16–32 oz (450–900 g) (estimated) Indeterminate
Mortgage Lifter tomatoes ripening on the vine under cover Mortgage Lifter Enormous mild pink beefsteak, bred in 1930s West Virginia and sold as seedlings to pay off a mortgage. 85 days (estimated) 16–32 oz (450–900 g) (estimated) Indeterminate
Mushroom Basket tomatoes ripening on the vine under cover Mushroom Basket Deeply pleated Russian heirloom in watermelon-pink, firm-fleshed and nearly seedless. 75 days10–16 oz (280–450 g)Indeterminate
New Big Dwarf tomatoes ripening on the vine under cover New Big Dwarf From 1915: the original attempt at beefsteak fruit on a plant that fits a pot. 75 days (estimated) 8–12 oz (230–340 g) (estimated) Dwarf
Pink Fang tomatoes ripening on the vine under cover Pink Fang Six-inch tapering pink paste tomato: thick flesh, few seeds, unusually sweet. 78 days5–7 oz (140–200 g)Indeterminate
Pruden's Purple tomatoes ripening on the vine under cover Pruden's Purple Brandywine flavour on a two-week shorter season, with the same potato-leaf foliage. 72 days (estimated) 12–20 oz (340–570 g) (estimated) Indeterminate
Stump of the World tomatoes ripening on the vine under cover Stump of the World Large irregular pink potato-leaf beefsteak from Ben Quisenberry's collection, sweet with a small core. 85 days10–24 oz (280–680 g)Indeterminate
Zapotec Pleated tomatoes ripening on the vine under cover Zapotec Pleated Oaxacan accordion-pleated heirloom, hollow inside and genuinely built for stuffing. 85 days (estimated) 6–10 oz (170–280 g) (estimated) Indeterminate

How to choose

  1. You are choosing a slicing tomato whether you meant to or not. The smallest fruit here, Pink Fang at 5 to 7 oz, is larger than the largest fruit on several other colour pages. If you wanted something to eat by the handful, this is the wrong page and the cherry or grape lists are the right ones.

  2. Season length is the real filter. Anna Russian at 70 days and Pruden's Purple at 72 are the early options; Giant Oxheart at 88 and the 85-day group including Brandywine and Mortgage Lifter need most of a long summer. Given that these are large fruits, which take longer to fill and ripen once set, an 88-day pink tomato in a short season is the classic way to end up with a plant full of green fruit in October.

  3. Expect cracking and plan watering around it. Large, thin-skinned heirloom fruit splits when water uptake changes suddenly, and this page is almost entirely large thin-skinned heirloom fruit. Steady moisture matters more here than in any other colour group, and mulch does more good than any variety choice.

  4. New Big Dwarf is the only compact plant, and New Big Dwarf carries 8 to 12 oz fruit, which is genuinely a slicer, on a plant small enough for a large container. For anyone who wants a proper heirloom tomato without a two-metre trellis, it is the single answer on this page.

