Beefsteak tomato Ananas Noire is a large, organically grown, flattened tomato variety. The tomatoes have large ridges at the top and run smoothly downwards. The tomatoes are quite large even for a beefsteak tomato. The top of the ripe tomatoes is green with the characteristic flamed stripes and the underside is brownish-red (mahogany) with the same flamed stripes. The tomatoes weigh between 500 - 600 grams each. The plants on which the tomatoes grow are very productive. The tomatoes take a long time to ripen. The flavour is nice and sweet with a slight typical tomato acidity. The tomatoes have nice and firm flesh. The flesh has a firm bite and a nice amount of juice with seeds.
This tomato tastes best when eaten not too cold. Eat the tomato right out of the greenhouse when it has warmed up in the sun. With the warmth of the sun in the tomato, it tastes at its very best. Use these tomatoes in salads, soups, sauces, pasta sauces, casseroles, stews and in all dishes with tomatoes. 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: 250 - 300 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.
