7 Colorful Tomatoes That Are Almost Too Pretty to Eat
Fresh from the vine or cooked in a pie, tomatoes are delicious no matter how you prepare them. But what if the tomato is just too beautiful to eat? Well, as beautiful as these tomatoes are, we encourage you to dig in and enjoy their fruity, sweet, and tangy flavors. Gardening expert Melissa Strauss shares seven of the most sensational-looking tomato varieties for your garden.
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Raise your hand if you grew up thinking that green tomatoes are unripe and red tomatoes are the standard of beauty. I will admit, this was me. Don’t get me wrong—a plump, red, ripe tomato is a beautiful thing. But there is a whole world of colorful tomatoes out there to discover and grow!
Tomatoes come in a wide range of colors and variations. From black to green to gold-striped and marbled, these fruits can be quite exotic and unusual. Thanks to hybridization, there are tomatoes that are so beautiful that it’s difficult to imagine eating them. In fact, I wouldn’t blame you for growing some of these varieties simply to put in a bowl for decoration.
While they would make stunning table decorations, it would be an injustice to leave these fruits off of your dinner menu. Many of the most beautiful tomatoes are also incredibly flavorful and delicious. Fortunately, most are also great producers. There are plenty of options to eat and to decorate with if you please. Here are seven exquisite tomato varieties that showcase the wide range of colors these vines can produce.
Queen of the Night
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botanical name Solanum lycopersicum ‘Konigin der Nacht’ |
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plant type Indeterminate |
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sun requirements Full sun |
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height 5’ |
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hardiness zones 4-11 |
It doesn’t get more regal and stunning than the ‘Queen of the Night’ tomato. This German native is one striking lady and perfect for a goth garden. Flaming reddish orange tomatoes have a deep purple, nearly black wash from the top down. The contrast will have you wondering if this isn’t some exotic variety of plum, but indeed, it is a tasty tomato.
Slice into one of these dramatic fruits, and you’ll see a vermilion interior that is bursting with flavor. The three-inch, round fruits have a lovely shape and a robust flavor that is delectable raw or cooked. They have a savory, sweet fragrance that matches the flavor. They have a well-balanced acidity and thicker-than-average skin.
The compact, indeterminate vines grow to about five feet tall and produce slightly later in the season. They continue to bear their beautiful fruits until the first frost. These tomatoes are definitely Instagram-worthy!
Sart Roloise
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botanical name Solanum lycopersicum ‘Sart Roloise’ |
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plant type Indeterminate |
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sun requirements Full sun |
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height up to 10’ |
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hardiness zones 4-11 |
This large and tasty beefsteak tomato comes from Belgium. The 10-20 ounce fruits are bright yellow with gorgeous indigo streaks starting at the top and creating an ombre effect. Any place the sun touches takes on this bold bluish-purple hue.
You won’t want to slice into this gleaming purple skin, but you should! Inside is glowing, yellow, meaty flesh that is sweet and fruity with a tropical flair and low acidity. They are tasty when eaten raw and hold up well to heat. The dense flesh is extra juicy.
Leave these tomatoes on the vine to ripen for a deeper yellow shade inside. When picked early, they are nearly white, thanks to their ‘White Wonder’ parent. This makes a wonderful sandwich tomato.
Berkeley Tie-Dye
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botanical name Solanum lycopersicum ‘Berkeley Tie-Dye’ |
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plant type Indeterminate |
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sun requirements Full sun |
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height 5’-6’ |
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hardiness zones 4-11 |
This groovy tomato comes in several colors, but green is my personal favorite. Streaks of bright orange and yellow adorn neon green fruits for one of the most explosive-looking colorful tomatoes I’ve ever seen. Tie-dye is the best word to describe the intricate coloration.
Slice into one of these large, trippy tomatoes to see more neon green splashed with bits of rosy pink. The flesh is very meaty with few seeds. The flavor is complex, sweet, and tangy, tinged with a spicy acidity. They are wonderful and flavorful, great for eating fresh off the vine.
Nice, mid-sized vines start producing about 75-80 after planting and continue until the first frost. Grow Berkeley pink and green beside each other for a truly psychedelic vibe in the garden.
