VegetableTomato
Floradade Tomato
Floradade is a heat-loving determinate tomato introduced in 1976 by the University of Florida, bred specifically to thrive in hot, humid climates where other varieties struggle. It produces firm, smooth 5-7 ounce red globes with a distinctive green shoulder, reaching maturity in 70-79 days from transplant. Hardy across zones 3-10, this open-pollinated heirloom grows as a compact plant reaching 18-36 inches tall, making it excellent for gardens, raised beds, and even greenhouses. With strong disease resistance to seven major tomato ailments including Fusarium Wilt, Verticillium Wilt, and Tobacco Mosaic Virus, Floradade demands full sun and repays focused attention with reliable harvests.
Photo © True Leaf Market
Growing Conditions
USDA Zone
3-10
Sunlight
Full Sun
Water
Moderate
Soil
Well-drained, Fertile Loam With Organic Matter
Growth Stats
36 in
Height
TypeDeterminate
Spacing
18
Plant Profile
Sunlight
Full Sun
Water
Moderate
Zones
3-10
Size
36in H x ?in W
Growth
—
Care
High
Hover over chart points for details
Highlights
Floradade was engineered by plant breeders at the University of Florida with a singular purpose: to produce tomatoes when and where others fail in Florida's brutal heat and humidity. The fruits are dense and firm enough to slice cleanly, their smooth skin unmarred by the cracking that plagues softer varieties in these conditions. Its compact, determinate habit and broad disease resistance profile make it equally at home in a small container garden or a sprawling market plot. Few tomatoes from the 1970s remain in seed catalogs for good reason; this one earned its place.
Common Uses
Floradade excels as a slicing tomato, its firm flesh and smooth skin making it reliable for sandwiches, salads, and any preparation where clean slices matter. The dense texture resists the wateriness common in tomatoes bred purely for heat tolerance, and the moderate size (5-7 ounces) fits standard sandwich geometry without awkward proportions. Gardeners in humid regions prize it for its ability to produce consistent harvests through the peak of summer, when most heirlooms languish.
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, planting them 1/4 inch deep in seed-starting mix kept at 70-75°F. Provide bright light once seedlings emerge to prevent legginess. Transplants are ready to move to larger containers when they develop their first true leaves.
Transplant Outdoors
Harden off seedlings over 7-10 days before moving them outdoors after all danger of frost has passed and soil temperature reaches at least 60°F. Plant at the depth they were growing in their containers, burying the stem up to the lowest true leaves if leggy; tomatoes will root along the buried stem. Space plants 18 inches apart with rows 36 inches apart. Water thoroughly at transplanting.
Harvesting
Pick fruit when fully red, typically 70-79 days after transplanting. The tomatoes should yield slightly to gentle hand pressure but remain firm; avoid harvesting while still pink or orange, as Floradade fruits develop better flavor and texture when fully mature on the vine. Harvest regularly to encourage continued production through the season. If frost threatens, pick all mature and near-mature fruit and ripen them indoors at room temperature.
Pruning
Pruning is optional for Floradade due to its determinate growth habit; the plant naturally reaches a defined size and stops growing. Light removal of lower foliage once the plant is established can improve air circulation and reduce fungal disease pressure, particularly in humid climates.
Growing Calendar
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Companion Planting
Pests & Diseases
Ecology & Traits
Edible
Scientific Classification
Solanum lycopersicum
Family
Solanaceae
Genus
Solanum
Growth Habit
Determinate
Native Status
L48 (I)AK (I)HI (I)PR (I)VI (I)CAN (W)
History & Origin
“Floradade emerged from the University of Florida's tomato breeding program in 1976, a deliberate response to the specific agricultural challenges of Florida's climate. Plant scientists recognized that existing tomato varieties wilted and succumbed to disease in the state's combination of intense heat, high humidity, and fungal pressure. Floradade was developed to be a workhorse for Florida growers, with resistance bred into every aspect of its genetics. As an open-pollinated variety, it has remained stable enough for home gardeners to save seeds, allowing it to spread beyond commercial farms into backyard gardens across the warm-season growing regions of North America.”