Yellow Tomatoes and Orange Tomatoes: Best Varieties

There are many varieties of yellow and orange tomatoes, nearly all of which are low in acid, making them a great boon to those on acid-reduced diets.  Many are also heirloom varieties suitable for organic growing and most are also abundant producers.

Gardeners grow yellow and orange tomatoes for many reasons.  They are prized for their unusual color, their ability to make a beautiful addition to the table or salad bowl, and their unique flavor. These varieties are harder to find as seedlings at your local garden center, so you may have to grow them yourself from seeds.

Yellow Tomato Varieties

Dr. Wyche’s Yellow – This heirloom is said to have been introduced by a circus owner going by the tomato’s moniker.  It’s a heavy yielding tomato with an exotic taste in its nearly one-pound fruits.  Takes 80 days to grow.

Lemon Boy – The most popular of the yellow tomato varieties, this light, often commercially-grown, variety is a hybrid with a lot of beauty and flavor.  They are very disease-resistant and easy to grow.

Yellow Brandywine Tomato – This is an heirloom variety similar to its pink cousin.  They are very sturdy and high-yielding and are known for rich flavor and creamy texture.

Yellow Pear – Known as one of the few cold-tolerant varieties, this is a very popular small-medium tomato with light, sweet flavor.  Highly prized as table garnishes.

Orange Tomato Varieties

Amana Orange – A yellowish-orange color, these tomatoes grow to a large size (nearly 1 pound).  They have a lot of flavor but are more acidic than most yellow varieties.  They require 75-80 days to ripen and are an heirloom tomato originating in the Amana, Iowa area (hence their name).

Dad’s Sunset – A long-ripening variety requiring 90 to 100 days to grow fully.  This heirloom has been grown in the Midwestern United States for some time, but has only recently become widely recognized.  It won the 2004 Heirloom Tomato Contest for Best Tasting Tomato. Tomatoes average about 10 ounces in size.

Golden Jubilee – A very popular heirloom with average tomato sizes and hearty yields.  They are sweet and mild to taste and are a light orange color.  They are prized for their excellent storage qualities.

Golden Sunray – The gold-colored tomatoes on this plant ripen in about 80 days.  They produce uniform, sweet tomatoes with a slight tartness that sets them apart.  They are a popular salsa tomato.

Kentucky Beefsteak – A golden-orange tomato that requires 80 days for ripeness, this heirloom is one of the biggest tomatoes available.  Fruits can get to be over two pounds and have a sweet, old-fashioned tomato taste with mild acidity.  Very popular at county fairs.

Orange King – One of the more easily recognized of the fast-growing heirlooms, these require only 55 days to mature and are suitable for many climates.  Its determinate, so no stakes are needed, making them popular with home growers.  They ripen at nearly 12 ounces.

Patio Orange – This popular container cherry tomato is another early producer that has very high yields for its size.  It produces small 2-4 ounce salad toppers.

Sweet Orange – This patio variety produces a lot of cherry tomatoes that are very sweet.  An early variety, it is a favorite for salads in the southern U.S.

For Further Reading

Colorado State University – Recognizing Tomato Problems
Aggie Horticulture – How to Grow the Tomato