No. 088 · open-pollinated
Goldman's Italian American
Goldman's Italian American is an indeterminate open-pollinated paste tomato with red fruit. It ripens in about 80 days.
TypePaste tomato
HabitIndeterminate
BreedingOpen-pollinated
Maturity80 days
Fruit size8 to 16 oz
ColorRed, large ribbed pepper or oxheart shape
DifficultyModerate
Best forSauce, canning, slicing, roasting
Flavor
Described as rich and full for a paste type, meaty enough for sauce yet good sliced. This is the recurring catalog and grower description, not a measured claim.
Origin
A large ribbed Italian-American sauce tomato popularized by heirloom author and grower Amy Goldman.
What it does well
- Large, showy ribbed sauce fruit
- Meaty, low-seed flesh ideal for cooking
- Productive on vigorous vines
Where it frustrates
- Tall indeterminate vines need staking
- Large lobed fruit can be awkward to pack
- Late for the coolest zones
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.
- Mid-season timing, ripening around 70 to 80 days from transplant.
- A moderate grow, no special tricks but worth steady attention.
- Wants real summer warmth and is slow to set when nights stay cool.
- One of our picks for the cold, short-season gardens of New England.
Disease resistance
An open-pollinated variety, 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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Where to buy seed
Common questions
- Is Goldman's Italian American determinate or indeterminate?
- Goldman's Italian American 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 Goldman's Italian American take to ripen?
- Goldman's Italian American ripens in about 80 days from transplant. Mid-season timing, ripening around 70 to 80 days from transplant.
- Is Goldman's Italian American an heirloom or a hybrid?
- Goldman's Italian American is open-pollinated, so seed saved from it comes back true to type.
- What can I grow instead of Goldman's Italian American?
- A close swap is San Marzano, but a large ribbed oxheart-shaped sauce tomato.
Sources
- Goldmans Italian American Tomato · Restoration Seeds
- Goldmans Italian American Tomato · Bounty Hunter Seeds
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