TETON DE VENUS TOMATO

Solanum lycopersicum

Big firm nippled fruits in classic tomato red. Solid but juicy, with very few seeds. Makes an amazing sauce. Fresh tomatoes are sweet, not too acidic, and texture is perfect for cutting into cubes for a Cobb Salad. Productive. Our favorite multi-purpose tomato and one of the few big reds worth growing in small gardens. Rarely available in the US.

Start tomatoes indoors 6-8 weeks before the last frost: sow seeds about 1/8" deep in moist soil, pressing to keep seed snug; mist generously with warm water; cover with plastic to maintain moisture and temperature; kept warm (75°F) and moist in bright light, seeds will germinate in about a week. Prick out seedlings once they have true leaves to grow on in individual 3" pots or 2” cells in bright light at room temperature. Fertilize seedlings weekly with dilute fish and seaweed extracts. Harden off and transplant to the garden when night temperatures are above 55°F. This tomato will benefit from soil amended with azomite, kelp and fish bone meals. Mulch with grass to keep soil from splashing onto plants. Water daily just until established, and during extremely hot or dry spells. Flavor is best if plants are made to suffer a bit.

Wispy drooping foliage on this plant is normal. Indeterminate. In particularly lush years, these tomatoes will grow so big that they sometimes, in the words of one of our customers, “lose their nipples”. First ripe fruits in about 75 days.

Packet contains at least 15 seeds.