Had several calls about this in the last couple of weeks – They are out in the supermarkets and people had not seen or heard of them before.
At first glance, they don’t look that different from red cherry tomatoes. On closer inspections you see they are more elongated than the cherry and shaped like a grape or like an olive.
Grape tomatoes combine a number of desirable tomato qualities including very sweet flavor, firm texture and at least a resemblance of having been ripened on the vine.
There are several varieties available now to choose from. The original that is found from most of the stores now is the hybrid “Santa F1” variety.
Contact your feed store and see if they have the grape tomato or if they can order some for you. When you order them, you will see the variety name and a (F1) by it. The question below explains this.
Question – Define Hybrid F1 and Heirloom?
Answer – Hybrid F1 means the first generation created by crossing two different parent varieties, the offspring of which produce a new, uniform seed variety with specific characteristics from both parents.
Seed saved from an F1 hybrid will not come true if replanted.
Heirloom is a vaguer term but it generally means an open-pollinated, true-breeding variety that is at least 40 to 50 years old.
If you have any questions or need more information, please give me a call at 985-873-6495 or email me. Visit our website: www.lsuagcenter.com.
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