Granny's Throwing Tomato - Seeds

Granny's Throwing Tomato - Seeds

$5.80
$5.80
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Granny's Throwing Tomato - Seeds
  • Granny's Throwing Tomato - Seeds
Granny's Throwing Tomato - Seeds

Granny's Throwing Tomato - Seeds

$5.80
$5.80

Minimum 30 seeds per packet.

Postage included. Bundle to save. Raised from heirloom seed at Turtledove Farm.

Can't be posted to Western Australia.

Solanum lycopersicum


A large Italian heirloom from Abruzzo. The fruit is pear-shaped, 200–300g, deep red, with heavily ribbed, pleated shoulders. The flesh is thick, sweet and meaty with very few seeds, so it cooks down into a rich pasta sauce or paste without much reducing. It's just as good sliced raw for a salad or sandwich, roasted whole, or hollowed out and stuffed. The ribbed shape makes it a talking point at the market stall and on the plate. Indeterminate (climbing) variety — requires sturdy staking or caging.

Days to harvest75–90 days from transplant
Fruit sizeLarge, ribbed, pear-shaped fruit, 200–300g
Sowing depth5mm
Germination5–14 days at soil temperature 20–25°C
Spacing60cm apart, rows 90cm–1.2m
AspectFull sun; well-drained soil rich in compost
Frost toleranceSensitive to frost. Plant out only once frosts have finished and the soil is at least 15°C.
LifecycleTender perennial — almost always grown as an annual in Australia
Container suitableYes

Growing notes

A warm, sheltered spot in the garden or tunnel suits it best. Big, heavy fruit needs a long warm run and firm support.

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

Support: Vines reach 1.5–1.8m and the fruit is heavy. Stake, cage, or train up a string trellis from planting out, and tie in the fruiting trusses as they fill.

Containers: A large pot of 50L or more with sturdy support works. Keep water and feed consistent, as pots dry out faster than beds.

Watering & feeding: Water deeply and consistently at the base. Watering that swings between wet and dry can crack large ribbed fruit or cause blossom-end rot. Side-dress with a potassium-rich feed once flowering starts.

Harvest: Pick when the fruit is fully red and gives slightly to gentle pressure. Ripe fruit holds well for a few days off the vine. When cooking in bulk, pick in batches as the fruit colours up.

Timing: First ripe fruit around 75–90 days from transplant.

Short season tips


Sow 6–8 weeks before your last frost. Grow on under cover until night temperatures stay above 12–14°C. In Coonabarabran and similar inland zones, plant out from mid-October; a hoop tunnel or cloche lets you plant earlier. Large-fruited varieties need the whole season to ripen a full crop, so get it in the ground early.

Origin


A regional heirloom from Abruzzo in central-eastern Italy, known there as Pera d'Abruzzo, the pear of Abruzzo. For generations it was grown across the region's mountain villages and coastal farms and was an important local crop until the mid-twentieth century. Its playful English name is said to come from Australian cartoonist Michael Leunig, who pictured a granny winding up to throw one. There is also a long-running story that tomatoes like this were hurled at politicians in protest. Whichever story you prefer, it is kept in cultivation for its size, its meaty flesh and the pleasure of a proper Italian sauce tomato.

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