Large, round and fleshy with a smooth skin, its fruits ripen in clusters of four or five on a vine that never stops growing; this French heirloom has been grown since the end of the nineteenth century. Stake it well, water only at the base, and it rewards you with one of the heaviest crops, raw in salad or cooked into sauce.
Visually similar to cluster tomato, its flesh is firm and gourmet-worthy.
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The ‘Saint Pierre’ tomato is a French heirloom variety that has been cultivated since the end of the XIXth century. This variety has an indeterminate bearing, meaning it never stops growing; because of this, staking is required. Very vigorous, it’s also among the most productive. Fruits are large, round, fleshy and their peel is smooth. They form in clusters of 4 to 5 tomatoes.
Start your seedlings as early as Mid-spring, but keep them indoors for fear of late frosts. As for transplanting, it takes place a bit later, towards Late spring.
To start your seedlings off right:
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After you’ve obtained nice seedlings (perhaps you’ve purchased them in a garden store, which is also fine), the planting itself is fairly easy. Simply dig a hold about eight inches deep (twenty centimeters) and settle the foot down inside it, slanting it somewhat. Then, backfill to the point of burying the base of the stem up to and including the first pair of leaves.
The portion that’s underground will sprout extra roots, giving the plant even more vigor.
On the same day, water abundantly while avoiding wet leaves, and hammer the stakes in.
Saint Pierre tomatoes are relatively easy to care for. The most important thing to watch for is watering:
To retain moisture in the soil, a great recourse is to simply spread mulch.
When the first fruits appear, you can speed their ripening by removing a few leaves from the plant.
→ More to learn about growing tomato
From seed tray to fridge shelf, the whole cycle of a ‘Saint Pierre’ tomato fits into five steps. Use it as a reminder of what happens when.
| Stage | When | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Sowing | early spring | Soak the seeds overnight, sow in a sand and soil mix, and keep the tray indoors away from late frosts |
| Pricking out | early to mid-spring | As soon as two leaves show, keep the most vigorous seedlings and move each to its own nursery pot |
| Transplanting | late spring | Dig a hole 8 inches (20 cm) deep, set the plant in at a slant, backfill to the first pair of leaves, water and stake |
| Care | late spring to late summer | Water at the base only and never too much; spread mulch to hold moisture in the soil |
| Harvest | midsummer to mid-autumn | Pick the fruit off regularly as it ripens rather than in one batch |
| Keeping | after picking | Surplus fruit holds about five days in the refrigerator, or goes into sauce and soup |
Removing a few shading leaves once the first fruits set brings the harvest forward, but only a few.
As is common for tomato plants, ‘Saint Pierre’ tomatoes may develop blight. Insects also love infesting the plant, as well. Whitefly (tiny white winged flies) and cotton bollworm caterpillars may inflict severe damage if not controlled.
When they’re ripe, ‘Saint Pierre’ tomatoes can start to be harvested Midsummer, up to Mid-autumn. What’s best is to pick them off regularly. That way you’ll always savor them at peak maturity, which also means peak savor and nutritious content.
Nonetheless, if ever there are too many for you to consume, you should know they will keep for about 5 days in the refrigerator.
The ‘Saint Pierre’ tomato is delicious raw, diced up in a tossed salad, or cooked in the form of sauce, soup and baked tomato (more on the best cooking uses for different tomato types here).
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