The Tomato of the Month for March is the Old German Heirloom Tomato. This tomato was a favorite of Mennonite families from the Shenandoah Valley area of Virginia, and dates back to the mid-1800′s. It is in the beefsteak family and can grow to a robust size of almost 2 pounds. The Old German tomato is bi-colored, featuring golden yellow and reddish stripes.
The Old German tomato can be started indoors six to eight weeks before the last frost date (depending on your zone). It is an indeterminate tomato plant, and is not heralded as a heavy producer. The large size and excellent taste of this tomato more than makes up for its sometimes lack of production. These tomatoes are generally ready to pick about 75 to 80 days after the seeds germinate.
The Old German Heirloom tomato has more of a oblong shape rather than the typical round tomato. It is ideal for slicing and can be preserved by canning or freezing. The Old German Tomato would be a superb addition to any tomato garden!
Have you ever grown Old German Heirloom Tomatoes? If so, please tell us about it!
What a gorgeous tomato! I’m planting heirloom tomatoes for the first time this year. I am still making a list of the maters I want to grow. This one looks so good. I think I’ll add it to my list. I’d love to see a list of heirloom tomatoes you recommend. I’m trying to grow enough to can/dry to have food over winter.
.-= Jackie Lee´s last blog ..I’m A Home Bread Baking Fool =-.
Hi Jackie, It is a great looking tomato! There are so many wonderful tomatoes to choose from it is difficult to pick just a few. Some of my favorite heirloom tomatoes are Brandywine (a popular variety), Cherokee Purple, Black Krim, Pink Caspian, Mortgage Lifter and Chocolate Cherry ( a cherry tomato variety). Please let me know what you decide to grow this year. I look forward to hearing about it! If you ever need anything, do not hesitate to contact me. I’ll be glad to help in any way I can.
Wow! I wouldn’t want to eat this one because it is so gorgeous. I haven’t seen a tomato this big and it is actually really cool to grow one like this. But I think it requires a lot of skills and talent. So two thumbs up to the one who grow this.
We grew this tomato for the first time last season(2010). It was by far our favorite. We usually grow about 8 different varieties, mostly heirlooms. Good grower and produced very well. Great flavor with no acidity. Will be growing more plants this year.
It would help to know where you are growing these–I planted one near Santa Rosa, Ca–just beginning to bloom–purchased it in 4 inch pot.
I raised an Old German Tomato by chance, having picked it up with some other tomato plants in April.
Kept waiting for the tomato to turn red but it only became golden. It is the sweetest, best tomato I’ve ever tasted. I saved the seeds and now have about 50 plants and am slowly planting them so they can be shaded from our sever south Texas heat wave, also no rainfall. My original plant is still producing and is approx. 5′, tall, and I’m glad it is in a tomato cage due to the number of limbs.
I moved to Shenandoah valley Va and by the greatest good fortune came upon German Yellow plants. They quickly became the only tomato I grew. I loved them with a passion. Having moved now to NY I have not been able to produce any decent tomato in except for some yellow cherry tomatoes. Then last years late blight did in all the tomatoes in the area. Anyone know how I can grow tomatoes in upstate NY. My Germans did very badly.
they do poor in western washinfton.no tomato set at all. all the blossoms fell off even with hand pollination. so disappointed.
I planted them for the first time this year, and just picked my very first one. Sliced it open, surprised to see the red and gold skin, and the golden flesh of the tomato. And boy is it delicious! Took longer than any of the others, but worth the wait. I’ve heard so many stories this year about it being a bad year for tomatoes Terry, I’d just say try again next year. Another new one to me this year is Sun Sugar. Like a Sweet 100, only yellow. Delicious! Celebrity, Stupice, Abe Lincolns all did poorly for me. Very small fruit, nothing to write home about. But the Old Germans… Can’t wait to dig into more of em. I think next year, I’ll plant 2 or 3 of them.