Oaxacan Pink Tomato

Start seeds indoors 6 to 8 weeks before your last spring frost. Sow seeds 1/4 inch deep in warm soil (70 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit is ideal) and keep consistently moist. Seedlings will emerge in 5 to 10 days. Provide bright light as soon as sprouts appear to prevent leggy growth.

Harden off seedlings over 7 to 10 days by gradually exposing them to outdoor conditions. Transplant outdoors after the last frost date when soil has warmed and nighttime temperatures stay above 55 degrees Fahrenheit. Space plants 24 inches apart with 36 inches between rows. Bury the transplant deeper than it grew in the pot; tomatoes will root along buried stems for stronger plants.

Pick tomatoes when they reach full pink color and yield slightly to gentle pressure at the blossom end. Mature fruits will be 8 to 16 ounces and fragrant. Harvest regularly to encourage continued flowering and fruiting throughout the season. In late summer, pick mature green tomatoes if frost threatens and let them ripen indoors at room temperature.

As an indeterminate variety, Oaxacan Pink will benefit from moderate pruning to improve air circulation and direct energy toward fruit production. Remove lower leaves once plants are established to reduce soil-borne disease pressure. Prune suckers (shoots that grow between the main stem and branches) on the lower half of the plant, but leave upper sucker growth to sustain fruit production. Avoid aggressive pruning that exposes too much of the plant to sunscald.