Tomato time is a favorite for many gardeners, and there are lots of fun varieties to try out. AP gardening columnist Jessica Damiano experiments with new varieties each year. But she also tends to return to her favorites. Her top-performing tomato plants are Bull’s hearts, Rutgers, Big Boys, Sungold cherry tomatoes and Brandywines. Bull's hearts produce large, meaty fruit with few seeds. They're great for salads, sandwiches and sauce. Rutgers are sometimes called Jersey tomatoes. They're also so-called “slicer” tomatoes good in sandwiches and salads. Big Boys are among the tastiest of the hybrids. And candy-sweet, orange Sungold cherry tomatoes are great right off the plant. Brandywines have pinkish-red fruit that makes perfectly sized sandwich slices.

What to buy, what to serve, which events to attend — December is typically full of decisions. Here’s one more for you to contemplate: What are…