BUSH OR CORDON?
Amish Paste is grown as a cordon type (indeterminate) tomato. Individual stems bearing fruit may also need some support. They can be grown in a greenhouse or in a protected position outside.
This variety produces three or four large fruits per truss and these may need some support to prevent the weight of the fruit breaking the branches. Aside from that, Amish Paste has no special requirements and it should be grown as described here and
pruned as described here. General care advice throughout the growing season is given here.
They date back to 1870 but were only grown in Amish communities. In the 1980s it became commercially available and has steadily become more popular.
APPEARANCE AND TASTE OF AMISH PASTE TOMATOES
Amish Paste tomatoes are bright red and individual ones weigh in the range 225g to 340g (8oz to 12oz). They are oval shaped with a point towards the base end. The plants produce rather sparse foliage which allows the fruit to ripen easily in full sun. The flesh is dense and has fewer seeds than normal. They slice very easily and retain their shape. The taste is on the sweet side but with some acidity – they are full of tomato flavour.
For all the tomato varieties which we have fully reviewed, click the drop down box below, select a variety and then click the More Information Button.
SUMMARY CHARACTERISTICS OF AMISH PASTE
F1 OR OPEN POLLINATED?: Amish Paste is open pollinated and will grow true from saved seed. Click here for clear instructions and even clearer pictures on how to save seeds from Amish Paste tomatoes.
GROWTH TYPE: Cordon type, needs to be pruned to get the best crop. This is an mid season maturing variety which takes 80 days from transplant to fruit maturity.
WHERE TO GROW: Cold greenhouse or outdoors in many areas of the UK.
USE: Salads (slices well), making sauces, freezes very well
SKIN COLOUR / TEXTURE: Bright red, the skins come off easily when cut and boiled for 30 seconds.
FLESH COLOUR: Red
TASTE AND TEXTURE: Slightly sweet, a very pleasant taste. The texture is meaty with few seeds.
STORAGE: Stores for a week or two in the fridge
TOMATO SIZE: Large
REGULARITY OF CROPPING: Regularly
AWARDS: None
SPECIAL FEATURES: Large fruit size takes away much of the work in making tomato sauces.
WHEN TO SOW AMISH PASTE SEED
The key dates for sowing and planting out Amish Paste tomato seeds are given below.
The dates displayed below are correct for the UK average. If you want them to be even more accurate and adjusted for your area of the UK click here. It only takes a minute and the adjustment affects every date in this site and lasts for six months.
- Sow seeds in pots indoors
First week of March - Pot up young plants
First week of April - Harden off young plants
First week of May - Plant out young plants
Third week of May
WHEN TO HARVEST AMISH PASTE TOMATOES
This variety is a cordon type tomato and if they are pruned in that way you can expect to be picking your first Amish Paste tomatoes in the second week of August
BUYING AMISH PASTE SEED / PLANTS IN THE UK
Occasionally available in garden centres and widely available from online seed merchants. Different strains of this variety have evolved over time.
The cheapest reliable seeds for this variety we could find were from Nicky’s Nursery.
If you need any more information on growing this variety, click here to go to our main tomato page.
Other varieties which may also be of interest include:
| RED ALERT | AILSA CRAIG |
| ALICANTE | SAN MARZANO |
COMMENTS / QUESTIONS LEFT BY OUR READERS
Sometimes our readers ask specific questions which are not covered in the main article above. Our
Outdoor Tomatoes comment / question and answer page
lists their comments, questions and answers. At the end of that page there is also a form for you to submit any new question or comment you have.
When and How to Sow Tomato Seed
Ongoing Care
Pruning Tomatoes
Pest and Disease
Tomato Nutrient Defficiency
Save Tomato Seeds
Tomato Variety Review
Tomato Question and Answer
AMISH PASTE TOMATOES
By David Marks
Amish Paste tomatoes are very well named because they originate from the Amish community in the Wisconsin area and their primary use, although not exclusively, is for making tomato sauces and pastes.
This variety produces large tomatoes which makes skinning them much easier and less-time-consuming compared to smaller varieties. We fully recommend them, even to very amateur gardeners.