Red Pear Tomato

Start seeds indoors 6 to 8 weeks before your last frost date. Sow seeds about 1/4 inch deep in warm, moist seed-starting mix kept at 70 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Seedlings should emerge in 5 to 10 days. Provide bright light immediately after germination, either under grow lights or in a sunny south-facing window. Keep soil consistently moist but not waterlogged.

Transplant seedlings outdoors after the last frost date when soil has warmed to at least 60 degrees Fahrenheit and nighttime temperatures stay above 50 degrees. Harden off seedlings by gradually exposing them to outdoor conditions over 7 to 10 days. Space plants 18 inches apart in rows 36 inches apart. Bury the transplant slightly deeper than it grew in its pot; tomatoes will root along buried stems, creating a stronger root system.

Pick Red Pear tomatoes when they've fully colored red and yield slightly to gentle pressure in your palm. The pear shape makes them easy to identify, and you can harvest them at any point from when they first blush red through full maturity; they continue ripening after picking. Twist gently or cut with pruners to avoid damaging the plant. With indeterminate varieties like this one, expect continuous harvests throughout the season from mid-summer until frost.

Because Red Pear is indeterminate, it will grow indefinitely and benefit from sucker pruning. Remove suckers (shoots that emerge between the main stem and branches) to direct the plant's energy into fruit production rather than excessive foliage. Prune selectively rather than aggressively; the foliage helps protect developing fruit from sunscald. In late summer, pinch off new growth at the top of the plant to encourage the plant to focus ripening efforts on existing fruit before frost arrives.