Harvested the 2nd week of May
Lisos Grandes is a large, elliptical tomato bred in Spain. The plants grow to a very manageable height of 5 ft and the fruit average about 10 oz.
Lisos is one of the few varieties I've trailed that grows well in my garden bed. They're prolific, flavorful, never mealy and can handle the Kihei sun and higher spring temps with minimal cracking. Cracking has been a major problem with growing the larger tomatoes in Kihei during our cooler months. Of course cracking is a given from May through September.
Above are five plants that were spaced 2 ft from the fence and 3 ft apart. All were planted within a standard size wire cage. In Kihei, the best time to plant Lisos seeds is from October through the end of December. They begin to ripen at 4.5 months.
When the plants are full grown they'll be at or above the top of the fence. These five plants will produce a huge crop of tomatoes. They're great for everything but I mainly use them to make sauce that I freeze and use throughout the year.
Lisos Grandes seeds are available through Seed Savers Exchange online catalog. Since this is a rare variety in the US I usually have extra saved seeds that I can share or trade.
When the plants are full grown they'll be at or above the top of the fence. These five plants will produce a huge crop of tomatoes. They're great for everything but I mainly use them to make sauce that I freeze and use throughout the year.
Lisos Grandes seeds are available through Seed Savers Exchange online catalog. Since this is a rare variety in the US I usually have extra saved seeds that I can share or trade.
Rose d'Berne
Rose d'Berne is a round medium size Swiss variety that averages about 6 oz. They're so sweet and flavorful are great in salads and make delicious sauce. They're never mealy and also do well in the rising temps of spring. The tomatoes in the photo were harvested the last week of April with minimal cracking.
Indeterminate Tomatoes at 3 Months
Growing in Smart Pots Behind the Peppers
I plant Rose d'Berne in 15 gallon Smart Pots and they grow to at least 7 ft. The best time to plant seeds in Kihei is from October through the end of December. These tomatoes will begin to ripen at 4 months.
Rose d'Berne seeds are widely available including on ebay.
I use a hand crank Passata Machine I purchased at Seeds From Italy to extract the juice but most electric juicers should work.
Passata Machines can be purchased on Amazon under various names:
Tomato Food Strainer and Sauce Maker
Rose d'Berne is a round medium size Swiss variety that averages about 6 oz. They're so sweet and flavorful are great in salads and make delicious sauce. They're never mealy and also do well in the rising temps of spring. The tomatoes in the photo were harvested the last week of April with minimal cracking.
Growing in Smart Pots Behind the Peppers
I plant Rose d'Berne in 15 gallon Smart Pots and they grow to at least 7 ft. The best time to plant seeds in Kihei is from October through the end of December. These tomatoes will begin to ripen at 4 months.
Rose d'Berne seeds are widely available including on ebay.
I use a hand crank Passata Machine I purchased at Seeds From Italy to extract the juice but most electric juicers should work.
Passata Machines can be purchased on Amazon under various names:
Tomato Food Strainer and Sauce Maker
I run the pulp through the machine three times to get as much juice as possible. Then I simmer the juice to reduce it to a sauce consistency and put 2 cups into 1 quart zip-lock bags. I freeze the bags flat so they're easy to stack and store in my freezer.
