Tomato Plants - Tomato Love | Heirloom Tomato Seeds, Hokianga NZ

Heirloom Yellow Pear Cherry Tomato Plant

Yellow Pear is one of my favourites. I once read that she travelled to New Zealand with the early whalers and sealers. It's a wonderful story, but I've never been able to find enough evidence to confirm that it's actually true.<br><br>I've grown Yellow Pear long enough now that I can usually identify her even when I've managed to mix up my seedlings. She develops a distinctive marbling through her leaves that gives her away. I've only ever seen Yellow Pear do this in my own plants, and it has saved me more than once when the labels have gone astray.<br><br>Most plants produce the familiar little yellow pear-shaped cherries, although every now and then I'll get a plant that produces surprisingly large specimens. The skin is firm and they can split, but they're beautifully sweet — fantastic in salads and even better eaten straight from the vine.<br>Days to Maturity: 70–90 days from transplant<br>Growth Habit: Indeterminate<br>Leaf Type: Regular leaf<br>Fruit Type: Cherry / pear<br>Fruit Size: Usually around 20–30 g<br>Colour: Bright yellow to golden yellow<br>Shape: Small, distinctive pear-shaped fruit<br>Flavour: Sweet and mild<br>Texture: Firm-skinned and juicy<br>Best For: Fresh eating, salads

Heirloom De Pinto Cherry Tomato Plant

I was fascinated by De Pinto. As she ripened, this gorgeous little brown shoulder appeared across the top of the fruit, finishing with a distinctive wee nipple — something I haven't really seen in a cherry-sized tomato for a long while.<br><br>The fruit were firm and I didn't have a single one crack, which really stood out to me. I found the flavour both sweet and tart, and I can absolutely see why De Pinto has survived as a sauce and preserving tomato. These are easily good enough to eat straight off the vine — which is exactly what I did.<br><br>Type: Indeterminate, regular leaf<br>Days to Maturity: Mid-season — I wouldn't invent an exact 75/80-day figure because I haven't found a reliable primary source giving one<br>Fruit Size: Small, approximately 45–60 g<br>Colour: Red, developing beautiful brown/golden shoulders as it ripens<br>Shape: Small plum/oval fruit with a distinctive pointed blossom end — that little “nipple”<br>Flavour: Sweet and tart<br>Texture: Firm, dense and meaty<br>Best For: Fresh eating, sauce, preserving, bottling, roasting and freezing<br>Growth: Vigorous indeterminate; productive vines benefit from strong staking<br>Origin: Italian-American family heirloom.

Heirloom Tlacolula Beefsteak Tomato Plant

I am so upset that I didn't get photos of this tomato when it was red. My father had decided it was his new favourite, and my mother told me he'd been going in there most mornings helping himself to them.<br><br>I was lucky to have some left for seed!<br><br>But honestly, I can see why he kept eating them. Zapotec Pleated is a large, pear-shaped tomato with beautiful ribs. It's really solid and absolutely delicious — juicy, but still firm.<br><br>I can see why it's considered such a good tomato for salsa. It has that lovely combination of fleshiness and juice without becoming a sloppy mess.<br><br>I'll be growing it again this season — and hopefully this time I'll get to the ripe ones before Dad does.

Heirloom Chocolate Cherry Tomato Plant

Chocolate Cherry<br><br>I grew Chocolate Cherry here in the Hokianga alongside Black Cherry because I wanted to see for myself just how different they really were.<br><br>And to be fair, I struggled to find much between them. The fruit looked remarkably similar and, to me, they even tasted much the same.<br><br>There was one difference I kept noticing though: Black Cherry split more easily. That tendency to crack was probably the clearest way I could tell the two apart.<br><br>I also felt Chocolate Cherry showed a little more vigour in my conditions, although that's an observation rather than something I'm prepared to call yet.<br><br>So I'm doing it again.<br><br>This season I'll grow them side by side through what may be much drier conditions and see how they square up in El Nino Drought like conditions.

Heirloom San Marzano Plum Tomato Plant

San Marzano – The Sauce Maker’s Treasure<br><br>Lower in acid, incredibly sweet, and often hailed as the holy grail for tomato sauce. My grandfather grew these because they were gentle on his stomach and simply delicious.<br><br>These elongated plum tomatoes thrive in the volcanic soils surrounding Mount Vesuvius near Naples. Compared with the Roma, San Marzanos are slimmer, slightly longer, and pointed at the ends. Their thick, meaty flesh holds fewer seeds and delivers a richer, more concentrated flavour.<br><br>One day, I’d love to travel to Naples, taste them in their homeland, and talk the big T with the locals.<br><br>Got your pastes covered.<br>From my garden to yours — Tomato Love.

Heirloom Zapotec Pleated Beefsteak Tomato Plant

Traced back to the areas of Central America, an heirloom from Tlacolula Mexico, rich in history low in acid, great for stuffing and baking as it has open pockets when cut open. Fruits are heavily ribbed in the shape of a bell and flattish, firm flesh, taste is sweet. Indeterminate, 85 days, fruit size medium, regular leaf, considered to be prolific producers and pretty high resistance. It wants to grow well for you. This Mexican beauty will need to be supported, stake well. This one I have never grown before so I'm looking forward to the feedback.

Heirloom Rawene Yellow Cherry Tomato Plant

This one is a little gem. Discovered it in Rawene in my garden, I believe when I put in my first garden here I disturbed the seeds of a previous owner. Never been able to properly ID it either. It could be anything. If you know what it is send me a message? But what I can promise you is that it's a gem. High disease resistance, gives fruit early in as little as 65 days from transplanting and will just keep on giving. Indeterminate but I never stake it. I just pop it in a corner and let it run rampant. Love this wee guy. Can get really unruly but enjoy!

Heirloom Soldacki Beefsteak Tomato Plant

Soldacki – The Polish Powerhouse<br><br>Indeterminate, 80 days. This heirloom produces large, solid red fruit with meaty flesh — tangy, robust, and sweet all at once. Fruits can reach up to half a kilogram, with some misshapen shoulders, but growers happily overlook that for the outstanding flavour.<br><br>Originating from Kraków, Poland, the Soldacki is a true classic. One slice can cover your entire hamburger bun, making it a showstopper for summer barbecues. Its dense, juicy flesh makes it just as perfect for rich salsas and sauces.<br><br>Similar to the beloved Pink Brandywine but with higher yields and a touch more resilience. Harvest as soon as the fruit ripens for the best flavour and texture.<br><br>A tomato to feed a crowd — and win them over.

Heirloom Cherokee Purple Beefsteak Tomato Plant

Cherokee Purple – A Tomato with a Story<br><br>I first discovered Cherokee Purple through Craig LeHoullier, the American tomato grower whose work blew my tomato world wide open. He describes this variety as the perfect meeting point of sweetness, tartness, depth, and texture.<br><br>In 1990, Craig received seeds from John D. Green of Sevierville, Tennessee. With the seeds came a letter explaining they were from a purple tomato handed down by the Cherokee people and grown for more than a century.<br><br>The result is a tomato like no other: dusky rose-purple skin, rich flavour, and a legacy rooted in indigenous history. Slice into one and you’ll taste not only the earth, but also the story it carries.<br><br>Unusual in colour, unforgettable in flavour — Cherokee Purple is a true heirloom treasure.