Compare side by side

Color Uses
Anna Russian 70 (estimated) 10–16 oz (280–450 g) (estimated) Indeterminate 4 (estimated) / 2 (estimated) / 4 (estimated) Fresh & salads, Slicing, Sauce & paste
Arkansas Traveler 85 5–8 oz (140–220 g) Indeterminate 3 (estimated) / 3 (estimated) / 3 (estimated) Fresh & salads, Slicing
Brandy Boy 75 13–14 oz (370–410 g) Indeterminate 4 (estimated) / 3 (estimated) / 4 (estimated) Fresh & salads, Slicing
Brandywine 85 (estimated) 12–20 oz (340–570 g) (estimated) Indeterminate 4 (estimated) / 2 (estimated) / 5 (estimated) Fresh & salads, Slicing, Juicing
Cuor di Bue 80 (estimated) 8–14 oz (230–400 g) (estimated) Indeterminate 3 (estimated) / 3 (estimated) / 4 (estimated) Fresh & salads, Slicing, Sauce & paste
German Johnson 80 7–18 oz (200–500 g) Indeterminate 4 (estimated) / 2 (estimated) / 4 (estimated) Fresh & salads, Slicing
German Pink 85 10–16 oz (280–450 g) Indeterminate 3 (estimated) / 3 (estimated) / 3 (estimated) Fresh & salads, Slicing
Giant Oxheart 88 (estimated) 8–18 oz (230–510 g) Indeterminate 4 (estimated) / 2 (estimated) / 3 (estimated) Slicing, Sauce & paste
Goliath 80 10–16 oz (280–450 g) Indeterminate 3 (estimated) / 3 (estimated) / 3 (estimated) Fresh & salads, Slicing
Hungarian Heart 85 (estimated) 14–24 oz (400–680 g) (estimated) Indeterminate 4 (estimated) / 2 (estimated) / 4 (estimated) Slicing, Sauce & paste, Canning
Marianna's Peace 85 (estimated) 16–32 oz (450–900 g) (estimated) Indeterminate 4 (estimated) / 2 (estimated) / 5 (estimated) Fresh & salads, Slicing, Juicing
Mortgage Lifter 85 (estimated) 16–32 oz (450–900 g) (estimated) Indeterminate 4 (estimated) / 2 (estimated) / 4 (estimated) Fresh & salads, Slicing, Juicing
Mushroom Basket 75 10–16 oz (280–450 g) Indeterminate 4 (estimated) / 2 (estimated) / 3 (estimated) Fresh & salads, Slicing, Juicing, Stuffing
New Big Dwarf 75 (estimated) 8–12 oz (230–340 g) (estimated) Dwarf 4 (estimated) / 2 (estimated) / 4 (estimated) Fresh & salads, Slicing, Juicing
Pink Fang 78 5–7 oz (140–200 g) Indeterminate 4 (estimated) / 2 (estimated) / 4 (estimated) Slicing, Sauce & paste, Drying, Snacking, Roasting
Pruden's Purple 72 (estimated) 12–20 oz (340–570 g) (estimated) Indeterminate 4 (estimated) / 2 (estimated) / 5 (estimated) Fresh & salads, Slicing, Juicing
Stump of the World 85 10–24 oz (280–680 g) Indeterminate 4 (estimated) / 2 (estimated) / 4 (estimated) Slicing, Fresh & salads
Zapotec Pleated 85 (estimated) 6–10 oz (170–280 g) (estimated) Indeterminate 3 (estimated) / 3 (estimated) / 3 (estimated) Fresh & salads, Slicing, Stuffing

Values marked like this (estimated) are estimates.

Frequently asked questions

Why are so many heirloom tomatoes pink?

Because pink flesh with a clear (rather than yellow) skin was common in the cultivars gardeners kept and passed on, and those are the ones that survived to become heirlooms. Commercial breeding later favoured red, which is why the modern hybrid section of any catalogue looks different from the heirloom section.

What is the difference between a pink and a red tomato?

The skin. Pink tomatoes have red flesh under a clear skin; red tomatoes have red flesh under a yellow skin, and the combination reads as a deeper red. It is a genuine genetic difference rather than a marketing distinction, even though the visual gap is small.

Are there small pink tomatoes?

Not in this catalogue. All 18 pink varieties are 5 oz or larger, and the group contains no cherry, grape or cocktail types. If you want small pink fruit, the closest options are on the bicolour and striped pages rather than here.

Which pink tomato is the largest?

Marianna's Peace and Mortgage Lifter reach 16 to 32 oz (450 to 900 g), and Giant Oxheart reaches 510 g. Giant Oxheart is also the latest at 88 days, so it needs the longest season of anything on this page.

Can I grow a pink heirloom in a pot?

New Big Dwarf is the one designed for it: dwarf habit, 8 to 12 oz fruit, container-sized plant. The other seventeen are indeterminate and will outgrow a pot before they finish fruiting.

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