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Fred’s Tie-Dye Dwarf Tomato
70 days to harvest from transplant
Solanum lycopersicum
We share Craig LeHouillier’s passion for tomatoes & are in awe of the many dwarf varieties he has developed in collaboration. Fred’s Tie-Dye Dwarf Tomato is essentially Berkeley Pink Tie-Dye on a dwarf 3′ plant, its abundant, striped slicers averaging 8 ounces. You’ll enjoy plenty of fruit when you grow these in containers, all the more if you trellis them ever so slightly.
At Fruition, we sow tomatoes in soil blocks indoors 2 months before final frost, early April for us here in Zone 5, germinating them on heat mats with ease. Good light is essential: Younger, less stressed seedlings are healthier and more abundant than older, more stressed seedlings.
Organic Fred’s Tie-Dye Dwarf Tomato
Planting Method: Transplant Only
When to sow: 6-8 weeks before last frost
Seed Depth: 1/8 inch Days to Germination: 7-10 at 80°F (27°C)
Sowing and seedling care: Don’t start too early! Sow indoors 2 seeds/cell or soil block, & thin to 1. We recommend sowing on a heat mat at 80°F to emergence, 75°F after. Good light is essential: Younger, less stressed seedlings are healthier and more abundant than older, more stressed seedlings. Pot up to 3-4” pots when first true leaves, submerging 3/4 of the stem below soil.
When to transplant: Harden off & transplant outdoors after frost, again burying stem.
Strong 3′ trellis optional but helpful. Water soil, not leaves. Prune lowest stem “suckers” as they emerge.
Transplant Spacing: 2.5 feet Sun Needs: Full
Days to Harvest: 70
Height: Dwarf
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Cindy (verified owner) –
Prettiest tomato I have ever grown! Tasted great too!
Alexis (verified owner) –
We had great luck with these last year in zone 5 (Chicago). Grew them in a raised bed, in a cage. Did not prune until September, when I topped them to get them to ripen the fruit they had left instead of growing more. We got two rounds of fruit before frost. The fruit was delicious, pretty, and finished ripening well on the counter (so the critters didn’t get it first). We’re definitely repeating this year.
Kat (verified owner) –
I grew these for the first time last year in WI zone 5a. These plants were sturdy and more tolerant of disease than some other varieties I grew. I did minimal pruning and still found that only a bit of strategic support was needed for branches heavy with fruit. Production was about the same or better than most full-sized indeterminate types grown in the same conditions. The flavor was comparable to my Cherokee Purples, similar in size and texture etc. also. I made a BLT for a visiting friend who said it was the best BLT she’d ever eaten. I ended up putting in more of this variety than I planned, as I grew extras for friends who never took them, and I was so glad I did. Will grow more again this year.