everglades tomatoes – Solanum pimpinellifolium. the wild summer tomato of Florida

Everglade tomatoes – Solanum pimpinellifolium, 1′ tall plant
these are the tiniest and toughest tomatoes out there. these live plants are propagated from the most productive Everglade tomato plant of the season.

under the right conditions, these can be grown year-round in most of Florida and South Texas. if you keep them in containers, you can extend those benefits a bit to the North.

Everglade tomatoes are of course related to ‘regular tomatoes’ Solanum lycopersicum, but they’re different enough to warrant their own species name. they are considered a currant more than an actual tomato.

the Everglade tomato lore is that they originated in South America, in southern Equador and northern Peru. it is a likely ancestor of the more familiar tomoatoes of our present day.
seeds traveled to the Everglades in the bellies of migratory birds and possibly through human activity, where they naturalized.

hybridization is likely in any of these regions, so hard to say if there’s a true and pure heirloom variety of Everglade tomato, but they do have some definite traits, such as a spidery, sprawling growth pattern and ridiculously tiny tomatoes that have a very potent sweet and, some say salty flavor. their smaller fruit and tropical ancestry make them way more tolerant of summer heat than regular tomatoes.

when you transplant, plant it deep for a sturdier plant with more roots, just like one would a normal tomato plant. once you have a strong plant, you can keep them going by rooting cuttings in water and replanting. or of course by seed.

tie them to a trellis or just let them sprawl, but sprawl they will, so factor in a lot of space.
flowers and fruit will arrive soon. this is an indeterminate variety, meaning the flowering and fruiting will occur in a continuing cycle for the fruiting life of the plant.
save some seeds, too, but Everglade tomatoes are likely to self-seed. they show up in my garden with no action from me, likely thanks to the birds.

these are very hardy tomatoes. you can get away with neglect that absolutely would kill regular tomatoes. but obviously happy plants yield better, so regular watering during dry spells and a bit of organic fertilizer or compost go a long way.

shipping
plants ship on Mondays and Tuesdays, priority mail, packaged as gently as possible.
live plants are affected by the shipping process, but you can expect them to rebound quickly when given adequate care.
please do your part to help your new plant friend survive by promptly unpackaging and repotting, and maybe a gentle re-introduction to direct sunlight even for sun loving plants.

i am a permaculture nerd and do not spray any pesticides or use any chemical fertilizers. i grow almost everything in the ground or in my pond/bog in Florida zone 10. stock is moved to nursery pots for root development prior to sale.

it’s not shop policy to accept returns on plants/seeds/cuttings. plants depart healthy and well-packed, and the weather and the postal service are variables beyond ones control. however, if a customer is unhappy with a purchase, i will work with them to resolve the issue.

plants ship only to addresses in the continental US, excluding California and Arizona.