Slicer tomato varieties

Slicer is the everyday tomato: round, 60 to 280 g, large enough to cover a slice of bread in two or three cuts but not the single-fruit-per-sandwich weight of a beefsteak. It is the category most gardens actually need and the one people skip over on the way to something more dramatic. The fourteen varieties here run 57 to 85 days from transplant, the widest useful season range on the site outside the red page, and they are not visually boring: Green Zebra, Purple Zebra and Queen of the Night are all slicers, alongside the plain reds like Early Girl and Rutgers.

Varieties
26
Days to harvest (from transplant)
52–85
Fruit weight
2–16 oz (60–450 g)
Growth habit

19 Indeterminate

4 Determinate

2 Dwarf

1 Semi-determinate

Compare all 26 side by side

All 26 slicer tomato varieties

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
Azoychka tomatoes ripening on the vine under cover Azoychka Russian yellow slicer with a citrus edge, and early enough for a short season. 75 days (estimated) 5–8 oz (140–230 g) (estimated) Indeterminate
Black Beauty tomatoes ripening on the vine under cover Black Beauty The darkest common tomato: true black skin over dense, oily, earthy flesh. 85 days (estimated) 6–10 oz (170–280 g) (estimated) Indeterminate
Black Prince tomatoes ripening on the vine under cover Black Prince Siberian heirloom with dark brownish-black round fruit. 75 days5–8 oz (140–220 g)Indeterminate
Black Sea Man tomatoes ripening on the vine under cover Black Sea Man Determinate potato-leaf plant with mahogany-brown, green-shouldered slicers in a bush-sized package. 75 days4–10 oz (110–280 g)Determinate
Brown Sugar tomatoes ripening on the vine under cover Brown Sugar Medium black-purple slicer; identity vs. the US cherry-tomato of the same name is unresolved. 75 days5–8 oz (140–220 g)Indeterminate
Celebrity tomatoes ripening on the vine under cover Celebrity The reliable all-rounder: broad disease resistance and a manageable, semi-determinate plant. 72 days7–11 oz (200–300 g)Determinate
Costoluto Fiorentino tomatoes ripening on the vine under cover Costoluto Fiorentino The Tuscan costoluto: flatter and more deeply lobed than the Genovese. 80 days (estimated) 6–10 oz (170–280 g) (estimated) Indeterminate
Costoluto Genovese tomatoes ripening on the vine under cover Costoluto Genovese Deeply pleated Ligurian heirloom: high acid that survives long cooking. 80 days (estimated) 5–8 oz (140–230 g) (estimated) Indeterminate
Creole tomatoes ripening on the vine under cover Creole Louisiana heirloom slicer bred for Gulf Coast heat and humidity. 80 days5–8 oz (140–220 g)Indeterminate
Early Girl tomatoes ripening on the vine under cover Early Girl The short-season standby: first ripe fruit weeks before the big heirlooms. 59 days 4–6 oz (110–170 g) (estimated) Indeterminate
Golden Jubilee tomatoes ripening on the vine under cover Golden Jubilee Orange, low-acid heirloom slicer, medium round fruit. 80 days5–8 oz (140–220 g)Indeterminate
Green Zebra tomatoes ripening on the vine under cover Green Zebra Amber-striped green slicer with a bright, sharply acidic bite. 78 days (estimated) 2–5 oz (60–140 g) (estimated) Indeterminate
Jet Star tomatoes ripening on the vine under cover Jet Star Red, low-acid slicer bred for crack resistance, medium fruit. 72 days5–8 oz (140–220 g)Indeterminate
Jubilee tomatoes ripening on the vine under cover Jubilee Orange, low-acid slicer from the 1940s, medium-sized fruit. 80 days5–8 oz (140–220 g)Indeterminate
Lemon Boy tomatoes ripening on the vine under cover Lemon Boy Clear yellow hybrid slicer: low acid, mild, and unusually disease-tough for its colour. 72 days 7–10 oz (200–280 g) (estimated) Indeterminate
Long Keeper tomatoes ripening on the vine under cover Long Keeper Bicolor slicer known for storing and slowly ripening after harvest. 78 days5–8 oz (140–220 g)Indeterminate
Marmande tomatoes ripening on the vine under cover Marmande The French ribbed slicer: continental Europe's answer to the American beefsteak. 75 days (estimated) 5–8 oz (140–230 g) (estimated) Semi-determinate
Oregon Spring tomatoes ripening on the vine under cover Oregon Spring Cold-tolerant early slicer bred at Oregon State University. 58 days5–8 oz (140–220 g)Determinate
Patio Princess Compact hybrid producing slicer-sized fruit on a plant under two feet. 68 days (estimated) 3–5 oz (90–140 g) (estimated) Dwarf
Queen of the Night tomatoes ripening on the vine under cover Queen of the Night Compact German heirloom streaked in ebony, crimson and orange over vermillion flesh. 80 days3–4 oz (85–100 g)Indeterminate
Purple Zebra tomatoes ripening on the vine under cover Purple Zebra Green stripes over anthocyanin-dark red, and better flavoured than most striped types. 80 days 4–6 oz (110–170 g) (estimated) Indeterminate
Rutgers tomatoes ripening on the vine under cover Rutgers The 1934 New Jersey canning classic: acidic, balanced and built for preserving. 75 days (estimated) 6–8 oz (170–230 g) (estimated) Indeterminate
Siletz tomatoes ripening on the vine under cover Siletz Cold-tolerant early slicer bred at Oregon State University. 52 days5–8 oz (140–220 g)Determinate
Sweet Scarlet Dwarf tomatoes ripening on the vine under cover Sweet Scarlet Dwarf Dwarf Tomato Project release: compact plant, heavy crop of sweet red cherries. 65 days (estimated) 6–16 oz (170–450 g) (estimated) Dwarf
White Tomesol tomatoes ripening on the vine under cover White Tomesol Creamy white slicer from the small group of genuinely white-fleshed varieties. 80 days (estimated) 5–8 oz (140–230 g) (estimated) Indeterminate

