Plant Library

Group/Class:  Heirloom-Indeterminate

Description:

A lovely, high yielding and vigorous selection, producing clusters of bright red colored tomatoes; small round fruit with a rich and tangy flavor; perfect for salads, salsas, roasting and fresh eating; great for large containers and gardens

Edible Qualities

Stupice Tomato is an annual vegetable plant that is commonly grown for its edible qualities, although it does have ornamental merits as well. It produces small clusters of red round tomatoes (which are technically 'berries') which are usually ready for picking from early summer to early fall. This is an indeterminate variety, which means it produces fruit throughout the growing season. The tomatoes have a tangy taste.

The tomatoes are most often used in the following ways:

• Fresh Eating
• Eating When Cooked/Prepared
• Cooking
• Pickling
• Canning

Planting & Growing

Stupice Tomato will grow to be about 4 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 18 inches. When planted in rows, individual plants should be spaced approximately 20 inches apart. Because of its vigorous growth habit, it may require staking or supplemental support. This fast-growing vegetable plant is an annual, which means that it will grow for one season in your garden and then die after producing a crop.

This plant can be integrated into a landscape or flower garden by creative gardeners, but is usually grown in a designated vegetable garden. It should only be grown in full sunlight. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. It may require supplemental watering during periods of drought or extended heat. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in rich soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America, and it is considered by many to be an heirloom variety.

Stupice Tomato is a good choice for the vegetable garden, but it is also well-suited for use in outdoor pots and containers. With its upright habit of growth, it is best suited for use as a 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the center of the pot, surrounded by smaller plants and those that spill over the edges. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.