Sutton's Peach Blow Tomato
Solanum lycopersicum
Price: $2.95
SKU: 340404185 days, indeterminate - Although originally introduced by the Sutton & Sons Seed Company of Reading, England as 'Peach Blow'[1], it is now being sold by most vendors as "Peach Blow Sutton". All of this may sound confusing, for example, what is a "peach blow" or, "did they mean 'peach glow'?" Keep reading and I will explain all of this below.
The vigorous vines have regular leaf foliage that is slightly fuzzy and are quite productive. 'Peach Blow' fruit average about six ounces each and are pink in color (clear skin) mottled with hues of orange, red, and yellow. Their skins are firm, and although not fuzzy like 'Garden Peach', are interesting in that they have a dull or matte appearance; not shiny like regular tomatoes. Similar to how a nectarine looks in relation to a peach. The flavor pops out rich and sweet with a tiny bit of tartness at the finish. Definitely worthy of garden space and not merely and interesting "novelty."
Introduced in 1897 by the Sutton & Sons Seed Company, as mentioned above, 'Peach Blow' never really was carried by American seed companies and was quite obscure. Then in the late 1990s, while mining the USDA's seed bank for interesting old tomato varieties, Craig LeHoullier discovered an entry [NSSL Accession Number NSL 259719 or G 31971] that had little information other than its interesting name; "Peach Blow, Sutton."
Craig grew it out and shared it with tomato enthusiasts through the Seed Savers Exchange in the 1997. In a very quick time, the comma disappeared and twentieth century gardeners and seed companies began incorrectly referring to it as "Peach Blow Sutton." It is part of the SSE seed bank as SSE Accession Number 126422 and SSE TOMATO 5043.
So why did Sutton's call this 'Peach Blow'? It turns out that back about when this variety was introduced, there was a style of Victorian-era glassware that was quite popular. It was known for its matted, peach skin type of appearance and you guessed it, called "Peach Blow."
The vigorous vines have regular leaf foliage that is slightly fuzzy and are quite productive. 'Peach Blow' fruit average about six ounces each and are pink in color (clear skin) mottled with hues of orange, red, and yellow. Their skins are firm, and although not fuzzy like 'Garden Peach', are interesting in that they have a dull or matte appearance; not shiny like regular tomatoes. Similar to how a nectarine looks in relation to a peach. The flavor pops out rich and sweet with a tiny bit of tartness at the finish. Definitely worthy of garden space and not merely and interesting "novelty."
Introduced in 1897 by the Sutton & Sons Seed Company, as mentioned above, 'Peach Blow' never really was carried by American seed companies and was quite obscure. Then in the late 1990s, while mining the USDA's seed bank for interesting old tomato varieties, Craig LeHoullier discovered an entry [NSSL Accession Number NSL 259719 or G 31971] that had little information other than its interesting name; "Peach Blow, Sutton."
Craig grew it out and shared it with tomato enthusiasts through the Seed Savers Exchange in the 1997. In a very quick time, the comma disappeared and twentieth century gardeners and seed companies began incorrectly referring to it as "Peach Blow Sutton." It is part of the SSE seed bank as SSE Accession Number 126422 and SSE TOMATO 5043.
So why did Sutton's call this 'Peach Blow'? It turns out that back about when this variety was introduced, there was a style of Victorian-era glassware that was quite popular. It was known for its matted, peach skin type of appearance and you guessed it, called "Peach Blow."
Fruit Color: Pink
Fruit Color: Purple
Special Groups: "Epic" Tomatoes
Harvest Timing: Main Crop / Mid-Season
Fruit Color: Purple
Special Groups: "Epic" Tomatoes
Harvest Timing: Main Crop / Mid-Season
Although the name or description of this variety refers to a modern company's name, the seed we are offering is in no way sourced from, "owned by" or connected with that company. The name is simply the historically accurate, common name for the variety giving credit to the seedsmen that originally released it.
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:
- "Plant Inventory No. 216, Plant Materials Introduced in 2007, (Nos. 644218 - 652415)," United States Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service.
- "Peachblow Glass: Fact vs. Fiction," by Johanna S. Billings, Glass Collectors Digest.
- "100 Heirloom Tomatoes for the American Garden," Dr. Carolyn Male, Workman Publishing, 1999, pages 186-187.
- "The Heirloom Tomato: From Garden to Table: Recipes, Portraits, and History of the World's Most Beautiful Fruit," by Amy Goldman, Bloomsbury Publishing, New York, NY, 2008, pages 59, 72, 74, 176.
Customer Reviews:
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★★★★★ They are fuzzy! Wonderful flavor!
By Lester Molle (New Hampshire) on March 11, 2023
By Lester Molle (New Hampshire) on March 11, 2023
Grew these just for the heck of it, they were amazingly productive and more disease resistant than our other heirlooms. Having grown Wapsipinicon and Garden Peach we weren't expecting the flavor to be that good, but thought we'd get some juicy harvests for salads. Well, they had such great flavor, they went in salads on sandwiches in soups and stir-fries and were a lovely treat to just eat like an apple in the garden.
Can't recommend these enough. Will yield loads of medium sized very tasty fuzzy tomatoes!
If I could post a photo, you'd be able to see the fuzz in the sunlight
We will absolutely be keeping this variety in the garden line-up
