Heirloom tomato seeds continue to be a popular choice with UK gardeners, allotment holders and small-scale growers who value flavour, reliability and the ability to save their own seed. These traditional varieties have been grown for generations and remain well suited to greenhouse, polytunnel and sheltered outdoor growing.
Unlike many modern hybrids, heirloom tomatoes are selected for taste and performance rather than uniformity or shelf life. For growers who want tomatoes with character, heirloom varieties are often the natural choice.
Heirloom tomato seeds come from open-pollinated tomato varieties. This means the plants are pollinated naturally and the seed they produce will grow true to type when saved and sown again.
Most heirloom tomatoes were introduced before hybrid breeding became widespread and were selected over time for flavour, cropping reliability and suitability to local growing conditions.
Understanding the difference between heirloom and hybrid tomatoes helps growers choose the right varieties for their needs.
Heirloom tomatoes allow seed saving and often deliver better flavour, but can show more variation in fruit size and shape. F1 hybrids are bred for uniformity and disease resistance, but seed saved from them will not grow true.
For home growers and allotments, heirloom tomatoes offer long-term value, independence and diversity.
The table below lists the traditional, open-pollinated tomato varieties available from Growseed. All of these varieties are suitable for seed saving and have proven themselves in UK growing conditions.
Some heirloom tomatoes are particularly forgiving and well suited to growers new to tomatoes. Varieties such as Gardener’s Delight and Moneymaker are reliable choices and cope well with typical UK growing conditions.
St Pierre is also a good option for growers looking for a traditional tomato with consistent results.
Flavour is where heirloom tomatoes really stand out. Varieties such as Black Russian offer deep, rich flavour, while Ailsa Craig delivers the classic sweet tomato taste many growers remember.
For cooking and preserving, San Marzano Red Plum remains hard to beat.
Heirloom tomatoes can be grown outdoors in the UK, particularly in sheltered, sunny positions. Early cropping varieties such as Tigerella often perform well outside.
For the most reliable harvests, especially in cooler regions, greenhouse or polytunnel growing is recommended.
Saving seed is one of the key advantages of heirloom tomatoes. Choose healthy, fully ripe fruits, ferment the seed briefly to remove the gel coating, then dry thoroughly before storage.
Over time, saved seed can become increasingly well adapted to your own growing conditions.
Heirloom tomato seeds offer flavour, diversity and independence that modern hybrids often cannot. For growers who value taste, tradition and the ability to save seed, they remain an essential part of UK tomato growing.