Where to buy seeds
Some links are affiliate links — Verdantly may earn a commission at no cost to you. Learn more.
German Orange Strawberry is a stunning heirloom tomato that delivers exactly what its name promises: large, orange, heart-shaped fruits that resemble strawberries more than traditional tomatoes. This open-pollinated variety matures in 80 to 89 days and produces substantial 10-ounce fruits on indeterminate plants with characteristic light, wispy foliage. A pre-1900s German heirloom, it's built specifically for sauce and paste production, with thick walls and remarkably small seed cavities that concentrate flavor and reduce moisture.
Full Sun
Moderate
?-?
?in H x ?in W
—
High
Hover over chart points for details
The fruit's distinctive strawberry-like shape and vibrant orange color make German Orange Strawberry unmistakable in the garden and on the kitchen counter. These hefty 10-ounce tomatoes develop thick, meaty walls with minimal seeds inside, characteristics that define superior paste tomatoes. Growing on sprawling indeterminate vines with notably open structure, the plants require full sun but reward you with abundant harvests from mid-to-late summer through the growing season.
German Orange Strawberry is purpose-built for transforming fresh summer abundance into concentrated tomato products. The thick-walled, low-seed structure makes it exceptional for tomato paste, sauce, and preserves, where you want maximum flesh and minimum moisture to strain away. Home gardeners use it specifically for canning and bottling projects where efficiency matters; the fruit's architecture means less time spent seeding and straining compared to conventional slicing tomatoes.
No timeline data available yet for this variety.
Start seeds indoors 6 to 8 weeks before your last spring frost. Sow seeds 1/4 inch deep in warm soil (70 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit) and maintain consistent moisture. Seedlings will emerge in 5 to 10 days. Provide bright light immediately to prevent leggy growth.
Harden off seedlings gradually over 7 to 10 days by exposing them to outdoor conditions before planting. Transplant outdoors after the last frost date when soil temperature consistently reaches 60 degrees Fahrenheit or warmer. Space plants 24 to 36 inches apart to accommodate their sprawling indeterminate growth habit and open plant structure.
Harvest fruits when they develop deep orange color and yield slightly to gentle pressure; they should feel full and heavy for their size. German Orange Strawberry fruits typically reach full maturity at 80 to 89 days from transplanting. Pick tomatoes at full color for immediate use in sauces or paste. For extended harvest, you can pick slightly underripe fruit and allow it to finish ripening indoors, which extends the season as plants continue producing until frost.
German Orange Strawberry's open, wispy plant structure means selective pruning focuses on removing suckers (shoots that emerge between the main stem and branches) to direct energy into fruit production rather than excessive foliage. Remove lower leaves once fruiting is established to improve air circulation and reduce disease pressure. Avoid over-pruning; the light natural foliage cover is characteristic of this variety and helps prevent sun scald on developing fruits.
Enter your ZIP code to see a personalized growing calendar for this plant.
“German Orange Strawberry traces its lineage back to pre-1900s Germany, where selective breeding created a tomato uniquely suited to regional cooking traditions centered on preserves, sauces, and paste production. This heirloom survived over a century of gardening history by remaining valuable to home growers who valued its efficiency in the kitchen; families passed seeds forward because the fruit's architecture (thick flesh, minimal seeds) made processing dramatically easier than round slicing varieties. Its preservation represents the practical wisdom of German gardeners who understood that a tomato's worth lay not just in flavor but in how completely it could be transformed into shelf-stable food.”