Growing Non-GMO Rutgers Tomato Vegetable Garden Seeds
How to Grow Rutgers Tomatoes from Seed
Tomato seeds are a warm weather crop best if started indoors about 6-8 weeks prior to final spring frost. Plant 2-3 seeds 1/4" deep per cell in fertile, humusy, and well-drained soil with a pH of 6.0-6.8. Seeds germinate in 5-14 days, transplant best starts to 1 per pot or 18-36" apart in the garden. Ideal in container gardening. Before sowing, know whether the seed is determinate or indeterminate, as each will exhibit different habits.
Determinate varieties mature to a predetermined size, producing its fruit all at once with only a minor need for staking. Indeterminate varieties grow indefinitely through the season, producing non-stop fruit while requiring heavy support. Rutgers tomato seeds are a determinate tomato crop.
When cared for with enough sun (8+ hours per day) and consistent watering to prevent cracking and blossom end rot, Rutgers heirloom tomato plants produce 6- to 8-oz. oblate fruit with an exceptional flavor that is mildly tangy and meaty.
Non-GMO Rutgers Tomatoes in the Vegetable Garden
Tomato is the quintessential staple of summer gardening and arguably offers the most seed diversity among all seasonal fruits. Available in every possible color, shape, and size, tomato is a high-heat and full sun favorite that thrives from container and patio gardening. Along with cucumber and summer squash, the tomato plant is one of the most productive, hardy, and heavy fruiting crops of the season.
While the Rutgers tomato heirloom seed variety was originally released by the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station (NJAES) in 1934 as a cultivar developed to thrive in New Jersey, it can be grown in all USDA hardiness zones as an annual during the frost-free growing season. Like most tomatoes, Rutgers heirloom tomato seeds thrive in slightly acidic to neutral soil that drains well. The Rutgers tomato variety is resistant to Verticillium wilt (V), Fusarium wilt (F), and Alternaria stem canker (A).
Harvesting Rutgers Tomatoes
Smaller varieties such as the cherry are ready to harvest at about 80 days from sowing while larger varieties like the beefsteak may require a few extra weeks. Although vine-ripened fruit is always preferred, tomatoes can just as easily be harvested early and ripen indoors by being stored in a paper bag or box along with a banana for its ethylene gas. Ripest tomatoes may be pulled from the vine by hand, while more firm ones should be clipped with shears.
About Rutgers Tomato Seeds
Solanum lycoperscium. (75-80 Days). Determinate. Developed by Rutgers University for Campbell's Soup Company in 1934.
The Rutgers Tomato was developed by crossing Marglobe with JTD. Rutgers produces vibrant red, round tomato fruits on a strong, disease resistant vine. Tomatoes average 2-4" across and 2-3" tall. The average weight of Rutger's luscious fruit is about 1 pound per fruit. Makes a great slicer for sandwiches or salads.
Offering firm, red tomatoes with a mild taste and weight between 6 and 8 oz., the Rutgers tomato variety is an excellent slicer for sandwiches and burgers. The determinate growth habit makes it easy to grow Rutgers tomatoes in containers and gardens alike.
1956 Henry Field's Seed Co. catalog says about Rutgers Tomato...
"Flesh is firm and of fine quality. Doesn't have a hard core, and is outstanding for its uniform, deep red coloring. Excellent for canning."
1956 Meyers Seed Co. catalog says about Rutgers Tomato...
"This unusual tomato is from the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station. It is globe shaped, quite large, with flesh firm, red and very solid. Ripening begins at the center, insuring good color throughout."
Use it to make your soup base as Campbells has for years. This tomato is responsible for that tangy sweetness you tasted in a bowl of tomato soup. Make your own and can it for your family to enjoy anytime.
The Rutgers tomato once accounted for 70 percent of the processed tomatoes in the United States.
Rutgers tomato is known to due well in the cool climates of the upper East Coast. However, their summer day time temps are higher/warmer than the Pacific North West (PNW). Therefore this tomato is not recommended in the PNW. HOWEVER...it does extremely well in the South and is mentioned in old catalogs many times as being used in Texas.
