Fine point Sharpie with name abbreviation and date on top of the tomato next to the stem core that would be pitched anyway. Make a separate list of the abbreviations you use.

Dave

Make that a BLACK Sharpie! The colored Sharpies fade in sunlight. I was unable to determine my tomato or pepper varieties last year because of using colored Sharpies!!!! I'll never make that mistake again.

I usually harvest only one variety at a time.

If I must harvest a few different ones I use separate containers which are labeled before I put the tomatoes in them. If possible, to further prevent a mix up, I harvest tomatoes with different shapes or colors from one another.

In other words, it's easy to eyeball the differences between Marglobe, Roman Candle and Black Krim because they have different shapes and colors.

Hopefully you aren't going to let your tomatoes sit out in the sun long enough to fade colored sharpy, but for tags, yes, use black.

If you're marking plant tags use commercial grade sharpies or paint pens. Also, make a map of the garden and label the plants on the map. Make some copies of the map and stash one in the garage, one in the storage room, by your computer, between the mattress and boxspring, wherever. I tag my plants with several markers--one in the front, one in the back and one buried next to the roots at transplant. THe maps are what I rely on when I'm at my computer.

spiced_ham,

Okay hothead, you couldn't help yourself, could you? I guess I didn't read the post thoroughly! "...when you pick them" and not when you PLANT them! Quite a difference there! Use a black Sharpie when planting!

I put all of my tomatoes on a table in the kitchen, grouped together by variety, and place a Post-It with the variety name on it in front of them.

Sharpies fade easy. Paint pens are best. Also,

I harvest different ones at a time like Trudi that I can easily tell apart.

Thank you everyone for your replies. I am going to try to plant the different tomato varieties in such a way that 2 similar varieties are not right next to each other (ie. not planting Tommy Toes by Large Red Cherry). That way, I'll know for sure what I'm eating. Thanks again.

We need smiley faces/emoticons on this forum.

Be aware that some sharpies have toxic ink. If you use them be sure to use the non-toxic ones if writing on fruit.

I harvest fruit and put them in containers. I use a piece of masking tape on the side of the container to mark the variety.
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I pick into cardboard flats, with a strip (or sheet) of paper tucked under but with the name visible. If I pick several types into one flat that look similar, I make "dividers" out of newspaper.

I head to the tomato patch with a handful of used plastic shopping bags, a roll of masking tape worn like a braclet and a Sharpie -yes, black- in my pocket or behind my ear.
The first ripe tomato picked from a plant gets a name label made from the tape, just tear it off and stick it on. Others from the same plant go in the same bag- sans labels.
Next variety new bag, same procedure. The bags sit in piles around the patch until I'm done, then gathered for the walk back to the house. They get sorted into piles on the kitchen counter for our eating pleasure.
SOS

I got a neighbor dog that marks pretty well... dang dog!