Photo by Frances1972 (CC BY-ND 2.0).

Scientific Name: Solanum lycopersicum

Common Name: Heirloom Tomato 'Tommy Toe'

Family: Solanaceae (Tomato & Nightshade)

Etymology:

Solanum: Solace
lycopersicum: Wolf Peach

Origin: 

Tomatoes originate from South America.  This variety, Tommy Toe, was bred around the Ozark Mountains in the USA.

Description:

Tomato 'Tommy Toe' is a heirloom favourite with small, apricot-sized fruit 2-4cm in diameter.  The fruit is sweet and regarded as one of the best tasting of all heirloom tomato varieties.  This variety produces over a long period of time (is indeterminate) and has good disease resistance.  Produces fruit in clusters of 5-9.  This variety grows 1.2 to 1.6m tall.

Uses:

The tomatoes collected from this variety are exceptional when added to salads, eaten out of hand or cut in quarters and used as a pizza topping.  One of the best tasting and largest of the cherry tomatoes.  This variety is also suitable for drying and making paste if you can gather enough together and resist eating all of them fresh.

Germination:

In the tropics sow from late Autumn to mid-Winter.  In the sub-tropics sow from early Autumn to early Spring but avoid sowing during periods of frost.  In temperate regions sow during Spring as long as last frost has past.  In cold areas you may need to start the seed indoors six weeks prior to the end of Winter to make the most of the growing season.  Sow the tomato seed 5mm deep with plants spaced about 60cm apart.

Cultivation:

Requires support for best production, a home-made, rolled welded mesh wire cage is ideal.  Takes about 10-11 weeks from sowing to harvest.