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Tomato (MOMOTARO)

nightshade

Growing reference
Spacing
12 in(1 / sqft)
Trellis
yes
Seed indoor
Mar 4(-6 w)
Transplant
Apr 15(at frost)
Harvest
~15–18 weeks from sowing
Last fall harvest
Oct 15(at frost)
Water
1-2 per week
Seed shelf life
4–5 y
Lifecycle
annual
Seed source
Suzuki Farm

SFG 1 per sqft assumes single-leader pruning + sturdy vertical trellis; commercial spacing for indeterminates is 24-36 in. Seed-to-harvest varies meaningfully by variety (60-85 days from transplant).

Year-one tomato. Suzuki Farm seedling, planted in a single cage on the deck. Produced a handful of fruit and confirmed that one tomato plant in one planter is a tease, not a supply.

MOMOTARO is a pink Japanese beefsteak — meaty, low-acid, fantastic when it actually ripens. I didn’t pay too much attention to it and got maybe four or five tomatoes off it across the season.

  1. Jul 18, 2024
    First ripe pair (Jul 2024)
    First ripe pair (Jul 2024)

    A couple of MOMOTAROs picked off the vine. Classic Japanese beefsteak look — round, pink-red, thin skin.

  2. Jul 18, 2024
    Mid-summer plant on the deck (Jul 2024)
    Mid-summer plant on the deck (Jul 2024)

    Same plant a month later — stretched up the cage with green fruit hanging. Cucumber bed visible behind it on the left.

  3. Jun 17, 2024
    Single planter, single plant (Jun 2024)
    Single planter, single plant (Jun 2024)

    Year-one setup — caged tomato in the planter on the deck, just starting to climb.