Solanum lycopersicum
Red Pear Tomato, red pear, Pera d'Abruzzo: an old Italian variety that produces large, slightly ribbed, swollen pear-shaped fruits at the shoulders. Do not confuse it with the small pear-shaped cherry tomatoes — this one weighs 200 to 300 grams and is served in slices.
Characteristics:
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Large pear-shaped fruits: 200 to 300 g, red, slightly ribbed, with a highly distinctive shape.
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Vigorous plant: it grows tall and strong, with good yields.
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Generous flesh: few seeds, delicious sliced or cooked.
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Open-pollinated heirloom variety: you can sow your own seeds every year.
Sowing advice:
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Exposure: full sun and warmth.
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Soil: deep, rich, loose and well drained. A large-fruited variety is demanding: a generous addition of well-rotted compost will benefit it.
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Method: sow from February to April under cover, at a minimum of 20 °C — below this temperature, the seeds will not germinate. Cover with 5 mm of soil. Transplant into pots at the two true-leaf stage. See how to sow your seeds.
Planting advice:
- Transplant after the last frosts, spacing plants 70 to 80 cm apart: this is a vigorous plant that needs room. Bury the stem up to the first leaves: tomatoes produce roots along the buried stem, resulting in a more vigorous plant.
- This is an indeterminate variety: install a sturdy stake at planting time, before the roots develop.
Care advice:
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Always water at the base, never on the foliage, preferably in the morning: water on the leaves provides an entry point for blight. Mulch generously.
- Water regularly and evenly: with large fruits, irregular watering causes cracking and blossom-end rot.
- Remove suckers and limit the plant to 5 or 6 trusses to obtain beautiful, fully ripe fruit.
- Rotate crops every three to four years.
Harvesting advice:
- Harvest when fully red, when the fruit yields slightly under your finger. Support the fruit when picking: its weight can break the truss.
- Store at room temperature, never in the refrigerator.
Beneficial companions:
Benefits for biodiversity:
- Its flowers are pollinated by vibration: only bumblebees can fully exploit them. Welcoming bumblebees directly improves your harvest.
- As an open-pollinated heirloom variety, growing it helps preserve cultivated diversity. See our heirloom tomatoes to sow.
Uses:
- Sliced with a drizzle of olive oil, stuffed, in sauce or preserved. Its unusual shape makes a striking impression when served in wedges.
Saving your own seeds:
Remove the pulp from a beautiful, fully ripe fruit and leave it to ferment for two to three days in a little water — this step breaks down the gelatinous coating that inhibits germination — then rinse: the healthy seeds will sink to the bottom. Dry them flat. See how to save your seeds.
Commitment to Quality: at SemiSauvage - Permaculture, we grow and select our seeds with respect for living things as our guiding principle. Based near the Volcanoes of Auvergne, we choose open-pollinated, non-hybrid varieties, test them for germination rates, and carefully sort and package them without any chemical treatment. Our conviction: to give gardeners back the ability to resow, year after year, seeds that truly belong to them.
Large Italian red pears, perfect for serving in slices.
