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Heirloom

Italian Heirloom Tomato

Quick Facts:

  • Heirloom variety from Italy
  • Red, heart-shaped tomatoes; Up to 1lb
  • Resistant to blossom end rot
  • Delicious; Perfect for slicing & canning
  • 85 days from transplant

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Quantity: Packet (50 Seeds)

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We ship to all areas of North America including the United States, its territories and outlying islands, and Canada. International orders may incur an additional charge to cover the handling of customs paperwork. Returns are accepted within 30 days of receipt. Full warranty information can be found here.

Italian Heirloom Tomato

More about Italian Heirloom

Solanum lycopersicum

Its excellent flavor and meatiness make Italian Heirloom one of the best dual-purpose tomatoes around. When I first grew this variety in the extreme drought of 2012, I thought I would never grow it again. Early on, it always seemed to look thirsty with its leaves often rolled and droopy. However later in the season, Italian Heirloom produced nice yields of large near-perfect tomatoes while other varieties suffered from extreme blossom end rot (a calcium deficiency that is worsened by drought). It turned out that my initial impressions were wrong, Italian heirloom had been coping with the drought stress while the others were chugging along as if everything were fine. I learned an important lesson in... More

Less

Solanum lycopersicum

Its excellent flavor and meatiness make Italian Heirloom one of the best dual-purpose tomatoes around. When I first grew this variety in the extreme drought of 2012, I thought I would never grow it again. Early on, it always seemed to look thirsty with its leaves often rolled and droopy. However later in the season, Italian Heirloom produced nice yields of large near-perfect tomatoes while other varieties suffered from extreme blossom end rot (a calcium deficiency that is worsened by drought). It turned out that my initial impressions were wrong, Italian heirloom had been coping with the drought stress while the others were chugging along as if everything were fine. I learned an important lesson in plant physiology that summer and thanks to Italian Heirloom we had plenty of canned tomatoes that winter. 85 days to harvest. Each packet contains a minimum of 50 seeds.

Solanum lycopersicum

Its excellent flavor and meatiness make Italian Heirloom one of the best dual-purpose tomatoes around. When I first grew this variety in the extreme drought of 2012, I thought I would never grow it again. Early on, it always seemed to look thirsty with its leaves often rolled and droopy. However later in the season, Italian Heirloom produced nice yields of large near-perfect tomatoes while other varieties suffered from extreme blossom end rot (a calcium... read more

read less

Solanum lycopersicum

Its excellent flavor and meatiness make Italian Heirloom one of the best dual-purpose tomatoes around. When I first grew this variety in the extreme drought of 2012, I thought I would never grow it again. Early on, it always seemed to look thirsty with its leaves often rolled and droopy. However later in the season, Italian Heirloom produced nice yields of large near-perfect tomatoes while other varieties suffered from extreme blossom end rot (a calcium deficiency that is worsened by drought). It turned out that my initial impressions were wrong, Italian heirloom had been coping with the drought stress while the others were chugging along as if everything were fine. I learned an important lesson in plant physiology that summer and thanks to Italian Heirloom we had plenty of canned tomatoes that winter. 85 days to harvest. Each packet contains a minimum of 50 seeds.

Little Girl planting seeds
Little girl planting seeds

How to Grow Tomatoes

Tomatoes perform best in well-drained soil that contains plenty of organic matter and adequate phosphorous and calcium.  Ensure that the planting site receives at least 6 hours of daily sunlight.  Tomatoes require about two inches of water per week, otherwise fruit may become prone to developing blossom end rot.  Mulching plants with poly, paper, or natural materials will ensure consistent moisture throughout the root zone, especially during dry periods. 

For earliest harvest, start seeds indoors 6 weeks before the last frost.  Sow seeds 1/4" deep in well-moistened, sterile seed-starting mix.  The ideal temperature for tomato seed germination is 80 degrees.  For best results, place a growers heat mat beneath trays until germination has occurred.  Under ideal conditions, germination should occur in 7-10 days.  Water only as needed, as watering cools the soil and encourages fungal growth.

After danger of frost has passed, set transplants 30-36" apart in rows 48-60" apart.  To encourage strong roots, pinch off all but the top three leaves and bury the bottom two-thirds of the plant.  Ensure that plants receive 2" of water per week.  Avoid over-application of nitrogen as this can cause vegetative growth at the expense of fruit set.  Caging or staking plants is recommended.  While plants can be left to roam, providing support to plants will minimize soil-borne diseases.

Insect Pests

Biological controls such as Bacillus thuringiensis can be effective in controlling climbing cutworms and tomato hornworms.  Flea beetles, and other hard-shelled insects can be controlled with a simple homemade insecticidal soap solution.

