No. 026 · heirloom
Opalka
Opalka is an indeterminate heirloom paste tomato with red fruit. It ripens in about 82 days.
TypePaste tomato
HabitIndeterminate
BreedingHeirloom
Maturity82 days
Fruit size4 to 6 oz
ColorRed, long pointed bull's horn shape
DifficultyModerate
Best forSauce, canning, roasting, drying
Flavor
Described by Fedco tasters as round and mellow, full-bodied with a pleasing texture and lingering good aftertaste. This is the recurring catalog and grower description, not a measured claim.
Origin
Polish heirloom dating to at least 1900, brought by the Opalka family to Amsterdam, New York around 1900.
What it does well
- Meaty dry flesh with very few seeds, ideal for sauce and paste
- Produces consistently even in hot, dry spells
- Dries well and yields copiously
Where it frustrates
- A shy seed producer, which limited commercial use
- Crinkly foliage that can look alarming though it is normal
- Long indeterminate vines need staking
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.
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.
Like Opalka, but...
Sold out, or after a change? The closest alternatives, and how they differ.
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Where to buy seed
Related reading
Common questions
- Is Opalka determinate or indeterminate?
- Opalka 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 Opalka take to ripen?
- Opalka ripens in about 82 days from transplant. Late to ripen, past 80 days, so it wants a long warm season or a head start indoors.
- Is Opalka an heirloom or a hybrid?
- Opalka 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 Opalka?
- A close swap is San Marzano, but San Marzano is a smaller blockier paste rather than a long bull's horn.
Sources
- Opalka Eco Paste Tomato · Fedco Seeds
- Opalka Paste Tomato Seeds · Tim's Tomatoes
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