🌱 Join the Next Level Gardening Community (zone-specific help & support): https://community.nextlevelgardening.tv/plans
MENTIONED VIDEOS
▶ Aspirin spray for disease resistance: https://youtu.be/hzzizV1LFds
▶ Tomato Pruning & Trellising (especially for humid climates): https://youtu.be/QhpYNbWJGBU
If tomatoes have been a struggle for you, there’s a good chance it’s not your soil, your fertilizer, or your watering schedule.
You might just be growing the wrong tomato for where you live.
In this video, I break tomatoes down by real climate conditions, not just USDA hardiness zones. Two gardeners can both be in the same zone and get completely different results — because summer heat, humidity, night temperatures, and season length matter more than people realize.
Instead of guessing, I’ll show you how to identify your climate bucket and then give you the safest tomato varieties for that situation — including slicers, paste tomatoes, and reliable cherry tomatoes that keep producing when everything else struggles.
This is an updated, evergreen version of one of my most requested topics, built around real-world results and years of viewer feedback.
In this video, you’ll learn:
– Why USDA zones don’t tell the full tomato story
– How to choose tomatoes for hot & humid climates
– What works best in hot & dry areas
– Why hot nights cause blossom drop (and what to grow instead)
– The best tomatoes for short growing seasons
– Which varieties handle cool, coastal, and foggy summers
– Tomato options for containers and small spaces
If you want tomato recommendations that actually work where you live, this video will save you a lot of frustration.
Comment below with your location and the tomatoes that crush it for you — the comment section on this topic always becomes one of the best tomato databases anywhere.
CHAPTERS
0:00 Why tomatoes fail (and it’s not your fault)
0:44 Why USDA zones don’t tell the full story
1:17 How to find your real tomato “climate bucket”
2:54 Get help specific to your area (community)
3:11 Tomatoes for hot & humid climates
5:22 Tomatoes for hot & dry climates
6:54 Tomatoes for hot days AND hot nights
8:36 Three tomatoes that work almost anywhere
9:12 Best tomatoes for short growing seasons
10:17 Tomatoes for cool, coastal & foggy summers
11:29 Best tomatoes for containers & small spaces
12:16 Quick recap by climate
13:03 Start tomato seeds the right way (next video)
8 Comments
You Rock
Salem, Oregon: cherry tomatoes, work great but large beef steak tomatoes never perform well. Or could it be just me?😝
I live in central pa, we have very rainy springs with rain every other day for almost a month but I'd still consider it hot and dry by July. We sometimes go over a month without any rain.
You nailed it for the hot and dry and early season buckets Brian!!!
The only slicer I grow in Colorado is early girl. They are good for sauces and sandwiches. I have grown Sun Gold too. I only grew one plant and got about 1000 off that plant😂
I'll have to try the Eva Purple sometime.
Northern Ohio
Hot and humid!
Thinking we live near you in Ramona (mountains outside San Diego). Shade cloths and lots of pruning as we can also get fungus and bottom rot. Last year was an excellent year for us!! Thanks for your help!
Can you do another video like this and just name Heirloom varieties. Thank you. Great video