Solanum lycopersicum
Red Pear Tomato, red pear, Pera d'Abruzzo: an old Italian variety that produces large, slightly ribbed, plump 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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Reproducible heirloom variety: you can sow your own seeds again 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 nutrient-hungry: 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 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 section, resulting in a more vigorous plant.
- This is an indeterminate variety: install a sturdy stake as soon as you plant it, before the roots develop.
Care advice:
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Always water at the base, never over the foliage, preferably in the morning: water on the leaves provides an entry point for blight. Apply a thick mulch.
- Water regularly and evenly: with large-fruited varieties, irregular watering causes splitting and blossom-end rot.
- Remove suckers and limit the plant to 5 or 6 trusses to obtain beautiful, fully ripe fruits.
- Rotate crops every three to four years.
Harvesting advice:
- Harvest when fully red, when the fruit yields slightly under your finger. Support the fruit while picking: its weight can break the truss.
- Store at room temperature, never in the refrigerator.
Beneficial companion plants:
Benefits for biodiversity:
- Its flowers are pollinated by vibration: only bumblebees fully exploit them. Welcoming bumblebees directly improves your harvest.
- As a reproducible heirloom variety, growing it helps preserve cultivated diversity. See our heirloom tomatoes to sow.
Uses:
- Sliced with a drizzle of olive oil, stuffed, in sauces or preserved. Its original shape makes a striking impression when served in wedges.
Saving your own seeds:
Take the pulp from a beautiful, fully ripe fruit and let it ferment for two to three days in a little water—this step breaks down the gelatinous coating that inhibits germination—then rinse it: the healthy seeds will sink to the bottom. Dry them flat. See how to store your seeds.
Commitment to Quality: at SemiSauvage - Permaculture, we grow and select our seeds with respect for all living things as our guiding principle. Based near the Volcanoes of Auvergne, we choose reproducible, non-hybrid varieties, tested for their germination rate, carefully sorted and packaged, without any chemical treatment. Our belief: to give gardeners back the ability to sow, year after year, seeds that truly belong to them.
Large Italian red pears, perfect for serving in slices.
