We are excited to debut a very special group of Tomato plants! Our good friend and Plantsman Bill Yoder has been selecting and crossing different varieties for years, with a particular interest in Dwarf Tomato Plants which produce cherry to full-sized fruit. Others are chosen by him as some of his all-around favorites for flavor, color and growing characteristics.
About Bill Yoder and His Tomatoes
Bill has been a tomato farmer, breeder and trial grower for the past 20 years. One of the things we love about him is that he has grown more than 4000 distinct varieties of tomatoes over the past 20 years! We should all be so lucky. We first got to know Bill by his reputation: he sells his tomato plants in the metro Atlanta area and you will find him at the Marietta Square Farmers Market every Saturday morning. In the summer he sells some of his garden harvest to restaurants, selects specimens for ongoing evaluation, documentation, seed saving and of course, personal consumption. In addition to growing his favorites, Bill selects and trials many new varieties every year. “It is an exciting time to be a tomato grower” Bill says, “there are new varieties becoming available every year, thanks to a fantastic group of tomato breeders and enthusiasts.”
Bill knows that the number of choices for tomato selection can be overwhelming. He selects for traits based on several different criteria but most importantly for great flavor, good disease resistance and productivity. He continually seeks out rare or unknown varieties, exchanging seeds and purchasing from people all over the world. Bill grows them for trials in his own garden to determine the overall characteristics and performance for your garden plants.
As a long-time contributing member of the Dwarf Tomato Project, he has enjoyed the opportunity to participate in trialing, evaluating and the selection of many dwarf tomato varieties. We are so happy to offer Bill’s tomato selections at The Tasteful Garden! Dwarf varieties are perfect for containers or small gardens and we have several that produce cherry tomatoes, too. The Dwarf plants are Indeterminate and grow 2′ – 4′ tall. The Bill Yoder Collection represents some of the very best varieties from the Dwarf Tomato Project, as well as some of his favorite rare or unknown Indeterminate and Determinate varieties. We hope you try some of these Tomatoes and enjoy the fruits of his labor.
You can find Bill on Facebook at: Bill Yoder | Facebook. He regularly posts pictures of his tomato growing progress and harvests during Spring and Summer as well as a large variety of other garden plants year-round.
Elongated cherry tomatoes that start out with lavender and purple stripes, turning to technicolor olive-green, red, and brown/blue stripes when fully ripe. These plants have a wispy growth habit but do not be fooled, they are very productive. A Bill Yoder Collection selection, Indeterminate 75 days
A tall vigorous plant that produces huge deep pink fruits that can easily reach 1.5 pounds. Indeterminate, 90 days. A Bill Yoder Collection selection
Incredibly colorful and delicious large-fruited slicing variety! Exterior color is green with stripes in red and yellow but the flesh is truly tri-color. These tomatoes are a work of art! A Bill Yoder Collection selection, Indeterminate 80 days
A large bright yellow beefsteak tomato with orange and white stripes. Yellow flesh and pulp, meaty and juicy with nice sweet and tangy flavor. A Bill Yoder Collection selection, Indeterminate 85 days
Plants produce very good yields of six to twelve ounce, oblate shaped, purple fruit with a rich, well-balanced flavor. A new variety for 2023 from our Bill Yoder Collection. Indeterminate Dwarf, 75 days.
Plants produce scarlet-red colored, heart shaped, medium sized, very meaty fruit. They have a rich, balanced flavor, the texture makes it particularly suited for sauce preparations. A new variety for 2023 from our Bill Yoder Collection. Indeterminate Dwarf, 80 days.
A great-tasting, large black beefsteak tomato. Very vigorous plants with thick stems. These tomatoes average 1.5 lbs each. Indeterminate, 80 days. A Bill Yoder Collection selection
This is one of Bill's all-time favorite tomatoes. It has everything. Amazing sweet flavor, production and good disease resistance. Imagine having a slice of this tomato on your plate. A Bill Yoder Collection selection, Indeterminate 85 days
These plants produce good yields of medium-sized, four to eight ounce, ivory-lemon colored, oblate shaped tomatoes with elements of both sweet and tart in a full, delicious flavor. A new variety for 2023 from our Bill Yoder Collection. Indeterminate Dwarf, 75 days.
A cherry sized version of the Cherokee Purple tomato. This tomato came from a sport of Cherokee Purple. Indeterminate, 65 days. A Bill Yoder Collection selection
