A hybrid seed comes from a cross between two different varieties, made to obtain a certain set of characteristics. An open-pollinated variety holds on to the parents characteristics generation after generation. This is important, if you want to save seed. Also, tomatoes have either a determinant or an indeterminate growth habit . Determinate tomatoes tend to have compact plants and the fruit ripens more closely together.
Indeterminate plants continue to grow and the fruits keep setting until frost.
What follows is a list of varieties for the Northwest. Indet. is short for indeterminate varieties, Det. for determinate. The letters after the descriptions refer to seed companies that carry that variety. The supplier list is NOT exhaustive and is provided for the convenience of our readers. We do not endorse these suppliers or imply that the hundreds of other seed companies omitted are inferior in any way.