Hands down, the judges agreed this was the most appealing grape tomato they trialed. With an appetizing deep-red color, it has a very sweet (Brix of 7-9) taste and will hold longer on the vine without cracking or losing the excellent eating quality. Valentine F1 tomato is quite prolific and will mature earlier (55 days from transplant) than the comparisons used for this entry. Gardeners should plan on staking the indeterminate vines for best results. Tomato lovers will appreciate the sweet, firm flesh that is meaty enough to resemble a Roma tomato but in a smaller, grape-type fruit. These easy-to-harvest tomatoes can take the summer heat and keep on producing!
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Grow as you would a typical indeterminate tomato, with stakes or trellising. Sow indoors in spring and transplant out after danger of frost has passed. Recommended primarily for outdoor growing as the plant is very vigorous, though some have found it is manageable enough indoors as well. Some pruning of early suckers is recommended; two leaders are fine, but Valentine can support more leaders if desired. Expect very early maturity and heavy yields over a long season. For optimum flavor, wait to harvest until fruits are deep red. Due to its high lycopene trait, Valentine is ‘redder’ than a typical tomato when fully ripe. Fruits detach from the truss quite easily. The fruit has excellent post-harvest shelf-life.
- “Very sweet flavor!”
- “Plant was more durable than either comparison.”
- “The fruit was attractive, early, good tasting and uniform”
- “Tasty tomato entry that totally out-performed comparison in flavor and appearance“
- “Variety takes the stress of late summer and keeps producing.”
- “Maintains a nice green plant throughout the season”
AAS Display Garden- River Valley Master Gardeners –
Valentine produced a heavy crop of sweet tasty tomatoes. Vines are very vigorous and needed tall supports. The tomatoes did want to fall off the vines, so we held a small container under the fruit while picking to catch the droppers. The tendency to drop may be a challenge for children or persons with hand coordination issues. Zone 6a