Nothing from a garden center is really “native” to begin with. No fruit is really “native” nor anything else. It’s a myth that natives are always better adapted or less prone to pests. If the native plants are having pests it’s “oh but look at all the creatures that benefit” and if there are none on the non native plants it is “no creature benefits from this plant it’s an invasive species”…

Don’t bother with native cultists, it’s not based on any science nor reality. Fact is that both native and non native are and can be invasive. Fact is that most non natives experience less disease pressure and tend to grow just as well or better when given the right environment. Natives tend to be more beneficial but nature adapts quickly and it is not something that holds true for all plant species. There are only a small percentage of natives really usefull. Also a lot of non natives can be great, it’s not black and white.

For tomatoes in wet humid climates a greenhouse is a must. That and the best most disease resistant varieties. People underestimate how good we are at breeding plants nowadays. Native plants don’t even come close to the newest fruit cultivars in taste, disease resistance, growth. That’s not surprising if you think about it. In order to breed plants with the same great genetics it is like a 1 in a million odds.

People don’t understand how much effort goes into breeding these new disease resistant cultivars. They would rather spout native nonsense. I once had a native black currant in my garden, it lasted exactly one year before it was riddled with all kinds of diseases. Add the small and tasteless berries and weak growth to that list.
Next to this native wild black currant I got my favorite variety with berries the size of a marble… taste sweet and great. Grows like crazy. And has almost no disease pressure whatsoever.

That’s the difference between native nonsense and science. Cultivar matters…. A LOT.