Tigerella is an award-winning English heirloom tomato that commands attention in any garden with its striking red skin striped in bright orange. These perfectly round, 4 to 6 ounce fruits ripen in 55 to 65 days and deliver a zesty, tangy flavor that's equally at home fresh off the vine or tossed into a salad. Growing as an indeterminate plant that reaches 36 to 96 inches tall in hardiness zones 3 to 10, Tigerella produces heavy yields and thrives in conditions where other tomatoes struggle, including humid environments and greenhouses. This open-pollinated heirloom brings Old World flavor and eye-catching color to both garden beds and containers.
24
Full Sun
Moderate
3-10
96in H x ?in W
—
High
Hover over chart points for details
Tigerella's striking appearance alone makes it a conversation starter, with those distinctive orange stripes dancing across red skin that no other tomato quite matches. But what really sets gardeners apart is its resilience: it tolerates cold better than many heirloom varieties, produces abundantly even in humid conditions, and resists a formidable range of diseases including Fusarium Wilt, Verticillium Wilt, and Late Blight. The flavor delivers zesty, tangy notes that make you taste the difference between a truly good tomato and a mediocre one.
Tigerella shines as a fresh salad tomato, where its zesty flavor and petite size (about 2 inches in diameter) make it ideal for slicing whole or halving into salads. Gardeners prize it for snacking straight off the vine, and its heavy yields make it particularly suited for preserving or sharing with neighbors. The variety performs exceptionally well in greenhouse cultivation, making it a favorite for season extension and commercial gardeners seeking reliable production.
No timeline data available yet for this variety.
Start seeds indoors 55 to 75 days before your last frost date. Keep soil warm and moist until germination occurs, then provide bright light and maintain moderate temperatures. Transplant seedlings into individual pots once they develop true leaves, and continue growing them indoors under lights until they're stocky and ready to harden off.
Harden off seedlings by gradually exposing them to outdoor conditions over 7 to 10 days. Transplant outdoors after your last spring frost date, when soil has warmed and nighttime temperatures stay above 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Space plants 24 inches apart with 36 inches between rows, burying the stem deeper than it grew indoors to encourage strong root development.
Begin harvesting when fruits reach full size (about 2 inches in diameter) and display the characteristic red color with orange striping. Pick tomatoes slightly firm rather than completely soft for better storage life, though vine-ripened fruit offers superior flavor. Tigerella's relatively short 55 to 65 day window means you'll be harvesting throughout the warm season; continue picking until the first frost threatens.
As an indeterminate variety, Tigerella will grow and produce fruit continuously throughout the season. Light pruning of lower leaves improves air circulation and reduces disease pressure in humid conditions. Remove suckers (shoots growing between the main stem and branches) to direct energy toward fruit production, especially on the lowest 12 inches of the plant where humidity accumulates.
Enter your ZIP code to see a personalized growing calendar for this plant.
“Tigerella emerged from careful breeding work in England, where horticulturists crossed and selected for both striking appearance and reliable flavor. The variety earned its reputation as a world-class heirloom by proving itself across climates and growing conditions far beyond its English origins. Today it remains a celebrated representative of the Old World tomato tradition, preserved and shared by seed savers who recognize its unique combination of visual drama, cold tolerance, and disease resistance.”