Marvana Tomato

68 days, indeterminate — The regular leaf plants produce fruits that are red in color, globe to slightly elongated in shape, and average four to five ounces in weight.

'Marvana' inherited much of its vigor and disease resistance, as well as a little of its color and smoothness, from the now presumed extinct, 'Marvel' tomato, yet closely resembles 'Earliana' in its small leaflets and spreading habit of vine. 'Marvana' is distinctly a "first-early" variety. It sets fruits freely and produces a good early crop, but its fruits are not as large and meaty as those of later season varieties.^[1]

Bred by Fred J. Pritchard of the USDA as a stabilized cross between 'Marvel' and 'Earliana'. It was released in 1924.^[2] Our stock was grown out from seed originally obtained from the USDA back in 2003 (GRIN accession number G 32333.) We reintroduced it to the public for the 2015 gardening season. Each packet contains approximately 20 seeds.