Five Star Grape Tomato is Johnny's Selected Seeds' sweetest grape tomato, an F1 hybrid that matures in just 62 days from transplant and thrives across hardiness zones 3 through 11. Its indeterminate growth habit means it produces fruit continuously throughout the season, rewarding patient gardeners with an abundance of tiny, intensely sweet tomatoes. This variety germinates reliably at 75 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit and grows best in moderate temperatures between 60 and 70 degrees, making it adaptable to diverse climates as long as you provide sturdy support for its vining stems.
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Moderate
3-11
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Johnny's describes this as their sweetest grape tomato, and that singular focus on flavor sets it apart from standard small-fruited varieties. Being an F1 hybrid gives Five Star consistent vigor and productivity, while its indeterminate habit ensures a steady harvest from mid-summer through frost. The 62-day maturity from transplants is remarkably quick for such dependable sweetness, making it possible to succession-plant every 4 to 6 weeks for continuous harvests even in shorter growing seasons.
Five Star Grape Tomato shines in any application that celebrates small, sweet tomatoes straight from the vine. The fruit works beautifully for snacking and grazing, tossed whole into summer salads where their delicate size and concentrated sweetness don't overwhelm lighter greens, or roasted slowly in halves for an intense, caramelized side dish. Paste and purees aren't their calling, but fresh applications where that grape-tomato sweetness can shine are ideal.
No timeline data available yet for this variety.
Start seeds indoors about 5 to 6 weeks before your transplant date. Sow seeds 1/4 inch deep in 20-row flats with 20 seeds per row, or in 200-cell trays with 1 seed per cell, and lightly cover. Keep the seed mix at 75 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit with moderate moisture; seeds typically germinate in 5 to 7 days. At the first true leaf stage, pot up seedlings to 50-cell trays or 4-inch pots depending on your expected transplant timing. Grow transplants at a constant 60 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit under complete fertilizer until they are hardened off. Avoid starting too early, as leggy, root-bound, or already-flowering transplants cause stunting and reduced early production.
Transplant hardened-off seedlings to the garden after the last frost date in your zone. Space plants 24 inches apart in rows 48 inches apart in medium-rich soil with a pH of 6.0 to 6.8.
Harvest Five Star tomatoes when they reach full color and slight give when gently squeezed. Pick near-ripe fruit if you plan to store it for several days, or harvest fully ripe fruit for immediate eating and maximum flavor.
For this indeterminate variety, plan to trellis using the basket-weave method with 5 to 6-foot stakes pounded every 2 to 3 plants, using heavier t-posts intermittently and at bed ends for stability. Once plants outgrow a manageable size for comfortable harvesting, consider pruning or adding short trellis extensions to keep fruit accessible.
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