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Hot tomato! Four heat tolerant, heirloom tomato varieties.
Jul 23, 2012 - Charlotte from Peaceful Valley
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The popular indeterminate tomato 'Cherokee Purple' does well in humid climates.
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If you live in a humid, hot part of the world, we have four heat-tolerant, heirloom tomatoes that will keep you fruitful company in the summertime.
Sure, tomatoes need heat, but not all of them fruit well in high humidity.
Academics at the University of Florida studied the topic (there is no reported data about how many tomato sandwiches they ate during their research).
These four tomatoes made their list of the best performing heirlooms for Florida.
Use these heirloom tomatoes wherever you have hot and steamy summers.
Pink Brandywine This tomato grows fruits that can be as large as 2 pounds a piece. Pink Brandywine is famous for its excellent flavor, creamy texture, and exceptional quality. This pink is the original Brandywine tomato, from which the others were developed.
Cherokee Purple Legend has it that this tomato was grown by the Cherokee tribe. The tomatoes have a flattened shape with a distinctive purple-pink-brown color, on relatively short vines. Sweet, rich flavor is another reason this tomato is so beloved. Grow ‘Cherokee Purple’ yourself, since the thin skin and soft flesh make the tomatoes hard to transport.
Prudens Purple This rediscovered early-producing vine bears fruits up to 1 pound each, with dark-pink skin and crimson flesh. The tomatoes have delicious flavor, firm flesh, and few seeds. The vines, with leaves similar to a potato, are vigorous and productive.
San Marzano The large, indeterminate vines produce elongated fruit. The fruits grow to about 4” long and 2” in diameter and are borne in clusters. They are crack resistant and hold well on the vine or in storage. A processor favorite due to high solids, this is the standard Italian pear tomato, aka the Italian Canner. Use it also for tomato paste or puree.
Have more tomato questions? We have videos and articles about:
Planting and Growing Tomatoes
Tomato Pruning and Tomato Diseases
Vertical Gardening with Tomatoes
Categories: Vegetable Seeds, Tomato Seeds, Heirloom Seeds, Heirloom Tomato Seeds
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Becca Says:
Oct 13th, 2012 at 7:12 pm
Unfortunately, I tried the Pruden’s Purple and the Cherokee Purple this year in my Gulf Coast garden and they just couldn’t take it! Granted, we had a much wetter summer than is normal for these parts but they performed very poorly for our area. :( On the other hand, I have heard that the San Marzano is excellent for the Gulf Coast!
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Charlotte from Peaceful Valley Says:
Jan 30th, 2013 at 12:19 am
Becca, Thanks for the feedback from your garden!
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tony Says:
Apr 3rd, 2013 at 1:51 am
hi, i was wondering if these tomato plants set fruits on june july and august, when we have maximum temps at 40C or 104F. monthly high average temp for august is 30.2 and minimum is 21.4, and humidity 58% ??? and can i keep seeds from the plant for the next year??
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Charlotte from Peaceful Valley Says:
Apr 4th, 2013 at 10:35 am
Tony, Yes, you can save the seed from these tomatoes for future years if stored properly.
In hot areas, temperature is going to compromise your ability to sustain flowers. During periods when daytime temperatures fall below 90F degrees and night time temps fall below 70F, the plant can sustain the flowers long enough to be pollinated and create fruits. Optimal night ranges will be between 59F-68F degrees with reasonable humidity.
If you plant early, and keep the plant strong through the hot periods, you may be able to have a reasonable harvest over a long growing season. Do not overfeed nitrogen, thinking you are helping the tomato to grow further - this in itself can cause flowers to drop. Giving them drinks or foliar feeds of kelp can help them get through stressful periods. Follow directions for the amendments that you are using. You could also try adding a shade fabric.
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