Principe Borghese Tomato

Solanum lycopersicum

Also known as: Prince Borghese


The classic Italian sun-drying tomato — small, oval fruit around 30–50g each, borne in dense clusters on compact semi-determinate vines. Flesh is thick, richly coloured, and very low in water, which is exactly what makes it the traditional choice for hanging whole in strings under a Mediterranean roof or laying out on trays to dry in the sun. Also excellent in sauces for the same reason: less water means less reduction time and a more concentrated flavour from the start. Prolific through the warm months and well adapted to hot, dry summers. Semi-determinate habit — a short stake or cage is all it needs.

Days to harvest 70–80 days from transplant
Fruit size Small oval fruit, 30–50g each
Sowing depth 5mm
Germination 5–14 days at soil temperature 16–35°C; best around 21–24°C
Spacing 50–60cm apart
Aspect Open, sunny position; light to medium soil with good drainage — thrives in heat
Frost tolerance Sensitive to frost; plant out only once frosts have finished

Growing notes

A warm, sunny position suits it best. Principe Borghese is bred for hot dry summers and rewards being planted where the ripening fruit can get plenty of sun and airflow — the same conditions that will later dry it.

Soil preparation: Well-rotted compost worked in before planting, with a balanced feed high in phosphorus.

Support: A short stake or small cage is enough — the semi-determinate habit means the plant carries most of its own weight, especially compared with a full indeterminate.

Containers: Suits a large pot of 40L or more with a stake or short cage; keep water and feed consistent, as pots dry out faster than beds.

Watering & feeding: Deep, consistent watering at the base — but ease off water as fruit approaches ripeness to concentrate the sugars and drop the water content further. Overhead watering invites disease. Side-dress with a potassium-rich feed once flowering starts.

Harvest: Pick when fully coloured and slightly yielding to gentle pressure. Whole clusters can be cut from the vine at once for hanging to dry — an Italian tradition that works particularly well in a hot dry inland summer with an airy verandah. For sauces, pick as fruit ripens and process in batches.

Timing: First ripe fruit around 70–80 days from transplant.

Key features

  • Small oval fruit in heavy clusters — bred for drying
  • Thick, meaty flesh with very low water content
  • The classic traditional Italian sun-drying tomato
  • Also excellent for concentrated sauces and passata
  • Compact semi-determinate vine — modest support required
  • Prolific and well-adapted to hot dry summers

Short season tips


Sow 6–8 weeks before your last frost. Grow on under cover until night temperatures sit reliably above 12–14°C. In Coonabarabran and similar inland zones, plant out from mid-October. A hoop tunnel or cloche buys earlier plantings. Principe Borghese needs a warm run for the fruit to develop the thick low-water flesh that makes it worth drying, so protect early plantings from cold nights and pick the hottest, most sheltered spot in the garden.

  • Spring
  • Summer

Tender perennial — almost always grown as an annual in Australia

  • Basil, chives, parsley, marigold, carrots
  • Other nightshades (potatoes, eggplant, capsicum), brassicas, fennel, corn


An Italian heirloom from the traditional home-garden tomatoes of southern Italy, where drying tomatoes on strings hung under the eaves has been an autumn ritual for generations. Selected over centuries for the thick meaty flesh and low water content that dry cleanly without spoiling, Principe Borghese remains the standard variety for anyone growing tomatoes specifically to preserve, and one of the classic reference points for Italian home-garden tomato culture. Carried outward through the twentieth century by Italian seed-savers and now grown wherever gardeners want to hang their own strings of dried tomatoes into winter.