Tomato 'Nonna's Italian Passata'
Solanum lycopersicum L.A Diggers Exclusive. When your Grandmother chooses a tomato for sauce, you'd better believe it's something special. This enormous, fleshy tomato topped our taste test with its complex flavour and versatility. Just as delicious fresh as it is in a sauce, Penny remarked .. "it's the nicest tomato I've eaten in ages. Delicious!" Bearing fruits up to 600grams, use for passata or eat fresh to savour the flavour of this unique heirloom tomato.
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Tomato 'Nonna's Italian Passata'
Donated to The Diggers Club's Seed Preservation Program by Peter Alchin, the original seed was shared with him by a co-worker in Sydney from seed saved by his Nonna and brought to Australia when she immigrated. Peter and his wife grew this same variety for over 10 years, growing whopping fruits up to 1.4kg and using this abundance for passata and sauce. This precious heirloom tomato has now been shared with The Diggers Club and we are proud to honour Nonna and her extraordinary passata tomato.
Tomatoes are a warm season crop requiring temperatures of 15-29 degrees Celsius to grow and germinate successfully. Seed germinates best at 20-25 degrees Celsius, while the seedlings thrive from 15 degrees Celsius. Sow seed 6-8 weeks before you want to plant out your tomatoes. Sow in punnets or trays and maintain consistent moisture and temperature. Prick out and place in individual pots once true leaves appear and harden off at least one to two weeks before planting out. Plant tomato seedlings out when soil temperature reaches 15°C or more, and after risk of frost has passed. Plant in full sun and enrich the soil with compost and well-rotted manure. In pots, use a premium organic potting mix. Mulch and water regularly, especially during hot weather. Stake at planting and train to the stake as plants grow. Avoid overhead watering.