No. 024 · heirloom
Costoluto Genovese
Costoluto Genovese is an indeterminate heirloom slicer with carmine fruit. It ripens in about 85 days.
Flavor
Described as a bold, rich, deep flavor with a tangy edge, the deeply pleated fruit slicing into flower-like rounds prized for fresh eating and sauce. This is the recurring catalog and grower description, not a measured claim.
Origin
Italian heirloom from the Genoa region, grown by Italian gardeners for generations and traced to the 19th century.
What it does well
- Bold rich flavor valued fresh and for sauce
- Deeply ribbed fruit that slices into decorative rounds
- Long-season indeterminate vines bear until frost
Where it frustrates
- Tall vines need staking or caging
- Irregular lobed fruit can be awkward to pack or process
- Less common in North America so seed can be harder to find
Growing it
- Indeterminate vine. It keeps growing and setting fruit right up to frost, so plan on a tall stake or cage and regular pruning through the season.
- Late to ripen, past 80 days, so it wants a long warm season or a head start indoors.
- A moderate grow, no special tricks but worth steady attention.
- Wants real summer warmth and is slow to set when nights stay cool.
Disease resistance
An heirloom, sold without formal disease-resistance codes.
Why no hardiness zone?
Tomatoes are warm-season annuals, so variety choice comes down to days to maturity and your local frost dates.
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Common questions
- Is Costoluto Genovese determinate or indeterminate?
- Costoluto Genovese is an indeterminate variety. Indeterminate vine. It keeps growing and setting fruit right up to frost, so plan on a tall stake or cage and regular pruning through the season.
- How long does Costoluto Genovese take to ripen?
- Costoluto Genovese ripens in about 85 days from transplant. Late to ripen, past 80 days, so it wants a long warm season or a head start indoors.
- Is Costoluto Genovese an heirloom or a hybrid?
- Costoluto Genovese is an heirloom, an open-pollinated variety with a documented history, so seed saved from it comes back true to type.
- What can I grow instead of Costoluto Genovese?
- A close swap is San Marzano, but San Marzano is a smooth elongated paste type rather than a ribbed slicer.
Sources
- Costoluto Genovese Tomato · John Scheepers Kitchen Garden Seeds
- Costoluto Genovese Organic Italian Heirloom Tomato · Renee's Garden
- Costoluto Genovese Tomato Seeds · Holmes Seed Company
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