Candy Bell Tomato is an F1 hybrid that delivers sweet, candy-like flavor in a compact grape tomato package. Reaching maturity in just 65 days from transplant, this indeterminate variety produces clusters of delicious fruit throughout the season. It thrives in moderate watering conditions and prefers slightly acidic soil, making it accessible to gardeners across most growing zones.
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This hybrid grape tomato lives up to its name with genuinely sweet fruit that tastes like candy. The 65-day maturity from transplants means you'll be harvesting within two months of setting seedlings outdoors. As an indeterminate grower, it keeps producing all season long, rewarding patient staking with continuous yields rather than a single flush of fruit.
Candy Bell Tomatoes work beautifully fresh, popped straight off the vine as a snack, or scattered into salads where their sweet flavor and grape-sized portions make them convenient to eat. Their concentrated sugars and compact size also suit them well for roasting whole until the skins split and caramelize, or for preserving in small batches.
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, and lightly cover. Keep the seed-starting mix at 75-85°F with moderate moisture; seeds typically germinate in 5-7 days. About 5-6 weeks before your planned transplant date, start seeds in controlled conditions. Once the first true leaf appears, pot up seedlings into 50-cell trays or 4-inch pots depending on your expected transplant timing.
Harden off transplants gradually before moving them to the garden. Avoid starting seeds too early, as leggy, root-bound, or already-flowering transplants can stunt plants and reduce early production. Transplant outdoors once soil and air temperatures are reliably warm, spacing plants 24 inches apart with rows 48 inches apart.
Pick ripe, blemish-free fruit for immediate use. Store near-ripe fruit at room temperature in darkness for 4-7 days. For longer storage, select slightly less-ripe fruit and hold it at cooler temperatures between 45-60°F; avoid picking fruit too green, as this sacrifices end-quality flavor. Harvesting less-ripe fruit and proper temperature management extend storage life beyond the short term.
As an indeterminate variety, Candy Bell Tomato benefits from strategic pruning once plants reach an unmanageable height for harvest. Remove terminal shoots to keep growth within reach and direct the plant's energy toward fruit production rather than excessive vine growth.
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