Top-12 Tomatoes for Hoophouse & High Tunnel Production

While it is possible to grow virtually any tomato with success in a high tunnel, some perform way better than others — mostly by dint of their particular disease resistances but also their growth habit. Here are our recommendations for varieties that yield well, taste great, and bear up well under conditions and disease pressures common in hoophouses and tunnels. For best results, take stock of the particular conditions in your tunnels and choose accordingly.

1 • From the greenhouse line-up but good for the high tunnel, too

1 • 'Sakura'

All the tomato varieties in our greenhouse line-up are suited to high-tunnel growing. Because of their strong foliar disease resistance, they can perform more reliably in any protected culture setting than the field varieties can.

In addition to foliar disease resistance, one of the primary goals of a greenhouse tomato breeding program is to develop more "tidy" plant habits — fewer suckers, smaller leaves, more regular growth. Where space is at a premium, tidiness is a virtue, and 'Sakura' is a variety notable for tidiness.

2 • Hy-Looms good for the high tunnel

2 • French Heritage Collection

For growers who have trouble with true heirlooms, the French Heritage Tomatoes bear mention.

These are a half-dozen beauties well worth consideration for anyone who seeks the fine eating qualities but not the risks and limitations inherent in growing heirlooms — which can include lower disease resistance and yield, respectively. But that's the short version — read about each of these unique hy-looms in French Heritage Collection: The Best of the Old World Marries the New.

3–12 • Favorites from the field for the high tunnel

Just as all "greenhouse tomatoes" can be grown in a high tunnel, it is equally possible to grow any "field tomato" in a high tunnel. It is from the large, diverse field category that many high tunnel growers are interested in choosing varieties for trialing.

In most cases, fewer environmental issues are encountered in tunnels than in the field. Nonetheless, some of the field varieties are distinctly better than others for tunnel production — again, primarily because of particular disease resistances and more compact habits.

Below, we've listed our favorites from the field line-up. But — before choosing varieties for high tunnel and hoophouse growing, it's best to be aware of diseases common to this type of tomato culture, so you can choose varieties with resistances to the particular disease pressures found in your environment.

Here is a brief overview of tomato diseases and plant resistance aspects that rank as important in high tunnel production — and why. (For a more complete picture, refer to Common Tomato Pests, Diseases, and Physiological Issues.)

Foliar Diseases

These are fungi that thrive on the high humidity (85% plus) and restricted air movement that can exist in high tunnels, particularly if the setup lacks adequate ventilation or the plants are left unattended during busy times or under high-risk weather conditions.

Leaf Mold (LM) on tomato leaf, top & underside.

Images courtesy Eric Sideman — Maine Organic Farmers & Gardeners Association (MOFGA).

• Leaf mold (LM). Fulvia fulva, Passalora fulva. * — A very common, potentially devastating fungus that causes leaves and blossoms to rot away very rapidly. The spores of this fungus survive within dead plant tissue and other organic material around the high tunnel, and it can be difficult to get rid of them.
  
  Leaf mold resistance was originally bred into varieties intended for more high-tech greenhouse applications, but many high tunnel growers are finding that they need it, too.
  
  * Note:  The causal agent of leaf mold is the fungus Fulvia fulva, formerly called Cladosporium fulvum; as of 2013, mycologists also use the name Passalora fulva. Another common name is brown leaf mold. Leaf mold is sometimes confused with gray mold, which is caused by a different pathogen (ie, Botrytis cinerea). For more information on leaf mold, see Ivy, A. 2014. Leaf mold on tomatoes. Cornell University Cooperative Extension. For more information on Botrytis blight, see Doubrava, N., et al. 1999. Gray Mold (Botrytis Blight). Clemson University Cooperative Extension.
  
  

Gray Leaf Spot (GLS) on tomato leaf.
Image courtesy Clemson University — USDA Cooperative Extension Slide Series.

• Gray leaf spot (GLS). Stemphylium solani, S. lycopersici. — A foliar disease that thrives at humidity above 85% and temperatures in the mid-60s (17–18°C). Gray leaf spot causes lesions on the leaves that reduce productivity and eventually cause leaf-drop.
  
