Tomato Seeds , Medium Rare Hybrid Tomato Seeds (100 seeds)
Regular price
$4.98
Sale price
$7.00
Abundant yield of pink beefsteaks loaded with savory and smoky-flavor.
Sink your teeth into ‘Medium Rare’s earthy fragrance and rich, meaty flavor. Pair a thick, juicy slice of our deeply-shouldered beefsteak with medium rare steak for the sandwich of your summertime dreams. ‘Medium Rare’s translucent pink color lets more light into the huge 16–18 oz. fruits—adding a natural sparkle to the savory, smoky flavor. Beginning mid-summer, one single 6–7' vine commences its seasonal payload of 18–20 virtuoso tomatoes. Proven performer tolerates challenging weather conditions. Unusual earliness, ideal for Northern US.
Type :Beefsteak Fruit Bearing :Indeterminate
Days To Maturity :75-80 days Fruit Weight :14-20 ounces
Sun :Full Sun Spread :4 feet
Height :6-7 feet Sow Method :Indoor Sow
Sow Time :6-8 weeks BLF Thin :3 feet
How to Sow and Plant
Sow tomato seeds indoors 6-8 weeks before the last frost in spring using a seed starting kit
Sow seeds ¼ inch deep in seed-starting formula
Keep the soil moist at 75 degrees F
Seedlings emerge in 7-14 days
As soon as seedlings emerge, provide plenty of light on a sunny windowsill or grow seedlings 3-4 inches beneath fluorescent plant lights turned on 16 hours per day, off for 8 hours at night. Raise the lights as the plants grow taller. Incandescent bulbs will not work for this process because they will get too hot. Most plants require a dark period to grow, do not leave lights on for 24 hours.
Seedlings do not need much fertilizer, feed when they are 3-4 weeks old using a starter solution (half strength of a complete indoor houseplant food) according to manufacturer’s directions.
If you are growing in small cells, you may need to transplant the seedlings to 3 or 4 inch pots when seedlings have at least 3 pairs of leaves before transplanting to the garden so they have enough room to develop strong roots
Before planting in the garden, seedling plants need to be “hardened off”. Accustom young plants to outdoor conditions by moving them to a sheltered place outside for a week. Be sure to protect them from wind and hot sun at first. If frost threatens at night, cover or bring containers indoors, then take them out again in the morning. This hardening off process toughens the plant’s cell structure and reduces transplant shock and scalding.
Harvesting and Preserving Tips
Determinate tomato plants ripen a heavy crop over a few weeks. Indeterminate varieties bear fruit continuously until frost. Remember that the days to harvest refers to the time from setting out transplants in the garden.
Pick tomatoes when they are as ripe as possible. They should be fully colored and firm and picked regularly to avoid overloading plants.
At the end of the season, when you know there will be a frost, pick all the almost-ripe tomatoes you can, and ripen them in brown bags or spread on newspapers at room temperature. Many cultivars will store for months. Store only sound fruit, at 50-60°F. Do NOT refrigerate and try to avoid having the fruit touch each other.
The foliage of tomatoes is toxic and should not be eaten.
Tomato fruits are enjoyed in many cooked dishes as a flavoring. Use them to make soups, sauces, stews, ketchup, paste, juice, quiche, and pies. Add them to curries, casseroles, and chutney.