The Korean Long Tomato is a remarkable heirloom that defies the round shape you'd expect, instead producing distinctive pinkish-red fruits with a slight curve and a pointed nose that gives them character. These meaty, crack-resistant tomatoes weigh 6 to 14 ounces and reach maturity in 85 to 90 days, making them reliable producers across hardiness zones 3 through 12. Both a talented sauce tomato and a slicing variety, it delivers the deep heirloom flavor that seed savers have cherished for generations, thriving in full sun with moderate water and indeterminate vigor that keeps producing through the season.
Full Sun
Moderate
3-12
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The Korean Long Tomato earns its name through an unusual, elegant form that looks like a cross between a slicing tomato and a paste variety. Its meaty flesh and crack-resistant skin make it equally at home fresh on a plate or simmered into sauce, which is rare in heirloom tomatoes. The slightly curved, pointed-nose shape and pinkish-red color give each fruit personality, while the plant's productivity and reliability ensure you'll get a real harvest rather than just a few ornamental fruits.
The Korean Long Tomato excels both as a fresh slicing tomato and as a sauce tomato, a versatility uncommon in single varieties. The meaty flesh makes it excellent for fresh eating, while its crack-resistant paste characteristics suit it to cooking, canning, and reduction into concentrated sauces or pastes. Its ability to perform well in both applications makes it valuable for gardeners who want one variety to handle multiple roles in the kitchen.
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Start seeds indoors 6 to 8 weeks before your last spring frost, maintaining soil temperatures between 68 and 82 degrees Fahrenheit for reliable germination. Sow seeds at the depth indicated on your packet and keep the soil consistently moist but not waterlogged until seedlings emerge.
Transplant seedlings outdoors once nighttime temperatures remain above 50 degrees Fahrenheit and all danger of frost has passed. Harden off seedlings by gradually exposing them to outdoor conditions over 7 to 10 days before planting. Space plants 24 inches apart in their final location.
Pick fruits when they have developed their full pinkish-red color and yield slightly to gentle pressure. The fruits reach their peak flavor when fully ripe on the vine, but can be harvested slightly early and allowed to finish ripening indoors if needed. Expect to begin harvesting around 85 to 90 days from transplanting, with the indeterminate vine producing fruits continuously throughout the season until frost.
As an indeterminate variety, the Korean Long Tomato benefits from selective pruning to improve air circulation and direct energy into fruit production. Remove lower leaves once the plant is established and flowering to reduce disease pressure, and prune out excessive interior foliage to allow sunlight to reach developing fruits. However, avoid aggressive pruning that removes too much leaf canopy, as the plant needs foliage to protect fruits from sunscald.
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