Monarch (Buist's Monarch) Tomato
Price: $2.95
SKU: 3401501It was originally introduced in 1913 by the now defunct Robert Buist Company of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Our stock if grown from seeds sent to us by author and tomato authority Craig LeHoullier (originally from USDA, ARS accession NSL 27394).
Fruit Color: Purple
Harvest Timing: Main Crop / Mid-Season
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.
Customer Reviews:
By Craig LeHoullier (Hendersonville, NC) on September 8, 2023
I love to peruse seed databases and match with what I find in old seed catalogs. I felt quite lucky to have noted that this old Buist variety, Monarch, was being maintained by the USDA. I suspect that when I grew the sample that they sent, my garden was the first appearance of this tomato anywhere in many years. this is an example of the various large pink beefsteak types that appeared in the 1880-1920 period, likely a selection from the original of its type, Ponderosa (by Henderson). Like that and others from this period, such as Ferris Wheel, the flavor is simply delicious, and I found it to be very productive and the tomatoes large and quite regular in shape. In the category of Tomatoes Deserving Wider Recognition, this variety would have a prominent place.
