VegetableTomato
Micado Violetter Tomato
Micado Violetter is an heirloom Australian tomato that brings both striking appearance and reliable performance to the garden. Its distinctive pink skin and densely packed core make it a standout slicing tomato, while the large potato-type leaves naturally shield the fruit from excessive sun exposure. Growing to 48-72 inches tall over 100-109 days, this indeterminate variety thrives in full sun across hardiness zones 2-11 and resists a impressive array of diseases including Fusarium Wilt, Verticillium Wilt, and Late Blight. What truly sets it apart is its crack-free nature, a quality that frustrated many tomato growers before this cultivar arrived.
Photo © True Leaf Market
Growing Conditions
USDA Zone
2-11
Sunlight
Full Sun
Water
Moderate
Soil
Well-drained, Fertile Loam With Organic Matter
Growth Stats
72 in
Height
TypeIndeterminate
Spacing
24
Plant Profile
Sunlight
Full Sun
Water
Moderate
Zones
2-11
Size
72in H x ?in W
Growth
—
Care
High
Hover over chart points for details
Highlights
This old Australian cultivar combines stunning visual appeal with exceptional crack resistance, a trait that has made it beloved by gardeners for generations. The large potato-type leaves serve a practical purpose, shielding the fruit from sun scald while giving the plant a distinctive appearance in the garden. You'll harvest full-flavored slicing tomatoes from late summer through fall, and the plant's strong disease resistance against multiple wilts and blights means fewer frustrations and more dependable harvests. The densely packed core delivers both flavor and substance, making every fruit feel substantial in your hand.
Common Uses
Micado Violetter earns its place as a slicing tomato, prized for fresh eating where its crack-free skin and dense core shine. The substantial texture and pink flesh make it an excellent choice for tomato salads, where the fruit's integrity holds up beautifully. Home gardeners who can their harvest also appreciate this variety's reliable performance and flavorful fruit, though its primary strength lies in fresh applications where you can appreciate both its appearance and the quality of the flesh.
Growing Timeline
No timeline data available yet for this variety.
Care Instructions
Start Indoors
Start seeds indoors 6-8 weeks before your last spring frost, sowing them 1/4 inch deep in warm soil around 70-75 degrees Fahrenheit. Keep the soil consistently moist and provide bright light once seedlings emerge. Transplant to larger containers when they develop their first true leaves.
Transplant Outdoors
Harden off seedlings over 7-10 days by gradually exposing them to outdoor conditions. Transplant outdoors after all frost danger has passed and soil temperatures consistently reach 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Space plants 24 inches apart with 36 inches between rows.
Harvesting
Pick Micado Violetter tomatoes when they reach full pink color and yield slightly to gentle pressure. The crack-free skin is one of this variety's greatest strengths, so even fully ripe fruit holds together beautifully. Harvest regularly throughout the season to encourage continued flowering and fruiting. In cooler climates, pick fruits at the first blush of color and ripen them indoors if frost threatens, as the 100-109 day maturity means the main flush arrives in late summer.
Pruning
As an indeterminate variety, Micado Violetter will benefit from regular sucker removal, especially once the plant reaches 18-24 inches tall. Pinch out the shoots that form between the main stem and lateral branches to redirect energy toward fruit production and improve air circulation. However, resist the urge to over-prune; the large potato-type leaves are an asset for sun protection, so maintain enough foliage to shield the developing fruit.
Growing Calendar
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Companion Planting
Pests & Diseases
Ecology & Traits
Edible
Scientific Classification
Solanum lycopersicum
Family
Solanaceae
Genus
Solanum
Growth Habit
Indeterminate
Native Status
L48 (I)AK (I)HI (I)PR (I)VI (I)CAN (W)
History & Origin
“Micado Violetter carries the mark of Australian heirloom gardening, a cultivar that emerged from years of selective breeding in that region's particular growing conditions. The variety represents the kind of open-pollinated tomato that became treasured precisely because it solved real problems for gardeners: the crack-free characteristic wasn't accidental but the result of deliberate selection for reliability. This heirloom has traveled from Australian gardens to seed savers worldwide, preserved and passed along because it consistently delivered when other varieties failed.”