Diseases & Other Problems

Contact your local university extension office to learn which tomato diseases are most prevalent in your area.  To prevent common tomato diseases like Septoria leaf spot, anthracnose, tomato wilt and blight, avoid watering plants at night or on cool, cloudy days.  Watering from below the canopy, mulching, and ensuring ample space between plants can also slow the spread of disease.  Finally, removing plant litter in the fall along with proper crop rotation and tillage will further limit the spread of disease.  Blossom end rot is a common issue caused by calcium deficiency and/or insufficient water intake.  Excess nitrogen and/or insufficient phosphorous can cause tomato plants to become bushy and produce few blossoms. 

For best flavor and texture, allow tomatoes to remain on the vine as long as possible.  If any fall before they have ripened, place them in a paper bag or wrap them in newspaper and set in a cool, dark place, stem side up, until fully ripened.  Tomatoes should not be refrigerated as it inhibits flavor-enhancing enzyme activity and contributes to an unpleasant, mealy texture.

CONSIDERATIONS:

Tomatoes are inbreeding plants with self-fertilization usually occurring before flowers have opened.  Therefore, measures to control cross pollination are usually not necessary.  Reports of out-crossing in tomatoes range from 0 to 5 percent, with substantially higher rates seen in potato-leaved cultivars.  Varieties with larger tomatoes are more prone to out-crossing because their large flowers are more open and the stigma may extend beyond the flower.  For this same reason, seeds should never be saved from double fruit of any variety.  Examine the stigma length of a particular variety to determine whether flowers will need to be bagged to prevent out-crossing.  If needed, inexpensive organza bags, like those used for wedding favors, can be placed over blossoms until nascent fruit appear. Bags should then be removed and the fruit tagged.

HARVESTING SEED:

To harvest seeds, cut fully ripened tomatoes in half and squeeze seeds and pulp into a container.  Cover with mesh and let sit until a layer of white fungus covers the surface (about 3-5 days.)  Fill container with cold water, stirring until seeds settle on the bottom.  Pour off water and pulp.  Repeat until seeds are clean.  Dry on a coffee filter.

SEED LONGETIVITY:

Tomato seeds will remain viable for up to 10 years when stored under ideal conditions.

Silvery Fir Tree Tomato

Customer Reviews

Based on 8 reviews
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gary
Amazing Tomatoes

I have grown quite a few tomatoes in my life but these Italian heirlooms were probably the best I have ever grown. The plants got to be 6' tall and the fruit was about 20-25 lbs. per plant. 100% germination I ended up thinning and giving away plants. The tomatoes were as big as softballs and were meaty and almost seedless. We made some of the best tomato sauce we have ever made mixing these with Opalkas and Texas Tinys. We grew organically and we had very little problems with any pests. I can't say the same for the Olpalka tomatoes however.

T
Tonya Mapes
So far so good

We planted 25 little pots inside and all but 3 germinated. This is our first time starting our garden this way.

S
Shelley G.
So Far, Super Happy with my order

This review is not so much about the tomato, although I have no doubts in that they will sprout. I just got my seeds and have started to plant so I cant say on those. I may do a follow up to rave about them. This review is more about the company themselves. I was so thrilled to get my seeds so quickly, I ordered, they shipped and in 3 days time I had them. That was FAST! I love that. Also, Trivial maybe, but I loved the seed packets that the seeds came in. It was a nice black, foil type of packet with a zipper seal. Very nice to keep the seeds fresh. I will definitely be ordering from here again in the future.

K
Kelley Brautigam
Only 1 seed germinated

I've been starting my own seeds, including tomatoes, for years. This year all of my tomatoes germinated successfully with the exception of this envelope of seeds. Only one (1) seed germinated out of the entire package. I am VERY disappointed.

Hi Kelley, I'm so sorry you had disappointing results with our seed. Our 2021 lot of Italian Heirloom recently tested at 86% germ, but it is always possible that something happened in transit. We will be in touch about a refund or replacement.

W
Weaver Cattle Company
Amazing Tomatoes!

These are by far the best tomatoes we have ever grown! They are kind of sweet tasting and quite fleshy! Very little juice and seeds to deal with hence we are using them to make homemade ketchup out of them. I personally think these tomatoes are absolutely perfect for sandwiches!

We have seven plants and usually one picking will fill a 5-gal bucket clear to the top and then some!

We started the plants inside under UV light and later on moved them out to our garden where they really started growing like weeds! In my opinion, these tomatoes are easy to start and once out in the garden they will take care of themselves quite well even during really dry weather conditions.

If you haven't yet tried these tomatoes then I highly recommend them, just make sure you don't plant to many because the tomatoes are about the size of a softball and boy do these plants yield!

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