Pineapple Tomato
10 years ago
Pineapple tomatoes from 2014 harvest
Details
Solanum lycopersicum
Open-Pollinated
Heirloom
Type: Indeterminate
Shape: oblate beefsteak, sometimes with mild pleating
Color: yellow, with orange & red blush; gets more red as it ripens further
the flesh inside is bright yellow with bursts of red and orange
Maturity:
Spacing: 24″ (Biointensive)
Size: 10-16 oz
Yield:
not heavy producers, but well-worth the garden space; see my results below
biointensive yields:
beginner: 100 lbs per 100 sq ft
advanced: 418 lbs per 100 sq ft
Taste: “very sweet, fruity flavor and low acidity”
Disease Resistance & Environmental Tolerance:
susceptible to fusarium & verticillium wilts, but they seem to hang on regardless
resistant to blossom end rot
still perform well in hot, dry climates:
From BountifulGardens.com: We can have temperatures in the 100’s but nighttime temps in the 50’s here, and Pinapple is one of the few to set fruit well in those conditions.
Most cold-hardy and drought-resistant large tomato we have seen, with fruits still ripening after a month of light frosts at night.
Doesn’t like rain or overhead watering–keep foliage dry. Strong vines support clusters of big fruit. Resistant to blossom-end rot as well.
Pineapple tomato slices
Notes:
these are my favorite beefsteaks – beautiful and best tasting
Sources: (where to buy)
Results from My Garden:
SEASON
SOURCE
DATES
SPACING
PLANTS
MATURITY
YIELD PER PLANT
AVG SIZE
DISEASE
2009
SoC Seed
3/5 > 4/16 > 5/7
12″x18″
2
?
1-2
?
Large
2010
SoC Seed
3/5 > 5/7
18″x20″
6
95 days
5
2 lbs
7 oz
2011
SoC Seed
3/5 > 4/2 > 4/23
18″x21″
4
113 days
13
4 lbs
5 oz
early blight? slight wilt
2012
SoC Seed
2/19 > 4/16 > 5/14
18″x24″
4
89 days
5
2.7 lbs
9-10 oz
V and F
2013
TSC start
5/13
21-24″
2 – 2 = 0
n/a
0
0
0
CTV (yanked on 7/4)
2013-Grafted
TSC graft
5/13
21-24″
2
112 days
54
23.3 lbs
7 oz
powdery mildew ?
2014
SoC seed
3/9 > 4/16 > 5/10
24″
1
84 days
2
1.6 lbs
13 oz
V orF wilt early Sep
2014-Grafted
TSC & DIY grafts (SoC seed on TSC rootstock ‘SuperNatural’)
3/9 > 4/5 graft > 4/15 > 5/4
24″
2 -1 = 1
113 days
3
2 lbs
11 oz
DIY graft broke in windstorm
2015-Grafted
SoC seed on TSC rootstock ‘SuperNatural’
n/a
0
0
0
seedling was stunted to begin with – graft was successful, but it never grew well