Tomato 'Pomodorino Rofrano'

Product Information

Seeds kindly donated by Diggers member Antonio Lettieri, this wonderful tomato is one of the most exciting heirloom tomato varieties to be preserved by Diggers. A prolific producer with abundant golden free-flowing trusses of orange/yellow golf ball-sized tomatoes adorning a strong plant throughout the season. Beyond its outstanding beauty and delicious flavour, it is also revered for its ability to last up to 7 months after picking!

Tomato ‘Pomodorino Rofrano’, (Pomodorino meaning little tomato) has a rich history dating back to pre-WWII, having been lost to Antonio’s family during the period of conflict. Eventually recovered, a precious pocket full of seeds of this family heirloom tomato accompanied Antonio in 1972 when he embarked on a new life in Australia. Sharing the seed each season with his community of Huntingdale in Victoria, he has kept the tomato alive for over half a century. Antonio’s family eat this tomato fresh, slices it on pizzas and traditionally fries it with capsicums to evoke a memory of their small hometown of Rofrana in Campania, Italy.

 

Sow seed 6-8 weeks before you want to plant out your tomatoes. Never plant tomatoes in the same bed two years running as you risk infection from a build up of pests and diseases. Tomatoes need an open, sunny position, with plenty of air circulation to thrive. Tomatoes are best in a bed which has been heavily manured for a previous crop such as broccoli. A soil that is too rich in nutrients will produce prolific, but soft, sappy growth which is prone to disease. Long, leggy tomato seedlings can be planted very deeply or even on their sides, as the stem is able to grow roots when covered with soil, and a large, healthy root system will develop.