Tempting Tomatoes® Garden Treasure - Solanum lycopersicum

Maintenance Category:

Moderate

Bloom Time:

Planting To Frost

Hardiness Zones:

10a, 10b, 11a, 11b

Soil Fertility Requirement:

Average Soil

Soil Fertility Requirement:

Fertile Soil

Uses:

Container

Uses:

Landscape

Uses:

Specimen or Focal Point

Uses Notes:

This is a garden tomato that will prolifically produce mid-sized tomatoes with truly fantastic taste. They grow quite large in the landscape, but when grown in a container they are more contained in size. They do need to be staked or caged to grow them successfully. This tomato will produce fruit for an extended period of time. If you are growing this plant in a container, a 14" diameter (5 gallon volume) is the minimum necessary size. The ideal size size would be a 16" to 20" (7-10 gallon) container. Be sure to provide support by using a tomato cage or other structure in the container.

Maintenance Notes:

Seeds can be started indoors 5-6 weeks before the last frost in your area. Seeds should be planted about 1/8" into the soil then transplant the seedlings outdoors after all risk of frost has passed. You can also direct sow into your garden or pots outdoors after the threat of frost has passed. However, starting seeds indoors will give you a substantial head-start for harvesting your first tomatoes.

When germinating the seeds, be sure to keep the soil temperature at 75-90° until the seeds sprout. The temperatures can be decreased a bit once the plants are up and growing. The number of days to germination is 5-10.

Once the seedlings are a few inches tall and growing well, you may want to thin out the number of seedlings. One plant in a cell or pot would be ideal. If you are direct seeding into the ground, thin seedlings until they are 24 to 30 inches apart. Rows should be about 3 feet apart.

'Garden Treasure' fruit ripens in about 70-75 days from transplant. If you grow them from seed, the first mature fruit will take 91 to 103 days.

Indeterminate tomatoes will grow quite large. You will need to use a tomato cage or staking of some sort to support the plants. They will need to be kept from getting excessively dry. Consistent watering and regular fertilization will be key to keeping your plant in full production mode. They can be grown in containers, a minimum of 12 inches in diameter is suggested, but larger is better. If grown in containers they will still need to be given support of a tomato cage or stake of some sort. These plants are quite disease resistant and with proper care should provide fruit throughout the season.

The basics: