Tiger Tomatoes: The Striped Tomatoes In Portrait
The tiger tomatoes owe their name to their striped exterior. We will introduce you to the most beautiful tiger tomato varieties and reveal what you should know about cultivating and caring for this special variety.
Tiger tomatoes are bottle tomatoes because they are elongated and have a point at the bottom. The long leaves are pointed, jagged, and drooping a little. These characteristics together with their differently colored stripes distinguish tiger tomatoes. We will introduce some of the tomato varieties and explain the most important things about cultivation and harvesting.
The best varieties of tiger tomatoes
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Five varieties of tiger tomatoes are known to date and are increasingly finding their place in gardens. All tabby tomatoes have a mild taste, are slightly sweet and refreshing with a slight acidity. In the case of green and yellow varieties, the fruitiness typically predominates in the taste.
All of the varieties presented here are resistant to seeds and can therefore be re-sown from the seeds.
Red and pink tiger tomato varieties
The two varieties ‘Artisan Pink Tiger’ and ‘Maglia Rosa’ are representatives of the red and pink tiger tomatoes, respectively. ‘Artisan Pink Tiger’ shows a real play of colors from pink to red with dark orange stripes. It reaches a length of up to ten centimeters and has a balanced sweet, sour, and juicy taste. The ‘Maglia Rosa’ is a sister of the ‘Artisan Blush Tiger’ and ‘Green Tiger’, a breed by Fred Hempel. It is a mini bottle tomato about five to seven centimeters long and has bright red stripes on its pink skin. It is very suitable as a snack tomato for fresh consumption.
Yellow tiger tomato varieties
So far, only one tiger variety has been found among the yellow tomato varieties. ‘Artisan Blush Tiger’ forms typically elongated golden-yellow-orange-striped fruits from mid-July, which are particularly convincing with their fruity-sweet taste.
Green tiger tomato varieties
The green tiger tomatoes are a rather newer breed and are slowly but surely establishing themselves with hobby gardeners thanks to their great taste. The ‘Green Tiger’ is a beautifully green-golden-yellow-striped, elongated cherry tomato with completely smooth skin. It tastes fruity, sweet, and freshly sour, and it remains crunchy even when it is very ripe. The plants rarely reach more than 120 centimeters in height. ‘Lucky Tiger’ is, so to speak, the dwarf form of the ‘Green Tiger’, a bush tomato up to 80 centimeters high. It forms fruits about six centimeters long that are striped green and turn slightly reddish when ripe. They taste very sweet and aromatic and are therefore ideal snack tomatoes.
Plant and care for tiger tomatoes
Tiger tomatoes can be planted outdoors, but so that the fruits do not burst so quickly, they should be placed under a rain canopy. They also feel good in large pots with sufficient substrate or in the greenhouse. When planting from the beginning to the middle of May, a special tomato soil supports the root formation and growth of the tabby tomatoes. The nutrients it contains to give the plants a good start and supply them until the first fertilizer is released.
When planting, you should stick a stick or other support into the ground to tie the tiger tomatoes. Although they usually only reach 160 centimeters in height, they need a little extra support, especially if there are several shoots. The nicely striped tomatoes are also produced on the side shoots, the so-called stingy shoots. In this case, tomato pruning is easy, because you can easily leave three deep-set shoots of the tiger varieties and remove all other side shoots.
When fertilizing tiger tomatoes, you should use a primarily organic long-term fertilizer. In this way, your tomatoes are sustainable, long-term, and gently supplied with all the important nutrients.
Harvest and use tiger tomatoes
Tiger tomatoes taste great when they are ripe, but also shortly before they are fully ripe. When the flesh has worn off slightly under the fingers and the fruit is colored, it is time to harvest. Tiger tomatoes can produce tons of fruits that can either be eaten fresh or processed. They develop their mild aroma in soups and sauces, but also enrich every salad with their color and delicious taste.
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