Clementine is an F1 hybrid tomato that produces unique orange cocktail-sized fruits on vigorous indeterminate plants. From transplants, you'll be harvesting ripe tomatoes in just 68 days, making it a reliable choice for gardeners who want color and productivity without an endless wait. The plants thrive in moderate water conditions and prefer slightly acidic soil (pH 6.0-6.8), and they're naturally resistant to both Fusarium Wilt and Verticillium Wilt, two of the most troublesome tomato diseases.
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Moderate
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High
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The orange color alone sets Clementine apart on the harvest table, but what really matters is the disease resistance built into this hybrid. You'll get reliable production from vigorous indeterminate vines without constantly battling wilt diseases that plague many tomato varieties. The 68-day timeline from transplant to harvest is genuinely quick for a full-season indeterminate, and the moderate water needs mean you're not constantly fighting drought stress.
Clementine works beautifully as a cocktail tomato, sized perfectly for snacking straight off the vine or tossing whole into salads. The orange color makes it a natural for adding visual appeal to fresh preparations and mixed heirloom tomato platters where you want that distinctive citrus-toned fruit standing out beside reds and yellows.
No timeline data available yet for this variety.
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, lightly covering the seed. Maintain soil temperature at 75-85°F with moderate moisture; seeds typically germinate in 5-7 days. Start transplants about 5-6 weeks before your planned transplant date. At the first true leaf stage, pot seedlings up to 50-cell trays or 4-inch pots depending on your timing. Grow them at a constant 60-70°F and fertilize regularly with complete fertilizer until hardening off.
Harden off transplants gradually before moving them outside. Don't rush transplanting; avoid planting leggy, root-bound, or already-flowering transplants, as these can stunt early production. Transplant into medium-rich soil with pH 6.0-6.8 when soil has warmed adequately and all frost danger has passed.
Pick fruit when fully orange and at the cocktail tomato size typical of the variety. Store blemish-free, near-ripe fruit at room temperature in darkness for 4-7 days. For longer storage, pick less-ripe fruit and keep it at cooler temperatures between 45-60°F, though be aware that colder storage and picking too green will reduce final flavor quality.
As an indeterminate variety, Clementine will grow continuously throughout the season. Use basket-weave trellising with 5-6 foot stakes pounded every 2-3 plants, using heavier t-posts intermittently and at bed ends for stability. Consider short extensions on stakes or pruning once vines outgrow a manageable size for easier harvesting, but avoid excessive pruning that removes productive leaf area.
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