No. 033 · heirloom
Stupice
Stupice is an indeterminate heirloom slicer with red fruit. It ripens in about 65 days.
Potato-leaf foliage
Flavor
Described as tangy and well balanced, with sweetness and a richness that some catalogs compare to larger beefsteak types. This is the recurring catalog and grower description, not a measured claim.
Origin
A very early Czech heirloom from the Stupice area near Prague, introduced to North America in the 1970s, grown as a potato-leaf vining plant prized for cold tolerance.
What it does well
- Very early, often among the first slicers to ripen
- Cold tolerant and productive in cool or short seasons
- Heavy yields in clusters over the whole season
Where it frustrates
- Indeterminate vines need staking or trellising
- Fruit runs small to medium, not a large slicer
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.
- Ripens early, under about 70 days, one of the safer picks where the summer is short.
- Generally forgiving and beginner-friendly to grow.
- Reliably sets and ripens in cool, short seasons.
- One of our picks for the cold, short-season gardens of New England.
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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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 Stupice determinate or indeterminate?
- Stupice 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 Stupice take to ripen?
- Stupice ripens in about 65 days from transplant. Ripens early, under about 70 days, one of the safer picks where the summer is short.
- Is Stupice an heirloom or a hybrid?
- Stupice 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 Stupice?
- A close swap is Early Girl, but an open-pollinated heirloom rather than an F1 hybrid.
Sources
- Stupice Tomato Seed · Territorial Seed Company
- Stupice Tomato (Heirloom 65 Days) · Pinetree Garden Seeds
- Heirloom Stupice Early Container Tomato · Renee's Garden
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