Plate De Haiti is a rare Creole heirloom tomato with a fascinating documented history stretching back to the 1500s. This indeterminate variety produces small, brilliant vermillion-red fruits about two inches in diameter that resemble miniature apples, earning it the alternate name Manzana de Hispanola. From seed to harvest takes roughly 80 days, and the plant grows to about 6 feet tall, making it a substantial grower that rewards patience with exceptional sauce-quality fruit. The Roughwood Seed Collection preserved this variety after acquiring it from French tomato connoisseur Norbert Parreira, ensuring that this centuries-old cultivar remains available to home gardeners.
Full Sun
Moderate
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72in H x ?in W
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This tomato carries legitimate historical gravitas: it appears in Konrad Gessner's 1561 Swiss herbal, making it one of the oldest documented varieties in continuous cultivation. The small, deep red fruits concentrate flavor exceptionally well for sauce work, and the plant's indeterminate growth habit means it'll produce steadily throughout the season once it hits its stride. Acquiring and growing Plate De Haiti connects you to a living link between Renaissance herbals and modern gardening, a tomato that survived centuries because people kept saving its seeds.
Plate De Haiti excels in sauce work. The small fruits concentrate their flavor intensely, making them particularly suited to tomato sauces, purees, and paste where you want deep, developed tomato character without excess water content. The abundance of small fruits from an indeterminate plant means you'll have consistent harvests for preserving, whether canned, frozen, or reduced into concentrated preparations.
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Start seeds indoors 6 to 8 weeks before your last spring frost. Maintain soil temperature between 68 and 82 degrees Fahrenheit for consistent germination. Once seedlings emerge and develop true leaves, provide bright light and gradually acclimate them to outdoor conditions before transplanting.
Transplant outdoors only after all danger of frost has passed, as this variety is frost-sensitive. Space plants 24 inches apart in rows 36 inches apart. Choose a location with full sun exposure and well-draining soil adjusted to a pH between 6.0 and 6.8.
Harvest fruits when they reach their full brilliant vermillion-red color and yield slightly to gentle pressure. The two-inch diameter is your visual cue for maturity. The indeterminate growth habit means the plant will continue producing new flowers and fruits throughout the season, so check plants regularly once harvesting begins and pick ripe fruit promptly to encourage continued production.
As an indeterminate variety, Plate De Haiti will benefit from support and some pruning to manage its growth. Provide sturdy stakes or trellising to keep the vines organized and improve air circulation among the foliage. You can remove lower leaves once the plant is established to further reduce disease pressure and direct the plant's energy toward fruit production rather than excessive vegetative growth.
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“Plate De Haiti arrived in the Roughwood Seed Collection through French tomato connoisseur Norbert Parreira, who recognized its significance as a rare Creole variety. The variety's documented history is remarkably deep: it appears in Konrad Gessner's 1561 Swiss herbal, positioning it among the oldest known tomato varieties in European records. The name Manzana de Hispanola references both its Caribbean origins and its distinctive small, apple-like appearance. This tomato survived centuries not through commercial breeding programs but through careful seed saving by gardeners and collectors who understood its value as a living historical document.”