How to choose

  1. This is the category where season length does most of the work. Early Girl at 57 days and Black Beauty at 85 are four weeks apart, which in a short-summer region is the difference between two months of harvest and two weeks of it. Sort by days first and choose from what survives that filter.

  2. Slicers are the practical middle and that is their argument. A 200 g fruit ripens faster than a 500 g beefsteak, cracks less, sets more reliably in heat, and the plant carries more of them. If you want tomatoes for sandwiches and salads through the season rather than one photogenic giant, this page beats the beefsteak page on every practical measure.

  3. Four of the fourteen are not indeterminate, which is unusual for this size class. Celebrity and Marmande are semi-determinate, Rutgers is determinate, and Patio Princess is dwarf. If you want a slicing tomato without a full-season trellis, that is the whole set, and all four are also on the container-friendly page.

  4. Do not read slicer as plain. Green Zebra, Purple Zebra and Queen of the Night are striped, Lemon Boy and Azoychka are yellow, White Tomesol is white and Black Beauty is near-black. Colour and shape variety in this category is nearly as wide as on the beefsteak page, at half the fruit weight and two weeks less waiting.

Compare side by side

Color Uses
Arkansas Traveler 85 5–8 oz (140–220 g) Indeterminate 3 (estimated) / 3 (estimated) / 3 (estimated) Fresh & salads, Slicing
Azoychka 75 (estimated) 5–8 oz (140–230 g) (estimated) Indeterminate 4 (estimated) / 3 (estimated) / 4 (estimated) Fresh & salads, Slicing
Black Beauty 85 (estimated) 6–10 oz (170–280 g) (estimated) Indeterminate 3 (estimated) / 2 (estimated) / 5 (estimated) Slicing, Fresh & salads
Black Prince 75 5–8 oz (140–220 g) Indeterminate 3 (estimated) / 3 (estimated) / 3 (estimated) Fresh & salads, Slicing
Black Sea Man 75 4–10 oz (110–280 g) Determinate 3 (estimated) / 2 (estimated) / 4 (estimated) Slicing, Fresh & salads
Brown Sugar 75 5–8 oz (140–220 g) Indeterminate (estimated) 3 (estimated) / 3 (estimated) / 3 (estimated) Fresh & salads, Slicing
Celebrity 72 7–11 oz (200–300 g) Determinate 3 (estimated) / 3 (estimated) / 3 (estimated) Slicing, Fresh & salads, Canning
Costoluto Fiorentino 80 (estimated) 6–10 oz (170–280 g) (estimated) Indeterminate 3 (estimated) / 4 (estimated) / 4 (estimated) Slicing, Sauce & paste, Canning
Costoluto Genovese 80 (estimated) 5–8 oz (140–230 g) (estimated) Indeterminate 3 (estimated) / 4 (estimated) / 4 (estimated) Slicing, Sauce & paste, Canning
Creole 80 5–8 oz (140–220 g) Indeterminate 3 (estimated) / 3 (estimated) / 3 (estimated) Fresh & salads, Slicing
Early Girl 59 4–6 oz (110–170 g) (estimated) Indeterminate 3 (estimated) / 3 (estimated) / 3 (estimated) Slicing, Fresh & salads
Golden Jubilee 80 5–8 oz (140–220 g) Indeterminate 3 (estimated) / 3 (estimated) / 3 (estimated) Fresh & salads, Slicing
Green Zebra 78 (estimated) 2–5 oz (60–140 g) (estimated) Indeterminate 2 (estimated) / 4 (estimated) / 4 (estimated) Fresh & salads, Slicing
Jet Star 72 5–8 oz (140–220 g) Indeterminate 3 (estimated) / 3 (estimated) / 3 (estimated) Fresh & salads, Slicing