Oaxacan Jewel
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botanical name Solanum lycopersicum ‘Oaxacan Jewel’ |
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plant type Indeterminate |
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sun requirements Full sun |
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height 4′-6’ |
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hardiness zones 4-11 |
This gorgeous heirloom tomato predates the colonization of the Americas. A Mexican native, this variety is a beautiful, all-purpose tomato. The fruits are large, between eight ounces and one pound. They have red and yellow marbling inside and out, making them a delight to slice into. Their sweet and acidic flavor is well-balanced and has a tropical profile. This fruity variety is great for cooking or eating fresh.
‘Oaxacan Jewel’ is a mid-sized, indeterminate vine. It fruits later in the season and continues until the first frost. The flesh is meaty with few seeds and has a very good, dense texture. This plant has excellent disease resistance. If you love a beautiful tomato with tons of flavor, this fits the bill.
Black Strawberry
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botanical name Solanum lycopersicum ‘Black Strawberry’ |
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plant type Indeterminate |
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sun requirements Full sun |
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height 8’ |
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hardiness zones 4-11 |
If you love a bite-sized tomato, ‘Black Strawberry’ will be an extra special treat. You’ll love showing off these beautiful fruits at your next dinner party. Small, two-ounce fruits grow in striking, pendulous clusters. This colorful tomato changes throughout the ripening process, with shades of green, red, gold, and deep eggplant present at the same time.
A bowl of these beauties looks like luminous gemstones with their wonderful variations in color. The flavor is sweet and fruity with hints of plum. They have just the right amount of tartness and balanced acidity to make them great for eating raw. Most fruits are round, but they can be oblong on some plants.
These long, indeterminate vines begin to ripen early in the season, just 60 days after transplanting. The plants are sturdy and stand up well to heat and disease.
Green Zebra
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botanical name Solanum lycopersicum ‘Green Zebra’ |
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plant type Indeterminate |
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sun requirements Full sun |
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height 4’-8’ |
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hardiness zones 4-11 |
‘Green Zebra’ is an heirloom hybrid that came about in the 1980s. It has all the disease resistance and hardiness of a hybrid but the delicious flavor of an heirloom variety. This tomato is easy to grow and a real conversation piece in the garden and on the table. You can expect ripe fruits about two and a half months after transplanting. This vine is indeterminate and will continue to bear until frost.
The vines are medium-sized, as are the three to four once fruits. The fruits are round and bright yellow with chartreuse striping, which is where they earned their name. Slice into one of these fascinating fruits, and you’ll find the inside bright green with a rich, tangy flavor. They stand up well to cooking, but their intense flavor is best experienced raw.
Artisan Tiger Stripes
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botanical name Solanum lycopersicum ‘Artisan Tiger Stripes’ |
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plant type Indeterminate |
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sun requirements Full sun |
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height 6’+ |
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hardiness zones 4-11 |
‘Artisan Tiger Stripe’ is a series rather than a single variety. These colorful tomatoes have a unique, pointed, oblong shape. Their skin has stripes in shades of red, pink, gold, and green, depending on the variety. Plant a combination of varieties for a truly colorful bowl of tomatoes. They have excellent fruity flavor and are wonderful when allowed to ripen on the vine.
Artisan Tiger Stripes
Artisan Tiger Stripes Blend Pole Cherry Tomato Seeds
These sweet, flavorful fruits will begin to ripen about 70 days after transplanting and continue throughout the summer and into fall. Tall vines are great producers and are very heat- and crack-resistant. Pick these beauties when the color variations are strong, and the fruits are slightly soft. Don’t worry if this plant gets off to a slow start; it will pick up steam and be a great producer.
Final Thoughts
Roses are red, and tomatoes are, too. But they can also be green, yellow, purple, and blue! With so many beautiful tomatoes, choosing just one variety is nearly impossible. These sweet, fruity, juicy tomatoes may look too good to be true, but don’t pass on eating them because of their visual appeal. These vines are all great producers, so there are plenty of gorgeous tomatoes to try planting this summer.
