ContainerTomato Shadow of Death is a compact, low-growing tomato variety. It is another creation of the well-known American tomato grower and breeder Tom Wagner. The delicious tomatoes grow to approximately 3 - 4 cm in diameter and weigh around 30 - 40 grams each. The plants generally remain only 60 - 80 cm tall, making this variety particularly suitable for growing in pots. The tomatoes ripen from green with dark shoulders to a dark reddish-brown to almost black colour, with striking green to yellow metallic stripes. The shoulders also remain very dark. This creates a beautiful and striking colour contrast that makes these attractive tomatoes particularly eye-catching. The delicious flesh is purple with a greenish gel surrounding the seeds. The juicy flesh has a good balance between sweetness and acidity. Container tomato Shadow of Death has a delicious, traditional tomato flavour with both sweet and pleasantly acidic notes. The tomatoes ripen relatively early, after approximately 70 - 75 days. This makes the variety particularly interesting for growing in the Dutch and Belgian climate, where an early-ripening tomato can be a great advantage. This unusual tomato originates from the United States and is attributed to the well-known tomato breeder Tom Wagner. Its compact growth makes Shadow of Death suitable for both the vegetable garden and growing in pots on a balcony or terrace. The spectacular colour contrast of the fruits makes this variety especially distinctive. The combination of compact growth, early ripening, unusual dark fruits with metallic-coloured stripes and good flavour makes container tomato Shadow of Death an outstanding variety for enthusiasts and collectors of unusual tomatoes.
This tomato plant, like all other container tomatoes, requires little maintenance. There is no need to thresh the plant and support is not necessarily necessary, although it can be useful when the plant is full of the delicious, large cherry tomatoes to add a sturdy stick to keep the plant from falling over. This variety is ideal for people who have limited space in the garden or just a balcony. This is because it can be grown in a large pot. This allows people with limited space to still enjoy home-grown tomatoes.
Use these tomatoes in pasta sauces, salads, in soups, ketchup, on bread and straight from the plant as a delicious and healthy snack. Ensure plenty of sun and warmth and support the plant well for best results. Tomatoes are high in vitamin C and lycopene. This is best absorbed into the body when tomatoes have been heated. Non hardy annual. Height: 60 - 80 cm.
Indoor sowing: February - April
Germination: 6 - 14 days
Germination temp: 20 - 25 °C
Sowing depth: 2 - 3 mm
Transplanting: when the seedlings are about 20 cm tall
Transplanting in garden: in May, after the last night frosts
Plant spacing: 45 - 50 cm
Planting position: sunny - sheltered (greenhouse)
Days till harvest: 60 - 90
Sow indoors from February on in trays filled with moist pottingsoil. Sow shallow and press the seeds gently in the soil, don't cover them with soil, because tomatoes are light germinators. Put the trays away somewhere warm at 20 - 25 °C and cover them with clingfilm or a lid. Keep the temperature as even as possible and don't let the temperature drop during the night. Keep moist, but not to wet to prevent rotting of the seeds. Remove the clingfilm or lid when the seedlings emerge. Transplant the seedlings to seperate pots approx. 10 days after emerging. Put them away a bit cooler at approx. 18 - 20 °C.
Harden the tomatoes of, from the middle of May, when there's no longer any danger of nightfrosts. Put the pots at a temperature of 15 - 18 °C for a week and reduce the amount of water for this week. Put the plants outdoors after this week on a sunny and sheltered plot with well draining soil or put them in a greenhouse. Make sure that there is no longer any nightfrost.
Tomatoes need some maintenance to ensure a good harvest. Give the plants a sturdy support with some sturdy and large bamboo sticks. Remove all suckers that will form in the axils of your plants. Remove all the leaves below the lowest hanging fruits by the end of July till the beginning of August. Remove all the leaves of all plants together with the tops of all plants from the end of August till the beginning of September to ensure the ripening of most of the green tomatoes. Harvest the tomatoes by cutting them with scissors. Tomatoes can't be kept for a long period. Don't keep your harvested tomatoes in the fridge. So use them a soon as possible after harvesting. Tomatoes used in sauces can be kept frozen to store.