  We have found that there are not as many high-quality commercial tomato varieties with grey leaf spot resistance as there are with other resistances.
  
  

Powdery Mildew (PM) on tomato.

• Powdery mildew (PM). Oidium spp. — Not found everywhere, but it seems to be on the increase in many regions of the US. Similar impact to gray leaf spot, causing leaf drop, severely reduced yields, and poor quality fruit.
  
  There are not many commercial varieties available with PM resistance.

Soilborne Diseases

These pathogens multiply over time in areas where tomatoes are grown frequently. Because most farms have limited high tunnel space, and tomatoes are a high-value crop, growers tend to plant tomatoes in the same soil far too often, and disease proliferates.

Fusarium Wilt (F) on tomato.
Image courtesy Erik Draper, Ohio University — USDA Cooperative Extension Slide Series.

• Fusarium wilt, Races 0, 1, and 2 (F) [see code chart]. (F. oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici, 3 races) — A fungal disease that lives in soil and enters the plant through young roots. It clogs the vascular system of the plant, preventing water and nutrients from reaching leaves and fruit.
  
  Fusarium resistance is very common in modern hybrid tomatoes.
  
  

Verticillium Wilt (V) on tomato.
Image courtesy Gerald Holmes — California Polytechnic State University.

• Verticillium wilt (V). Verticillium albo-atrum, V. dahliae —  Another fungus that clogs the plumbing of plants, Verticillium enters through small cuts and lesions that may occur on the root surface.
  
  It is also a very common resistance in recent tomato breeding.

Southern Root-knot Nematode (N) on tomato.
Image courtesy Gerald Holmes — California Polytechnic State University.

• Root-knot nematodes (N). Meloidogyne spp. — Tiny worms that invade the roots of the tomato plants, causing the plant to respond by forming galls or knots in the roots. Knotty roots lose much of their ability to pull in water and nutrients, so the plants become stunted and lack the vigor required to produce marketable yields under stress.

Viruses

These are pathogens that persist in plant tissue or in their insect vectors.

• Tobacco Mosaic Virus (TMV). — Symptoms are expressed more strongly in restricted light conditions, such as those that exist under the plastic film and overhead structures of a high tunnel.
  
  TMV causes severe stunting and greatly reduced yields, or even death in severe cases. It is easily spread from the hands of people who handle tobacco products, and once infection takes hold, it is spread from plant-to-plant by simple contact. This means that it can move very quickly through a high tunnel, where plants grow close together and workers are touching all of the plants as they prune and harvest.
  
  

Tomato Mosaic Virus (ToMV) on tomato.
Image courtesy University of Georgia, Plant Pathology.

• Tomato Mosaic Virus (ToMV). — Very similar in symptoms to TMV, and ToMV is also expressed more strongly under plastic.
  
  Growers may have issues with one or the other or both TMV and ToMV, and it is recommended that plant tissue be tested to confirm which one you have, so you can then select appropriate varieties.
  
  

Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus (TSWV) on tomato.
Image courtesy Elizabeth Bush — Virginia Polytechnic.

• Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus (TSWV). — Spread by thrips, a common high tunnel pest.
  
  TSWV causes severe plant stunting and fruit damage. It will destroy a tomato crop.

Aside from disease considerations, what factors should you keep in mind when selecting field tomato varieties for growing in a high tunnel or hoophouse? Here are 3 more characteristics to consider:

Planting the high tunnel trial

• What is the plant habit of the variety? In addition to disease resistance, plant habit is a consideration, and the two are partly related. Plants with extremely vigorous growth are not recommended for protected culture. They become overcrowded, enhancing the stifling conditions that promote foliar disease development. They also require a lot more labor for pruning and trellising, and can be difficult to harvest. Rangy growth is a trait common in cherry tomatoes, which is why only a select few perform well in the protected setting.
• What are the variety's preferences and performance like in the field? It's generally a good practice for growers to have familiarity with how a variety likes to grow outside before scaling up with it indoors.
• What is best grafting combination for the variety? And for those who are grafting plants, it is important to check how a particular top variety interacts with a particular rootstock before growing that combination in a tunnel. Some top varieties can become unruly when grafted, especially to a more vegetative rootstock.
  
