Bolgiano's Extremely Early 'I.X.L.' Tomato
Solanum lycopersicum
Price: $3.45
SKU: 340370174 days, indeterminate - The 'I.X.L.' tomato has very productive, regular leaf vines. The fruit are flattened-globe shaped, red in color, firm, and exhibiting a wide variation in size (from four to twelve ounces) on each plant. Where as many early tomato varieties tend to be quite plain tasting, 'I.X.L.' fruit are surprisingly flavorful.
'I.X.L.' was reportedly developed from a single plant selection of 'Chalk's Early Jewel'.[1,2] J. Bolgiano and son of Baltimore, Maryland began sending out seed samples to select experimental organizations and various commercial growers. They officially introduced Bolgiano's Extremely Early 'I.X.L.' tomato as a, "New 1905 Variety" in their 1905 seed catalog. They wrote:
Our seed is grown out from USDA accession number NSL 27522 (which is now PI 636280).
'I.X.L.' was reportedly developed from a single plant selection of 'Chalk's Early Jewel'.[1,2] J. Bolgiano and son of Baltimore, Maryland began sending out seed samples to select experimental organizations and various commercial growers. They officially introduced Bolgiano's Extremely Early 'I.X.L.' tomato as a, "New 1905 Variety" in their 1905 seed catalog. They wrote:
"In Market Gardner's Field Tests, I.X.L. Tomato proved to be a week to ten days earlier than the Spark's Earliana, with an abundance of Fruit larger and more prolific than Chalk's Jewel, in fact any number of specimens could be found as large as the Great B. B. ["Bolgiano's Best"] Tomato. It has a little more vine and leaves than the Wealthy Tomato, thus protecting the blossoms from being easily knocked off, by heavy rains or winds; also protecting the fruit from being sunburned or scalded. The I.X.L. Tomato is without a single exception the Leading Extremely Early Tomato, and while many of the most Experienced Tomato growers tell us we cannot say to much in favor of this Excellent Early Tomato, there are many who have not grown it yet. To them we say again, do not experiment with it but plant your entire early crop in I.X.L. Tomato, your crop will net you big returns. We stake our reputation on I.X.L. TOMATOES. Below we give in a concise from the most striking features of this Tomato.
It should be noted that since days to maturity, for any tomato variety, can vary greatly from location to location and from year to year, we have not grown a side-by-side comparison of 'I.X.L.' and 'Earliana' to validate Bolgiano's claim described above. Additionally, their "marketing" claims are seemingly contradictory. Specifically, their claim that the fruit ripen all at once is incorrect and in modern terms would indicate a determinate tomato variety. However, this is a "vining" or indeterminate tomato and predates the first commercial introduction of "self-topping" or determinate varieties. We suspect that considering Bolgiano's primary customer-base, they were explaining that instead of a few early ripening fruit, 'Extremely Early I.X.L' would ripen enough all at once, that a truck farmer could be first to market with a tomato crop; a highly desirable consideration since they could charge more if they were the only ones selling fresh tomatoes.- EARLIEST. LARGEST, ABSOLUTELY SMOOTH TOMATO ON EARTH. A week earlier Than the "Earliana," and as large as the "Great B.B."
- A beautiful, brilliant red color.
- Vines are a perfect mass of large, smooth fruit, a single plant yielding 1/2 bushel.
- Fruit is extremely early, enormously abundant and ripens all at once.
- Vines are very compact and can be placed two feet apart in three foot rows.
- As an extremely early prolific stem setter it is a wonder.
- The absence of unnecessary leaves permits all the fruit to ripen so remarkable early.
- It is almost like finding money to grow the I.X.L. TOMATO.
- The largest growers tell us we cannot say too much in favor of the I.X.L. Tomato."[3]
Our seed is grown out from USDA accession number NSL 27522 (which is now PI 636280).
Fruit Color: Red
Harvest Timing: Early/Short Season
Genetic Classification: Open Pollinated
Harvest Timing: Early/Short Season
Genetic Classification: Open Pollinated
Sow seeds indoors (do not direct sow into the garden), using sterile seed starting mix, 6 to 8 weeks before your last expected frost date. Plant 1/4" deep, water lightly but keep moist until emergence.
Full light and cooler temps (60° to 70°) will help to prevent the seedlings from becoming too leggy. If plants become rootbound before you can safely set them into the ground, transplant them into larger pots.
Harden off plants before planting outside. Young plants are very susceptible to frost and sunburn damage. Avoid too much nitrogen. Water evenly but not in excess.
Click here to view our full tomato growing guide.
Full light and cooler temps (60° to 70°) will help to prevent the seedlings from becoming too leggy. If plants become rootbound before you can safely set them into the ground, transplant them into larger pots.
Harden off plants before planting outside. Young plants are very susceptible to frost and sunburn damage. Avoid too much nitrogen. Water evenly but not in excess.
Click here to view our full tomato growing guide.
Informational References:
- "The Pedigree of Varieties of Lycopersicon Esculentum Mill.," G. A. Kemp, Canada Department of Agriculture, Lethbridge, Alberta, April 20, 1960.
- "Tomato Varieties," by Gordon Morrison, Michigan State College A.E.S., Special Bulletin 290, April 1938.
- "Bolgiano's Seed Store," Bolgiano's Seeds, Baltimore, Maryland, 1905.
Customer Reviews:
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★★★★★ A strong, tolerant heat lover
By Hope M. (Florida) on January 12, 2023
By Hope M. (Florida) on January 12, 2023
I live in central Florida, so earlies are key to my tomato growing. These were great. My fruits we all fairly small, maybe 2.5-3" circumference but they packed a lot of flavor. Every seed I planted germinated; I lost about five plants to drought when I first transplanted them into pots. Otherwise, I had fifteen plants and every single one fruited. I planted five in the ground (sandy soil, morning sun), seven in 10 gallon pots (potting soil, afternoon sun), and I have the other three away to neighbors. I thought the ones in ground with morning sun would thrive, but it was the ones in pots (which got weekly feedings) that were really heavy producers. <br><br>I sewed the seeds in December and got them outside in mid-February. I had tomatoes by late March/early April and consistent fruits in May-June. By July, things were slowing down and the high heat plus heavy rains were starting to get to them, so I pulled them up in the second week of July. <br><br>I am going to try a few different varieties this season, but this tomato set the bar high!
★★★★★ Yummy
By Judy Loucks on August 16, 2021
By Judy Loucks on August 16, 2021
Really pleased with this tomato. My first try at starting my own plants and these made me happy. Flavor is fresh!