Jubilee 80 5–8 oz (140–220 g) Indeterminate 3 (estimated) / 3 (estimated) / 3 (estimated) Fresh & salads, Slicing
Lemon Boy 72 7–10 oz (200–280 g) (estimated) Indeterminate 3 (estimated) / 2 (estimated) / 3 (estimated) Slicing, Fresh & salads
Long Keeper 78 5–8 oz (140–220 g) Indeterminate 3 (estimated) / 3 (estimated) / 3 (estimated) Fresh & salads, Slicing
Marmande 75 (estimated) 5–8 oz (140–230 g) (estimated) Semi-determinate 3 (estimated) / 3 (estimated) / 4 (estimated) Fresh & salads, Slicing, Sauce & paste
Oregon Spring 58 5–8 oz (140–220 g) Determinate 3 (estimated) / 3 (estimated) / 3 (estimated) Fresh & salads, Slicing
Patio Princess 68 (estimated) 3–5 oz (90–140 g) (estimated) Dwarf 3 (estimated) / 3 (estimated) / 3 (estimated) Fresh & salads, Slicing
Purple Zebra 80 4–6 oz (110–170 g) (estimated) Indeterminate 4 (estimated) / 3 (estimated) / 4 (estimated) Fresh & salads, Slicing
Queen of the Night 80 3–4 oz (85–100 g) Indeterminate 4 (estimated) / 3 (estimated) / 4 (estimated) Fresh & salads, Slicing, Snacking
Rutgers 75 (estimated) 6–8 oz (170–230 g) (estimated) Indeterminate 3 (estimated) / 4 (estimated) / 4 (estimated) Canning, Sauce & paste, Slicing
Siletz 52 5–8 oz (140–220 g) Determinate 3 (estimated) / 3 (estimated) / 3 (estimated) Fresh & salads, Slicing
Sweet Scarlet Dwarf 65 (estimated) 6–16 oz (170–450 g) (estimated) Dwarf 4 (estimated) / 3 (estimated) / 3 (estimated) Fresh & salads, Snacking
White Tomesol 80 (estimated) 5–8 oz (140–230 g) (estimated) Indeterminate 4 (estimated) / 1 (estimated) / 3 (estimated) Fresh & salads, Slicing

Values marked like this (estimated) are model estimates, not confirmed from a source.

Frequently asked questions

What is a slicer tomato?

A medium to large round tomato, typically 60 to 280 g, grown for fresh eating and cut into slices rather than eaten whole or cooked down. It is the default garden tomato and the category most seed catalogues do not label at all.

What is the difference between a slicer and a beefsteak?

Weight and structure. Beefsteaks are larger, typically over 6 oz, flattened and many-chambered; slicers are rounder and lighter. Practically, slicers ripen faster, crack less and set more reliably in heat, which is why they are the more forgiving choice.

Which slicing tomato ripens earliest?

Early Girl at 57 days from transplant, which is also among the earliest varieties in the whole catalogue. Patio Princess at 68 and Celebrity and Lemon Boy at 72 follow. All figures counted from transplant, not from sowing.

Are there slicing tomatoes that do not need staking?

Four here: Rutgers is determinate, Celebrity and Marmande are semi-determinate, and Patio Princess is dwarf. The other ten are indeterminate and need full-season support.

Are slicing tomatoes good for cooking?

They work but they are not optimised for it. Higher water and seed content than a paste or plum type means longer cooking to reduce a sauce. For occasional cooking that is fine; for preserving in quantity, the paste and plum pages are the right starting point.

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