  Learn the fundamentals of grafting with our educational webinar resources…

RECOMMENDED FIELD VARIETIES

3 • 'Big Beef' & 'Big Beef Plus'

From the category of field tomatoes, here is the subset of varieties that in our experience offer above-average high-tunnel performance.

Indeterminate

3 • 'Big Beef' & 'Big Beef Plus' — Widely known for its productivity, with flavor that surpasses most other hybrid beefsteaks, 'Big Beef's exceptional vigor enables it to thrive under stresses that may occur in the high tunnel, such as sudden spikes in temperature or humidity. One of the few tomatoes we carry that features Gray Leaf Spot (GLS) resistance, 'Big Beef' also has high resistance (HR) to Fusarium (F).

4 • 'Estiva'

And now, there is 'Big Beef Plus', with flavor, color, and adaptability at an even higher amplitude, combined with a disease resistance package that includes high resistance (HR) to Alternaria Stem Canker (AS), Fusarium Wilt (F) races 1 and 2, Fusarium Crown and Root Rot (FOR), Gray Leaf Spot (GLS), Tomato Mosaic Virus (ToMV), and Verticillium Wilt (V); plus intermediate resistance (IR) to Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus (TSWV) and Nematodes (N).

4 • 'Estiva' — Beautiful red fruit in a very versatile, 6–7-ounce size. Highly productive, even in hot weather; 'Estiva' is often compared to 'Big Beef' in terms of performance, but with slightly smaller fruits. HR for F2, TMV, and V.

Determinate

5 • 'Galahad'

5 • 'Galahad' — An award-winning organic option for the Heartland, West/Northwest regions, 'Galahad's early maturity and broad disease package enables successful production of delicious, good-quality Beefsteak-type fruit to regions ranging from the West all the way down to the deep South as well as into the North.

6 • 'BHN 589'

6 • 'BHN 589' — Hands down, 'BHN 589' is the best determinate tomato for the hoophouse. HR to TMV, F2, and V, very productive, and with high-quality fruit.

7 • 'Grand Marshall'

7 • 'Grand Marshall' — With good fruit set in heat and improved (intermediate) resistance to Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl Virus (TYLCV), a devastating hot-climate virus that infects both outdoors and in tunnels, 'Grand Marshall' is a great new determinate beefsteak variety for the South. Also has HR to AS, V, F2 and GLS.

Small-Fruited

8 • 'Sunpeach'

8 • 'Sunpeach' — Pink cherry with high resistance to Leaf Mold (LM) and ToMV. 'Sunpeach' has a wonderful low-acid flavor profile typical of pink tomatoes, and rounds out a mixed cherry assortment perfectly.

9 • 'BHN 968'

9 • 'BHN 968' — Determinate red cherry with strong disease package for protected/indoor growing (HR: F, N, TMN, V). 'BHN 968' also has excellent flavor, and better texture than most determinate cherries.

10 • 'Golden Sweet'

10 • 'Golden Sweet' — Indeterminate yellow grape tomato with high resistance to Leaf Mold (LM) and Fusarium race 1 (F). 'Golden Sweet' fruit is richly pigmented, mild and flavorful.

Paste/Roma

14 • 'Tiren'

11 • 'Tiren' — An early, classic San Marzano-type bred in Italy to thrive in high tunnel applications. 'Tiren' has no foliar disease resistance, but HR for F, ToMV, and V.

12 • 'Granadero'

12 • 'Granadero' — Highly productive, organic Roma plum-type. 'Granadero' is one of the few varieties available with high resistance to Powdery Mildew (PM). Also has HR for F2, TMV, and V, as well as intermediate resistance (IR) for N.

'Tiren' and 'Granadero' both have nice, compact plant habits that work well in the hoophouse.

By providing protection from the elements and maintaining warmer temperatures, high tunnels and hoophouses allow the grower to produce quality fruit at earlier and later harvest dates. At the same time, conditions and disease pressures in tunnels can pose challenges to a tomato crop's success. All the tomatoes we've listed here are good choices — not only due to their growing habit and disease resistances, but also excellent yield, appearance, and flavor. Give us a call if you need additional guidance in choosing the best varieties for your particular region and growing methods.